The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6 that we have to be vigilant to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil. Verse 12 explains, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” For followers of Christ, Paul is saying that it is a hostile world out there—both physically and spiritually—so we need to be prepared to stand. Quite frankly, there are evil people and spirits that constantly test us in everyday living. Just like our parents taught us to look both ways before crossing the street, we need to be aware and prepared to deal with evil like the spirit of Amalek.
The Israelites had left Egypt and were in the wilderness when the story of Amalek begins in Exodus 17 where he attacks the Israelites. This is the battle where when Moses’ hands were lifted up, the Israelites prevailed and when his hands were lowered, Amalek prevailed. So Aaron and Hur held up Moses hands until Amalek was defeated. We don’t learn until Deuteronomy 25 the evil Amalek did. With no reason, Amalek attacked the Israelites’ rear ranks, “all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God.” These were the defenseless elderly, women, and children that Amalek slaughtered because he did not fear God. In Exodus 17:14, the Lord says, “I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”
This is expounded upon in Deuteronomy 25:19, “When the LORD your God gives you rest from the enemies around you in the land that He is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you are to blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget.” Back to Exodus 17:16 where the “LORD has sworn that the LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” So we see that Amalek was not only a physical king that did a most horrible atrocity against the children of God, but also an evil spirit that God promises to deal with over the generations until there is peace in Israel. We know there is no true peace in Israel until the return of the Lord. To this day an evil Amalek-type spirit continues to attack when people are at their weakest. The October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israeli citizens is a strong example.
The scripture says that Amalek did not fear God. The Hebrew root of name Amalek informs us that it is related to having a blind eye, or an eye that refuses to recognize truth. Rabbi Pesach Wolicki writes that “One of the primary purposes of Israel, if not the primary purpose, is to be a vehicle for the revelation of God in this world.” To deny this relationship is the essence of Amalek, and we see this same pattern in Israel’s surrounding enemies who have “no fear of God.” It is spiritual and manifests in the physical. Remember, as believers in Christ Jesus, we are grafted into Israel. This is a reason that we must be strengthened and fortified by the Word of God that we may withstand the evil that attacks us at our weakest points, just as Amalek did to the Israelites and his spirit continues to do so even today.
