Soon after crossing the Red Sea, the traveling Israelites were ambushed by an army of Amalekites. Unskilled in warfare, the children of Israel should have been doomed. But then again, they shouldn’t have crossed the Red Sea either, or escaped the clutches of Pharoah. How’d they manage those feats?
God.
Thus it was the Lord who told Moses to send the fighting men out to oppose the Amalekites. God was with them, and He used Moses once again as His vessel of blessing to the people. Moses lifted up his hands, and as he did the people prevailed. If he ever lowered his hands, the Amalekites would start to prevail. It was essential that Moses keep his hands high. Why? Because God said so, that’s why. The victory would be His, not theirs.
Moses’ arms, as you might imagine, grew tired as the battle wore on. If something wasn’t done, they would fall and so would the nation. To help him, two men stepped up to hold his arms high. One of them was Aaron. He’s famous already. Aaron was Moses’ brother and Israel’s first high priest.
Who was the other guy?
His name was Hur (Exodus 17:11-12). Not ringing a bell? Don’t feel (too) bad. Few remember him. He’s only mentioned here and a couple more times in the Bible, just in passing. We know he’s from Judah. We know he had a son named Uri and a grandson named Bezaleel. That’s about it.
And that’s okay.
We don’t need to know all his great feats and exploits. He might not HAVE any feats or exploits. He might only have been a person who lingered in the shadow of more famous men. That’s fine. Here’s what we DO know about him: When the Lord needed him—even if it was “just” to hold up the arms of a famous and important man like Moses—Hur did not hesitate to step up and work.
There’s your lesson. Don’t seek acclaim. Don’t look for a reward. Don’t crave recognition. Just do the work. Be reliable. Let the Lord use you, and bless you He will.
~Matthew