Exodus 17:8-16New International Version (NIV)

The Amalekites Defeated

8 
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at
Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men
and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top
of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
10 
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and
Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as
Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but
whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were
winning. 12 When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone
and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his
hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his
hands remained steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the
Amalekite army with the sword.
14 
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.”
15 
Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my
Banner. 16 He said, “Because hands were lifted up against[a] the
throne of the LORD,[b] the LORD will be at war against the
Amalekites from generation to generation.”
Ephesians 3:14-21New International Version (NIV)

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 
For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in
[a]

heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious
riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner
being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray
that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power,
together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and
high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of
God.

20 
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or
imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory
in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and
ever! Amen.
How to win The war of temptation

Exodus 17:8-16

                       The Christian has two natures.  We have an old sin nature that wants to sin, and
we have a new nature that wants to do good.  Just as the orange rancher had to constantly cut
off the shoots from the old nature of the orange tree, we as believers have to constantly cut
off the old nature that produces sin.   In Exodus chapter 17 we see a picture of our old sin
nature.  Let's take a look at:

Exodus 17:8-16

8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua,
"Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on
top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands." 10 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as
Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as
Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his
hands, the Amalekites were winning. 12 When Moses

1'hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and
Hur held his hands up -- one on one side, one on the other -- so that his hands remained
steady till sunset. 13 So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. 14 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 memory of
Amalek from under heaven." 15 Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my
Banner. 16 He said, "For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD
will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." (NIV)

           

FIRST -- WHO IS AMALEK?

the Amalekites.  Amalek was the grandson of Esau (the son of Abraham) by
a concubine.

            The Amalekites were always at war with the children of Israel.  Moses' generation had
to fight the Amalekites.  Joshua's generation had to fight the Amalekites.  His grandchildren
had to fight the Amalekites.  King Saul had to fight them.  King David had to
fight them.  As a matter of fact, King Hezekiah had to fight them in 1 Chronicles. 

            But I want you to notice the last verse of Exodus 17, verse 16, because it illustrates an
important truth about our old sin nature.  Notice that it says:

"The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."

               

            Just as the Israelites will be constantly at war against the Amalekites from generation
to generation, so we as believers will be continually at war with our old sin nature.  That is,
there will never be a time when we will be free from the temptation of sin.  We

will always be at war with the temptation to sin.  The apostle Paul confirmed this when He
said in Romans chapter 7 that he had a constant warfare with the old sin nature.

Romans 7:18-19, 21 & 24

18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the
desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I
want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing...21 So I find this law
at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me... 24 What a wretched man
I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?  (NIV)

            When you were born, you were born with a s-i-n nature that makes it very easy for
you to sin.  Sin comes very natural for us.  It is just as easy for us to sin as it is for a dog to
bark, because

that is its nature. 

            Amalek is a picture of our old sin nature.  Just as Amalek will be at continual war, so
we will be in continual warfare with our old sin nature.  When you trust Jesus Christ as your
Savior, your old sin nature is not done away with.  Some religions teach that when you
become a Christian, you will not sin again.  That just isn't the case.  You don't get rid of your
sin nature when you become a Christian.  You can be a Christian for 100 years, pray 8 hours
a day, read the Bible for 8 hours a day, witness 8 hours a day, and you still would not get rid
of your sin nature.  The Bible says this:

1 John 1:8

8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (NIV)

            Now when you became a Christian, God gave you a new nature to do right. 
Christian's  have 2 natures living inside them:  One is the old sin nature (Amalek) and the
other is new nature (the Holy Spirit).  You need to look at Galatians 5:17: 

17 For the sinful nature desires what is

contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in
conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (NIV)

      You can live to be 1,200 years old and you still will have to do battle with the old sin
nature (Amalek).  The Lord said, there will be "War with Amalek for generation to
generation." 

Now in war they say if you can identify the enemy, you are 50% on the way to victory.  Your
enemy is not your wife, or your husband.  It is not your boss or your neighbor.  The biggest
problem is your old sin nature, Amalek-that is your flesh.  You will never reach the place
where it will leave you alone.  Just as Amalek will always be at war, so will you always be at
war with your old sin nature.  That is who Amalek is, a nation that is in constant warfare.  

SECOND -- WHEN DID AMALEK APPEAR?

      I want you to see not only who Amalek is (the old sin nature), but I want you to see when
he appeared.  Notice Exodus 17:8

Exodus 17:8

8 The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. (NIV)

      In the first 7 verses of Exodus chapter 17, the children of Israel became very thirsty and
began to complain.  God told Moses to take his rod and strike a rock and water would flow
out of the rock.  In 1 Corinthians 10:4, it tells us that the children drank water from that rock,
and that the rock is a picture of Jesus Christ.  Now when did the children of Israel meet
Amalek?  As soon as they drank water from the rock.  Here is the point: as soon as you trust
Jesus Christ as your Savior, as soon as you are born again, you do battle with the old sin
nature.  When you became a Christian, what happened 2 or 3 days later? You had a battle
with the old sin

nature.  You had a battle like you have never had before.  Did you say,

 "Hey! I didn't have those temptations before I became a Christian."  Do you know what was
going on?  As soon as you drank from the Spiritual Rock, "The Amalekites came and
attacked."  That is, the old sin nature began to attack you. 

