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Alright, you can turn to Deuteronomy 
chapter 2. We're going to actually do both 
chapters 2 and 3. We were recently in the Book 
of Numbers, and that's basically what chapters 2 and 3 rehearse 
in terms of where the children of Israel had been when they 
left the nation of Egypt. God freed them. He delivered 
them in what we call the Exodus. And then they go to Sinai. They're at Sinai in Exodus, and 
there they receive the law. And then, of course, the ceremonial 
law in the book of Leviticus. They depart from Sinai, and they 
engage in the wilderness wanderings, which Numbers records and which 
is rehearsed here in chapters 2 and 3. And basically, the book 
of Deuteronomy is about Moses' exhortation to the children of 
Israel, that second generation to faithfulness. And he does 
this in a series of three exhortations. The first is found here in chapters 
1 to 4. It is a historical review. And 
then the second exhortation is in chapter 4, verse 44 to chapter 
28, 68. And it's an exhortation to pursue 
covenant loyalty. And then the summary and conclusion 
in chapters 29 and 30. And then you have the succession 
of Joshua in chapter 31, and then the death of Moses in chapters 
32 to 34. So this makes good sense. Remember that God had ratified 
a covenant with the nation of Israel. That first generation 
died off in the wilderness as a result of God's wrath against 
them. So the second generation now 
is poised on the plains of Moab to cross into the promised land 
and to engage in the conquest. and take what God had promised 
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the book is calculated to 
promote in them a warning with reference to the past failures 
and to encourage the second generation with a view of past victories. 
So on the one hand, the second generation is not to duplicate 
the sins of the former generation. On the other hand, they are to 
see God's faithfulness, even in the midst of that first generation, 
and that would hopefully encourage them as they go into the promised 
land. So as I said, we'll cover chapters 
2 and 3. I'll just read chapter 2 and then beginning in verse 
1. Then we turned and journeyed 
into the wilderness of the way of the Red Sea as the Lord spoke 
to me and we skirted Mount Seir for many days. "'And the Lord 
spoke to me saying, "'You have skirted this mountain long enough. 
"'Turn northward and command the people saying, "'You are 
about to pass through the territory "'of your brethren, the descendants 
of Esau, "'who live in Seir, and they will be afraid of you. 
"'Therefore watch yourselves carefully. "'Do not meddle with 
them, "'for I will not give you any of their land, "'not so much 
as one footstep, "'because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a 
possession. You shall buy food from them 
with money that you may eat, and you shall also buy water 
from them with money that you may drink. For the Lord your 
God has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows your 
trudging through this great wilderness. These 40 years the Lord your 
God has been with you, you have lacked nothing. And when we passed 
beyond our brethren, the descendants of Esau, who dwell in Seir, away 
from the road of the plain, away from Elath and Ezion-Geber, we 
turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab. Then 
the Lord said to me, Do not harass Moab, nor contend with them in 
battle, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, 
because I have given our to the descendants of Lot as a possession. 
The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous 
and tall as the Anakim. They were also regarded as giants 
like the Anakim, but the Moabites called them Emim. The Horites 
formerly dwelt in Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed 
them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their 
place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession 
which the Lord gave them. Now rise and cross over the valley 
of the Zared. So we crossed over the valley 
of the Zared. And the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea 
until we crossed over the valley of the Zared was thirty-eight 
years, until all the generation of the men of war was consumed 
from the midst of the camp, just as the Lord had sworn to them. 
For indeed, the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy 
them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed. So 
it was, when all the men of war had finally perished from among 
the people, that the Lord spoke to me, saying, This day you are 
to cross over at Ar, the boundary of Moab. And when you come near 
the people of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for 
I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as 
a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of 
Lot as a possession. That was also regarded as a land 
of giants. Giants formerly dwelt there. 
