Esther and the Reason Behind the Enmity

The previous post dealt with all of the examples of the terms 'Amalek', 'Amalekite', or 'Amalekites' in Scripture in an attempt to determine just why the LORD had declared such a lasting enmity towards the Amalekites.  He had told Israel that the Amalekites were to be destroyed and said that even the memory of them would eventually be wiped out.  I thought that was a bit strange, because Israel had other enemies which had fought against them and yet those were not as severely denounced in this way.

After examining all of the Scriptures which mentioned the Amalekites, I came to the conclusion that the one thing which is common to all of these references is that the Amalekites were consistently against Israel.  Whether alone or allied with other peoples, there is never a time when their attitude toward Israel was not hostile.  For that reason, I figured that the reason that the LORD was hostile toward them was because He was keeping His covenant with Abraham and with Israel, which included the promise that  "I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse.."  (Genesis 12:1-3)  I was still a bit unsatisfied, though, with this reason.  I mean, it was totally valid, yet it did not seem to be the whole picture.

Then I remembered another book of the Bible which deals with this enmity between Israel and the Amalekites.  It is the book of Esther.  I knew that this book did not refer to the Amalekites by name, yet someone who is an Amalekite figures prominently in the story.

In Esther, a person named Haman is mentioned.  He is described as "son of Hammedatha, the Agagite".  While Hammedatha is probably Haman's father, the 'Agagite' part of his description most likely refers to Agag, who was king of the Amalekites back during Saul's time as king over Israel. (I Samuel 15:20) Saul had killed most of Agag's people, the Amalekites, yet had spared King Agag, despite the LORD's orders to kill all of the Amalekites.  The prophet Samuel had killed Agag in order to complete what the LORD had commanded, and Saul's disregard for the LORD's commands became the main reason for his own loss of kingship over Israel.

Haman is promoted to a position higher than that of the other nobles in Persia.  They would all bow down and pay him honor when he arrived, as king Xerxes had commanded.  However, Mordecai, a Jew from the tribe of Benjamin whose ancestors had been taken captive from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, refused to bow down to him.  This enraged Haman, who wanted to destroy not only Mordecai, but his whole people. (Esther 1:1-6)  In fact, verse 6 notes that "...having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai.  Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes."  This, too, is further evidence that Haman is an Amalekite, and likely a relative to King Agag.  Otherwise, why would Haman care at all who Mordecai's people were?  (His likely relationship to King  Agag also is strengthened by the fact that Haman seems to be of noble birth himself, for he is counted among the nobles.) (Esther 1:6)

Mordecai's actions also seem to indicate that he considers Haman an Amalekite.  The Jews did not consider it wrong to bow down to show respect for a king or other person (unless it violated the 2nd commandment about not bowing down to other 'gods').  Yet Mordecai absolutely refused to bow down to Haman.  The NIV Study Bible's comments on these verses puts the situation into words better than I can:

"Only the long-standing enmity between Israel and Amalek accounts both for Mordecai's refusal and for Haman's intent to destroy all the Jews.  The threat against the Jews 'throughout the whole kingdom' (v.6) is a threat against the ultimate issue of redemptive history."

Then I really had an 'aha' moment, for I realized that this 'threat against the ultimate issue of redemptive history' was really the crux of the matter regarding the LORD's wrath against the Amalekites.  How? Well, if the Jews were wiped out, as the Amalekites (and Haman) wish, then The LORD's redemptive purposes would have been thwarted.  The Messiah, the Savior, the ultimate 'Anointed One', was to come through the Jewish people.  Therefore, if any person or people group stand against the LORD's purposes in this matter, it is understandable that they would become the object of His wrath.

Here is what I would say in summary:  The Amalekites were no greater sinners than any other people group.  The Scriptures say that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".  (Romans 3:23)  Also, if any individual among them were to turn to the LORD, they could be forgiven by means of the same sacrifice which makes any other person righteous, the one made by the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus:

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law,
has been made known,

to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ
to all who believe.

There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

and are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

He did this to demonstrate his justice,

because in his forbearance
he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished --

he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, 

so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Where, then, is boasting?  It is excluded.

On what principle? On that of observing the law?
No, but on that of faith.

For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.

Is God the God of the Jews only?  Is he not the God of Gentiles too?

Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God,

who will justify the circumcised by faith
and the uncircumcised through that same faith."

                                                                 (Romans 3:21-30 NIV)

We can see by these Scriptures that all people are welcome in God's kingdom. In those Scriptures about the Amalekites, they were standing in the way of God's redemptive plan and He would not tolerate that.  Yes, God was also keeping His covenant with Israel, blessing those who blessed them and cursing those who cursed them, but behind that was the even more far-reaching matter of unfolding His plan of redemption for all peoples.  That is why He reacted with such vehemence to threats against the Jewish people.

Now, Jesus has already come.  He has made that sacrifice on the cross to atone for the sins of all mankind.  Jesus is God's invitation to every individual, regardless of race or religion, to receive forgiveness and be reconciled to God.

One further thought:  The Jews are still God's covenant people.  He continues to this day to uphold the promises which He made to Abraham and to Israel.  That is why Israel continues to exist despite numerous and continued attempts to wipe them out as a people.  That is also why they will continue to exist until the LORD returns, even amidst clamoring boasts and threats to the contrary.  The God of Israel remains unchanged as well.  It would be wise for all who seek to do harm to the people of God to learn well and pay heed to these warnings in Scripture.

Amalekites

Warning:  This post is really long -- probably one of the longest I've ever done.  Sorry, but there was no real way to split it up into several posts and still retain my intent, which was to show everything which the Scriptures reveal about the Amalekites.  If it gets too much, come back and read it in sections.
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In this post I wanted to take a closer look at why the LORD told Moses "I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven" (Exodus 17:14).  Moses also said that "...the LORD would be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." (Exodus 17:15)  It seemed that the punishment for the Amalekites was more severe than that of a usual enemy of Israel, for not only would the LORD be at war with them from generation to generation, but also even the very memory of them was eventually going to be wiped out.  Why?

We know that the LORD does only what is right and just, so there must be a very significant reason for this sentence against the Amalekites.

Let's take a look at what Scripture says about them:

"Amalek"
Genesis 36:12
Genesis 36:16
Numbers 24:20

Deuteronomy 25:19
Judges 5:14
I Samuel 15:5
II Samuel 8:12
I Chronicles 1:36
I Chronicles 18:11
Psalm 83:7

"Amalekite"
Exodus 17:13
I Samuel 30:13
II Samuel 1:8
II Samuel 1:13

"Amalekites"
Genesis 14:7
Exodus 17:8-16
Numbers 13:29
Numbers 14:25,43,45
Deuteronomy 25:17
Judges 3:13
Judges 6:3,33
Judges 7:12
Judges 10:12
Judges 12:15
I Samuel 14:48
I Samuel 15:2,3,6-8,15,18,20,32
I Samuel 27:8
I Samuel 28:18
I Samuel 30:1,18
II Samuel 1:1
I Chronicles 4:43

Wow! That is a lot of passages to look through, isn't it?  However, I believe that it boils down to several significant incidences for the most part.  Using the above references, lets lump the terms "Amalek", "Amalekite" and "Amalekites" together, and try to see what the books of the Scriptures which are listed above say about the Amalekites:

Genesis:  In Genesis 14, Kedorlaomer (king of Elam) joined with three other kings and went out to fight against another confederation of five kings which had rebelled against his authority.  First, Kedorlaomer and his three partners defeated the Rephaites,Zuzites,Emites, and the Horites.  Then they turned back and conquered the whole territory of the Amalekites and the Amorites. [This territory is called Kadesh, or En Mishpat ("spring of justice/judgment") or Meribah Kadesh (quarreling/litigation at Kadesh),  and later, Kadesh Barnea.  I suppose that the presence of a spring explains one reason for the apparently frequent fighting here.]  Then the five rebel kings mentioned above met Kedorlaomer and his three allies in the Valley of Siddim and were defeated by K.'s forces. (By the way, this is the battle in which Abraham's nephew Lot -- who had left Abraham to live in Sodom -- is captured).  Genesis 36 reveals that Amalek is a grandson of Esau.  Esau's Canaanite wife Adah (daughter of Elon the Hittite) had a son Eliphaz, whose concubine, (Timna), bore him Amalek.  Amalek was one of Esau's tribal chieftains.

