Exodus 17:12
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.
Moses grew too weary to keep his arms raised alone during Israel's battle with Amalek, so he sat on a stone while Aaron and Hur stood on either side and held his hands steady until sunset when the victory was won. His uplifted hands were prayer and intercession toward heaven for those fighting below, and Israel prevailed while they were raised but lost ground when they fell. Their steadiness until sunset shows that victory came by depending on God and trusting His strength rather than by human power. That dependence did not replace human effort, for Moses prayed while Joshua and his followers fought, and believers must likewise look to God continually while pressing the battle themselves. Aaron and Hur's part makes it the duty of God's people to sustain those who carry heavy burdens in His work by prayer, encouragement, unity, and practical help, rather than leaving them to faint alone or weakening them by criticism.
Battle Setting and Actions
The verse belongs to Israel's battle with Amalek in Exodus 17:8-13, the first war made against Israel after deliverance. That attack was unprovoked and struck the weary and defenseless, especially those lagging behind, in defiance of God. It became the basis for God's sentence against Amalek, with the command to remember the attack and the declaration that Amalek's remembrance would be blotted out. The episode shows that cruelty against the weakest is not overlooked.
During the battle Moses held his hands up toward heaven and toward God in prayer and intercession for Israel, while Joshua and his followers fought below. His growing weariness in holding them up showed his arduous work in receiving God's word for the people. To stay up his hands means to support and encourage him in that work. Aaron and Hur did this by supporting him on either side until sunset, keeping his hands steady so Israel won the victory and the enemy was put to flight.
Israel prevailed while Moses' hands were raised and began to lose ground when he lowered them, so that Amalek prevailed when his hands fell. The raised hands expressed Israel's dependence on God and taught Israel the issue of the battle when the enemy was put to flight. While they trusted God's strength He fought for them and subdued their enemies, but when they let go of that dependence and relied on their own power their enemies gained the advantage and they were overcome.
Moses' hands grew heavy and he became too weary to keep them raised alone. They placed a stone under him and he sat on it while Aaron and Hur stood on either side and held his hands steady until sunset. Their help kept his hands raised until the work and the day ended, when victory required Israel to depend on God rather than human power.
Dependence on Divine Strength
Moses’ hands, lifted up and held steady until sunset by the support placed under and around him, show that victory required Israel to depend on God and to trust the living God and follow His directions rather than human power. The event was recorded as a lesson for all who desire to do God’s will, that help comes from God and that Israel’s destiny was in God’s hands.
His raised hands toward heaven and toward God expressed and taught Israel’s dependence on God and stood as a sign of appeal to heaven. They openly revealed, even to enemies and to all onlookers around, that their help was in God, and while they looked to God they had vitality and strength of power. Aaron and Hur holding them up on either side showed support for that appeal, and Israel too must reach toward heaven.
While Israel trusted God and relied on His strength, He fought for them and subdued their enemies. When they let go of that dependence and trust and relied on their own power, their enemies gained the advantage and they were overcome. Relying on their own power left them weaker than those without knowledge of God.
Israel prevailed by faith in God’s strength while also making human effort, for Moses prayed as Joshua and his followers fought below. No one is to take glory to himself, but to look to God and trust Him continually while still pressing the battle to the gate as one having something to do.
Lifting the hands takes hold of God’s power by faith in Jesus Christ through the inner man strengthened with might by the Spirit. As minds are drawn to God and to heaven they receive His righteousness and His truth wrought within them and follow on to know the Lord whose going forth is prepared as the morning. With Christ as helper believers prevail in the same way Israel prevailed, and the victory is given by the angels of God, principalities and powers. Standing under the bloodstained banner of Prince Emmanuel, power is granted to overcome all the corruptions in the world through lust by being partakers of the divine nature.