But the Ammonites called them Zamzumim, a people as great and 
numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before 
them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their places, just 
as he had done for the descendants of Esau, who dwelt in Seir, when 
he destroyed the Horites from before them. They dispossessed 
them and dwelt in their place, even to this day. And the Avim, 
who dwelt in villages as far as Gaza, the Khaftorim, who came 
from Khaftor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place. Rise, 
take your journey, and cross over the river Arnon. Look, I 
have given into your hands Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon 
and his land. Begin to possess it and engage 
him in battle. This day I will begin to put 
the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, 
who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be 
in anguish because of you. And I sent messengers from the 
wilderness of Ketamoth to Sihon, king of Heshbon, with words of 
peace, saying, Let me pass through your land. I will keep strictly 
to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the 
left. "'You shall sell me food for 
money that I may eat, "'and give me water for money that I may 
drink, "'only let me pass through on foot, "'just as the descendants 
of Esau who dwell in Seir "'and the Moabites who dwell in Ar 
did for me, "'until I crossed the Jordan to the land "'which 
the Lord our God is giving us. "'But Sihon king of Heshbon would 
not let us pass through, "'for the Lord your God hardened his 
heart "'and made his heart obstinate, "'that he might deliver him into 
your hand "'as it is this day. And the Lord said to me, See, 
I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to 
possess it, that you may inherit his land. Then Sihon and all 
his people came out against us to fight at Jahaz. And the Lord 
our God delivered him over to us. So we defeated him, his sons, 
and all his people. We took all his cities at that 
time, and we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones 
of every city. We left none remaining. We took 
only the livestock as plunder for ourselves, with the spoil 
of the cities which we took. From Aroare, which is on the 
bank of the river Arnon, and from the city that is in the 
ravine as far as Gilead, there was not one city too strong for 
us. The Lord our God delivered all 
to us. Only you did not go near the land of the people of Ammon, 
anywhere along the river Jabbok, or to the cities of the mountains, 
or wherever the Lord our God had forbidden us." Amen. Well, in terms of the historical 
review, there's a couple of names or place names that we should 
notice. The first section is the journey to Bashan, so chapter 
2, verse 1, and then they arrive in Bashan, according to chapter 
3. and verse 1, and then the journey to Beth-peor. That's 
how chapter 3 ends. So we stayed in the valley opposite 
Beth-peor. So we'll just look at chapter 
2, the journey to Bashan, and then chapter 3, the journey to 
Beth-peor. And basically it's a record of 
God's faithfulness in the midst of Israel's coming up against 
or encountering various enemies or foes. And God has specific 
instructions for them, God delivers them in spite of them, demonstrating 
His grace and His mercy and His loving-kindness. And it is intriguing 
if we go back to chapter 1, specifically at verse 26, God rehearsing the 
grumbling, or God through Moses rehearsing the grumbling and 
the whining and the complaining of the first generation, In verse 
26, it says, Nevertheless, you would not go up, but rebelled 
against the command of the Lord your God. And you complained 
in your tents and said, Because the Lord hates us, He has brought 
us out of the land of Egypt to destroy us into the hand of the 
Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go up? Our brethren 
have discouraged our hearts, saying, The people are greater 
and taller than we. The cities are great and fortified 
up to heaven. Moreover, we have seen the sons 
of the Anakim there." So the very thing that they had complained 
about, nevertheless, God had delivered them from. And so chapters 
2 and 3, along with chapter 1, shows God's continued faithfulness, 
even to the first generation, in spite of their rebellion, 
grumbling, whining, and complaining. And here in chapters 2 and 3, 
the second generation, as I said earlier, is to look back on that 
history, and may it function as a warning so that they don't 
duplicate those errors, they don't duplicate those sins and 
that rebellion against God, but may it as well encourage that 
second generation as they're poised on the plains of Moab 
to go into the promised land to engage in the conquest. They 
need that encouragement. They need that help. They need 
that strength. They need the several admonitions that we find 
here in this historical review that God did deliver, that God 
calls them not to be afraid, that God calls them to walk in 
faith and obedience to Him, trusting that everything He promised to 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He is going to make good on. He 
makes good on it in the book of Exodus, when He frees the 
children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. He makes good 
on it throughout the book of Numbers, that wherever they went, 
they were protected. And He will make good on it in 
the book of Joshua, when they go into the Promised Land to 
conquer it under their blessed God. So note first, with reference 
to the journey to Bashan in chapter 2, the encounter with Edom. the 
encounter with Edom in verses 1 to 8. Remember, Edom is Esau, 
the brother of Jacob, and basically this is material that we saw 
in Numbers chapter 20 in verses 14 to 21. Again, we just recently 
went over these particulars, but the route specified is from 
Kadesh Barnea, according to 146, to Bashan. And then specifically 
here in chapter 2 at verse 3, we find instructions, the command 
to go north. And then the specific instructions 
regarding Edom. They were not to engage them 
in battle. They were not to meddle with 
them. They were to respect them. The Israelites would pass through 
their land. The Edomites would actually be 
the ones who fear Israel, which reverses the Jacob and the Esau 
narrative in Genesis chapter 32. Remember, Jacob was afraid 
to meet with Esau. But with reference to God's blessing 
here, it is Esau or Edom that is afraid of Israel. As well, 
they need to watch themselves carefully. They're not to engage 
them in battle. They're not to meddle with them. 
