Hold Up His Hands

The Story

Israel had barely left Egypt when the Amalekites attacked them in the desert at Rephidim.

Moses told a young man named Joshua to choose some men and go out to fight. Moses would stand on top of the hill with the rod of God in his hand.

So Joshua fought in the valley, and Moses went up the hill with his brother Aaron and a man named Hur. Then something remarkable happened. As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel won. When he let his hands down, Amalek won.

Moses was no longer a young man, and his arms grew heavy. He couldn’t hold them up all day on his own.

So Aaron and Hur found a stone and set it under him, and Moses sat on it. Then they stood on either side and held up his hands, one on the left and one on the right. His hands stayed steady until the sun went down, and Joshua won the battle.

Afterward, Moses built an altar and named it “Jehovahnissi,” which means “The LORD is my banner.”

Reflection