Duty to Sustain Workers
Aaron and Hur seated Moses on a stone and held his weary hands steady until sunset so they stayed raised, and that keeping of his hands raised enabled Israel to continue until victory was won. Their help showed Israel's duty to sustain Moses in his arduous work of intercession as he bore a heavy burden and received God's words for them. It illustrates that God gives strength to His people and that prayerful support through faith and prayer can strengthen those serving others in God's work. Moses' act showed that Israel's destiny was in God's hands and that victory depended on God and trust in Him rather than human strength. Israel prevailed by faith in God's strength while also making human effort, for Moses prayed as Joshua and his followers fought below.
The verse is a model for helping and sustaining all who carry heavy responsibilities and difficult burdens in God's work, so that a leader is not left alone to faint under the load. Those who bear such loads need others to support them and share the burden, as Aaron and Hur sustained Moses' hands until the day ended. It is a picture of standing by Elder Haskell and helping sustain him in his work. It is applied to the failure of ministering brethren to support the man left standing alone under the burdens at Battle Creek, and to people who instead weakened and discouraged a woman worker in her work. It illustrates the duty to encourage and uphold workers carrying difficult burdens in difficult places.
Believers are to support ministers, tried servants, and those preaching and laboring to save souls and reach those who have not heard the truth, rather than leaving the responsibility to a few or merely criticizing their plans. They should faithfully encourage and uphold ministers in their work and join in prayer to support and strengthen them. Holding up their hands includes praying for them, asking God to give them wisdom, grace, and knowledge and to guard them from temptation and impurity. It means sustaining ministers in their efforts to save souls and accepting responsibility for saving souls.
Fellow workers, messengers, and shepherds are to hold one another up through shared effort, encouragement, and unity, and their unity strengthens them and benefits the church. It is a model for messengers traveling and laboring together, especially in difficult places, and illustrates the value of going two by two so workers can support one another. Those who love the truth and the cause of truth should unite their efforts to uphold its defenders, strengthen its advocates, and stay watchful against the enemy. This work calls for everyone's wholehearted and quick effort, helping keep the flock from division and dangerous error.
Those remaining at home hold up workers in the field who share the bread of life with hungry souls through prayer and encouraging words. Holding up a fellow worker's hands is the encouragement and practical support ministers should give trusted laborers rather than discouraging or restricting them or undermining their efforts. Each worker is to encourage and strengthen the one next to him in mutual support while turning to God and laboring under His eye in faith and prayer.
Holding up hands includes family duties, for family members are to help and encourage one carrying heavy responsibilities when he bears a heavy burden. A strong, kind, intelligent Christian wife may be honored in cooperating with God's servant in his sphere of usefulness, encouraging him and aiding him to do a good and acceptable work for the Master. A wife should hold up her husband's hands by cheering his spirit with looks, words, and actions, by kind sympathetic words and prayer, and by praying with and for him, encouraging rather than burdening or hindering him, and sharing this support she will share his reward. Mary should help her husband and labor wherever she has opportunity, as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands. Children sustain worn parents by care, encouragement, cheerful words, younger strength, and willingness to carry burdens. Unlike Aaron and Hur, Dr. Lay had no one at home staying up his hands though his family could help him.
The verse's image of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses' hands when his strength failed applies to supporting Elder Daniells as he works under severe strain, great responsibility, and severe tax on strength and courage to advance the work. Every church and every believer is called to hold up his hands by offering prayer for him as he bears heavy burdens, by helping him instead of looking for wrong in him, and by refusing to listen to, speak, or stand ready to criticize, condemn, or censure those bearing weighty responsibilities. It is likewise applied to upholding Brother Haskell in connection with the school by respecting his age and experience, carrying out the instruction graciously given through him, heeding his counsel in management and economy rather than following personal inclinations, and in no case belittling his counsel.
Staying up hands means strengthening and assisting a worker in his work with sympathy and words of hope and courage, as Aaron and Hur supported Moses. Edson is urged so to support Brother Olsen, whose associates should have strengthened him rather than weakening him. "Hold up the hands" is applied to supporting Brother Prescott in his work in England through practical help and provision of means. It is applied to encouraging and supporting Sutherland and his coworkers by practical help including providing funds for the Madison school so the teachers' labor will not be so hard. Discouraged people who are willing to sustain God's work but whose hands have grown weak need their hands strengthened, as Aaron and Hur upheld Moses' hands.