God had given to Edom Mount Seir as a possession. And that's another 
thing that we observe in this particular section. God's sovereignty 
does not only extend to the nation of Israel and to the boundaries 
that they keep. It extends to the entirety of 
the earth, and you see how God does this. Even prior to Israel 
occupying the Promised Land, He's already given Mount Seir 
to Edom. He's already given specific land 
to the Moabites and to the Ammonites. One man says that this section 
demonstrates God's multinational sovereignty. Again, an encouraging 
thing with reference to the children of Israel as they're going to 
embark into the promised land to go and dispossess the land 
of its inhabitants. God had orchestrated everything 
in His sovereignty. He had brought them to this particular 
time and place. He had moved the nations around, 
similar to a chess game, and now it was poised for Israel 
to go and to conquer them. The Israelites were to purchase 
food and water from them, and then we see the specific blessing 
of God upon them according to verse 7. For the Lord your God 
has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He knows you're 
trudging through this great wilderness. These 40 years the Lord your 
God has been with you, you have lacked nothing. It's a great 
way that Moses puts that, trudging through this great wilderness. 
As we move through the book of Numbers, that is precisely what 
they did. They trudged through this great 
wilderness and they learned by experience, the second generation 
specifically, these 40 years the Lord your God has been with 
you, you have lacked nothing. There's certainly a new covenant 
parallel in this particular passage. We'll see something of it at 
the end part of the High Priestly Prayer, where Jesus prays that 
the people of God get to see His glory. And I think that kind 
of answers to what we see here. We trudge through this great 
wilderness, and the whole time of our trudging, we lack nothing. We don't have everything, but 
we have those things that God has given to us for His glory 
and for our well-being. But there is a promised land 
in our future. There is eschatological blessing. There is glory to be had. There 
is realization. And so whatever trudging we may 
go through in this present evil age, it is going to pay off, 
not in some mercenary sort of a way, but because God has purpose 
that those whom He called, He also justified. The ones that 
He justify, He will also glorify. We have that promise from Romans 
chapter 8. We have that prayer or petition 
of the Lord Jesus as the great high priest in John 17, 24 to 
26. And we see sort of an emphasis on this in the New Testament 
scriptures. Everyone who has this hope in 
him purifies himself even as he is pure. The reality that 
we will see our Lord Jesus Christ, the statements of the Apostle 
Paul that were to consider these momentary light afflictions, 
they give way to a far exceeding weight of glory. So whatever 
difficulties we experience in this trudging through the wilderness, 
the Lord God is going to rectify everything, He is going to vindicate 
His bride, and He's going to bring us into that place where 
we behold the glory of the Son of God who loved us and who gave 
Himself for us. So verse 7 does contain in it 
a good expression of what God did in numbers, but also holds 
out promise to New Covenant believers that though we trudge through 
this great wilderness, The Lord God possesses us, and He keeps 
us, and we lack nothing. Then we come to the encounter 
with Moab in verses 9 to 18. Moab was the son of Lot by his 
firstborn daughter, according to Genesis 19.37. Pretty unsavory 
passage there in Genesis 19, but nevertheless, it is what 
it is, and we've got Moab as the firstborn daughter of Lot. So note the command of God in 
terms of movement. Verse 9, then the Lord said to 
me, do not harass Moab nor contend with them in battle, for I will 
not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have 
given our to the descendants of Lot as a possession. So the Israelites are not to 
harass Moab, they're not to engage them in battle. Now later on, 
obviously, Balaam, or Balak rather, contracted the services of that 
prophet for profit. Balaam, who wanted him to curse 
Israel, he was the king of the Moabites, Balak was as well. He works in harmony with the 
Ammonites. But even then, God's counsel or God's preservation 
of them is not that they are to go against them initially. And so notice, the Israelites 
are told specifically not to engage. That land had been given 
to the Moabites by God. And then verses 10 to 12, again, 
just give a history and a bit of a review concerning this particular 
people. The Emim had dwelt there in times 
past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. They 
were also regarded as giants like the Anakim, but the Moabites 
called them Emim. The Horites formerly dwelt in 
Seir, but the descendants of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed 
them from before them and dwelt in their place, just as Israel 
did to the land of their possession, which the Lord gave them. The 
