The Battle is the Lord’s (29th Sunday of Ordinary Time)

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The Amalekites show up may times in the Old Testament as Israel’s long-time enemies.  This story is the first of many encounters between the two nations. Here, they attack Israel completely unprovoked. After a fierce battle, Israel eventually defeats Amalek, but only because Moses held up his hands until the end of the battle—an action which also foreshadows the raising up of Jesus’ hands on the Cross for our salvation.

The significance of this story is that it demonstrates God’s power at work. Although the angelic host of Heaven is not mentioned in the text, we can assert that they are at work here. We see this happen other times in Scripture where angels are clearly fighting on behalf of the Israelites (e.g. 2 Kings 6:17, 19:35) In raising his hands, Moses directed them to where they were needed. Biblical scholar John Goldingay points this out when he writes: “Moses again assumes control of the power God had given to him at the Red Sea and directs the forces of heaven in the battle that follows . . . The way the battle works shows it is not merely a this-worldly one but one where God’s forces are active in ensuring that Israel is not defeated.”¹

God’s involvement is reinforced in verse 15, which states, “And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The LORD is my banner.” The name of the altar (Heb. YHWH Nissi). This provides a hint as to the symbolism behind the raising of Moses’ hands:  “The word ‘banner’ (nes) refers to a battle standard, flag or insignia that leads an army into war. Perhaps Moses’ raised arms are symbolic of raising Yahweh, their ‘banner’ of military strength and power. With the banner raised, the army prevails.”² The banner also serves as a type of the Cross, through which God saves us from our sins, just as He saved Israel in the wilderness.

Just as the armies of Heaven were at work back then, they continue to be active in our world today. The New Testament in many places teaches us to take spiritual warfare seriously (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, Ephesians 6:10-20, etc.). Many events that take place around us are evidence of the activity of angels and demons. We should always be mindful of the warfare that is constantly taking place around us, and ask for God’s angels to defend us against the devil and his angels.

J. Luis Dizon

Notes