The Lord Will Not Forsake You – Exodus 17:1-16
17 The entire congregation of the children of Israel set out from the wilderness of Sin, traveling from place to place as Jehovah commanded. Then they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. (2) Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, Give us water so that we may drink! And Moses said to them, Why do you quarrel with me? Why are you testing Jehovah? (3) The people thirsted for water there; and they grumbled against Moses, saying, Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, was it in order to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? (4) Then Moses cried out to Jehovah, What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me! (5) Jehovah said to Moses, Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the River. Now go. (6) I will stand before you there by the rock at Horeb. You are to strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink. So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. (7) He called that place Massah and Meribah, because of the children of Israel’s quarreling and because they tested Jehovah, saying, Is Jehovah with us or not?
(8) Then the Amalekites came and fought against Israel in Rephidim. (9) Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us and go out to fight against the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands. (10) So Joshua did as Moses instructed him and fought against the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. (11) As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites prevailed. (12) When Moses’ arms grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady until sunset. (13) So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword. (14) Jehovah said to Moses, Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and recite it in Joshua’s hearing: I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. (15) Then Moses built an altar and called it, “Jehovah is my Banner.” (16) And he said, Jehovah has sworn: Jehovah will wage war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
