Monday, June 8, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Exodus 17-18
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 66
Key Verse
Exodus 18:6 — “And he said unto Moses, I thy father in law Jethro am come unto thee, and thy wife, and her two sons with her.”
Devotional Thought
What does this passage ask of you today? Perhaps it asks you to lift your hands when you would rather let them fall. In Exodus 17, Israel arrives at Rephidim and finds no water. The people chide with Moses, and Moses cries out, “What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.” God does not rebuke the thirsty crowd from heaven; He tells Moses to take the rod and smite the rock at Horeb, and water flows for a murmuring multitude. Then Amalek comes, and Joshua fights in the valley while Moses stands on the hill with the rod of God in his hand. When his hands are heavy, Aaron and Hur put a stone under him and hold his arms steady until sunset. Israel prevails not because Joshua is stronger, but because intercession is sustained. This is the quiet arithmetic of the kingdom: some fight, some hold up hands, and God gives the increase.
Then Jethro arrives. He hears all the LORD has done, rejoices, and confesses, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods.” But he also watches Moses sit in judgment from morning to evening and says plainly, “The thing that thou doest is not good… thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.” So Moses appoints able men, rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, men who fear God and hate covetousness. The lesson is not that Moses was faithless but that no servant of God is meant to carry the whole congregation alone. Even the man who stood before Pharaoh needs Aaron, Hur, and Jethro.
Psalm 66 sings the same tune from the other side of deliverance: “Thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried… we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.” Rephidim was fire and water both—thirst and war—yet God brought them through, and the psalmist says the trial itself was His refining. In this ordinary week, your Rephidim may look like a strained budget, a diagnosis, a prodigal child, a heavy workload. The rock still gives water. The battle is still won by hands held up in prayer, often by friends who notice when your arms tremble. And the burden you were never meant to bear alone can be shared with those who fear God and speak truth.
Notice, too, that Moses built an altar and named it Jehovahnissi, “The LORD is my banner.” The memorial was not for Joshua’s sword or Moses’ rod but for the LORD who swore war against Amalek from generation to generation. So today, name your altar. Tell someone what God has done for your soul, as the psalmist does: “Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.” Let the rock, the raised hands, and the shared load all testify that the LORD is among us.
Reflection
- Where in your life right now are you trying to hold up your own hands—or carry a burden God never intended you to bear alone—instead of letting Aaron, Hur, or a Jethro come alongside you?
- When you look back on a season of “fire and water,” can you name the wealthy place God brought you into, and have you declared it to someone who needs to hear it?
Prayer
O Lord our Banner, You stood upon the rock at Horeb and brought water from stone for a murmuring people; You gave victory at Rephidim while faithful hands held steady. We confess that we murmur when we are thirsty and isolate ourselves when we are weary. Teach us to cry out to You rather than chide one another, to hold up the arms of those who fight, and to receive wise counsel when our load is too heavy. Refine us as silver, bring us through fire and water, and let us declare Your goodness to all who fear You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 66:1 — “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:”