fact that this is here, and the fact that Moses rehearses it, 
and the fact that he ascribes all of this ultimately to Yahweh 
of Israel, shows something different between Yahweh of Israel versus 
the gods of the nations. Those gods of the nations were 
parochial. They only focused on their own 
people, whereas the Lord God Most High is the God of heaven 
and earth and all things that dwell therein. Craigie says, 
the Lord had promised to give his own people a land, but other 
peoples too had been granted possessions by God. This verse 
is one of several clues in Deuteronomy to the concept of the nature 
of God and the realm of his power over peoples and nations other 
than Israel. Again, I think this would be 
well calculated and suitable for this second generation to 
encourage them such that when they go into that land of promise, 
they don't have anything to fear because it's the God of heaven 
and earth. that is over that thing, over that scheme. Notice 
in Joshua chapter 2, Joshua chapter 2, this is something that Rahab 
the harlot had seen and known experientially and confesses 
it as well. Notice in Joshua chapter 2, this 
is the words of Rahab the harlot, verse 10. For we have heard how 
the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you. We're going 
to see some of that in our own section tonight. That God does 
such things to put fear in the nations surrounding Israel. Well 
it worked in the case of Rahab the harlot. For we have heard 
how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you 
came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites 
who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom 
you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these 
things, our hearts melted. Neither did there remain any 
more courage in anyone because of you. For the Lord your God, 
He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath." He's not just 
confined to one small people group in one small geographical 
location. Rahab the harlot confesses the 
absolute supremacy and sovereignty of the God of Israel. And that's 
what was communicated throughout the numbers wanderings, not only 
to the children of Israel, but to the nations around them. Balaam 
was contracted to curse Israel, and he could not do it. He ultimately 
ends up blessing them. Christopher Wright says concerning 
our passage in Deuteronomy, these notes unambiguously assert Yahweh's 
multinational sovereignty, the same God who had declared to 
Pharaoh that the whole earth belonged to God had been moving 
other nations around on the chessboard of history long before Israel's 
historic exodus and settlement. The doctrine of providence is 
God's government over all his creatures and all their actions. 
And the Old Testament demonstrates that very powerfully. And this 
is not something absent in the New Testament as well. We know 
that God causes all things to work for good to those who love 
God and to those who are the called according to his purpose. 
The Lord Jesus says, a sparrow doesn't fall out of the sky apart 
from your father. The Lord Jesus says the very 
hairs of our head are numbered. God governs all His creatures 
and all their actions, and we see that glorious doctrine of 
God through the historical review on the plains of Moab, which 
specifically rehearses the great act of God in terms of delivering 
His people and in terms of preserving them while they trudged through 
that great wilderness. Notice in verses 13 to 18, they're 
given a command to cross the brook Zerud, and then a review 
of the history again in verses 14 to 18. Notice in verse 14, 
and the time we took to come from Kadesh Barnea until we crossed 
over the valley of the Zerud was 38 years, until all the generation 
of the men was consumed from the midst of the camp, just as 
the Lord had sworn to that. God had made that oath, God had 
made that promise in Numbers chapter 14. It was predicated 
on that reconnaissance mission when the 12 spies were dispatched 
by Moses to go survey the land. 10 spies gave an unfavorable 
report and 2 spies gave a favorable report. And of course, the children 
of Israel, the congregation of Israel, side with the ten spies, 
the false prophets, the men that upbraided the faith and confidence 
of the children of Israel in terms of their living in true 
God. Before that recon mission in Numbers 13, there was a reminder 
that God was giving them this land. They had it from the promises 
to the patriarchs. They had it in spades. There 
was no lack of information about God's intention to give them 
that land. So why the 10 spies went in and 
said, initially, it's a good land, but there's some troublesome 
people. And then they revised their report to saying it's a 
bad land that actually kills its people, and there's no hope 
for us and no way that we can go conquer. So of course, as 
I said, the congregation follow the 10 spies. They want to stone 
Moses. and Aaron, and Joshua, and Caleb. Joshua and Caleb being the two 
faithful spies. And so at the end of Numbers 
14, God promises that that generation's not going to enter in. And we 
see that come to pass. We see that come to fruition. 
