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Book of Exodus Chapter 17 Summary

The Israelite Water Board Convention and Amalek

  • Again in the desert, the Israelites do some more complaining. This time, it's about the lack of water. The desert is one dry place.
  • Moses asks God for help again, and God shows Moses a rock. Moses hits the rock with his magic staff, and water pours out.
  • That was easy.
  • Next up, another tribe, the Amalekites, attacks. Moses chooses his lieutenant, Joshua, to go out and fight the enemy.
  • As long as Moses holds his staff up on his outpost looking out at the battle, the Israelites win. But eventually Moses gets super tired. Solution? Aaron and another guy rig a rock to hold Moses's arm up in place the whole day. Genius.
  • The Israelites win.
  • A quick note on "the wilderness of Sin." It's not a sinful wilderness. Sin was actually an ancient deity of the moon. It's like when people say, "These are the woods of John the Baptist," or something else like that.