“Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 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.”
(Exodus 17:8-13)
There is a dream shared by many gamers. It is the dream of carrying the team. The dream of being the MVP. The dream of making the impossible play that turns defeat into victory.
Anyone who has watched professional e-sports knows the scene. The crowd erupts. The commentators shout. Highlights are replayed again and again. One player seems larger than life. But if you listen carefully to interviews after the match, the professionals usually say something surprising.
They talk about their teammates. They talk about communication. They talk about preparation. They talk about trust.
Because every experienced player understands a simple truth:
Nobody wins alone.
The player who receives the spotlight stands upon hundreds of unseen decisions made by the rest of the team. Someone secured vision. Someone gathered information. Someone protected objectives. Someone sacrificed resources. Someone created the opportunity that allowed the famous play to happen.
The victory belongs to the team.
The Lord established this principle long before the invention of computers, sports, or e-sports. The Lord said:
“It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
(Genesis 2:18)
Notice that these words were spoken before sin entered the world. Even in paradise, isolation was not part of the Lord’s design. Human beings were created for relationships. We were created for cooperation. We were created to help and be helped. We were created to grow together.
This brings us to the battle at Rephidim. The children of Israel had recently escaped Egypt. They had crossed the Red Sea. They had witnessed miracle after miracle. Yet now they faced a powerful enemy.
Amalek attacked.
Joshua led the army into battle while Moses climbed a nearby hill carrying the rod of God. As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed. Whenever his hands dropped, Amalek gained ground.
At first this seems strange. Why should a battle depend upon the position of Moses’ arms? Because this battle was about more than military strategy. It was a picture of spiritual life.
Moses, Aaron and Hur represent three levels of truths from the Lord. One direct from the Lord, one indirect from the Lord and one indirect through the indirect from the Lord. Without one of these, they all fail.
In other words, Moses represents our connection to the Lord. Aaron and Hur represent the two essential supports of that connection: faith and charity. Joshua represents the actions we take in our daily lives.
Just as Moses could not keep his hands raised without support, our relationship with the Lord cannot remain strong if our faith or charity is lacking. When faith weakens or charity grows cold, our spiritual strength begins to fail, our connection to the Lord is weakened, and, like Moses, our hands become heavy.
We can see in the battle of Rephidim that as long as that connection remained strong to the Lord, Israel advanced. When that connection weakened, the enemy pushed back.
Anyone who has played competitive games understands this principle. Every team has an objective. In some games it is a nexus. In others it is a payload. In others it is a bomb site.
Good teams never lose sight of the objective. The moment players become distracted by personal statistics, arguments, or ego, they stop playing to win.
Spiritually, the objective is eternal life in heaven by means of becoming more loving and more useful to our communities. The enemy wins whenever we forget that objective.
We read something very human in the battle at Rephidim. Moses becomes tired. His hands grew heavy. His strength begins to fail.
This is one of the most comforting moments in Scripture. Because Moses is not a beginner. He is not immature or lacking faith. He is one of the greatest prophets who ever lived.
Yet even Moses becomes exhausted. Many Christians secretly believe that spiritual maturity means never to struggle. They imagine that strong believers never become discouraged, lonely or overwhelmed.
But Moses proves otherwise. Even the strongest servants of the Lord sometimes reach their limits. Every gamer knows this experience.
You start a long ranked session feeling focused and confident. Hours later your reactions slow down. Mistakes increase. Frustration grows. Communication suffers. You are still the same player, but your strength is fading.
The wise player recognizes this. The wise player knows when support is needed. Moses reached that moment. And what did the Lord do?
Did He rebuke Moses and commanded him to try harder?
No. The Lord sent Aaron and Hur. Aaron stood on one side. Hur stood on the other. Together they held up his hands until sunset.
Imagine how many hours that must have been. Imagine the discomfort and the determination. This was not a symbolic gesture.
This was teamwork. This was commitment. This was brotherhood. Aaron and Hur understood something many people forget. When one member struggles, everyone is affected.
In gaming, good teammates do not spend the match insulting the player who falls behind. Good teammates help them recover. They share resources. They communicate. They adapt their strategy. They protect their team’s weaknesses.
Because they understand that victory belongs to the team. The same principle exists in heaven.
Swedenborg teaches in Heaven and Hell that heaven functions as one Divine Human. Every angel performs a unique useful form, just as every organ performs a unique function within the body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” The lungs cannot say to the heart, “I can survive alone.” Life flows through connection. So does spiritual life.
One of the great deceptions of modern culture is the myth of self-sufficiency. We admire people who claim they need nobody. We celebrate independence above community. Yet heaven operates according to the exact opposite principle.
The angels know that all wisdom comes from the Lord. All goodness comes from the Lord. All forms of usefulness comes from the Lord.
Therefore, all genuine success is shared. There are no spiritual solo carries in heaven. There are no heavenly MVPs demanding all the glory. There is only gratitude, being useful to others, and mutual love.
This is one of the reasons the True Christianity League exists. The True Christianity League is not simply a place where Christians play games together. It is a training ground for heavenly life. Every match teaches lessons.
How do we react when someone makes a mistake? How do we handle criticism? How do we communicate under pressure? How do we treat weaker teammates? How do we respond when we lose?
These are not merely gaming questions. They are spiritual questions.
The Lord is preparing us every day for eternal life. He teaches us how to become better teammates in His kingdom. Because sooner or later every one of us becomes Moses.
Every one of us faces a battle that feels larger than our strength. Every one of us experiences moments when our hands grow heavy.
The question is not whether that day will come. The question is whether Aaron and Hur will be standing nearby when it does. And perhaps an even more important question is this:
Whose hands are growing tired around us? Who needs encouragement? Who needs friendship? Who needs someone willing to stand beside them until sunset?
The Lord’s kingdom is built by people like Aaron and Hur. People who may never receive applause. People who may never stand in the spotlight. People who quietly hold up weary hands.
And through such people, the Lord wins victories. The victory at Rephidim was not Moses’ victory. It was not Aaron’s victory. It was not Hur’s victory. It was not Joshua’s victory. It was the Lord’s victory, accomplished through faithful teamwork.
Amen.