The first five books of the bible repeat themselves a lot. I believe this is intentional; in order to give several perspectives and different views of the same subject.
For example; Deuteronomy Chapter 3 speaks of a subject we have studied previously. It explains how the King of Bashan, Og, was defeated in battle before the Israelites entered the land of promise.
IMPORTANT BATTLES
This great battle’s victory cleared the way and freed up the pathway to the Promised Land.
What battles are you fighting today?
Just remember that every battle puts us one step closer to the promises of God.
Gather up your hope and courage and keep on walking steadily in one constant direction.
We have already discussed the battle with King Og many other times; and we noted how this victory was one of the very significant and important parts of the story of God’s People crossing over to the Promised Land.
DO NOT BE AFRAID
The LORD told the people not to be afraid of this powerful King. God was with them as they went into the battle. Just as He was with them when they defeated King Sihon, the King of the Amorites in Heshbon. We have discussed this battle too; and it also is important and significant.
Both battles proved that when God was with the people of Israel they could not be defeated; but it took God being with them and directing them for them to be victorious.
Some things never change.
It is the same for the followers of God today. If God is with us; we will win. Should we strike out on our own with our own plans; we will not have the strength or intelligence that we need in battle and all will be lost in the process.
LIFE IS ABOUT CHOICES
We always have a choice; but those choices must be made in a timely manner.
The first generation of Israelites made all the wrong decisions at all the wrong times.
This new generation was different. I constantly pray that the next generation of today’s world will be as brave and courageous and as godly as the last generation of Israel in the wilderness. They were the generation that made careful and accurate decisions.
When God said “go” they went.
If God said fight; they fought.
GOD CAN TOPPLE WALLS AND OPEN GATES OF IRON
Israel took this army of the King of Og victoriously; leaving no survivors behind.
Og had ruled over 60 cities. Israel took them all.
All of the cities that Israel took had been fortified with high walls and they had huge gates with strong bars.
While God fought with them; nothing was impossible. They also took the nearby un-walled villages.
The only plunder they took from the battle was in the form of livestock. They added this livestock to the livestock they had taken from King Sihon.
DEFEATING THE GIANTS
So; all of the territory of the two former Amorite kings now belonged to Israel. This was the land east of the Jordan from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Herman. It included Gilead, Bashan and Salekah and Edrei.
In defeating Og, Israel had defeated the last of the Rephaites.
The Rephaites were the giants that everyone had been so afraid of in the past. Israel fought with giants and won every battle.
It was no small matter. Those giants were HUGE!
They say this giant called King Og’s bed was decorated with iron and more than fourteen feet long and six feet wide. The scriptures say mysteriously that his bed is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites to this very day. Many have wondered how to interpret the meaning of that scripture. All we know for sure is that King Og was probably the reason we eventually began to use the words “king-sized” whenever we spoke of the largest beds in our homes.
A FEW TRIBES RECEIVED THEIR LAND BEFORE THE LAST BATTLE WAS FOUGHT
So; they divided the land as planned. The Reubenites and the Gadites got the territory north of Aroer by the Arnon Gorge, including half the hill country of Gilead and it’s towns.
The rest of Gilead, the part known as Bashan, was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, took the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Gershurites and the Maakathites. This land was named after Jair and to this day it is called Havvoth Jair (the settlement of Jair.)
Gilead was given to Makir.
The land extending from Gilead down to the Arnon Gorge, with the middle of the Gorge as the border, was given to all the Reubenites and the Gadites. This land went out to the Jabbok River which is the border of the Ammoites. Its western border was the Jordan in the Arabah from Kinnereth to the Seas of the Arabah (The Dead Sea) below the slopes of Pisgah.
And two great battles were fought in those lands; probably in very similar style to a coming battle called Armageddon. There will be battles again, in the last days, before we come into our inheritance as Children of God.
LEAVING WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN CHARGE DURING THE BATTLES
It was there that all of the able-bodied men were told to become armed for battle and to cross over ahead of the other Israelites.
Their wives and children and livestock were left behind at this point, while they helped the rest of Israel to enter into the promises.
Their departure was probably a lot like today’s army departing from their families temporarily in order to defend the land of their inheritance and in order to insure safety and plenty for their fellow countrymen.
In many ways their battle plan was a lot like the one that will happen in the end of time as we know it. Those who have gone ahead of us will return with Jesus and we will join in with them to fight one last victorious battle before God’s Kingdom will come to earth for 1,000 years.
Just as in wars of our past in America, the women and children were left behind to tend to the home fires and to keep the family farms running and providing provisions for the family. They worked hard and focused on survival until the fathers returned victorious from battle.
Once those battles were fought and won; the tribes that already had been given their inheritance would return across the river and back to their homes again, only this time they would be returning to a land of peace and harmony; a land flowing with milk and honey.
Here too, it is like the end times after Christ is declared King of Kings and the Kingdom of Heaven is established on the earth and because of the victorious victory of God’s army; Satan and his demons are bound away for 1000 years. Every man will be sitting in his own home and blessed by the fruit of his own vine. The children will play safely in the land once more. It will be a time of great celebration and joy.
MOSES PREPARES JOSHUA
God called Moses to command Joshua. Moses said to him “You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the other enemies in the land where you are going. Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.”
Then Moses, already knowing that his fate had been decided, began to plead for God to let him go on over to see the land beyond the Jordan, the hill country and Lebanon.
I have to think of Jesus, walking through the garden in deep, deep prayer and asking if it is possible that this cup be taken from Him. He was in agony over what was to come. Then he humbly declares that his will is for God’s will to be done.
Moses had to accept his final destiny too.
God was probably still angry that a whole generation of the people rebelled in the past. He had sworn that NONE of that generation would be able to cross over into the promises.
That great leader named Moses lost by default. He had offered to take this punishment in order to appease God’s anger with the people. Moses had stood in the gap for a very rebellious generation; and now the time had come to pay the price and to keep his word.
The LORD commanded Moses not to speak to him again about the matter. Once God makes a decision; the matter is closed, and there is no turning back.
Though Moses could not go with the people; God did have some mercy on him. God let him view the land from afar. Just to see the land after all of this time must have meant a lot to Moses. He got to glimpse the promised land from a distance.
FROM A DISTANCE
God instructed Moses to go up to the top of Mount Pisgah and look west and north and south and east. Does this make you think of the time that God had instructed Abraham to do the same? Then God promised Abraham all of the land that was within his sight in every direction. Now God was giving that land to Abraham’s descendants.
Our promise-keeping God was keeping his promises.
Moses was to look at the land with his own eyes (even though he would not be able to set foot on it.) Moses was able to see the promises fulfilled before his death.
God explained to Moses once again that he would not cross the Jordan when the people moved on.
Moses commissioned Joshua and encouraged and strengthened him to lead the people across and to cause them to inherit the land that God was showing Moses from a distance.
All of that was settled between the people, God, Moses and Joshua right there in the Valley of Beth Peor.