"Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose men for us, and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.' And Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. But Moses' hands were heavy. Then 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 one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword." Exodus 17.8-13
As Israel set out from Egypt, Amalek attacked them at Rephidim, in the wilderness of Sinai. Israel had not done anything to provoke Amalek. They were being attacked because they were the people of God; Amalek was trying to usurp God's authority. The Hebrew literally says that Amalek's hand was on the throne of God (Exodus 17.16). The interesting aspect of this battle is the manner in which it was fought.
Moses told Joshua to choose men for battle and go out to fight the Amalekites. He then prayed and interceded for Israel as they battled Amalek. "So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed." It is important to note that the physical battle depended on the spiritual warfare being waged.
For more than a hundred years God has been regathering His people back to the Land of Israel: "Thus says the Lord of hosts, 'Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; and I will bring them back, and they will live in the midst of Jerusalem, and they will be My people and I will be their God in truth and righteousness'" (Zechariah 8.7-8). Each step along the way has also made an impact in the Church.
In the middle-to-late 1800's Jews began to return to the Land of Israel. While there has always been a remnant of Jews in the Land, the first large aliyah (immigration) to Israel began around 1882, mainly from Russia. It was at this time that many Jews were beginning to see the need for a permanent homeland. During this time also the Hebrew language was experiencing a rebirth and was beginning to be used in everyday conversation. Prior to that time it had only been used in large part for Scripture and prayers.
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At the same time the Holy Spirit was breaking forth in the midst of the Church. Revivals broke out in the United States, Britain, Wales, Tonga, South Africa, China, Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Canada, as well as many other places around the world. This move of the Spirit began to subside toward the end of the 1800's but gained momentum again around 1904 " . . . in the springs of little prayer meetings which seemed to arise spontaneously all over the world, combining into streams of expectation" (The Flaming Tongue, J. Edwin Orr, Moody Press, 1973). This also spread throughout the world. What was the reason for this bold new move of the Holy Spirit? The second wave of aliyah, mainly from Russia and Poland, had begun in Israel. During this time the main emphasis in the Church was the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues.
The State of Israel was founded in 1948. For the first time in more than 2,400 years, the people of the God of Israel were once again in their land, under Jewish rule.
Around this same time (beginning in the 1950's) the Charismatic Movement began in the Church. In the earlier stages the movement was often termed "neo Pentecostal"; it is usually referred to as a revival of the movement seen in the early 1900's. This renewal did not reach the United States until the 1960's.
In 1967, during the Six Day War, Israel regained control of biblical Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Around this same time (early to middle 1960's) the Charismatic Movement began to be felt in the Church in the United States and soon after intensified there and around the world. During this time the emphasis in the Church had broadened to include the entire range of the gifts of the Spirit: wisdom, word of knowledge, faith, healing, the effecting of miracles, prophecy, the distinguishing of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. The intensity of the battle in the spiritual realm, as well as the physical, was beginning to increase.
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Every time God has been doing something in the midst of Israel the Church has always felt the spiritual impact of it. One of the main problems has been that the Church, while caught up in the move of the Spirit, never asked God "why" this was happening. Each time the Spirit boldly moved the Church just "went with the flow." God did not initiate these moves of His Holy Spirit just to make those in the Church feel good. There was, and is, a reason.
In the passage at the beginning of this article Moses is interceding for Israel during a battle with Amalek. In the depiction of this battle God has given us a clear picture of the proper place for Israel and the Church in warfare: Israel is the physical portion and wages war in the flesh; the Church is the spiritual portion and makes war in the heavenly places. Only with these two chosen groups working together can the entire battle — both physical and spiritual — be won. For almost two thousand years Satan has worked to keep God's two chosen vessels apart. As long as they were divided, Satan had free reign. Since there has not been unity of the spiritual (Church) and physical (Israel), Satan has been able to maintain his dominance in the earth.
As we have seen, each time God has moved in the midst of Israel there has been a spiritual movement in the Church also. However, it seems it has always been easier for Israel to understand its purpose than it has been for the Church. Israel's function is to hear and obey the Word of God (Exodus 19.5-6) and dwell in the land given to her by God as stated in Scripture (i.e., Genesis 15.18; Exodus 23.31; Numbers 34.1-15).