How to Hold Up Hands
To hold up another's hands is to cooperate with him in his sphere of usefulness, to strengthen and assist him in his work, to lighten burdens, encourage hearts, and strengthen brethren to do God's will. It is done with words that are a savor of life unto life and not of death unto death, with cheerful words, sympathy, hope, courage, and the prayer of faith. It begins reform by building over against one's own house instead of criticizing and condemning, and a strong, kind, intelligent Christian wife may be honored in thus encouraging and aiding her husband to do a good and acceptable work for the Master. The failure to do this is to weaken instead of strengthening, as when associates should have supported Brother Olsen but weakened him.
Support must be practical and prompt, strengthening a worker for heavy labor in a needy field by making every effort without delay to send means to advance the work and establish the school. It encourages him to be of good courage in the Lord with the assurance that God will help him and his fellow laborer and add others to their number, as in providing funds for the Madison school so the teachers' labor will not be so hard for Sutherland and his coworkers. It likewise upholds work in England through practical help and provision of means for Brother Prescott. Professed sympathy that withholds such help leaves the work doubly hard.
Those who know the truth must not weaken God's laborers, add a feather's weight to their burden, or burden them with difficulties and personal trials that belong for each to settle before God himself. They are to get right before God beforehand by breaking down before Him with fasting and prayer, getting trials and difficulties out of the way beforehand and never deferring personal trials to burden a whole meeting or waiting for the messengers to settle them. They are then in a situation to help brethren with a free spirit, looking about to help others instead of claiming help, helping with cheering words and the prayer of faith rather than criticism and discouragement. When hands are thus held up free from discouragement and trial, the servants of God can labor more effectually with a free spirit, affect the heart, present the truth in its beauty, reach the hungry sheep starving for the bread of life and the dark places where the truth has not yet been proclaimed, and God is glorified and the very object for which He called them is accomplished.
Holding up hands means exercising active faith and concern for perishing people so that those who declare the truth can speak boldly and lovingly and warn sinners while mercy is still offered. Church members are to accept responsibility for saving souls and help those laboring to reach people who have not heard the truth through prayer. They must faithfully do their part by uniting in much prayer to hold up the hands of God's chosen ministers and draw light from the heavenly sanctuary, using their God-given capabilities to speak helpful and blessing words in season and out of season. When they humble themselves, put away wrong, and consult God at every step, He manifests Himself to them, gives them courage in Him, and leads, guides, and strengthens His ministers so the work advances as it should, for Christ is Alpha and Omega and success comes only in His strength.
Brethren hold up a worker's hands by standing by his side when they have evidence and light that he is working in accordance with the will of God, helping him by heeding God's admonitions and warnings. Those who work out their own attributes and act as if appointed to work against God's servant work on Satan's side, hinder the work, make it doubly as hard as it should be, and lead God's servant to stand apart from those not in sympathy with the work of God, revealing corrupted principles and lack of self-denial and failure to take up the cross to follow Christ, bringing its sure result. Staying up hands also means standing with God's messenger by receiving the testimonies of God as from the Lord, confessing a hard, unimpressible spirit and the heavy burdens and sorrow cast upon her, weeping in repentance and asking forgiveness with pledge that it will be the last, and giving the testimonies their rightful place in experience. One who falls on the Rock and is broken is then able to give this support, and this removal of what barred the Spirit of God lets Jesus work with him and brings gladness, rejoicing, and profitable meetings. Holding up a leader's hands likewise means respecting his age and experience, carrying out the instruction graciously given through him, and in no case belittling his counsel, as in upholding Brother Haskell in connection with the school and heeding his counsel in management and economy rather than following personal inclinations.