Exodus 20:18 says, And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off.  When the people of Israel saw and heard what was going on up on the mountain, they stood far away.  When we see God at work in the world today, we should not stand far off, but should come close to be a part of what He is doing.  Of course, the lost of the world are going to stand far off and attempt to discredit or explain away what God is doing.  Verse nineteen states, And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, told Moses to speak to them and they would hear him, but if God spoke to them they would die.  We can never think that we need some other person to stand between us and God, except Jesus Christ, Who took our place before God.  We must go directly to God with our cares and concerns.  Verse twenty declares, And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.  Moses told the people that they were not to be afraid of God, because He had come to cause them to respect Him and to not be guided by sin.  We as followers of Christ should never be afraid of God simply because He is the all powerful God, but we should respect Him enough to not give in to sin.  Verse twenty-one says, And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.  The people of Israel still stood afar off, but Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.  For those who do not believe in God, and specifically in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, God will always be hidden in the great darkness of sin, and they will be far off from Him.  When someone comes to God through faith in Christ, the darkness will begin to be lifted, though we will never know everything about God in this lifetime.  Verse twenty-two proclaims, And the LORD said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven.  God began to tell Moses what to say to the people.  The first thing was that they knew that God had spoken to Moses.  When we share the gospel today, we must make sure that people know that it is God's word that we share.  Verse twenty-three adds, Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.  God once again told Moses to tell the people not to make gods of silver or gold.  When we put anything on earth ahead of God, we are making a god of whatever it may be.  We must let nothing come between God and us, and if we do, then we are worshipping a false god.  Verse twenty-four continues, An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee.  It is not enough to just not worship false God's, but we must worship God.  I don't believe that we should ever become complacent about God, but must worship Him always.  Verse twenty-five states, And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.  God said that they were not to hew out altars of stone, and if they did they would pollute it.  I believe this was so that the people would not begin to make altars so ornate that the altar itself became more important than God.  We should never allow church buildings to become more important than God.  Verse twenty-six concludes, Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.  I believe this refers to spiritual nakedness more than physical nakedness.  If we attempt to come to God on our own terms, we come before Him spiritually naked.

Exodus 20:1 says, And God spake all these words, saying,  Then verse two adds, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.  God first establishes once again Who He is.  God will always make Himself known to people, then He will call them to accept that fact if His deliverance is to be of any effect.  For us, that deliverance is from the penalty of sin through faith in Christ and not from some physical location  Verse three declares, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  This was a requirement for Israel, and it has not changed.  Though all these commandments were given to Israel, they apply to us  today, and I will discuss them as such.  We must first allow nothing else to be more important to us than God, and if we do, then that has become our god.  There really is only one God, so we should not allow some false god to come before Him.  Verse four adds, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:  We are not to make or worship idols.  Anything that we make to worship is made from a part of God's creation.  Verse five continues, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;  This tells us that not only are we not to make graven images, but that we are not to worship any that are made.  God, Who created and sustains us, expects us to be loyal to Him.  This also speaks of God bringing iniquity on the third and fourth generation of those who do worship idols, but we know that every person is responsible for their own sins and theirs alone.  The effects of sin may have a lasting impact if not forgiven through faith in Christ though.  Verse six adds, And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.  God does show mercy on the thousands who love Him, but He actually shows mercy on everyone.  It is only those who accept His mercy shown through Christ coming as our redeemer who benefit from it.  Verse seven states, Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.  We often confuse this with using profanity, but it is so much deeper than just words.  Anytime we call on God without any belief that He is going to hear us or if we call out to Him simply expecting Him to grant our wants, we are using His name in vain.  Anytime we attempt to use His name to endorse what we are doing without consulting Him and asking His guidance, we are using His name in vain.  