1 All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of YHVH, and camped at Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Therefore the people found fault with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you find fault with me? Why do you put YHVH to the proof?"
3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people murmured against Moses, and said, "Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?"
4 So Moses cried to YHVH, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me."
5 And YHVH said to Moses, "Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand the rod with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the faultfinding of the children of Israel, and because they put YHVH to the proof by saying, "Is YHVH among us or not?"
Now a rod in the Bible has several meanings. It refers to the power of the Will, as do swords, staffs and serpents. But another meaning has to do with the male generative organ, which represents creative power.
When lifted up, it is the basis for spiritual power, when on the ground, it denotes lust, degradation and eventually spiritual death. When lifted by Moses, the spiritual consciousness, it brings forth, from the rock of spiritual truth, the water of life and they are satisfied.
8 Then came Amalek and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
9 And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose for us men, and go out, fight with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of the gods in my hand."
10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Amalek means lust. So the consciousness is being tempted by lust. We see this reiterated by the description of how Moses, the spiritual consciousness did battle. He lifted up his hands, and his rod, and as long as he held them up, the Israelites, his energy, remained free of corruption. But as soon as he dropped his hands, and his rod, his energy descended, focusing on material and animal consciousness.
12 But Moses' hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat upon it, and Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
13 And Joshua mowed down Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
14 And YHVH said to Moses, "Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under the heavens."
15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, 'YHVH is my banner',
16 saying, "A hand upon the banner of YHVH! YHVH will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
Aaron, which means enlightened, and Hur, which means pure, brilliant and noble, or
spiritual truth to help the spiritual consciousness maintain the elevation and spiritualization of the passions, changing lust to love. YHVH, or in this case goodness, will forever be at war with or opposed to lust.