"Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt - how he attacked you when you were faint and weary, and cut off those who lagged behind. He did not fear God. Therefore, when the Lord has given you rest from all your enemies in the land, you should blot out the memory of Amalek - you shall not forget".
Deuteronomy 25:17-19.
So, you have lived in a day of miracles, witnessing the plagues that have fallen on those who enslaved you and the wonder of being 'brought through the waters' to escape tyranny... but the journey isn't over... not by a long way.
First, there's a wilderness to cross, and whilst provisions are literally heaven-sent, the arid nature of the place is bringing a great deal more to the surface - the inner propensity for a return to 'leeks and onions' of what you have left behind which are far more favourable to this barren hardship (even though you may have eaten them in chains).
That's not all.
It turns out that the Egyptians were not the only ones after your hide.
The Amalakites were the worse kind of brigands. Desert dwellers who were known to the Egyptians and Babylonians as the 'plunderers', they clearly had a reputation for harming those who crossed their territory who were weak or poorly defended.
They struck the Israelites at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-13), and would later rally their forces for a second time in league with the Canaanites (Numbers 14:45), and then again with the Midianites (Judges 6:3) - a constant irritant who sought to continually oppress and decimate God's people.
This wasn't a problem that was going away - because Saul later compromised and spared their king, the people of Israel continued to be plagued by their plundering for centuries.
We may be aware of the 'big picture' when it comes to our redemption - the deliverance God makes ours in the Salvic work of Jesus, and we are, no doubt, all too aware of the struggle in ourselves to deal with the pull back to what still troubles us (as Paul shows in Romans 7), but there's often an even greater threat - those forces which seek to prey upon us and overwhelm our life and faith in open warfare against the Lord by devouring us. That is why the Lord asks his people to do two, seemingly contrary things, in respect to Amalak - to remember AND to forget.
The remembrance (bringing to mind) is essential because whether we're in the desert or more at ease, the threat is still very real, so we need to be aware (Mark 13:37), but the other side of the coin is the repudiation of such enemies. We are to recall how God Himself fights against them and will bring a victory over them. The Israelites witnessed God do just this in the desert, and, in spite of Saul's compromise, still works to rout them (1Samuel 15).
It's no mistake that the Apostle John picks up on what is clearly 'wilderness imagery' when he is outlining some of his large visions in the book of Revelation. As with Amalek, the great enemies of the faith (the beasts, the dragon, the false prophet) are all related in various ways to this place, which is clearly a picture of the present 'cosmos' (fallen realm) and our journey through it (hence the view that this (present) world is not home - we are strangers, passing through).
The marauders of our badlands are not often present today as barbaric ruffians - they prefer to come with a garb of pleasantness and a smile, but they still prey upon the weak and the powerless, and seek to overthrow the exclusive work of unmerited grace amongst needy souls, for they hate the truth found only in Jesus.
Their 'seed', even their memory will not endure, but for right now, we cannot afford to be unaware of their nature and intentions, and the only resolve that is effective against such is WAR. They cannot be allowed to prevail, for their final objective is the end of all that is good.
It's an important lesson to learn.
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