Everything rises and falls upon leadership

"Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword." (Ex. 17:8-13).

It’s been said, "Everything rises and falls upon leadership." And no doubt, Moses was a great leader who God used to bring Israel out of Egyptian bondage. What made Moses such a great leader was his dependence upon God. Oh how the church of God today needs faithful Pastors who not only faithfully carry out God’s call to shepherd the flock of God, but do it in dependence upon His power. The Apostle Paul wrote, “And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, 4and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor. 2:3-5).

In order for a Pastor to be an effective leader like Moses and Paul there must be the witness of the Spirit’s power at work in and through their lives before the people that they lead. This will not be the case if first and foremost that leader is not a man of considerable prayer (Luke 11:13).

What Moses held up in his hand on the mountain when Israel fought Amalek in the valley below was called the rod of God. This rod didn’t have any special innate powers. But it was symbolic of Moses dependence upon God’s power. Moses already had that rod in his hand when God called him. Moses used the rod (staff) to lean on when he walked, to help him climbed mountains and to tend to his father-in-laws flock. The rod was just a dead stick. But in Moses’ hand it was a valuable instrument in helping to carry out his daily responsibilities. And when God called him that simple stick in Moses’ hand became the most powerful weapon on the planet. Remember, it didn’t have innate power but in the hand of Moses God used it to part the red sea. When Moses doubted his ability to confront Pharaoh to deliver God’s message to let his people go, God demonstrated his power to Moses by turning the rod in his hand into a snake. And because God told Moses that he would work wonders and signs through the rod, it became known as the rod of God. Moses leaned on the rod before God called him for the simple strength and practical help it provided, but now he would lean on it in dependence upon what only God’s power could accomplish.

Great leaders are not only upheld by God as they depend upon him, but also by the support and prayers of God’s people. When Israel fought against Amalek, they prevailed down in the valley as long as Moses, up on a mountain, held up the rod of God toward heaven. When Moses lowered his hand because of weariness, Amalek prevailed over Israel. But when Aaron and Hur came along side and helped Moses hold up his hand, Israel prevailed again. Everything rises and falls upon faithful leadership that is upheld by the effectual fervent prayers of God's righteous people.