A question from the reading of Exo 17:
Why does God want to blot out the remembrance of Amelek from under the heavens?
The quick answer is seen in Deut 25:17–29:
Deuteronomy 25:17–19 ESV
“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.
I think the key reason to wipe out the Amalekites is that they attacked Israel when she was “faint and weary”, and they “did not fear God.” This attack on Israel is recorded in Exo 17:8–16. Moses said, “The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” (Exo 17:16) This certainly turned out to be the case, as seen in the background on the Amalekites below.
Some quick background on the Amalekites
The Amelekites are the descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Jacob’s elder brother Esau. Amalek’s father was Eliphaz, and his mother was Timna, a concubine of Eliphaz (Gen 36:12, 16). However, in Gen 14:7, in the story of the four kings who raided the region of Sodom and Gomorrah, there is mention of the Amalekites and Amorites. Gen 14 describe events before Esau’s time, though it might have been a latter editorial note added afterwards. After Genesis, Amalek (and Amalekites) is used as a collective noun for the descendants of Amalek.
Amalekites lived in the land of Edom, an area south of the Dead Sea, extending to more or less the Gulf of Aqabah. After the description of Esau’s descendants in Gen 36, Amalekites don’t show up again until Exo 17. In Exo 17:8, the Amalekites attacked Israel at Rephidim (Rephidim is most likely located near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, but there are lots of opinions on its location). This attack was unprovoked, and Joshua defeated them (Exo 17:8–13, with the help of God, of course). This is the first military encounter for the Israelites. It’s like a foreshadow of the conquest of Canaan, which will be led by Joshua some forty years later.
Speaking of wondering in the wilderness for forty years (actually thirty-eight, as they could have conquered Canaan two years after they left Egypt), the Amalekites, along with other residents of Canaan, discouraged the Israelites from taking the land. Amalekites next appears in Num 24:20, when Balaam uttered an oracle against them.
Even after Israel crossed the Jordan and entered Canaan, the Amalekites continue to hound them. In Judges 3:13, we learned that Eglon formed alliances with the Ammonites and Amalekites and defeated Israel. They appeared again in Judges 6:3–5, 33; and 7:12.
Samuel commanded king Saul to destroy the Amalekites, but Saul didn’t follow orders and spared the Amalekite king Agag, as well as “test best of the flock, the cattle, the fatlings, and the lambs, as well as everything else that was of value.” (1 Sam 15:9)
King David also fought the Amalekites (1 Sam 27:6; 30:1–20), and it was an Amalekite to told David of the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam 2:1–16). After their defeat by David, the Amalekites more or less disappeared.
In the book of Esther, the evil Haman the Agagite (Esther 3:1) is probably an Amalekite descendant. So even after all these years, there’s still an Amalekite trying to destroy the Jews.
References
Elwell, Walter A., and Philip Wesley Comfort. 2001. In Tyndale Bible Dictionary. Tyndale Reference Library. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Arthur Thompson, J. 1979–1988. “Amalek; Amalekites.” In The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley. Wm. B. Eerdmans.
White, William, Jr. 1988. “Amalek, Amalekites.” In Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1:64. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
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