There are a lot of times when our human minds feel like they have to categorize things. We live in a culture that is constantly rating: deciding what or who is best, which is prettier, what is the most useful, etc. Sometimes this is good, like when I’m reading labels at the grocery store, and sometimes this is bad, like when I start categorizing the most useful workers in the Lord’s church.

Paul admonished the Corinthian christians by saying that the body is one, but it has many members, and you can’t look at another body part and claim it is of lesser value because it’s different. Seems pretty plain, but when we apply it to our every day lives, it gets a little more difficult.

For instance, there are people who see that I’m a preacher’s wife, and that must mean I am more important or need some kind of special recognition or that I need to be more involved than others. Or, there are people who call the teenagers and college-aged students the “church of the future” and discount any sort of work they can and are doing for the Lord now. There are a lot of scenarios and a lot of positions we hold with higher esteem than others, which is why I wanted to look at an Old Testament story and try to figure out who the most important workers actually are.

In Exodus 17, we come to a story where the children of Israel are fighting with the Amaleks. Moses charges Joshua with the task of taking men out and fighting (v.9). While fighting, Moses would stand on a hill and hold up his rod, and while he did, the Israelites prevailed (v.9,11). However, it appeared the battle was taking quite a bit of time, and if you’ve ever held anything above your head for any amount of time, you know that your arms turn into jelly. That’s exactly what happened to Moses. So Aaron and Hur pulled up a stone and let Moses sit on it, and then they got on either side of him, and held up his arms so he could keep the rod raised, and thus, the Israelites could win (v.12-13).

So my question is, who was the most important worker in this story? Joshua did the actual fighting. Moses grasped the rod that God used to win the victory. Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands when he was too weak to do it. But who was the most crucial?

Obviously the answer is all of them. If you take Joshua out of the mix, there are no Israelites fighting, and no battle can be won for the Lord. If you take Moses away, there is fighting, but no winning. If you take Aaron and Hur away, there is no ultimate victory because Moses would have tired out long before the battle was over.

The church is the same way. Take out any member and you lose a vital part. Sure, there are some people who seem to be fighting on the front lines, and we need those people. We need the people going out into the community and into the world and teaching in their schools and inviting people to study the Bible. But we also need leaders. We need people to rally the troops. We need people who will be a light that others look to and are encouraged by. A lot of the times that’s where your elders, deacons and preachers stand. These people are the faces that you regularly see. But keep in mind that those people would be nothing without their Aaron’s and Hur’s. Those people get tired. Discouraged. Lonely. They need people encouraging them and lifting them up.

Whatever part you’re filling is the most important part. Whichever worker is out doing the Lord’s work, that is the most important worker. It takes an entire kingdom of people, working together, to accomplish God’s will on this earth. So let us never think that what we’re doing is small or insignificant. I’m sure Hur didn’t feel too special moving a rock, but it was a critical part of the battle.

Each fruit you bear for the Lord is important. Each trial you overcome is a victory for us all. Never feel insignificant. And never feel that because you aren’t so-and-so or aren’t doing what they’re doing that somehow what you’re doing isn’t valuable for Christ. It is. So just keep on keeping on! And let these words hold up your weakening arms, because we’re all in this together.