            What happened was, the old sin nature cried out, "Don't live such a straight life." Or,
"You don't have to be that fanatical to be a Christian."  Or, "Stop attending church."  Amalek
is always at war with us.  When will the war be over with our old sin nature?  It is not going
to stop until you die.  The Lord said,  

Exodus 17:16

"The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation."
(NIV)

            Some Christians think that the war with the flesh will slack off after a while, but it
won't.  The old sin nature says, "Remember when you used to _____.  There is nothing wrong
with dabbling back into it."  The old sin nature keeps pulling at you.  That is why the apostle
Paul said, in Romans 7:19

19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do -- this I
keep on doing...  And he went on to say:

Romans 7:24

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (NIV)

            Notice the phrase "Who will rescue me from this body of death?"  That
phrase is an illustration of a form of punishment that was administered by the Roman
government.  A dead body was tied to a man who was convicted of murder.  They would
strap a dead body foot to foot, hand to hand, face to face with someone who was convicted of
murder.  And the living man would actually carry about that decaying, putrefying dead body
everywhere he went.  He would sleep with it at night, he would eat with it at the table, until
that

dead body ate into his own body and it eventually killed him.  Paul is saying, having the old
sin nature is like dragging around an old dead body.   So the apostle Paul is saying, "Who will
deliver me from this body of death?"

THREE -- HOW CAN WE HAVE VICTORY OVER AMALEK?

            Look at:1 Samuel 15:1-3

1 Samuel said to Saul, "I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people
Israel; so listen now to the message from the LORD. 2 This is what the LORD Almighty
says: `I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them
as they came up from Egypt.

3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do
not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep,
camels and donkeys.'" (NIV)

            What did God say to do?  To utterly destroy Amalek.  What did Samuel tell Saul to
do?  

  

1 Samuel 15:7-9

7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of
Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the

Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.
9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves
and lambs -- everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely,
but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed. (NIV)

        The Lord said, "Utterly destroy the Amalekites."  But King Saul only obeyed 90% of the
Lord's command.  He gave into the old sin nature.  As a result, it eventually cost him his
position as king.  You might say, "Well, I yield 90% to the Spirit."  Then you will not be the
Christian you were meant to

be.  Look what the prophet Samuel said to King Saul: 

1 Samuel 15:22

22 But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as
much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed
is better than the fat of rams. (NIV)

            We tend to think that if we do enough good deeds we can hang on to our sinful
habits.   If Saul had not obeyed his sin nature and had killed all the Amalekites, as he was
told, he and his sons would have been kings in Israel. 

            You see, you have two natures, a spiritual nature and a fleshly nature, which is
Amalek.

Galatians 5:17

17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do
what you want. (NIV)

            You make the choice.  You're in the driver's seat.  It is up to you to yield to the Spirit
or to the flesh (Amalek).  Let me give you some help.  The Bible gives us a promise found in
Galatians 5:16.  I want to give you the promise in the New International Version and King
James Version of the Bible. 

 
 Galatians 5:16

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
(NIV)

Galatians 5:16

16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (KJV)

           

God has given us a promise that we can live a life led by the Spirit of God if we "LIVE IN
THE SPIRIT."     How do you "live in the spirit" and not live in the flesh?  The best way is
to starve the flesh to death.  That is, don't put yourself in the place to be tempted.  Don't give
the flesh anything that appeals to the flesh.  Don't put yourself in a position to have the flesh
entertained.  Starve it out whenever and wherever you can.   

           

            Now whatever it is that easily tempts you, stay away from it.  For example, if eating
chocolate mousse ice-cream is what is killing you, don't go down the isle that has ice-cream. 
But that is not all.  You must replace what you don't eat with something else.  That is why the
Bible says over and over again:

Romans 13:12

12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us "...put aside the deeds of
darkness and put on the armor of light." (NIV)

Ephesians 6:11

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's
schemes. (NIV)
            The point is this:  If you're going to put aside the deeds of the flesh, you need to
replace the deeds of the flesh with the deeds of the spirit.  That is what Jesus did when the
devil tempted Him.  Jesus lay aside the temptations of the devil and put on the armor by
quoting Scripture.    

            Let me illustrate it this way:  Consider the effect of gravity on a book.  Gravity would
cause an unsupported book to fall, but gravity can be rendered "powerless" against the book
by simply placing a table under it.  As long as the table is under the book, gravity cannot
cause it to fall.  The table is "stronger" than gravity's effect on the book.  For the Christian,
the Holy Spirit is like that table and our sin nature is like gravity's pull.  As long as we allow
the Holy Spirit to hold us up, which places our dependence on his power to give us victory
over sin, our sinful impulses have no power to pull us down. 

            As as a book needs a table to keep it from falling, you also need the armor of God to
keep you from falling.  To walk in the spirit, you need the tools of the spirit.  You need to get
into the Book of books. 
Genesis 25:19-34New International Version (NIV)

Jacob and Esau

19 
This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son
Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was

forty years oldwhen he married Rebekah daughter of
Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram[a] and sister of
Laban the Aramean.
21 
Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife,
because she was childless. The LORD answered his
prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The
babies jostled each other within her, and she said,
“Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire
of the LORD.
23 
The LORD said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb,

    and two peoples from within you will be
separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
    and the older will serve the younger.”

24 
When the time came for her to give birth, there were
twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was
red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so
they named him Esau.[b] 26 After this, his brother came
out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was
named Jacob.[c]Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah
gave birth to them.
27 
The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful
hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was
content to stay at home among the tents.28 Isaac, who
had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah
loved Jacob.
29 
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came
in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob,
“Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m
famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[d])
31 
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
32 
“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is
the birthright to me?”
33 
But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an
oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
34 
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil
stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.