In the movie The Patriot with Mel Gibson, he is charged to fight off trained British soldiers with a bunch of militia who are farmers by trade. At one of their first battles, as the soldiers get close, he tells them to hold off firing until they can see the whites of their eyes. That is too close for most of them, and many want to retreat or shoot. Mel Gibson repeatedly says, “Steady,” to remind them to wait and not move. That took a lot of trust. Moses showed the same trust as he raised his hands in battle.
EXODUS 17:11
So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed.
Grew Victorious
The nation of Amalek came against Israel. Moses instructed Joshua to gather some men and fight against them. Moses, Aaron, and Hur headed up to the top of the hill, where Moses raised his hands towards the Lord. As long as he raised his hands, Israel was victorious. As his arms began to sink because Moses grew weary, Amalek started to gain momentum. Aaron and Hur put a stone under Moses for him to sit on, and they held his arms up till the sun went down and Israel defeated the Amalekites.
Reach Out
Moses’ arms being raised to the Lord represent reaching out to the Lord for help. As long as you reach out to the Lord for help, you will receive it. When you try to do things on your own, you will fail. Jesus wants you to depend upon Him. His way is better. It may make you wait longer, and the stress may be higher but the result will be better in the end.
Raised His Hands
The old song goes, “Trust and obey, for there is no better way than to trust in Lord Jesus. You need to trust and obey.” This will be tested when you least expect it. Moses had just been stretched to the limit by the Israelites asking for water. Now he turns around, and an opportunistic band of raiders is attacking him. He could’ve gotten mad and done things his way, but he resisted those urges and trusted the Lord.