Thought from today’s Bible reading from Deuteronomy 24-27.
The Israelites, by the help of God, were preparing to enter Canaan and dispossess the current inhabitants of the land (Deuteronomy 9:1-3). But God singles out Amalek in particular as being worthy of punishment.
“Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt, how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God.
“Therefore it shall come about when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your surrounding enemies, in the land which the Lord your God gives you as an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you must not forget” (Deuteronomy 25:17-19).
There are a couple of lessons to be learned from God’s condemnation of the nation of Amalek.
Do not take advantage of the vulnerable – The Scriptures record Amalek’s battle against the Israelites (Exodus 17:8-16). But this passage gives some additional information regarding whom the Amalekites targeted. We see what God’s attitude is toward those who would take advantage of or bring harm to the vulnerable and defenseless: He wanted the memory of them to be wiped out.
Do not be a straggler – These people were vulnerable because of their position in relation to the rest of their brethren. Similar to the Amalekites, we know that Satan “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Those who are weak, uninvolved, or distracted are easy targets. Do not be an easy target. Instead of lagging behind, stand with, work with, and fight with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
There is strength in numbers. We should not choose to face the challenges of our spiritual battle without the aid and encouragement of our fellow soldiers.
Tomorrow’s reading: Deuteronomy 28-29
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
