05/29/2026
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”�Exodus 17:14
This is a bizarre text at first reading. Catch this: God tells Moses to write something down so it won't be forgotten, but the thing he's writing down is about something that God Himself is going to make everyone forget about.
Surely I'm not the only one that sees that as a somewhat confusing command! And on the surface it seems counterproductive as well. If you want to forget something you don't write it down, you put it out of your mind and do your best not to establish any future connection with it. But this curious turn of phrase holds a significant idea though. The idea of hope is deeply tied to what God says here.
The Amalakites were the first people to attack the newly liberated Hebrews. Since every man was a soldier, the Amalakites attacked an army of 600,000 soldiers, which is bold. Despite the numerical challenge, the Amalakites would have won the battle if not for the favor of the Lord upon the Hebrews (you remember this story, it’s the one where military victory was directly connected to Moses being able to keep his hands raised).
We too find that there are many battles and wars that rage around us and, perhaps most profoundly, inside of us. We fight and struggle and work for every inch of ground when the entire time we know, in the back or front of our mind that if God doesn't step in and intervene in a supernatural, “God-like” way we are destined for a life-long slug fest at best, and perpetual defeat at worst.
What God told Joshua, and what I believe He tells us, is very simple but very encouraging. He says: "what I'm going to do in your life, over the course of time, is so powerful and revolutionary that the enemies you think are so powerful today will be difficult to even remember by the end of My work in you."
He tells Moses to write it down because Joshua needs to be able to look back at the words of God and take heart and keep encouraged so no matter how dark the night gets, and no matter how hot the battle rages, and no matter how weak the soldiers get - even in the hardest moment, the truth is that all of the enemies will be defeated. And not just defeated but annihilated - to the point that people have to take a deep dive into the record books of history just to remember these villains ever existed!
So friends, fight hard. Fight long. Bleed and cry and persevere as you swing the sword of the truth of God's promises. And fight with the assured hope that one day ALL old things will pass away and EVERYTHING will be made new. Try to remember that God’s victory will be so decisive that you will forget this battle. Yes, the same battle that is haunting your days and disturbing your nights will be so completely won by Jesus that you will be apt to forget the fight even took place.
And in the moment the enemy finally gives up…write it down. Someday you will need to be reminded of what you are ready to forget. Because seeing it in hindsight will allow you to rejoice and be at peace no matter what new fight you find yourself in.
⁃ K
