Exodus 17:8-16
Exodus 19:10-13
Then the soldiers from the country of Amalek attacked them. There was a brave man among the people of Israel whose name was Joshua. Moses said to him, “Choose the men you want, and go out tomorrow to fight with the army of Amalek. I will stand on top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.
Joshua did as Moses told him to. As Joshua’s men fought with the Amalekites, Moses, Aaron, and a man named Hur went up to the top of a hill where they could watch. Moses pointed his staff toward the men fighting in the valley below. As long as he held it up, the people of Israel were winning; but whenever he let it down, the enemy began to win. Soon Moses’ arm become very tired, so Aaron and Hur rolled a rock over to where he was standing, and he sat on it. They stood on each side of him and held up his hands all day until the battle finally ended at sunset. So, God gave the victory to the Israelis.
God was displeased with the Amalekites for fighting against His people and said that the time would come when all the Amalekites would be destroyed.
The Israelis arrived at Mount Sinai three months after leaving Egypt. They camped at the bottom of the mountain while Moses went up and talked with God. God told Moses to remind the people of how He had helped them by protecting them from the Egyptians, and He said that He would love them more than any other people if they would obey His commandments.
God told Moses to go down and call the people together. In the three days God would return to the top of the mountain to talk with Moses there, and all the people would hear Him. He told Moses to tell the people to wash their clothes and to be very careful not to sin, in order to get ready for God’s visit. None of them were allowed to go up the mountain, for anyone who did must die. A loud trumpet blast far up on the mountain would be the signal for everyone to gather quickly at its foot and wait there for God to speak.
Moses went down and told the people, and they put on fresh, clean clothing for the awesome occasion. On the morning of the third day there was a terrible thundering and lightning, and the Lord came to the top of the mountain in a thick cloud. And there was a trumpet blast so long and loud that the people trembled with fear.
Then Moses led them out of the camp to the foot of the mountain. The whole mountain was covered with smoke because the Lord was there. The smoke climbed skyward as from a furnace, and the mountain shook. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder. Moses called, and God answered him, summoning him to the top of the mountain.
Questions:
What did Moses do while Joshua was fighting the Amalekites?
Where did the Israelis go to listen to God speaking to them?
How did the mountain look when God was on it?
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