This text shows us three specific ways we can live a life greater than self-promotion. To live a life that gets a name for God, you must…
I. Fight only the Lord’s battles (vv. 8-10)
Knowing: Genesis 3 reminds us that Satan brings the battle to us. Like the Amalekites, Satan and others may fight cheaply, but we must always fight the way God directs.
Being: For one, we must fight in a way that displays that God is the one who gets the victory. Also, James 4:7 gives us the promise that if we do not give up in our fight but “resist the devil…he will flee” from us.
Doing: Can you think of an example of something in your life that might be your personal battle but not God’s battle? What would be an example of something in your life that is God’s battle?
II. Let everyone know how weak you are (vv. 11-13)
Knowing: This text tells us that Moses is the one who wrote this down. Therefore, we see that Moses is admitting his own weakness and inability to keep his arms held up.
Being: We too must be quick not to promote ourselves but to point to Christ as the one who fights for us. Moses’ hands lifted up convey prayer, which conveys dependence on God.
Doing: How can you depend on God this week?
III. Brag on Jesus (vv. 14-16)
Knowing: We have already seen in multiple places in Exodus that Moses is pointing us to Jesus. When we see Moses on top of the mountain with his hands raised, we see Jesus ascending the hill to calvary to fight our battle against sin.
Being: We must admit that any success we have in this life can only be attributed to God’s grace and to Jesus fighting on our behalf. Someone has said, “The victory had nothing to do with the men in the valley and everything to do with the man on the mountain.”
Doing: Are there things in your life for which you are tempted to take the credit? How can you attribute these to Jesus? How can you brag on Jesus to others?