Deuteronomy Chapter 3: Conquest of Og; the Granting of Land; and the Transition of Leadership
The Passage and Some Thoughts
Verses 1-11 relate the story
of the Israelites conquering Og. Once again it was utter destruction and killing,
just as in the case of Sihon earlier. And again, the Israelites took the
animals and other spoils, as well as the land. Great details are provided.
Chuck Smith reminds us that enemy was made up of giants (the remnant of the
Rephaim) – really big men, terrible men, giants. They first appeared in Genesis
14:5 and you can read their story here, The Rephaim. And Moses
is saying, “and God delivered even them into your hands”.
Verses 12-17 describe the
granting of land to two and a half tribes. The land was given to the Reubenites
and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh. (This was a repeat of Numbers
32:32-38).
In verses 18-20 we have Moses
reminding them how God had promised these tribes this land described above but
they had to go to war with their brothers across the Jordan to gain possession
of the Promised Land and only when that was all successfully accomplished,
could they return to their wives and children on this side of the Jordan.
Verses 21-29 describe the
transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua. In verse 22 he encourages Joshua
not to fear the enemies, “for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.” Besides
Moses was saying, “Look at what He did for you at Sihon and Og (those giants
you conquered).” We need that kind of advice today as we battle the Enemy of
God and his agents. He is at work in the riots of America. He is at work in the
shutting down of churches in China. He is at work in the persecution of Christians
all over India and Africa. May we not fear these enemies. The battle is God’s. HE is fighting for us.
And while we may seem to be losing from a human perspective as our freedoms are
eliminated, our churches destroyed, our pastors killed, and even our own lives
being at stake – we are indeed winning, for God is fighting for us and our
reward is in heaven.
Then in verses 23-26 Moses records
how he pleaded with God to let him cross over Jordan to stand in the Promised Land
and God would not for He was angry with Moses on account of the Israelites. But
in his pleading to God, we note several things:
1. He is now seeing the greatness and strong hand of the Lord in delivering their enemies into the hands of the Isrealites. Sometimes it takes a long time for even a man like Moses to recognize how mighty God is. We lose out on so much because we, even though we are His, we fail to see His power and might as early as we may have otherwise.
2. It is God that shows that to him. Man is often blinded to God’s greatness. So, our prayer for ourselves, our loved ones, others, is that God would reveal Himself to them.
3. His recognition that no one in heaven or on earth, man or god, can do what God has done, is doing, and will do. We need to come to that understanding ourselves and then watch God and let God do what He needs to do. The earlier we get there in our thinking, the greater will be our ability to serve Him and others mightily.
4. Finally, in verse 26, Moses recognizes when God is angry with him and wants to hear no more of his pleading on the matter of being allowed to enter Canaan. We too need to recognize when God has had enough of our disobedience. We need to stop, especially if we have asked for forgiveness and He has forgiven us. Let it go. You missed out on something great, but God has more for you to do. Don’t miss out on that. We can appreciate how much this hurt Moses, and so God saying ‘No’ to us may also hurt us. But we need to believe, as Moses did, that there was a just reason for God’s response and the integrity of God’s character and being is more important than our disappointment in getting a ‘no’ answer.
1. He is now seeing the greatness and strong hand of the Lord in delivering their enemies into the hands of the Isrealites. Sometimes it takes a long time for even a man like Moses to recognize how mighty God is. We lose out on so much because we, even though we are His, we fail to see His power and might as early as we may have otherwise.
2. It is God that shows that to him. Man is often blinded to God’s greatness. So, our prayer for ourselves, our loved ones, others, is that God would reveal Himself to them.
3. His recognition that no one in heaven or on earth, man or god, can do what God has done, is doing, and will do. We need to come to that understanding ourselves and then watch God and let God do what He needs to do. The earlier we get there in our thinking, the greater will be our ability to serve Him and others mightily.
4. Finally, in verse 26, Moses recognizes when God is angry with him and wants to hear no more of his pleading on the matter of being allowed to enter Canaan. We too need to recognize when God has had enough of our disobedience. We need to stop, especially if we have asked for forgiveness and He has forgiven us. Let it go. You missed out on something great, but God has more for you to do. Don’t miss out on that. We can appreciate how much this hurt Moses, and so God saying ‘No’ to us may also hurt us. But we need to believe, as Moses did, that there was a just reason for God’s response and the integrity of God’s character and being is more important than our disappointment in getting a ‘no’ answer.
In verses 27-29, we read of Moses
being told to go to the top of Mount Pisgah and look in every direction, and
see the Promised Land with his own eyes, though he was not allowed to cross
over the Jordan to feel it under his feet. [When Moses actually gets to do this
is the point where this book we are studying, Deuteronomy, will actually end. So, hang in there.] Moses was actually told
to replace himself with Joshua and to do all in his power to encourage him in
crossing over the Jordan. The chapter ends with Moses saying, for now, “we remained
in the valley opposite Beth-peor.”
Wrap-up
In this chapter, we see again God’s
magnificent power (He defeated the greatest of enemies), His love for His
people (He delivered the lands of the enemies into their hands), and His adherence
to justice (He would not change His mind with respect to letting Moses enter
the Promised Land).
Can we all learn those three
lessons? We need to. God is almighty. God loves us. God is just and His word
will be accomplished.
If there is anything that we
need to convey to others it is those three characteristics of God and the fact
that we can enjoy their benefits through His Son Jesus Christ. May that be so
with each of us.
It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.
Moses only knew the limited picture from a human standpoint, but God sees the big picture across the stretches of time. What Moses did not know was that many centuries later he would actually stand in the promised land on the Mount of Transfiguration in a different body a different time and different setting altogether.
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