AMALEK

This week Jews everywhere celebrate the Festival of Purim (Lots), which commemorates the rescue of the Jewish people in the Persian Empire from the evil plot of Haman to exterminate them, as recorded in the Biblical book of Esther.

“…the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time, that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants”.

Esther 9: 27-28

Many people flock to the synagogues to hear the reading of Megillat Esther (the Biblical Book of Esther), and every time the name of Haman is mentioned they boo and make derisive noise with various rattling instruments. It is also customary for children and adults to wear fancy dress and to celebrate with great joy. Most municipalities hold a Parade, called in Hebrew Adloyada, which means “until you don’t know” derived from the practice of some to drink wine ‘until they don’t know who they are’. The Adloyada today however are not drunken affairs but rather a family-oriented parade of fancy dress and good, clean fun.

It is also a time when gifts are exchanged or given to the poor, usually food baskets containing wine, chocolates and other festive foods. A traditional three-sided cookie, called in Yiddish Hamentaschen (Haman’s Pockets) or in Hebrew, Ozeni Haman (Haman’s Ears), which are stuffed with poppy seeds, chocolate, date spread or jam.

Of course amidst all this joy and fun the deeper meaning of the Festival is not lost on us. From time immemorial various people have plotted to destroy the People of Israel, God’s chosen people. Haman is described in the Book of Ester as an Agagite (Esther 3: 1), a descendant of Agag, who was the KIng of the Amalekites. The Amalekites were a people, descended from Amalek, the grandson of Esau, the disinherited elder brother of Isaac. The Amalekites occupied the desert and steppe regions of southern Israel and the Negev.

When the people of Israel came out of Egypt they journeyed through the Sinai and Negev and came to the region of Amalek. As the Israelites traveled the Amalekites attacked, in a cowardly and despicable way, the rear ranks, the weary and tired stragglers. Consequently God told Israel that once they had taken possession of the Promised Land they must ‘blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven‘ (Deuteronomy 17:19).

After Israel entered into the Promised Land, the Amalekites persistently attacked and plundered them. After Saul was annointed King over Israel, God spoke to him saying,

I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.  Now go and attack^[a] Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

I Samuel 15:1-2.

Saul therefore attacked the Amalekites and conquered them, but contrary to God’s instructions he spared the life of Agag and ‘all that was good’ (I Samuel 15:7-9).

For his disobedience, God rejected Saul as King, and the prophet Samuel was constrained to kill King Agag ( I Samuel 15). If Agag and all his people were destroyed at this time, how could it be that Haman was a descendant of Agag? It nowhere says that every single Amalekite was destroyed at the time of Saul, only those ‘from Havilah to Shur, east of Eygpt’. Is it not probabl there were Amalekites living outside of this area, or who managed to flee beyond this area, before Saul’s army attacked? Or possibly Saul kept some alive, as might be indicated in verse 9 ” But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed“. Whatever the case, Haman, a descendant of Agag, appears approximately 500 years later as the highest vizier in the courts of King Ahasuerus of Persia, and when Mordecai the Jew refused to bow down to him, Haman decided to destroy every Jew in the Persian Empire, which at the time stretched from India to Ethiopia.

In Rabbinical thought the Amalekites have come to represent all that is evil and they are considered the archetypal enemy of the Jews. Although there are no pure- blooded Amalekites living today, the Spirit of Amalek is nevertheless still alive and well. Throughout history many have tried to exterminate the Jews and, thanks to the supernatural protection of God, they all failed. Today, too, there are many who want to annihilate Israel.

I started writing this a few days ago, and then I had no idea how timely it would be. This morning (25/03/19) a missile struck a family home in the town of Mishmeret, about 10 km north of Tel Aviv, injuring the 7 family members inside. The house is totally destroyed but by some miracle, the injured are only moderately or lightly injured. The injured include a baby of 6 months, a child of 3 years, an older sister aged 12, the grandmother aged 60, the grandfather and the mother. The missile, probably a Fajr medium-range rocket supplied by Iran, was fired from the Gaza Strip, some 80 km distant.

Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is currently in the USA at the AIPAC conference and is canceling his speech there and returning home. He made the statement that ” There was a criminal attack on the State of Israel, and we will respond forcefully.” This evening (Israel time) Netanyahu met with Trump to discuss the situation and also to witness the signing of Trump’s Presidential Proclamation to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. As I write the IDF is attacking Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip and Hamas has promised to respond. The communities around Gaza and Tel Aviv have been commanded to open the public shelters by the Rear Command. It is likely going to be a long and tense night. Please pray about the situation as it is serious and potentially could lead to large loss of life on both sides if the escalation continues.

There is a lot more I could write about but in the interests of getting this published tonight, I will restrain myself. Please pray about the situation and pray against the Spirit of Amalek. When the Amalekites came out and fought against Israel in Rephidim, during the Exodus, as long as Moses held his arms up Israel prevailed. When he tired and his hands dropped then Amalek prevailed. Fortunately Moses had Aaron and Hur to help him and they supported his hands until victory was gained . If you intercede for Israel, do not let your hands drop. Keep them raised in prayer at this time, and stand with us in intercession. Help us not to grow weary. In the Spirit hold up our hands. God will give us victory over our enemies, just as he did to Moses and the people of Israel, for He is stronger than the Spirit of Amalek .

Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.  And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Exodus 17: 8-13