The Book of Deuteronomy

Hebrew Study

Explanation

Israel turned and went up the way to Bashan, and Og its king "came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei." Og was a fearsome foe, "of the remnant of giants," a man whose iron bedstead was "nine cubits... the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it." Yet God said, "Fear him not: for I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand; and thou shalt do unto him as thou didst unto Sihon." So "the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining." Threescore fenced cities and many unwalled towns fell, and the whole region east of Jordan came into Israel's possession. The giant and his kingdom were no match for the God who had already given Sihon.

Gospel Focus

"Fear him not" is God's word to every believer facing a giant. Og was the biggest, most intimidating enemy yet, a remnant of the giants, with fenced cities and a bed of iron, and it would have been natural to tremble. But God does not measure the battle by the size of the enemy; He measures it by His own promise: "I will deliver him... into thy hand." The giant that terrifies us is already given into the hand of the God who fights for us. Paul says, "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us" (Romans 8:37), not by our own might but through Him. Notice too the encouragement from the past: "as thou didst unto Sihon." God points Israel back to the last victory to strengthen them for the next one. Every remembered deliverance is fuel for present faith. When the next giant comes, look back at what God has already done and hear Him say again, "Fear him not."

Hebrew Study

Explanation

Moses recounts how the land east of Jordan was divided: the territory of Sihon and Og was given to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to the half tribe of Manasseh. But the men of war among these tribes were not to settle down in ease while their brethren still had battles to fight. Moses charged them, "ye shall pass over armed before your brethren the children of Israel, all that are meet for the war," until the LORD had given the rest of the tribes their inheritance across the Jordan. And to Joshua he gave the same assurance he gave the people: "Thine eyes have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto these two kings: so shall the LORD do unto all the kingdoms whither thou passest. Ye shall not fear them: for the LORD your God he shall fight for you."

Gospel Focus

"The LORD your God he shall fight for you" is one of the great promises of Scripture, and it stands over every battle of faith. Israel would raise the sword and march to war, yet the victory was God's; He was the one truly fighting for them. It is the same word Moses spoke at the Red Sea, "The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace" (Exodus 14:14). The believer's warfare is real, but the outcome does not rest on our strength; the battle is the Lord's, and He fights for His people. There is also a lesson in the charge to Reuben and Gad. Having received their own inheritance, they were still to go over armed before their brethren and not rest until all had entered in. So those who have found their rest in Christ are not to settle back in comfort while others still struggle; we fight alongside our brethren until all God's people come into their inheritance. Do not fear the kingdoms before you, for the LORD your God fights for you, and do not forsake your brethren while the battle remains.

Hebrew Study

Explanation

Moses tells how he had pleaded with God: "O Lord GOD, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand... I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan." But because of the sin at the waters of Meribah, "the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter." God granted Moses a sight of the land from the top of Pisgah, "but thou shalt not go over this Jordan." Instead God said, "charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land." The lawgiver would see the promise from the mountain, but another would lead the people into it.

Gospel Focus

Here is one of the tenderest and most instructive moments in the book. Moses, the mightiest prophet of the old covenant, the man of the law, was permitted to see the promised land from afar but not to bring the people into it. That work was given to Joshua, whose name means "the LORD saves," the same name as Jesus. The lesson is written deep in the picture: the law, given by Moses, can bring us to the very border of the promise, but it cannot bring us in. "The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (John 1:17). It takes the Saviour, the true Joshua, to lead His people into rest, "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day" (Hebrews 4:8, where "Jesus" is Joshua). What the law could only point to, Jesus accomplishes; He goes over before us and causes us to inherit. There is also a gracious word about handing on the work: Moses did not cling to his place but was told to "charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him." The godly do not grasp at their own importance; they pour their strength into those who will carry the work forward after them. Rest, then, not in Moses but in the true Joshua, Jesus, who alone brings His people into the promised rest.