Exodus:  Now we come to the incident which we were looking at when we decided to  look into these Amalekites more closely -- where they attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.  Moses sends Joshua out with some of the men of Israel and intercedes for them while they battle the Amalekites.  The Amalekites are defeated and the LORD asks Moses to write a scroll to commemorate the incident.  The LORD also says that He will blot out even the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven, and Moses says that the LORD would be at war against these Amalekites from generation to generation.  Why?  Well, for one thing, they were battling against Israel.  The LORD had promised Abraham that anyone who blessed Israel would be blessed, while anyone who cursed Israel would be cursed.  As the true God who keeps His promises/covenant with His people, He would deal decisively with anyone who opposed them.  It also seems that His punishment always fits the crime:  For example, the Egyptian Pharaoh who had tried to eliminate all of Israel's sons by drowning them in the Nile lost his own son in a terrible plague which destroyed all of Egypt's firstborn.  Also, that Pharaoh lost his life during the crossing of the Red Sea when he drowned while pursuing Israel.  It seems that whatever fate an enemy had planned for Israel comes back upon its own head.  On that basis alone (that they were trying to destroy His people), the LORD could justify wiping out the Amalekites.  However, there is more information presented in the book of Deuteronomy.  (See below.)

Numbers:  The book of Numbers reveals that the Amalekites lived in the Negev or the Sinai Peninsula.  Another passage says that they lived in the valleys along with the Canaanites.  Several verses later, it says that the Amalekites and Canaanites fought against Israel from the higher hill country.  It seems that the Amalekites were semi-nomadic, and would at times ally themselves with other nations.  However, they were consistently allied against Israel.

Deuteronomy:  The passages about the Amalekites in Deuteronomy give us additional information about the attack at Rephidim:

"Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt.

When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey

and cut off all who were lagging behind;

they had no fear of God.

When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you

in the land He is giving you to possess as an inheritance,

you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.

Do not forget."

Deuteronomy 25:17-19 (NIV)

It seems that the Amalekites did not face Israel head-on, but instead cut off the stragglers among Israel as they journeyed through the desert.  These stragglers would most likely have been civilians, not the fighting men.  Showing no fear of God, the Amalekites cut off  all who were lagging behind:  perhaps the elderly, the infirm, or any men, women or children who could not keep up with the main body because they were "weary and worn out" from their journey.  Throughout Scripture, God seems to have a special concern for the weak, the helpless, the poor, the fatherless, widows, and refugees.  Perhaps that is an additional reason why the LORD's response is so hostile.

When the prophet Balaam is hired to curse Israel, and he attempts to utter his oracle against Israel, he is instead compelled to bless the nation.  In Numbers 24:20, he says, "Amalek was first among the nations, but he will come to ruin at last."  I wondered what 'first among the nations' meant.  I didn't think it meant 'the first to attack Israel with the intent to wipe out the nation', because the Egyptians already had attempted that previously with the Pharaoh's plan to have all the Israelite males killed at birth.  Perhaps it meant 'first in military might or power'.  It seems that the descendants of Esau had kings (and probably the accompanying military structure) long before the Israelites (Genesis 36:31), so perhaps Esau's grandson Amalek, as a recognized chief or tribal leader, had ascended to some type of recognizable military power by the time Balaam uttered his reluctant oracle blessing Israel.  Maybe that means that although the Amalekites may be first in earthly might or power at that point, they would come to ruin because of how "they had no fear of God".  In this sense, the Amalekites become an example of a nation/power which opposes God.

Judges The book of Judges has some interesting passages about the Amalekites.  In Judges 3:13, it is revealed that when Israel kept on participating in idolatrous worship of idols, the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel.  Eglon enlisted the help of the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him in attacking Israel, and they suceeded in taking possession of Jericho (the City of Palms).  Israel was subject to Eglon for 18 years until the Israelites repented and God raised up Eglon the Benjamite to deliver them from Moab.

