Dear Tiff,
I hope this answers your questions about Moses…
At the burning bush…
Moses kept seeing something burning in the mountain and Yes, God was testing him to see if he would “turn aside to see.”
At the battle with Amalek…
His hands were not literally “heavy” per se. Not heavy the way we think of in the natural.
Scripture actually says in the original Hebrew that “His hands were filled with faith.” Which made them appear heavy in the natural.
Exodus 17:
11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 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.
Behind the word steady is the Hebrew word for faith, emunah. Emunah means to be certain of GOD, which makes us steadfast, immoveable and unshakeable. Emunah has its roots in the word, Amen, which we declare in confidence that our prayers will be answered because GOD hears us and He is Faithfulness Himself.
Moses hands were not just steady… that’s the watered-down Bible story version of what was going on. His hands were faith unstoppable!
“O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness (emunah) round about thee?” Ps 89:8 KJV
His Hands Were Faith…
Long story: but the short version I want you to get from God’s Word is this…. faith is in our hands. Faith exudes from our hands… Faith is evident by virtue of what actions we perform in the world. Faith is not something that you say. Faith is something that you do.
Faith is a verb. Faith can’t be just in your conversation. Faith must be in demonstration. (Faith is a noun in English, our language. Faith is a verb in Hebrew, God’s Language.)
Faith is Action.
How awesome would it have been if we had understood this from our childhood? I have not found to date, any version of the Bible that actually informs us that “his hands were filled with faith” or that “his hands were faith.” Don’t you think that would have made a difference to how we would have understood and applied the Word of Truth? Don’t you believe that we would have connected to a deeper truth, a deeper spiritual understanding from the beginning?
Back to your question….
Moses was holding up the faith for everyone—-all the children of Israel— they did not have their own faith. They had faith in his faith. But their faith was not of the same substance and the same quality of what Moses had.
We need to have a faith of our own.
The prayers of Moses, and his show of faith (by raising up his hands) embued power, inspired the people. Moses’ faith moved them to a place of strength and power that they did not have on their own. They had forgotten who they were. They still had the mindset of a conquered people. They had come out of captivity but they still had a captivity mindset.
They saw HIS faith…. and they believed they could win. Moses was a pillar of God, holding up the faith of the people. Moses, Aaron and Hur.
Not very many people draw faith from God. They actually draw it from certain other people. Perhaps you know what I mean. Do you know people who have faith in your faith in GOD, but don’t really have a relationship with GOD of their own?
God is humble enough to understand that. He depends on it. I hope there are people that you know that are simply Holy instruments, vessels of faith and we need them. We depend on them. They are like the letter vav in Hebrew. They connect us to the faith of GOD. We need them.
Their faith inspires us and others. Their faith helps us overcome.
God needs these people to help His people overcome their enemies… those who actually are the enemies of God. Those that want to bend Gods will to their own.
This whole battle is actually about Him. It’s about, if we will serve Him, who will serve Him, when we will serve Him, how long, how convenient it is to serve Him, etc.
This battle is about whose hands are really filled with faith. A great many people have faith in Church, in Worship, in prayer, in conversation, in your dilemma… but not in their own crisis.
Do You Have Faith in the Crisis?
Most believers, too many, have faith until the crisis comes.
Then fear approaches and either takes over, paralyzes the person causing them to freeze, (not know what to do and so they do nothing). They freeze in place with doubt, second guessing, they curl up in bed and weep, depressed, they just let days… time pass by. The miracle they hope for is the world to end, just swallow them up whole. They want the problem to go away or to just go back in time… they just want it to stop. Whatever “it” is.
They stop thinking. Stop being ah-dahm, mankind, His crowning achievement.
Fear of the future, the unknown, of self, or the enemy, kills Gods people first. BEFORE the death blow ever comes from the enemy.
The Crisis will Confirm the Level of Faith That You Have…
We can take ourselves out with our own fears before we ever meet Goliath on the battlefield. If we’re not careful, we will fall on our own sword for fear of the situation.
I believe that spiritual death comes when you’re out of ideas.
David was the only man left who was free of fear. That’s why he could say, “Who is this uncircumcised Phillistine!”
His hands were filled with faith. Literally and spiritually. No one had to have faith for him. He had his own.
Moses, David, all the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, were filled with the Word of God and nothing could come between them and His Word.
They understood faith had to be demonstrated, in a crisis when it counts the most, and they did just that.
Their demonstrations of faith helped the people and the nations that weren’t quite there yet but wanted to be.
In the final analysis, the crisis reveals just what king of faith you really have or if you have any at all. What kind of faith are you operating with?
Jesus Saw Their Faith…
Matthew 9:2, “And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Mark 2:5, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Luke 5:20, “And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.”
There has to be demonstration of faith.
I see us passing by like the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of old, of now. I see some of us coming to the level of Moses and David in our faith.
I pray that all God’s people’s hands are filled with faith, of the substance and the quality of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
May your hands be filled with faith and your dedicated prayer life become your lifestyle, not your refuge in times of trouble, but your refuge everyday. Let GOD be the refuge everyday. I pray for your strength to go out to battle when Goliath comes. Whenever he shows up. I decree and declare that your fear(s) shall always activate you and never paralyze you. I pray that you remember who you are, everyday… the crowning achievement of Gods creative miracle and you have power above all the power of the enemy. I see the next evolution of 5 smooth stones in God’s people. I see your enemy’s falling by the power of prayer that resides within you.
That’s what I see as you pass by. I see giant slayers coming forth through the power of prayer.
You will be slaying giants even as you’re passing by or walking away!
Amen.
Prayer of David composed when Saul sent messengers to wait at the house in order to destroy him and his purpose in the earth.
PSALM 59
Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from men of bloods.
3 For, lo, they lie in wait (seek to ambush) for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord.
4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault: reveal yourself, arouse yourself to help me, and behold.
5 Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful (compassionate) to any wicked transgressors (those that deal treacherously). Selah.
6 They return at evening: they make a murmur (hamah) like a dog, and go round about (surround) the city.
7 Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips (language, speech): for who, say they, doth hear?
8 But thou, O Lord (YHVH), shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen (nations) in derision (laugh).
9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence (stronghold, retreat).
10 The God of my mercy shall (come out front to meet) me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies (treacherous watchers).
11 Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips (speech) let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And at evening let them return; and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
15 Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
17 Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.
Amen.
