Amalek

Exodus 17: 13 – 16: And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi: For he said, Because the LORD hath sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.

Amalek was a grandson of Esau and was therefore the grandnephew of Jacob (Genesis 36: 12). Amalek became a kingdom and was the first enemy that Israel encountered after they left Egypt. Israel was victorious in their battle against Amalek, but God said that He would have war against Amalek from generation to generation.

Amalek represents the flesh that is closest relation to us, and therefore is our closest enemy since it is not converted. When Israel was in Egypt, Pharaoh ruled over them, but when Israel came out of Egypt, they learnt about an enemy (Amalek) they had not known before whilst in bondage. Amalek fought against Israel when they were in need of water and thus in a weakened state (Exodus 17: 1 – 7).

When we were in the world (spiritual Egypt), the sinful flesh nature had the rule over us, and we did not realize the will and power of this nature because we naturally entertained all of its desires. But when God brought us out of the world and into the glorious Light of His Word, we suddenly realized the powerful nature of the flesh as it constantly tries to pull us back into compromise and sin. As Amalek attacked Israel when they were weak, so the flesh wars most effectively against us when we are weak in our mind and body.

In 1 Samuel 15 we read of how Saul spared Agag who was King of the Amalekites at that time, but when Samuel arrived a little later and saw Agag still alive, he took a sword and cut Agag to pieces. Agag however had been with his wife during the interim of Samuel’s arrival, so that although Agag was cut to pieces, Agag’s wife carried the seed of her husband in her womb, and thus the descendants of Amalek continued on till the time of Esther where we read of Haman the Agagite (a descendant of Amalek). The Book of Esther is the last place in the Bible where Amalek is made mention of in the personage of Haman. Mordecai would not bow to Haman, which caused Haman in anger and jealousy to plot the death of Mordecai and the extermination of the Jews, but Esther unraveled the plot of Haman to the King which resulted in Haman being put to death. As Mordecai would not bow to Haman, so we are not to yield to the perverted desires of the flesh, and as Esther made known Haman’s wicked scheme to the King, so the Bride will get the final victory over the flesh when Her body is changed to a perfect and glorified state where the fallen nature of the flesh will no longer be present to battle Her anymore.