In Judges 5:14, it says "Some came from Ephraim, whose roots were in Amalek; Benjamin was with the people who followed you."  I thought at first that it seemed to be saying that the Ephraimites were descendants of Amalek.  However, looking closer at the context of this verse, it is a listing of the tribes of Israel which helped Deborah and Barak fight against the Canaanite king Jabin's forces led by his captain Sisera.  (Judges 4:1-3)  These verses (actually all of Judges chapter 5) are a song by Deborah celebrating the LORD's victory over the Canaanites.  While it is true that the Amalekites seemed to have lived in the territory which the Ephraimites occupied, the context indicates that these Ephraimites and Benjamites were among those who were being commended for being among the first to join the fight against the LORD's enemies.  I will look into this situation more closely when we get to the book of Judges, but perhaps this verse is saying that the Ephraimites did not let the fact that they were from an area formerly occupied (or perhaps still partially occupied?) by the Amalekites get in the way of responding to the LORD's call for action against them.  Deborah's song later goes on to chide those tribes who did not participate in the battle. (Judges 5:16-17)

Judges 6:3,33 indicates that the Amalekites joined with other eastern peoples against Israel.  These Midianites, Amalekites and others would sweep through and destroy crops, animals and people on a regular basis.  Judges 7:12 reveals that these hostile forces were very numerous; they "settled in the valley, thick as locusts" and their camels "could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore."

Judges 10:11-12 is the LORD's accusation against Israel that although He had delivered them from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites, they had forsaken the LORD and served idols.  So He told them to call for help from these 'gods' for their current distress.  However, when Israel repented and removed these idols, God relented and delivered them.

Judges 12:15 indicates that the Amalekites lived in the territory occupied by Ephraim, "in the hill country of the Amalekites."  See information about Kadesh in Genesis section above.

I Samuel  Chapter 15 of this book is all about a battle against the Amalekites.  The prophet Samuel tells the Israelite king Saul that the LORD has ordered Saul to attack the Amalekites and utterly destroy them, including men, women,children, infants, cattle, sheep, and donkeys.  This is one of those passages which people recoil from in horror.  How could the LORD order such a thing?  The passage itself explains that the Amalekites were being punished for attacking the Israelites as they came out of Egypt.  (See the Exodus and Deuteronomy sections above for more information about why this punishment was so extensive.)  Notice that Saul warns another group of people -- the Kenites -- to leave the area so that they will not be destroyed in the upcoming battle.  They had "showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egypt." (v.6)  Obviously this is another case of the LORD keeping his covenant to Israel.  Part of His promises to Abraham was that "whoever blesses you I will bless and whoever curses you I will curse."  Apparently the Amalekites were being given exactly the same treatment which they had given the Israelites.  It is still a horrible situation, for it shows that sin is so destructive that it can result in harmful effects upon others who had no direct part in the sin.  However, God is not responsible for those results.  The Amalekites are responsible.  God has given people freedom to choose to follow Him or to choose the consequences of rejecting Him. [On a related note, the Amalekites were relatives of Esau, who had known of God and of the promises to Israel.  Word of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt had also spread throughout the land, even reaching to Jericho, for later, when Joshua is about to attack Jericho, the prostitute Rahab tells the spies that everyone is fearful because of the might of this God who delivered Israel from Egypt.  So it is not as though the Amalekites had not heard about Him.]  Instead of acknowledging God, they had attacked His people.  This puts matters in a different light.  It is still horrible that so many Amalekites had to die, but it puts the blame squarely upon the Amalekites when we realize that they knew exactly what they were getting into when they attacked the Israelites.

Other verses in I Samuel mention the Amalekites:

  I Samuel 14:48 shows that King Saul fought against many nations which were enemies of Israel, including the Amalekites.  This verse also indicates that the Amalekites had plundered Israel.

I Samuel 27:8 speaks of a time when David had fled to Gath (a Philistine town) to escape Saul's constant attempts upon his life.  David raided against the Geshurites, Girzites and the Amalekites instead of those who the Philistine king Achish thought he was raiding -- the Israelites.

I Samuel 28:18 speaks of how King Saul had not carried out the LORD's orders regarding destroying the Amalekites.  The LORD had refused to answer his inquiries because Saul had been rejected as king because of this and other disobedient actions.  Now Saul had consulted a witch because of his fears about an upcoming battle with the Philistines, so the LORD let him know that the Israelites would be defeated in this battle, and that both he and his sons would die.  His kingdom would go to David.