And I think it underscores something that I think the apostle Paul 
teaches us in 2 Timothy chapter 2. God's faithfulness runs in 
two directions. First, he's gracious to his promises 
to bless. Second, he's faithful to his 
promises to curse. And the nation of Israel rebelled 
against God. They questioned God. They had 
it in their minds that he brought them out to destroy them. And 
as a result, in his faithfulness, he cut them off according to 
his spoken word in terms of promise. Notice as well in verse 14. I'm 
sorry, verse 15, for indeed the hand of the Lord was against 
them to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they 
were consumed. Verse 16, so it was when all 
the men of war had finally perished from among the people. All the 
men of war, Craigie makes the observation, the language with 
which they are described is slightly sarcastic. They are called the 
men of war, which is just what they should have been had they 
not failed to obey the command of the Lord. That was what they 
were specifically supposed to do in terms of movement through 
the wilderness. The next is the encounter with 
Ammon in verses 19 to 23. Ammon was the son of Lot by his 
younger daughter in Genesis chapter 19 and verse 38. So you've got 
the command of God in verse 19. similar to what you see with 
reference to the Moabites, and when you come near the people 
of Ammon, do not harass them or meddle with them, for I will 
not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, 
because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession." 
And the same sort of a process, we see a bit of review, historical 
review, God's dealings with that people, in verses 20 to 23, and 
then specific instruction concerning, I'm sorry, the next one is the 
encounter with Sihon. So verses 20 to 23 summarizes 
God's dealings with Ammon and the land that he had given to 
them. And then the encounter with Sihon, this is Numbers 21, 
21 to 32. And so here specifically we have 
the promise in verse 24. Rise, take your journey, and 
cross over the river Arnon. Look, I have given into your 
hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon and his land. Begin 
to possess it and engage him in battle. So this differs from 
the instructions given concerning Moab and Ammon with reference 
to Sihon and Og. they were to engage in battle. 
Remember that on the way they would have these skirmishes and 
they would have these battles on the one hand so God could 
show his faithfulness and deliver them from their enemies but on 
the other hand that they can learn war. When they get into 
the promised land, their past 400 years of history hasn't prepared 
them. Being slaves in Egypt doesn't 
train you well for military battles. And so these skirmishes along 
the way were very helpful and formative in terms of the children 
of Israel learning warfare and learning how to battle and how 
to best enemies on the battlefield. Now, they did this under God, 
obviously. God ultimately gives them deliverance. But as we know, 
God uses means. Through the foolishness of the 
message preached, to save sinners. Well, through the foolishness 
of the sword swung, he is pleased to bring down the enemies of 
Yahweh. And so these things were necessary. They were farmers. They had been 
slaves. They're now wandering through 
the wilderness besought by many enemies. Well, these battles 
would prove helpful in terms of preparing them to go into 
the promised land to engage in warfare. Now, the first generation 
was the ones involved. The second generation, hopefully, 
were witnessing as they saw Daddy going out to lop off heads from 
the various enemies of Yahweh. And so we've got this promise 
made by God in terms of deliverance. And again, it's completely contrary 
to the way they interpreted everything at verse 27 in chapter 1. The Lord brought us out here 
to kill us. The Lord brought us out here to do harmful things 
to us. That's simply not the case. God 
brought them out to deliver them and to bring them into the land 
of promise. Now, in terms of review, we've 
got that with Sihon, the fear of the nations. We see that with 
Rahab the harlot in Joshua 2. But notice in verse 25, this 
day, I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the 
nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of 
you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you. There's 
something similar in the book of Exodus, in Exodus chapter 
15, verses 14 to 16. You see it in numbers on a couple 
of occasions, and there again with Rahab the harlot in Joshua 
chapter 2. This was the message that the 
nations of the earth were going to receive, that you don't mess 
with the God of Israel, you don't mess with this Yahweh, because 
the fear and dread had been placed upon them. Notice the down payment 
of the conquest. That's what you have as well. 