Verse nine declares, Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Verse nine adds, Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:  Verse ten continues, But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:  Verse eleven concludes, For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.  We are told to keep the Sabbath, which we now celebrate as Sunday, the Lord's Day, holy.  This is to be a day set aside to worship God, and we are given the reason.  God created everything in six days and rested on the Sabbath, and we should likewise rest and worship Him on a day set aside for Him.  These first four commandments have to do with the relationship between God and people.  If we do not keep these commandments, then we cannot hope to keep the other six, and even if we do it will do us no good if we don't keep the first four.  Verse twelve declares, Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD God giveth thee.  The first commandment about relationships between people has to do with children and their parents and comes with a promise.  We are to honor our father and mother, not just part of the time or to a certain age, but as long as they are alive.  When we do, we are promised that our days may be long.  I don't believe that everyone who obeys their parents is guaranteed a long life, but when we obey our parents who are obeying God, then we will tend to enjoy a longer life since they will be looking out for our best interests.  Verse thirteen states, Thou shalt not kill.  I believe this means commit murder, but it also includes our thoughts as well as our actions.  Verse fourteen,Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Again, Christ expanded this to include our thoughts about other people.  We are not to lust after someone else.  Verse fifteen says, Thou shalt not steal.  Seems simple enough, but we can steal by not given our employer a full days worth of work, for instance.  Verse sixteen declares, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.  We live in a time where it is easy to bear false witness against our neighbor, so we need to ensure if we do say something about them that it is the truth and that it is necessary to say it.  Verse seventeen concludes, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.  We are not o covet anything that belongs to our neighbor.  I don't believe that we can justify it by sayin that we want what they have and for them to have something better.

Exodus 19:16  says, And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.  On the third day, when God had said He would appear to the people of Israel, there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud on the mountain, which could have been explained as just a weather phenomenon, until the trumpet sounded exceedingly loud,  When God does appear to us, as followers of Christ, we cannot explain it away as just some natural occurrence, even if we don't hear a trumpet sound.  Even if God speaks to us in a still, small voice, we will still know that it is Him if we are only listening.  The people were afraid, but we do not need to be afraid when God speaks to us today if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse seventeen states,  And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.  Moses brought the people of Israel out to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.  We today bring people to meet Christ, and they stand at the foot of the cross.  Until this point, even though they were God's chosen people, God was only speaking to them through Moses, who relayed God's words to them.  Until a person encounters God in a personal relationship, they may need someone else to share His word with them, though He will be calling them to come.  Verse eighteen declares, And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.  The whole mountain was covered with smoke and quaked at the presence of God.  I believe that when God really makes Himself known that He cannot be ignored and we will know beyond a doubt that it is God.  God told Moses in advance that He was going to appear, just as He has told us in advance that one day Christ is going to reappear.  We sometimes want to claim that natural disasters are God's punishment, especially if they don't happen to us, but I believe that if God sends His punishment that there will be no other possible explanation for what happens.  Verse nineteen adds, And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a voice.  As the trumpet ot louder and sounded longer, Moses spoke out loud to God,  Once God gets our attention today, we need to respond to Him, though we might not need to speak out loud.  Verses twenty declares, And the LORD came down upon mount Sinai, on the top of the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.  God came down to the top of the mountain and called Moses up.  Just as God was above Moses then and called Moses up to Him, so He is above us today and comes down and calls us up to Him.  We cannot reach God by our own abilities, but can only respond when He comes down to us and calls us to Him.  Verse twenty-one adds, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.  God told Moses to go down and tell the people not to come up simply because of curiosity.  Some people today want to try to come to God on their own terms, but it will not work.  Verse twenty-two continues, And let the priests also, which come near to the LORD, sanctify themselves, lest the LORD break forth upon them.  The priests who were to come near to God were to sanctify themselves, just as we as a priesthood of believers should do today.  Verse twenty-three says, And Moses said unto the LORD, The people cannot come up to mount Sinai: for thou chargedst us, saying, Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it.  Moses told God that the people could not come up because God had set bounds.  We today cannot come to God except through faith in Christ, which is the bounds that God has set for salvation.  Until we accept Christ, we will remain at the foot of the mountain and never know God in a personal relationship.  Verse twenty-four proclaims, And the LORD said unto him, Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest he break forth upon them.  Only Moses and Aaron were allowed to go up the mountain to meet with God.  Thankfully, anyone today who will respond to Christ in faith is able to enter into a personal relationship with God.  Verse twenty-five states, So Moses went down unto the people, and spake unto them.  Moses did what God told him to do, and so must we today as Christians,

