Daily Devotional

“Moses’ hands became heavy. … 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 17:12,13). 

Heroes have long sprinted the halls of history, running, jumping, and swooping to the rescue of those in need. But what happens when the hero gets in trouble? The trusty sidekick saves the day, of course! 

The origin of the word “sidekick” takes us into the criminal underworld of the United States in the 1800s, when coat and trouser pockets were called “kicks.” Kicks were the perpetual target of pickpockets, whose goal was to steal money out of them without the wearer knowing. (Today, some refer to a “kick” as a roll of bills.) One theory about the word is that a man’s front side pockets were the safest from pickpockets, so these pockets became his closest companions—his “sidekicks.” Another option is that these side pockets came to refer to a pickpocket keeping his accomplice as close as the side pocket of his pants—his “sidekick.” 

Hur was Moses’ chief assistant, and possibly the grandfather of Bezaleel, head builder of the wilderness sanctuary. As the Israelites travelled from Egypt to Mount Sinai, the Amalekites attacked. Moses, Aaron, and Hur climbed to the top of a hill overlooking the valley below, where Joshua and his soldiers engaged the enemy. Moses began to pray earnestly with his hands raised to heaven. As the battle dragged
on, Aaron and Hur noticed that when Moses got tired and lowered his arms, the Amalekites began to win, but when the patriarch’s hands were raised, God’s people gained the edge. So, Aaron and Hur each took one of Moses’ arms and held it up. They continued this until God gave them a complete victory. 

The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about Hur, but we know that he was a trusty sidekick whose faithful support of the leader of God’s people was indispensable to victory. Are you a trusty sidekick for God’s chosen leader in your town? 

Lord God, may I prayerfully and faithfully support those You have ordained to lead.