The Amalekites made two mistakes when they attacked Israel. First, they were not spiritually alert enough to see that God was divinely leading Israel. A little spiritual wisdom would be useful at this point to instruct them: Don’t mess with Israel. And, second, they attacked Israel from the back in order to strike the slow, feeble and sick people first, a cowardly act that God never forgave (1 Sam. 15:2-3).

A man from the tribe of Ephraim (Joseph’s son) named Hoshea was commissioned as the general. (Later in Numbers 13:16 Moses would change Hoshea’s name to Joshua.) General Joshua engaged the Amalekites while Moses stood on top of a hill with the staff he had used to strike Egypt held in the air. The staff in the air was an indication of Israel’s dependence on the Lord and a reminder to the Israelites that they were protected because the Lord’s presence was with them. The symbolism was important because it reminded Israel to that they were successful because the Lord was their source of strength.

When Moses’ arms grew weary and he lowered the staff, the Amalekites would begin to drive Israel back. The sign of God’s presence had to be restored so Aaron and Hur had Moses sit on a stone to rest while the Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms and the staff until the battle had been won.

The purpose of the staff being held above Moses’ head was to serve as a symbol of Israel’s dependence on the Lord. When the staff was lowered, for the symbolism to remain consistent, Israel would begin to lose since the symbolism indicated they had lost dependence on the Lord. This was the young nation’s first battle, and the most important lesson was emphasized: Dependence on the Lord is necessary for any victory or success.

To maintain wisdom and the proper perspective, it must be pointed out that General Joshua and his troops were not on the hill holding up staffs along with Moses. Joshua and the Israelite forces were on the battle field swing swords in bloody hand to hand combat with the Amalekites. The staff was a symbol of God’s presence and Israel’s dependence on the Lord, but the sword being swung in battle was a symbol of Israel’s faith and obedience. As always Israel needed both the Lord’s presence and their active obedience. We all can’t stand on a hill and hold up a stick, someone has to get their sword bloody.

With the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Christian church there was both a power struggle and a power vacuum that vacillated back and forth during 500-800 AD. Did the church rule the state? Or, did the state rule the church? For example, Charles Martel’s son, the Frankish king Pepin III, conquered land of the Lombards and gave it to the pope. Yet the pope did not have imperial control. Charlemagne, Pepin’s son, began conquering east in 771 AD and by 800 a large portion of Europe was under King Charlemagne’s control. On Christmas Day 800 AD King Charlemagne attended a Mass in the basilica of St. Peter in Rome. When the king arose from prayer at the altar Pope Leo III placed a crown on Charlemagne’s head, and said, “To Charles Augustus, crowned by God, and peaceful emperor of the Romans, life and victory.” Songs were sung and the pope honored Charlemagne as the new Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Something new had begun in Christiandom. (Details here and here.)