Exodus 19:1 says, In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai.  The people of Israel were on the move once more, going into the wilderness of Sinai.  Verse two states, For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount.  They camped again in the desert of Sinai, which is also referred to as the wilderness, near a mountain.  It was not the Promised Land in any aspect.  We today will never find our promised land, Heaven, here on the earth.  We are always going to be camping in the wilderness until we leave this world.  Verse three says, And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel;  Moses went up the mountain and God called out to him.  We may go looking for God, but it is always God Who will find us.  God began to tell Moses what he was to say to the people of Israel, God's chosen people.  Wen we witness to those around us, we must make sure that it is God's word that we are sharing.  Verse four states, Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.  Moses was to remind the people that it was God Who had delivered them from Pharaoh and Egypt.  We today, as followers of Christ, must always remember that God delivered us from the slavery of sin.  Verse five proclaims, Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:  God made a promise with a provision.  If the people of Israel would obey His voice and keep His covenant, then they would be a peculiar treasure to God.  If they were special simply because of who they were, then there would have been no provision added.  We, as followers of Christ, are not special because of who we are or where we were born, but because we enter into a covenant relationship with God through our faith in Christ.  Verse six adds, And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.  When the people of Israel entered into a covenant relationship with God, then they would be  kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  We as Christians believe in the priesthood of the believer and are part of a holy nation.  This is not some geographical kingdom, but a spiritual one.  Verse seven says, And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.  Moses came down the mountain and first called the elders and shared with them what God had said.  We do not have to share the gospel through anyone else, but can witness individually to everyone we that God sends us to.  Verse eight adds, And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.  We are told that all the people said that hey would do what God had said.  Today, if we are truly to be God's people, then we must do what He says, individually and collectively.  Moses went back to tell God what the people had said.  We are so blessed that we can go directly to God with our cares and concerns and never have to go through anyone else nor to a particular place to talk to God.  Verse nine declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.  God said that He was going to speak directly to the people of Israel through a thick cloud so that they would know that it was God Who was telling Moses what to say.  When God first calls us to Him, we do not clearly see Who He is, and we never will fully understand in this life, but we see enough to know that He is God.  Verse ten adds, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,  God told Moses to go to the people and sanctify them to encounter God the third day.  We do not have to go through any purifying ritual to meet Christ today, but I believe that once we do encounter Him and accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, that God expects us to purify ourselves daily through obedience to His word.  Verse eleven continues, And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.  The people then were to be ready too meet God on the third day, just as we meet Christ today because of what He did on the third day after the crucifixion.  Verse twelve proclaims, And thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death:  The people were not to touch the mountain.  I believe this is because if they did so they would have been trying to force God to meet them on their terms.  We can only meet God on His terms, which is through the blood of Christ.  Verse thirteen concludes, There shall not an hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount.  Once more, we are told that God would come to the people, just as He comes to us today to call us to salvation.  Verse fourteen states, And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes.  Moses went and told the people what to do, and they did it.  We today can tell the people what they must do to be saved, but it is up to them to respond,   Verse fifteen adds, And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives.  Moses wanted the people to be dedicated to coming before God as pure as they could be.  Of course, we know that spiritual purity is what we should strive for before God.

