Exodus 17:8-12 "Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."
The man, Amalek, was a grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:12). It makes sense that Amalek in our Scripture here refers to the people or nation that was descended from him just as Israel refers to the nation that was descended from the man Israel (Jacob). Being descendants of Esau, it also makes sense that Amalek would view Israel as an enemy. The descendants of Esau would be just as likely to know the promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as the children of Israel were. As such, they would have viewed Israel as interlopers.
The job of choosing warriors to fight for Israel fell on Joshua’s shoulders. They were to prepare to do battle but not without the blessing of God’s servant, Moses. The next day, as Moses stood on top of the hill overlooking the battle, Joshua led the Israelites against Amalek. As long as Moses was able to hold his hands up, the children of Israel prevailed against the Amalekites.
As the day wore on, Moses’ arms became heavy, and he could no longer hold his hands up. When his hands dropped, the Amalekites would begin to prevail against Israel. Realizing that Moses was growing tired, they brought a stone that he could rest on. And as Moses was resting on the stone, Aaron and Hur stood on either side of him and held his hands up. With the help of his brethren, Moses was able to hold his hands steadily until the sun went down.
As the people of God, we will still encounter enemies, both physical and spiritual, that will need to be defeated. Thankfully, God has not called us to face our foes alone. Sometimes he sends us faithful brethren to help us rest on the stone and hold up our hands to the LORD. Sometimes that help may be in the form of prayer and holding to God’s word. Whatever the case, we can rest assured that God will not abandon us as we strive to stand for the cause of Christ.