Good Friday

Exodus 17:12
...and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.

When Israel fought with the Amalekites, their victory depended on the position of Moses’ hands. It didn’t matter how fast they were with the sword or how accurate they were with the bow. Their victory wasn’t contingent on the strength of their fists or the resolve in their hearts to win. It wasn’t based on their abilities; it was based on Moses’ ability to keep his hands up.

Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a mountain near the battlefield. It was there that victory would be gained or lost. When Moses held his hands high, Israel prevailed. When he wasn’t able to keep his hands up, Israel’s enemy, Amalek, prevailed (Exodus 17:11). When Moses grew tired, Aaron and Hur gave him a stone to sit on and they took over holding up his hands. Moses’ hands were raised, held in position by Aaron and Hur, on the top of the mountain until the sun set. It was because of this that Israel won the battle!

There is no better day than today, Good Friday, to see a beautiful picture of Calvary in this story. It was on top of Calvary’s mountain that Jesus’ hands were raised and nailed to the cross. They were pinned in an upright position for the duration of the day. It wasn’t until evening that Jesus gave up His spirit and died. When the sun went down they came and took His body off the cross. At that point the war was over; the battle was won!

Friends, you make think that winning depends on you. You may be believing that there is some seed you can sow in order to have that financial victory. You may be thinking that there is some program you can put in place to resolve the issues between you and a loved one. You may think that there is some work that you can do to win whatever battle you’re in right now. But the truth is this: Jesus has already won the war!

It is only because Jesus kept His hands up for the entire day that you and I are able to walk in freedom and liberty from sin’s curses. Because He went to the top of the mountain and raised His hands high, you and I will be victorious in every aspect of our lives. Moses grew weary and rested his arms. When he did, the enemy gained ground. Jesus’ hands were nailed up. This means that there was no chance that the enemy would prevail or gain any ground. Jesus never put His hands down. The fight from the summit of Mount Calvary was one sided. Jesus won!

The story in Exodus closes by stating that Joshua won the battle (Exodus 17:13). How fitting that his name means “God saves”! Two thousand years ago Jesus fought the battle, did the work, and won the war so that you can rest easy in His finished work. Everything is made new by the cross; everything is restored by the blood of Jesus Christ. He went up the mountain in the morning, raised His hands, and didn’t put them down until it was finished! That’s my King!