Exodus 18;13 says,  And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people: and the people stood by Moses from the morning unto the evening.  Moses was the judge in all matters concerning the people of Israel, and he sat from morning until evening to settle disputes among them.  We would think that they would have had little to argue about, but this was not the case.  We would think that followers of Christ would have little to argue about among themselves today, but this is often not the case.  Verse fourteen states, And when Moses’ father in law saw all that he did to the people, he said, What is this thing that thou doest to the people? why sittest thou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning unto even?  Jethro questioned Moses as why he alone was spending all his time judging the people.  Today, we should not expect the pastor to do everything in the church.  The job of the pastor is really to preach and teach, not to handle every detail related to the church.  Verse fifteen says, And Moses said unto his father in law, Because the people come unto me to inquire of God:  I believe that Moses was saying that the people of Israel saw him as the only one who represented God.  We need to be careful that we don't get that same attitude.  Every believer has just as much access to God as every other believer, and we are called for a specific purpose to help God's kingdom function properly.  Verse sixteen adds, When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. Moses said they came to him and he made God's laws known to them.  Though we should make God's laws known to other believers and the world, those who are Christians should already know what God's law teaches and should rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance.  Verse seventeen says, And Moses’ father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good.  Then verse eighteen adds,  Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.  Jethro told Moses that what he was doing was not good for him or the people.  Moses and those who needed a judgment were all spending most of their time waiting, and Jethro said that Moses would wear out trying to do this.  As Christians, we must not put our pastors in the same situation today.  Verse nineteen continues, Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:  Jethro asked Moses to listen to his advice.  Moses was God's representative to the people of Israel, but he was not the only one who God was working through.  Jethro advised Moses to represent God with questions concerning God.  We must always remember that we are not alone in knowing what God would have us do, nor is a pastor.  Verse twenty states, And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.  Like Moses, pastors today are to teach others the laws of God and what they mean.  Verse twenty-one says,  Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens:  Jethro told Moses that he was to select good men who feared God to be rulers over the others.  They were to be divided into rulers of thousands, hundreds, and tens.  Even those chosen were not to be rulers over large groups alone.  Of course, today one Christian does not rule over another, but we do have different purposes so that the whole burden does not fall on one individual.  Verse twenty-two adds, And let them judge the people at all seasons: and it shall be, that every great matter they shall bring unto thee, but every small matter they shall judge: so shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden with thee.  Jethro advised Moses to do as he asked.  Moses could have said that he was the one God had chosen to deliver the people of Israel and that he didn't need advice from Jethro.  We cannot have the attitude that only we can know what God wants.  Verse twenty-three concludes, If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.  Though this advice came from Jethro, he told Moses to make sure that it came from God.  When people give us advice today, even fellow believers, we must make sure that the advice comes from God.  Verse twenty-four declares, So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said.  Moses listened to Jethro.  We should always be willing to listen to other Christians when we have a problem, but we must make sure that their advise is consistent with God's word.  Verse twenty-five adds, And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.  Then verse twenty-six continues, And they judged the people at all seasons: the hard causes they brought unto Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.  Moses appointed the rulers as Jethro had advised, and then he let them do what they had been appointed to do.  If we are in a position that could be viewed as being over someone else, we must allow them to do their job without attempting to do it our self.  Verse twenty-seven concludes, And Moses let his father in law depart; and he went his way into his own land.  After this, Jethro went back to his own land.  We all have different areas of the world in which to serve, and like Moses we must be willing to let others go to serve where they have been called.

Exodus 18;1 says, When Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father in law, heard of all that God had done for Moses, and for Israel his people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;  Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, heard what God had done for Moses.  Jethro did not hear what Moses had done, but what God had one for Moses and the people of Israel.  God had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.  We need to let people hear today what God has done for us when He delivers us from the power and penalty of sin.  Verse two states, Then Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back,  Moses' wife and children had been with his father-in-law Jethro, and he was bringing them back to Moses.  I believe that Moses left them when he confronted Pharaoh because he knew that God had promised to bring him back to them.. Verse three adds, And her two sons; of which the name of the one was Gershom; for he said, I have been an alien in a strange land:  The first son was Gershom, meaning I am a stranger in a strange land.  Verse four continues, And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was mine help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh:  The second son was named Eliezer, which meant that God was his help and would deliver him from the sword of Pharaoh.  These sons were named before the deliverance from Egypt, but Moses already had faith in God's deliverance.  As we await the second coming of Christ today, we should have that same type faith.  