Dear Friend,

Referring to the relentless and contentious quest for water in the arid plains of the 19th century American west, the famous humorist Mark Twain purportedly quipped, "Whisky's for drinkin' and water's for fightin'."

Whether Twain personally said this or not, it was true. Many westerners died trying to obtain, retain, or steal access to rivers and wells needed for farming or ranching. And, surprisingly, Twain's observation was biblical. Scripture reveals many "water wars" at various periods of Jewish and Christian history. Let's recall some.

One which revealed the essential characteristics of all water wars is recorded in Exodus 17:1-16. At "Rephidim," which means literally "to sink or drop the hands," or figuratively, "to lose heart, energy," the Hebrews found no water. Consequently, they became discouraged and lost heart and energy. In His mercy, God instructed Moses to strike the great rock at Horeb (Sinai) and promised water would come out of it for the people to drink. He did, and they did and, with their spirits revived and energy restored, all seemed well for the moment. But the day wasn't done.

The people of "Amalek," meaning "a people that exhaust" and "warlike," immediately challenged them, seeking to deny the Israelites their newfound water source and appropriate it instead for their own use. This "water war," or bitter conflict over the control of flowing, fresh water in a dry, barren land, was unique in that it was a uniquely obvious spiritual conflict: the battlefield was directly controlled by the prayer tower.

From an elevated vantage point "on the top of the hill," Moses held up the "rod of God" he had successfully used in Israel's exodus from Egypt. Some see this rod as a symbol of divine authority committed to human hands. As long as Moses held up the rod on the top of the hill, Joshua's soldiers prevailed in the valley below. But this battle was no quick affair. Even with Moses' exercising divine authority, it wore on. Not till "the going down of the sun," or the end of the evil day, did this stubborn conflict cease. Finally, at sunset, the end came. Amalek was vanquished and the Israelites delivered - to enjoy their newly acquired, God-given, living waters.

So important was Israel's initial water war that God ordered Moses to record the day's events in a scroll, read them aloud to Joshua, Israel's next leader, and keep the scroll so this seminal story could be read to Israel's leaders after Joshua. Later, this record of the Battle of Rephidim became part of Moses' biblical writings in the Pentateuch, or Torah. Why did God insist that this be recorded? God's servants in every generation will have similar battles with their own "Amalekites" over obtaining or retaining the living waters of spiritual life: "The Lord will be at war with Amalek generation after generation" (Exodus 17:16, NLT). Or, there is perpetual conflict between the spirit of Amalek, which is Satan's spirit, and God's spiritual water seekers.

Clearly, God wanted us to understand the real cause and purposes of our water wars, the strange, bitter conflicts that suddenly arise whenever we drink or share the waters of spiritual blessing in this spiritually dry, barren world. The Battle of Rephidim helps us understand why "Amaleks" - warlike people that exhaust us with relentless resistance - arise against us with little or no natural cause and fight so doggedly to bring us down. In short, the satanic spirits moving them want to deny us our fresh "water" - or spiritual blessing and prevent us from sharing it with other thirsty souls. And there is more.

Rephidim is just one of many water wars described in Scripture. Let's review some of them to better understand this subject and learn from it.

When Isaac dug the ancient wells of God's blessing in Gerar, the Philistines repeatedly resisted, seeking to deny his household and flocks the water of life (Genesis 26). When Joseph began speaking the living-water-filled Word of God - prophecies of things to come for his family and the world - his brothers immediately played "Amalek" and sold him into slavery (Genesis 37).

After Jehoshaphat began sending Levites to Judah's cities teaching insights from "the book of the law of the Lord" to quench the people's spiritual thirst, immediately three neighboring nations attacked Judah to, from Satan's perspective, stop the water of the Word that was flowing so freely throughout the nation (2 Chronicles 17-18).

When the early church was joyfully drinking from the surging, vivifying river of the Holy Spirit's Baptism (Acts 2-6) and the steady stream of God's Word ministered by the apostles, the apostate Jewish leaders soon began persecuting them to stop all the water that was flowing from the smitten Rock, Christ (Acts 6-8).

The apostle Paul's amazingly Spirit-filled teachings and prophecies poured living water on the fledgling first-century church, and they are still watering us today through the Scriptures. But Paul paid a heavy price to give us living water. The spirit of Amalek buffeted his life pitilessly and relentlessly throughout his long, fruitful ministry. In Paul's words, his exhausting, extended water war was caused by "the abundance of the revelations" God poured into him to pour into God's spiritually thirsty people (2 Corinthians 11-12).

And water wars continue to this day. There are two primary outlets of water from the smitten Rock (Christ). First, there is the Word of God, which, according to the psalmist, has mighty rivers of the Spirit's blessing flowing through it (see Psalm 1:1-3); we drink in those waters every time we devotedly read and diligently search and study God's Word. Second, there is the Holy Spirit, who initially fills us with His living water when we are baptized with the Spirit, and continues refilling us every time we seek God in praise and worship, prayer, thanksgiving, and humble obedience.

Your water wars, and mine, come any time we seek to receive or minister more of this water from the Rock. For instance, when: we determine to study God's Word more, or share it with others; we set our hearts to pray more, or worship, every day; we fellowship more with other Spirit-filled, Word-loving Christians; or our church or ministry casts off distractions and gets back to the essential New Testament business of ministering God's Word frequently, worshiping in Spirit and truth regularly, and praying in the Spirit over every need, problem, ministry, and mission.

Then Amalek will come, causing pesky troubles, stirring unreasonable opposition, introducing divisive heresies, alluring to sin, infecting with hurtful animosities, stirring marital strife, attacking our children, defaming our churches, and shutting doors of ministry. All this is meant to "Amalek," or exhaust us with relentless conflict, and cause us to "Rephidim," or sink in spirit, lose heart and energy, and let our hands drop so we stop seeking, living in, and sharing waters from the Rock. Our response is crucial.

Moses modeled what we should do. While Joshua fought naturally, Moses fought spiritually. We, too, must fight this fight spiritually.

So, go to the "top of the hill" - draw closer to God. Lift up your hands - in full surrender, in abandoned worship, in complete reliance on God through faith-filled prayer, and offering thanks that you are worthy to be attacked by Amalek for Christ's sake. Hold up the "rod of God" - the supernatural authority Christ gave you to, in His name (or place), not only pray but also bind, loose, and command hindering mountains to move! Stay there, as Moses did - returning daily to God's presence to renew the spiritual fight.

And be humble - when you become weary due to "Amalek's" persisting hindrances or hatefulness, let others help you in any way possible, as Aaron and Hur helped Moses; this is a battle you can't win alone. Be patient, willing to wait until sundown - until God sovereignly ends your long day of conflict; great victories are not won in a snap of the fingers. And, finally, be "steady" - striving to maintain your spiritual disciplines and devotional habits every day, even when weariness slows you down, until "the going down of the sun."

At the sundown of your water war, Amalek will wilt and slink away in defeat and infamy. Or, better yet, by God's grace and your intercessions, your Amalek may repent and come over to your side, as Abimelech did when Isaac's persistent well-digging and peace-making outlasted the petty, unjustified strife of Abimelech's Philistine herdsmen (Genesis 26:26-28). In either case, you will rise, shout the victory, and give all glory to God, who has enabled you to win your water war. And to keep seeking and sharing more water from the rock!

In conclusion, Twain, and more importantly, the Bible, had it right: "Water's for fightin'!"

Fighting, winning, my water wars,

Greg Hinnant
Greg Hinnant Ministries