Are You Like Hur? by G. B. THOMPSON

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 30, 1914

Are You Like Hur?

By G. B. THOMPSON

Not much is said in the Scriptures concerning Hur. When war was being waged in the wilderness against the Amalekites, he is mentioned as being with Moses and Aaron. When Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to receive the law, he referred the elders, if any difficulty arose, to Aaron and Hur.

But of Hur it is recorded that when Moses was praying for victory for God’s people in their warfare against their enemies, “it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.” Ex. 17: 11, 12.

He helped stay up the hands of Moses. Moses was in a place of responsibility in the great movement that the Lord was then leading. There were plenty of critics and faultfinders. There were rebels in the camp who breathed out suspicion against God’s chosen leaders. They made many strong and bold accusations, and could no doubt show to their own satisfaction that in the administration of affairs partiality was shown, and that some who did not agree with Moses were relegated to the rear. When the wickedness of their own hearts prevented their being used of God in some responsible way, they accused Moses of standing in the way of their advancement. They became wrathful, and determined to get rid of Moses, being quite sure in their own minds that God had no hand in putting him in any such position of responsibility, seeing he was not running things to their notion. But instead of destroying Moses they destroyed themselves. Instead of entering Canaan they left their carcasses in the wilderness.

But Hur was different. When the struggle was on, instead of turning against the leader, he “stayed up his hands.” God greatly honored this spirit, and placed a record of it in his Word as an example for his people to follow till the end of time. He will always honor those who stand by the burden bearers and men placed in responsible positions in his work. Many a faithful wife, who with kind words and a loving disposition has encouraged her companion while he toiled on in the heat of the battle, will receive equally with him in the final rewards because she “stayed up his hands.” Many in the church, who, instead of criticizing have patiently and continuously stayed up the hands of the church officers while they strove the best they could to advance the work of the Lord, will not be overlooked in the day of final accounts.

It means much to stay up weary hands. We often fail to appreciate the heavy burdens men are sometimes carrying in a quiet way. Those who stay up the hands of all such, God will bless.

Any one can criticize and find fault. One does not even need to be a Christian to do this; in fact, the less religion he has the better the critic and grumbler. But God will surely deal with this sin. It is well to read the story of God’s dealing with rebellious Israel, and what happened to those who failed to stay up the hands of those chosen of God to lead his work, that we may escape a similar fate. G. B. THOMPSON.