Verse five says, And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, came with his sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, where he encamped at the mount of God:  Jethro brought Moses' wife and sons to him in the wilderness where Moses was encamped on the mount of God.  Today, we will always be physically in the wilderness of sin, but as followers of Christ, we will also be spiritually on the mount of God.  Verse six states. And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.  Jethro simply stated that was bringing Moses' family to him.  It is a wonderful thing when our family comes to us when we are with God.  We cannot make them accept Christ as their Savior and Lord, but we should always show them the way to salvation.  Verse seven adds, And Moses went out to meet his father in law, and did obeisance, and kissed him; and they asked each other of their welfare; and they came into the tent.  Jethro and Moses had a happy reunion.  One day, when Christ returns for His people, we will have a happy reunion with all other Christians, our spiritual family.  Verse eight states, And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.  Moses told Jethro all that God had done and not all that he had done.  We today must make sure that God receives the glory for all that He does in our lives.  Verse nine declares, And Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness which the LORD had done to Israel, whom he had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.  Jethro, the priest of Midian, rejoiced in what God had done.  He was not jealous of Moses because of his role, but simply rejoiced in the Lord.  When we today hear of God doing a great work through someone else, we should likewise rejoice in the Lord with them.  Verse ten adds, And Jethro said, Blessed be the LORD, who hath delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.  Jethro ask that the LORD be blessed because of His deliverance of Israel.  Today, we must ask that God be blessed because He has delivered us from the power and penalty of sin if we accept His gift of salvation through Christ.  Verse eleven continues, Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods: for in the thing wherein they dealt proudly he was above them.  Though he was a priest, it seems that Jethro was just now certain of God being the only true God.  If we have accepted Christ as our Redeemer, then we must acknowledge that He is the only God.  Verse twelve concludes, And Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took a burnt offering and sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the elders of Israel, to eat bread with Moses’ father in law before God.  Jethro offered a sacrifice to God, and Aaron and all the elders joined him.  Though we can only be saved individually, we need to come together often to worship God.

Exodus 17:8 says, Then came Amalek, and fought with Israel in Rephidim.  The Israelites encountered their first fight since leaving Egypt when Amalek came to fight against them.  As followers of Christ, we can be certain that it won't be long after we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord that we will have the world come to fight us.  Verse seventeen states, And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.  Moses had Joshua choose the men to go fight, and Moses was going to stand at the top tof the hill with the rod of God in his hand.  We are not told so, but must assume that Moses prayed about this and believed it to be God's will for them.  I believe that this was a representation to the people of Israel that God was watching over them.  Though we have no physical sign today, we as Christians can be certain that God is watching over us at all times.  Verse ten adds, So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  Joshua went to fight with Amalek and Moses went up to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.  Moses did not go alone relying only on his own strength to fulfill his role.  Though I know God could have given Moses the ability to do this alone, Moses wanted some others with him.  Even if they aren't with us physically, when we go to do what God has called us to do, we need to realize that other Christians are with us spiritually.  Verse eleven declares, And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.  When Moses held up his hand with the rod of God in it, Israel would be winning, but when he let it down, Amalek would be winning.  As stated before, the rod was nothing magical, but represented the presence of God to the people.  We today will always be successful over the powers of the world when we rely on God's presence to guide our lives.  When we let our guard down and begin to rely on our own abilities, then we will be like the people of Israel when they were not under the protection of God.  Verse twelve adds, But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.  Aaron and Hur sat Moses down and propped up his hands until the sun set.  We today may need help from other Christians at times when we seem too tired to carry on, but fortunately we are never alone.  We should always be ready to accept help from others when we need it and offer it to others when they need it.  Sometimes we may be like Moses, but at other times we may be like Joshua and Hur.  Verse thirteen adds, And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.  Joshua and his army, by  the power of God, defeated Amalek.  When we are doing what God calls us to do by His power, we will never suffer an ultimate defeat.  Verse fourteen declares, And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.  God told Moses to write a memorial in a book and rehearse it with Joshua, and that God would remove the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens.  Today, those who accept Christ as their Savior and Lord have their names written down in God's book of life, and those who do not will ultimately have their names forgotten forever.  Verse fifteen states, And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi:  Then verse sixteen adds, For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.  Moses built an altar to God to celebrate God's victory over Amalek.  As Christians, we should always be quick to give God the glory when we are victorious over the forces of evil.  God could have just eliminated Amalek by His own power, but He chose to allow the people of Israel to be involved in the battle.  Just as they went to face and fight the enemy, so must we today.  We cannot just withdraw from the world and allow God to do everything.  I believe that God expects us to be out in the world fighting for what is right.