I Samuel 30:1,18 The Philistine rulers (apart from king Achish) did not trust David enough to allow him to participate with them in this battle against Israel, so they sent him back to Ziklag, the city David and his men had been assigned as a home.  When David and his men returned to Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had attacked and burned Ziklag and taken captive all who were there.  David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD indicated that he should pursue the raiders and rescue the captives.  On the way, they come across an Egyptian slave of an Amalekite, who had been abandoned when he fell ill.(v.13)  This man led David to where the Amalekites were camped, and David and his men were able to recover all the people and plunder.

Meanwhile, Saul and three of his sons die on Mount Gilboa in the battle against the Philistines.  Saul's sons die in battle, and Saul takes his own life after being mortally wounded.  The Israelites living nearby flee their towns when they realize that Saul is dead, and the Philistines come and occupy the towns.

II Samuel

David returns to Ziklag, and several day later, an Amalekite arrives and presents King Saul's crown and armband to David as evidence that Saul has died.  The man claimed that he had killed Saul, and that Saul had requested that he do so because he had been mortally injured.  The man apparently hoped that he would be given a reward for this 'service', but he was unaware of David's deep respect for the office of the LORD's anointed king, so David has him killed instead.  The fact that David carefully inquires about the man's identity (v.13) leads me to believe that this may also have had something to do with David's decision, for although David had already fled to Philistine territory before Saul's decision to keep an Amalekite king alive [despite the LORD's previous orders to destroy all of the Amalekites (I Samuel 15)], he certainly would have known about how the Amalekites had attacked the Israelites as they left Egypt years before, and that they often raided Israelite towns as well.  The fact that Amalekites had only recently (temporarily) captured David's wives at Ziklag would not have worked in the Amalekite's favor, either!  However, it does seem that the fact that the man had claimed to slay the LORD's anointed king was what really earned him his death sentence. (II Samuel 1:15-16)

Later, when David had been king for some time, he dedicates treasures which he had gained while fighting against many nations, including the Amalekites, to the LORD. (II Samuel 8:11-12)
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OK, those are all the verses that I know of which speak about the Amalekites.
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Update:  Although the verses discussed above are the only ones I know of which mention 'Amalek', 'Amalekite', or 'Amalekites' I did just remember another portion of Scripture which deals with this enmity between Israel and the Amalekites.  It is the book of Esther.  Don't worry, though, I will start a new post. 

Exodus 17:8-16 Amalekite Attack

"The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.

Moses said to Joshua,

'Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites.

Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.'

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered,

and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.

As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning,

but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.

When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone

and put it under him and he sat on it.

Aaron and Hur held his hands up --

one on one side, one on the other --

so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

Then the LORD said to Moses,

'Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered

and make sure that Joshua hears it,

because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.'

Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

He said, 'For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD.

The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.' "

Exodus 17:8-16 (NIV)

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Some things to think about:  

• The Amalekites were the first nation to attack Israel after they left Egypt. 
• Another account of this incident found in Deuteronomy reveals that the Amalekites did not wage a fair fight against Israel's army, but instead attacked the weak and weary stragglers among the people at the rear of Israel's group.  (Deuteronomy 25:18)
• Joshua is soon to become Moses' aide.  Later, he will be his successor.  He is a faithful man and his experiences in the desert will help equip him for his later duties as he leads Israel into the Promised Land (Canaan).
• Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill to intercede for the Israelites.  The fact that the Israelites won while the staff was raised and did worse when the staff was lowered did not mean that the staff in itself was some type of magic charm.  Moses actions indicated that he was appealing to God for help in the battle.  The whole incident was an actual appeal to God for help, but it also became a very visual picture which showed the Israelites that victory was only from the LORD, and not from their own strength.  Aaron and Hur were a great help to Moses, keeping his hands steady till sunset.
• Hur was Miriam's husband according to the historian Josephus and other sources, although the Bible is silent on this.  Hur may also be the same man who is the son of Caleb (one of twelve men who later spied out the land of Canaan before Israel returned to it) and grandfather to Bezalel (one of the workers/craftsmen on the tabernacle).  We'll talk more about them later when they come up in the text.
• Joshua overcame the Amalekites, and the LORD ordered that a scroll was to be written to remember this incident, and to record that the LORD had promised to completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.
• Moses builds an altar and called it 'The LORD is my Banner'.  He also continues and notes that '...hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD'.  I believe it has sort of a double meaning, both that the LORD had answered Moses prayer when he lifted his hands to the LORD, and also that the LORD had proved victorious when the Amalekites' hands were stretched out against the people of the LORD (and thus, 'lifted up' against the throne (rule/authority) of the LORD Himself.
• Moses also notes that the LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.  This seems strange, doesn't it?  Why were they so particularly singled out for destruction?  I think that this will require another post to look at the Amalekites more closely.

