Raise your arms in victory

I'm working on a four-part sermon series on leadership, Biblical leadership, and today's second part delves into that word (and deed) that is so difficult for me. The word, the action, is delegating. In the 17th chapter of Exodus, Moses faces some of the most difficult decisions of his tenure as unelected leader of the Israelites.

It's one of the most fascinating of word pictures. Moses is standing on the top of a hill, holding the stick that God had told him to carry. The Israelites could see him, a living half-time speech, as they marched out to fight a group of folks called the Amalekites.

Their leader, Moses, had led them to a winning streak unlike any other perhaps in history. Just days earlier, Moses prayed to the Lord quite earnestly, "What can I do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me." Had the "people" known Moses felt this way, I suspect the stones would have been flying.

But the real, honest to goodness leader, God the Father, Jehovah, the Lord, told Moses, "Take some of the leaders of Israel with you,  (Notice the plural) and go ahead of the people. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile. I will stand before you on a rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for people to drink."

Along with a variation of early sweet tea -- water from a rock -- God answered the question that always goes before Him and us, which is, "Is the Lord with us or not." Sticks hitting rocks with the result being water flowing like Yosemite's steam baths is a substantial answer to the question.

But the war had just begun, as they say. The Amalekites came and attacked. Moses got his leading man in this way-off Broadway production, Joshua, to fight back. "Pick out some men to go and fight the Amalekites tomorrow. I will stand on top of the hill holding the stick that God told me to carry."

Lots of stick holding. Lots of hill climbing. Lots of orders for battle that don't include "send in the cavalry," or "let's bomb the Amalekites out of existence," or even "let your snipers pin them down." War was sticky back then. You marched, you raised spears and such, and men fought men.

The battle raged, again as someone known as they said. Moses, Aaron and Hur were at the top of the hill that proved to be a frame of the battle's portrait. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, the Israelites won. When Moses put his arms down, the Amalekites won.

I'm no Patton, but clearly it would seem to me that someone should have run up that hill and made sure those strong arms of Moses never raised again. Just me. Just my strategy. If those arms even start to go up, I'm, uh, doing some heavy-duty shall we say "chopping." Two arms to go, sirs. Uses frequently in battle, but otherwise not in bad shape.

Clouds of dust were making it harder for anyone to see Moses, but still he raised his arms. Pain and suffering of battle were making it more difficult by the second to see some man off in the distance doing the wave -- by HIMSELF. The hills were alive with the sound of everything but music. When someone said they were "armed" for battle, who knew this is what they meant?

Moses raised ... the battle flowed.
Moses lifted ... the battle raged.
Moses stood with two ol' appendages appending.
And the Israelites fought on.

Finally, with his arms growing weary as a mule at the plow, Moses began to fight the urge to say, "man, let someone else raise their arms. I'm flat-out done here." With the battle about to be won or lost depending upon the feelings of one man, Moses figured out what most of us have known just about all our lives.

No man is an island.
No one can go it alone.
No band can make sweet, sweet music if the band leader is off on a hill by himself.

Raise your arms in surrender if that's the case.

If followers are the necessary ingredient for great leadership to command the battle, then one must, must delegate.

When Moses' arms grew tired, as all arms do, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down. In this way, scripture says, Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites.

Perhaps that's why to this day the forces who march into battle are called the "arm-y." Or perhaps not, since I made that up.

Here's the point: With a livid battle going on all around us, it is absolutely imperative that we turn to others rather than standing alone. When we're tired, we have to turn to Him. When we're lost, we have to turn to him. When we're about to lose it all, we have to turn to Him.

Is it better to have someone win the battle in the name of someone else or have someone LOSE the battle in our name? Let's put it this way: Does history record the Amalekites winning battles in the Palestine area or does history record the Palestine warriors winning the battle against the Jews and the Israelites disappearing from history's books?

Moses, up on a hill, arms raised with sweat and dirt and the desire to drop his arms and call the Amalekites in, and then those arms falling like the Israelites one by one. Moses, up on a hill, arms being held by Hur and Aaron like they were big ol' steaks on a grill as the battle swung toward the Israelites.

Which would you prefer?
Which was the winning moment?



We win because God in our weakness is strong. God lifts our arms in victory. God lifts our victory because in moments of weakness we who hate to turn to anyone but ourselves MUST turn to him.

God plus willingness plus where else could we turn but to you equals victory.

Leadership part 1 says you must be passionate about what you're trying to do. Passion is not a bad word.
Leadership part 2 says you must use every thing, person, gift that God has given you toward the accomplishment you're attempting to achieve. Delegate is not a bad word.

Tomorrow: Leadership part 3 looks at the role of experience versus youth through the eyes of David, King of Israel.
Friday: Leadership part 4 looks at how leaders never give up despite what they see in front of them.

If you're in the Eunice/Kinder/Iota area, come see us as we explore what it means to lead a church, a home, a business, a school room, according to God's holy word.