작성일 : 26-09-30 06:01
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9/27/2026 영어설교 Sermon English "Held His Hands Up" Exodus 17:8-16
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Sermon English / Austin Korean First Presbyterian Church / AKFPC
Gospel Message / September 27, 2026 / Rev. Dr. Yongjin Park
“Held His Hands Up” (Exodus 17:8-16)
May the grace and love of God be upon you who is listening to God’s voice today in this worship.
There is a term “Resource Curse”. This means that if a nation has plenty of resources like oil or mineral, schools, hospitals, and job markets reduce. This paradox proves some nations have great natural resources such as oil. Venezuela has the best reserve of oil in the world, but this nation economy is poor than other nations that has not. Myanmar is also one of resource richest nation in Asia. but their economy level is lower than others.
Why are these nations with great resources not prospering in their economy? They are earning easily big money from the resource without big endeavor so that they don’t need hands from their own people.
Nations generally earn money for managing society from taxes. Tax is main source of income for government. They need people and their income to keep social infrastructure. So, nation efforts to boom education to nurture people and jobs to earn more many to manage their own society. They invest much in schools, hospitals, and factories to get people jobs. And naturally the voice of people is growing while nation’s assets are growing due to their contribution to prosperity. So, people’s benefits and democracy are growing as well.
If role of people is growing, the prosperity of the nation is growing as well. So, lack of resources makes people work diligently and more contribution makes people strong in society. But earning easily is losing easily too.
Today Bible let us know God made Israel defeat Amalekite by His miracle hand and invited Moses and Aaron and Hur and Joshua join in His wonderful victory with their roles.
Exodus 17:11-13 say,
“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelite were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on one side, one on the other, so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So, Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.”
People of Israel had to fight first time with other nation in the road of wilderness after exodus. They were terrified because they have not been that situation. Moses prayed God for help and God answered him to go Joshua with men from all tribes for battle. And Moses went up mountain to see under the battle with Aaron and Hur for prayer.
Battle was not easy and serious. Moses prayed while raising his hands up desperately. And he recognized that whenever he held his hand up, Israel was winning, and whenever he lowered it, Amalekite was winning. From then he could not lower his hands down. So, Aaron and Hur took a stone and put it under Moses, and he sat on it and two men held Moses hands up until sunset. That day’s battle finally won against the enemy.
While Joshua was fighting with his men against their enemy on ground, Moses and Aaron and Hur on the mountain were fighting spiritually by their hands all day until battle ended.
That was the wonderful miracle of God. But God asked leaders to join in his grateful work in it. God did not let them sit back for looking that battle. He invited them to endeavor for victory through various roles. God made them not earn victory easily but earn precisely. They treasured the victory with God. And they could grow their faith in God as well.
In ground their battle was by sword and in mountain their battle was by prayer. Moses and Aaron and Hur had to hang in there and they seemed to feel how much human hands weigh.
Through this physical and spiritual battle, people of Israel learned that they need to keep their own blessing by endeavor and endurance while God is giving blessing on them. And they learned that they need to grow their faith in training prayers and in practicing sacrifice.
If they earn something easily, they lose it easily as well. They wanted to go back Egypt when they confronted strong enemies in front of the Promised Land. They avoided risks or difficulties when their faith did not grow. They did not care about slave life in front of risk and fear.
God wanted them to grow so that He asked them to endeavor by certain role as holding hands up all day. And they all learned how big and detail God is working in them.
Brothers and sisters in the Lord!
Let us be servants of God praying every day. God wants to hear us and wants us grow steadfastly.
Psalm 65:2 say,
“O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come,”
Answer of God is the perfect evidence of God loving us. This is not our power but God’s power. Through answer from God, we recognize that we are children of loving God.
Please do not avoid difficulties and instead, confront against fear with prayer to God. Then you will taste grace of God and will be growing yourself until good faith. God want us to grow in God with faith.
Psalm 34:8 say,
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; bless it is the man who takes refuse in him.”
Issac grew up his faith when he confronted obstacles in his faith journey as well.
Saints need to fight against secular world, secular thought in God not with secular way.
One faithful man has been struggling with his business rivals. He had gas station in country road, and his business grew because of only one nearby. Because of his success, six more gas stations came in near his location. His business was about to close due to competition with rivals for few years. He tried to escape that, but it was not easy too. He has been praying for it. Suddenly new roads were planned and paved cross into their area, and huge damage happened to all businesses near there. During the period of construction of the new road, there were rare visitors to shop on it.
Rivals all left with closing their business in few years one by one and his station remained till the last minute. His gas station was only one in the area again. The road construction company has paved an access driveway cleanly up to his lone gas station as compensation right after all construction was completed. From then, his business grew again and recovered all damaged for few years in next few years. He learned how grateful God is through this experience, and he confessed “All answer belongs to God! Without Him we cannot be survived.”
Psalm 62:7-8 say,
“My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge, Selah!”
God be with all of you! Amen.
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