About Amalek

As I stated in a previous post (October 4, 2010: Facing Kedolaomer), Abraham's grandson Esau was the grandfather of Amalek. Genesis 36 is a treasure trove of genealogical information which I am still exploring, but so far let's remind ourselves of these connections:

Abraham's sons are Isaac and Ishmael.
Isaac's twin sons are Jacob and Esau.
Jacob is the father of twelve sons, the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Esau's sons are Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
Eliphaz has Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz and Amalek.

The Scripture says Amalek is the son of Timna (Eliphaz's concubine) in Genesis 36:12. No information is given here about the other sons' mothers. I suspect more information will turn up eventually as I go on, because I know I have read somewhere else in Scripture about Timna before.

As the previous post indicated, the Amalekites came to be known as fierce enemies of God's people, and especially associated with those who wanted to wipe out Israel. Also, they seem to be a people which God wanted entirely eliminated. That may seem strange, but perhaps this is because of His covenant with the Israelites, i.e., that He had said that those who curse Israel will themselves be cursed. (Genesis 12:2-3). Also, the retaliation against the enemies of His people always seems to be in proportion to what harm these enemies intend to inflict upon His people. In this case, since the Amalekites wished to completely destroy Israel, it is 'fair' that God would also seek to wipe out the Amalekites. I cannot know the full extent of God's purposes, except as they are revealed in the Bible, but perhaps these Scriptures can shed some light:

AMALEK

Gen. 36 12 (Esau's son Eliphaz has a concubine Timna, who bears Amalek)

Exodus 17:8, 14,16 (Amalekites attack Israelites at Rephidim, Lord vows to blot out Amalek, the Lord would be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation)

Numbers 24:20 (Balaam says Amalek was first among nations, but would come to ruin)

Deuteronomy 25:17 see also I Samuel 15:2 (Amalekites waylaid Israel as they left Egypt)
25:19 ("...you shall blot out the memory of Amalek...")

Judges 5:14 (Amalekites once lived in the hill country of Ephraim)

I Samuel 15:3(Lord will punish Amalekites for waylaying Israel, destroy everything, do not
spare them)
28:18 (Saul does not carry out God's fierce wrath against the Amalekites)

Psalm 83:5-7 (Edom(Esau), Ishmaelites, Moab, Hagrites, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia,Tyre and Assyria form an alliance against Israel -- and by association, against God)

AMALEKITES

Numbers 14:45 (Amalekites and Canaanites attack and overwhelm disobedient Israelites)

Judges 6:3 (Amalekites & other eastern peoples invade, ravage crops and animals)
7:12(Midianites, Amalekites & other eastern peoples prepare to attack Israel)
10:12(God had delivered Israel from Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines, Sidonians, Amalekites and Maonites, yet they forsook Him)

I Samuel 14:48 (Saul's military victories against Israel's enemies, including Amalekites)
15:6 (Saul warns Kenites to move away before he attacks Amalekites)
15:20 (Saul claims to have completely destroyed the Amalekites, but has spared Agag)
27:8 (David and men raid Girzites and Amalekites. From ancient times, these lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt)
30:1 (Amalekites raided Ziklag and the Negev)

II Samuel 1:1 (David returns from defeating the Amalekites)
1:13 ("I am the son of...an Amalekite" David kills him because the man claims to have killed Saul, the Lord's anointed king.)

I Chronicles 4:43 (Simeonites kill the remaining Amalekites who had escaped to the hill country of Seir.)


Interestingly, in the book of Esther it is revealed that the enemy who wanted to systematically wipe out all of the Jews was also likely an Amalekite. Esther 3:1 says that Haman was the "son of Hammedatha, the Agagite". Agag was an Amalekite king.

