And the only solution
On Monday 2nd March—the first day of Purim—my daily reading happened to include: When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget! (Deuteronomy 25:19).
Why? What was so important about Amalek?
The Amalekites had tried to destroy the Israelites in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. While Joshua fought, Moses, Aaron and Hur climbed the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning (Exodus 17:11). We’ll come back to that.
The curse of Haman
The Amalekites continued to harass Israel, so the Lord commanded King Saul to destroy them completely. He failed. They later burned Ziklag and captured David’s wives. David rescued his family, but some Amalekites escaped.
The Jews celebrated Purim this week. Khamenei tried to destroy them. He died. Purim remembers the courage of Esther and the victory of the Jews over their arch-enemy, Haman. Haman was hanged on the gallows he built for Mordecai. Haman was an Amalekite.
They tried to destroy Israel. They tried to destroy David. They tried to destroy the Jews in Babylon. Where does this irrational hatred come from?
A Stolen Birthright
Amalek was a grandson of Esau. Esau was the firstborn of Isaac, the chosen son of Abraham. Why did the Lord hate Esau (see Romans 9:13)? Because he despised his birthright! Which was? To be the next in line! To be the Lord’s special people. He preferred a bowl of stew. His rejection was utter contempt of the Lord’s plan; and Jacob stole the birthright AND the blessing.
When God asked Reinhard Bonnke to place a gospel booklet into every home in England, Bonnke asked why him?
The Lord replied, ‘I asked three others, but they said no.’
‘You won’t have to ask a fourth,’ Reinhard said—and obeyed.
I can almost hear Esau’s curse on his deathbed, ‘Amalek, whatever you do, destroy Israel! Do not forget!’ Khamenei wasn’t an Iranian. Were his roots in Amalek?
No Political Solution
Amalek is not merely a four-thousand-year-old curse. It’s a spirit of hatred, which goes back even to Cain and Abel. There is no political solution to a spiritual problem. When Moses’ hands were raised, the battle was won. The only effective weapons are prayer and worship. Then—and only then—will Amalek be defeated.
Last Sunday, an Iranian missile destroyed a synagogue in Beit Shemesh. Nine died and sixty-five were wounded. Among the debris, rescuers recovered the scroll of Deuteronomy. A shard of shrapnel had pierced the page at the very verse where I began: ‘Do not forget!’
I don’t believe in coincidences.
