A Call to Remember
A devotional on Exodus 17:8-18
My church invited me to write a couple devotionals on the book of Exodus. In my last devotional, I wrote about the Israelites receiving manna from heaven in Exodus 16. In this piece, I write about the story of the Israelites defeating the Amalekites in Exodus 17:8-18.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.” — Exodus 17:14
I am a forgetful person. It is embarrassing how often I have checked out at the grocery line, walked out, only to turn around and go back inside because I forgot something. I forget the names of people I meet, the names of places I go, important days like birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries.
The discipline to write things down is one I am still growing into. It is ironic, since I consider my primary vocation to be that of a writer. I write stories to help people remember the greater story that we all inhabit. I have to remind myself that good writers are not necessarily good rememberers (which I am not); rather, we are good recorders. Good writers have a way of seeing things as they are and telling them plain. That’s all there is too it.
In truth, I think there are very few people who have a great ability to remember. Perhaps even our forgetfulness is a grace, however, as are all our limitations, for if everyone had perfect memories, what use would we have for writers? I would be out of a job and the world would be a lot less fun, because everyone loves a good story around the dinner table, or at bedtime with a book, or in a movie theater.
It is no surprise to me that following the defeat of the Amalekites, God gives Moses the injunction to “write this on a scroll as something to be remembered.” God knows that we are liable to forget. And there are some things we should never forget. That is why we need to learn to write them down.
That is also why good disciples should be good readers—particularly good readers of the Scriptures. To read is to remember. The Scriptures tell us, in a myriad of ways, our own story, as well as the story of God’s people, and ultimately God’s story. At a time in which my generation (Gen Z) is grasping for things like identity, authenticity, and purpose, knowing one’s story is crucial. Stories root us in a reality greater than ourselves.
It is difficult to imagine what the Amalekites must have done to warrant such wrath from God. God’s intention to “blot out the name of Amalek” is repeated throughout the Levitical books, so it must have been horrific. Deuteronomy alludes to it, saying that the Amalekites opposed them during their Exodus from Egypt: “When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God.” (Deut. 25:18). Regardless of the details, God’s opposition to the Amalekites was a demonstration of his justice and his wrath against the oppressor.
But what really strikes me about this verse is God’s instruction to “make sure that Joshua hears it.” God was especially concerned that Joshua, the man leading the charge on the ground against the Amalekites, Israel’s present and future military leader, know the truth about what granted them the victory. It was not his superior strength or military expertise; the victory was given to him by God, and God used his intercessors to do it.
It is dangerous how easy it is when we experience a triumph to take pride in it as though we had achieved it by our own efforts. But just as Jesus explains that the fruitfulness of our lives is contingent primarily upon our abiding in him (John 15:4), so also every victory we are granted is a gift from God and the fruit of our neighbors’ intercession on our behalf. That is humbling. May we be a people who give thanks where thanks is due.
The story of the Israelites’ victory over the Amalekites should also teach us how to fight our future battles. Indeed, with the conquest of Canaan looming, this was the first of many battles that Joshua would face as leader of the army of Israel. God commanded Moses to be careful to write down the story of Israel’s victory over the Amalekites for Joshua’s benefit. God knew that Joshua was liable to forget how his victory over Amalek was achieved. If Joshua’s conquest was going to be effective, facing armies that were superior in size, strength, and military expertise, he needed to learn to depend completely on God and his intercessors in order to prevail.
While it is unlikely the battles we wage will be military conquests like those of Joshua, the general principles of this story still apply to us today. God chooses the victors, and he responds to the intercession of his people. In every struggle in which we find ourselves, I pray we would be a church who depends upon God and leans on our neighbors, who travail on our behalf, to achieve the victories we seek. And may we not fail to record the successes he grants us, so that we would always remember that he is forever faithful to those who seek after him.