ICS Daily Devotions
The Unsung Heroes
Exodus 17:11-13 (NKJV) And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Aaron and Hur were the ones who held up the hands of Moses because it was evident that the Israelites were losing whenever Moses hands were down. Nobody wants to be known in history to be the two who held up Moses’ hands and having the ordeal of smelling Moses’ armpits throughout the battle. It seems like such an insignificant role. Nevertheless, they had the big picture in mind and a purpose bigger than themselves. Therefore, they were willing to do this tiring work to ensure the victory of Israel.
Hur was an unsung hero who appeared out of nowhere and disappeared after this first battle. He served quietly, unnoticed by the crowd and probably unappreciated for his role in this battle. He was humble and faithful. Both of Moses’ arms had to be held up in order to win the victory over the Amalekites and therefore, Hur’s role was invaluable. He knew the importance of holding up Moses’ hand because that was what was needed at that point in time. Hur displayed faithfulness, patience and endurance. He was faithful with the little and had the heart of a servant. That is a good attitude. He would have witnessed people dying in the battlefield when he was tempted to take a short break from holding up Moses’ hand. So, he must have persevered no matter how tiring it was to keep Moses’ hand upright. In fact, there were a lot of people like Hur who fought with Joshua in the decisive victory. Their names were never mentioned in the Bible but they played significant roles. The key to being a good team player is to take on the role of what is needed at that point in time in order to fulfill the big picture.
We have a lot of people like Hur in ICS. They are the holy communion preparation team who comes early to prepare the elements for us every month. We have those who write and record devotionals and those who translate the sermons for us behind the scenes. They spend hours into the night, finding time in between meetings and working late into the night to generate the materials for us. There are those who are praying and interceding for the church as individuals and as cell groups. There are many more people including the wife of the Senior Pastor who has been quietly supporting and praying for him and the ministry.
We need people like Hur in the church, in our families and companies and even in the greater community. Hur and all the unsung heroes had the heart of a servant and was faithful with the little assigned to them. They will be greatly rewarded and recognized in heaven. That is more important!
Sermon Series: Life Lessons
