Remember!

In Dt. 25:17-19, the Lord addresses what the Amalikites did to the Israelites as they came out of Egypt.

¹⁷ Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. ¹⁸ 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. ¹⁹ When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget! (NIV)

Wild animals in search of prey will look for the weak, lame, and weary to attack, as well as the young, and those caring for the young. There are many reasons for straggling behind. In these verses, we know of the harsh treatment that the Israelites had just come out of. There are times in our own lives, when the battles are many, that we feel just too tired and weary to move forward. There may be an actual physical, or mental illness, or discouragement from battle after battle. Every man will have moments in a weakened state, some more than others.

When my children were small, sometimes I would just pick them up and carry them. We may have gone on a walk that required more physical stamina than they yet had. Their attention span may have been all over the place, and we needed to proceed a bit quicker. They may have been tired and emotionally taxed for whatever reason. There were times that they would be required to walk when they didn’t want to. Each situation is different according to maturity level as well as other variables. If I suspected there was any sort of danger, I of course, would swoop in. My children now range up to 22 yrs of age. Obviously, I no longer carry them physically. We are called to ever increasing maturity in Christ. This brings me to verse 19.

¹⁹ When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget! (NIV)

This has recently been a theme I have been hearing from the Lord. When God brings us through our hard places to our promised land, we will then go back and cut down Amalek. Amalek represents those things that attacked us while we were down, those things that we thought would do us in. It may have been our emotions, physical health, relationships, financial crisis, addictions, fear, immorality, torment, unbelief, or whatever that mountain was or is. We are given a charge and a responsibility to help bring down those things for others. This is where we will make the enemy wish he had never messed with us. Go blot out the name of ‘fear’ (enter your ‘Amalek’ here) from under heaven!

Obviously, this is important to the Lord. Verse 17 begins with, “Remember”. Then verse 19 ends with, “do not forget”. The repetition is telling you, ‘hey, this is important, pay attention’.

So, how do we do this? Like with everything, we first go back to God with it. “Ok, Lord, you’re telling me this. How do you want me to proceed? I am available to you for whatever you desire. Have your way. Show me what’s next.” If you are weak or weary now, I pray for God to give you strength and encouragement, as well as healing so you can go out and share whatever you have, in whatever means you have. Feel free to reach out to me for any specific prayer.