Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.’

15 Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. 16 He said, ‘Because hands were lifted up against the throne of the Lord, the Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.’

The intercession battle may have been long and tiring, but the prayer victory was total.

I read recently some words of Martin Luther that seem pertinent: ‘None can believe how powerful prayer is, and what it is able to effect, but those who have learned it by experience.’

Alec Motyer says verse 16 should be translated literally like this: “For (there is) a hand upon the throne of Yahweh.” The uplifted hand touching the throne, may also cause us to think about the moment when Esther touched the golden sceptre of her husband, the king (Esth.5:1,2). Motyer writes: ‘It was this ‘touching of the throne’ which brought the help the Israelites needed (11; cf.Heb.4:14-16) and was met with the response that the Lord would never cease to be the enemy of those who sought to hinder his pilgrims’ onward march (15; cf.1 Sam. 15:1-9).’ ‘The message of Exodus’, p.163.

There is maybe the double thought that the Amalekites raised their hands in animosity against God’s Throne, but Moses raised his hands in prayer.

Note that none of the people heavily involved in this fight (whether in the valley or on the mountain top) took any credit for the glorious outcome.They did not build monuments to themselves. Rather they gave the credit to God. The victory was His, and it was overwhelming.

There is some wisdom in the counsel to:

‘Work as if it all depends on you, and pray as if it all depends on God.’

‘Work as if it all depends on you’ – there is much work to be done;

‘Pray as if it all depends on God’ – because it does!