Another sobering thought that comes to mind is that originally, Esau had the opportunity to be part of the people of God. He sold that birthright (with all of its spiritual aspects as well) by considering it less important than a bowl of stew, and then also lost his father's blessing when his twin brother Jacob deceived blind Isaac into thinking that Jacob was actually Esau. Esau at first consoled himself with the thought of killing his brother, but their mother Rebekah sent Jacob far away to his uncle's house in order to cool off the situation. Years later, Jacob and Esau had a time of reconciliation, yet it seemed an imperfect truce, for Jacob was reluctant to live near Esau. When Esau eventually moves off near Seir, the Edomites come to be known more for their enmity against Jacob/Israel than anything else. Was the grudge and a sense of having been cheated held somewhere deep in Esau's heart, nourished, and passed on to his descendants?  It certainly seems that way.

Facing Kedolaomer

When the king of Sodom allied himself with four other kings and rebelled against Kedorlaomer, he was facing a formidable foe. Just the fact that they had been subject to this man's rule for twelve years says something about the strength of the opposition they were facing -- not to mention that Kedorlaomer had three other kings allied with him!

Kedorlaomer and his buddies first went out and defeated the Rephaites in Asteroth Karnaim. Years later, Deuteronomy 3:11 (NIV) speaks about how "...only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide...". Whether the Rephaites were practically wiped out by Kedorlaomer's efforts or by other conquests in the intervening years I am not certain, but these seem like people of very large stature. Kedorlaomer defeats the Rephaites and then goes on to attack the Zuzites in Ham. At this time I do not have any information about these people, but their association with the location of Ham (probably named after Noah's son Ham) puts them into a category of people often opposed to God's people.

Next, Kedorlaomer moves on to fight with the Emites in Shaveh Kiriathaim. Wikipedia redirected me to an article on the "Emim". Deuteronomy 2:9-11 (NIV), speaking of how the Moabites lived in Ar, which used to be where the Emites lived, says: "(The Emites used to live there -- a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites." The Wikipedia article indicated that a famous French Medieval rabbi known as Rashi (writer of the first commentary on the Talmud) claimed that the Emim's name translated as "the dreaded ones". So you can be pretty certain that these were warriors who would be taken seriously as opponents.

After this, Kedorlaomer attacks the Horites in the hill country of Seir. Seir's ancestry is not specified beyond "Seir the Horite" (Genesis 36:20), but the verse also gives a list of Seir's sons: Lotan, Shoabal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were noted as Horite chiefs. (Genesis 36:21,29). So what? Well, Esau, the grandson of Abraham, took Canaanite wives. If you look at the genealogy of Genesis 36:2-3, you will see that Esau's wives' genealogies intertwine with this list of chiefs -- specifically with Anah and Zibeon. Apparently, when Esau and his brother Jacob's possessions grew too numerous, Esau moved to the hill country of Seir (Genesis 36:6-8). Esau's clan may have driven away the Horites, or perhaps first somewhat mingled with them. Genesis 36:40 lists the chiefs descended from Esau and remarks "...These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied." (Edom , by the way, is another way people referred to Esau.) So it sounds like Esau conquered the place. However, I Chronicles 36:20 (after listing the sons of Esau and their chiefs) goes on to speak of "...the sons of Seir the Horite, who were living in that region." Whether Esau's wives were from an earlier time of friendship with the Horites or captives from the conquest is unclear to me. Either way, they were 'women of Canaan' (Genesis 36:2) -- not associated with the people of God.

There is some question about the Horites and Hivites, as to whether they were one people or just to which peoples these names are referring. Wikipedia does a fair job of listing the observations about these peoples. Seems there are still conflicting theories. Interestingly, some Hivites seem to linger around the fringes of God's people all the way to Solomon's time, often as forced laborers.

After all these conquests, Kedolaomer and his allies turn back to En Mishpat (Kadesh) and conquer the territory of the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who were living in Hazazon Tamar. Both were enemies of the Israelites, and the Amalekites in particular seemed to be associated with a desire to wipe out the Israelites as a nation. Again I turned to Wikipedia for interesting articles about both peoples. Some information from the Jewish Encyclopedia was also helpful. There is too much information to cover in this post. However, the further one digs into the Bible, the more interesting tidbits are unearthed. For example, the Amalekites come from Amalek, who is a grandson of Esau! More on this in the next post.