"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." [Ex 17:12]

There are many figures in the Scriptures which picture Jesus for us, who show us prefigures and shadows of Him; even the law, though “now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held,” [Rom 7:6] yet even still it, and all its parts, were “a shadow of things to come,” that is, of Christ. [Col 2:17] And in addition to those characters and things of God’s word which are examples and figures of Christ, there are also figures and examples which serve as great contrasts to Jesus. One of these good types is Moses, who “truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall The Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me,” [Acts 3:22; 7:37, Deut 18:15] and which words are fulfilled for us in Jesus, God’s own Son, who though He “spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son.” [Heb 1:1-2] Just as Moses was the mediator of the Old Covenant, the go-between for God and Israel, in a similar but more complete way, Jesus Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant; “for there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” [1 Tim 2:5] And as The LORD used Moses to save the people in times past through intercession and through service, so too The LORD God has raised up His Son Jesus who likewise, but far more fully, saves us. Jesus said regarding this truth, speaking of the bronze serpent that Moses was directed to craft for the people’s salvation,

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His One-and-only Unique Son, that whosoever continues to believe in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” [Jn 3:14-16]

And so just as Moses was used to save the people from poisonous serpents in the wilderness, so too Christ is used of God to save all of mankind from their sins: He, in like manner, being “made…sin for us,” and being set up upon the cross for our transgressions, there being no “salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” [2 Cor 5:21, Acts 4:12] But there is also another way that Moses pictures for us Christ, which we shall see from our passage for today.

In Deuteronomy, we read of God’s wonderful attributes. Moses says,

“He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.” [Deut 32:4]

Let us focus on just one of these words: “truth.” We are told God is “a God of truth.” The Hebrew word literally means firmness or firm; that is, faithful. Our God is thus a God of faithfulness, a God of firmness, of steadiness. The word firm is defined as, “fixed; steady; constant; stable; unshaken.” [Webster] When The LORD speaks to us here through Moses, declaring that He is firm/faithful, we understand that God is unshaken, He is constant; that is, if The Lord has said He is one way, then He is never not that way: He is constant in His love and goodness, steadily showing mercy, always and forever being compassionate, resolutely fixed in His love and upholding of what is righteous. Our God is a God of faithfulness, one who shall not ever be moved from His righteous and good purposes or characteristics, for He says, “I am The LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” [Mal 3:6] Yes, as Jeremiah writes of The LORD so we also may exclaim, “great is thy faithfulness[!]” [Lam 3:23] For His “faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds,” and “endureth to all generations;” and again, for those in Christ Jesus He says, “nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.” [Psa 36:5; 100:5; 89:33]

To know that God is firm is a great comfort. Even great mountains which have existed nearly all of earth’s history may falter and collapse, but God never will. He is stronger and more secure than the greatest mountain, for “He is The Rock” who has promised, “He will not desert thee, nor let thee go.” [Deut 32:4; 31:6]

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea.” [Psa 46:1-2]

The word which we have been expounding upon is first used in Scripture in Exodus 17:12, our verse for today. It is the word steady – Moses’ “hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” As Israel battled beneath the mount, Moses stood upon it, observing and interceding for the people. As long as Moses endured in intercession, raising His hands to God above, Israel prevailed in battle. It is written, “when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” [Ex 17:11] Therefore, because of this, Moses’ hands being steady and wavering, “Aaron and Hur stayed up His hands” so that “his hands were steady until the going down of the sun,” and so Israel obtained victory, “and Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.” [Ex 17:13]

Besides being an admonition and encouragement to intercede for our brethren in their battles and afflictions, we see here a shadow of Christ’s ministry as our High Priest. For we read in Hebrews,

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest is fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” [Heb 7:25-27]

Just as Moses’ hands were steady, that is faithful, until the sun went down, so that Joshua and the people could obtain victory in their battle, so too Christ remains steady and faithful for us upon the Mount of God, continually interceding for us, that we might also obtain victory in our daily struggles and battles. But unlike Moses, whose hands grew weary, The LORD never grows weary; for The Spirit writes, “hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.” [Isa 40:28] And again, “He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” [Psa 121:4] And unlike Moses, who required help to remain steady, Jesus Christ our High Priest needs no help; He alone, in all His glory, continually and for all our days, intercedes and prays for us without ceasing nor tiring. Let us look up and see Christ sitting there upon God’s right hand making sweet intercession for us, that we might find strength to endure, to press forward in victory – for the Lord Jesus is “for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate.” [Isa 28:6] Let us take the encouragement offered in the Psalm, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from The LORD, which made heaven and earth.” [Psa 121:1-2]

Praise be to God that we have “such an high priest [who is] fitting for us,” [Heb 7:26] who continually prays for us. As Jesus “departed into a mountain to pray,” and there “saw [His disciples] toiling in rowing,” [Mk 6:46, 48] no doubt praying for their success, so too Christ Jesus our Lord prays for us as He sees us from heaven in all our toils. And with this confidence, let us go forth unto battle, knowing that through Jesus Christ’s faithfulness and steadiness in prayer on our behalf, we shall obtain victory, for God “always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” [2 Cor 2:14]

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