In Exodus chapter seventeen, verse eleven, Moses held up his hand so that Israel would prevail during the fight. However, when Moses let down his hand, Amalek began to prevail. By holding up his hands to the Lord, Moses reveals his dependence on and faith in God. The strength and victory of Israel lay in a continuous posture of dependency, trust, and faith in God. This active demonstration by the uplifted hands of Moses during intercession enables the Israelites to maintain the edge in the fight. However, if Moses starts to diminish, the flow of the power of God is not in full effect, giving the fight advantage to the Amalekites.
To teach the lesson of the value of intercessory prayer, God made the fortunes of the fight vary according to Moses holding up his hands or allowing them to sink. It is not probable that the Israelites were directly affected by the bodily movements of Moses or indeed could discern them. However, Moses, Aaron, and Hur were astonished that the fluctuations in the battle coincided with the motions of Moses’ hands.
The elevation of Moses’ hand, with the rod held in it, was an appeal to God for aid and must be apparent to have been accompanied by fervent prayer to God. The praying would help his people and give them victory over their enemies. As long as Moses’ hands remained raised, the Israelites prevailed. However, this is not because they saw it and took it as directing them to continue the fight, but because God gave them strength and courage while Moses interceded. However, God left them to themselves when the intercession ceased. Still, this may be that Moses might have continued to pray, though his hands were weary.
Today, those who try to pray on behalf of a current situation know the difficulties of perseverance. Moses’ spiritual and physical powers probably collapsed when he dropped his hand through physical fatigue and rested from his mental effort. The importance of intercessory prayer will make the difference between success and failure. What separates the terms is “held up” to us.