When they best Sion and when they best Og, they have confidence 
now going into the promised land that under God and the power 
of his deliverance, they're going to be able to best the enemies 
that they face as they dispossess the land of the Canaanites. They 
do that through battle and through warfare. Now, in terms of a review, 
verses 26 to 29 rehearse what the children of Israel did. They 
attempted diplomacy. They attempted to strike a deal, 
ultimately, with King Sihon. But, of course, he rejected that 
and resisted that, and that due to God's sovereignty. Notice 
in verse 30. But Sihon, king of Heshbon, would 
not let us pass through, for the Lord your God hardened his 
spirit and made his heart obstinate. You see similar things in the 
book of Exodus with reference to Pharaoh. For this purpose, 
I have raised you up, God says in Exodus chapter 9. The Apostle 
Paul invokes that in Romans chapter 9 as he's teaching and preaching 
on the sovereignty of God. Well here specifically in verse 
30, God hardens his spirit and makes his heart obstinate, notice 
for the purpose that he might deliver him into your hand as 
it is this day. To show his faithfulness, to 
show his power, to show his ability, and to show his care ultimately 
for the children of Israel that they would indeed defeat Sihon, 
the king of Heshbon. And then verses 31 to 37 reviews 
the history once again. Wright says, the previous generation 
had squandered their opportunity to take the land because they 
were intimidated by tall people in tall cities. Now their offspring 
discovered that height was no hindrance to the hand of God 
and a people moving in obedience. Remember, that was one of the 
points that was made by the ten spies. It's a land filled with 
Anakim. It's a land filled with big people. There's no way we can best them. 
Well, as you review their history, there certainly was a way they 
could best them. It's under the power and the 
sovereignty and the majesty of God Most High delivering His 
people from their foes. That brings us then to chapter 
3. As the rehearsal of the history at the end of King Sihon, verses 
31 to 37, notice the two emphases. Verse 32, the Lord our God delivered 
him. Verse 36, the Lord our God delivered 
all to us. So then in chapter 3, we've got 
the encounter with Og. And it follows the similar pattern 
that you see there in Numbers chapter 21. You've got Sihon 
first, and then Og. And notice that Og came out as 
an aggressor against the children of Israel. 3-1, then we turn 
and went up the road to Bashan, and Og, king of Bashan, came 
out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edra. And 
the Lord said to him, Do not fear him, for I have delivered 
him and all his people and his land into your hand. You shall 
do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who dwelt 
at Heshpot." See how God does that. He delivers enemies so 
that you are empowered and more confident to take on more enemies. thus preparation on the plains 
of Moab to go into the land of promise and engage in the conquest 
when they meet the various forces that they're going to have to 
contend with as they dispossess that land of Canaanites. And 
again, there's a new covenant principle as well here, the trials, 
the difficulties that we go through that God delivers us from, hopefully 
schools us in not being fearful or perhaps not as fearful for 
the next trial or the next affliction or the next hardship that we're 
going to face. God delivers, God protects, God 
preserves, and God communicates to us by that that He is faithful 
in the midst of the fire and that He will ultimately deliver 
us through all these things. So these series of battles that 
the children of Israel went through was to show the tried and proven 
faithfulness of God Almighty and to mitigate the fear that 
they would have in their hearts as they're going to go into that 
land and conquer it for the Lord God Almighty. So, same sort of 
emphasis. The Lord God also delivered into 
our hands Og the king of Bashan, according to verse 3. You've 
got the victory by Israel, but it's the Lord God who delivers 
them. Craigie says, the theology is important. There is no doubt 
that the people were involved in the reality of the battle, 
but in the recollection of military success, that success was seen 
as the Lord's doing. So again, God uses means, but 
God gets the glory. It's God who delivers the children 
of Israel from Sihon and from Og. And then this functions as 
a paradigm for the conquest, specifically in verses 4 to 7. 
The way that they'll go in, they're going to dispossess the land. 
They're going to take the booty where they can. Some is under 
the ban, and they can't take it. But most of the time, they 
go in, and they dispossess the inhabitants, and they take their 
stuff. And then in verses 31 to 37, I'm sorry, verses 8 to 
11, you've got a summary statement, and you find out that Og was 
a pretty big fellow. Verse 11, for only Og, king of 
Bashan, remained of the remnant of the giants. Indeed, his bedstead 
was an iron bedstead. Is it not in Rabba of the people 
of Ammon? Nine cubits is its length, and 
four cubits is its width, according to the standard cubit. So big 
dude, but bigger God, right? Those things are in there for 
a reason. Don't fear Anakim. Don't fear 
giants. Don't fear the inhabitants of 
the land. It doesn't matter how big they 
are. When they come up against the living and the true God, 
they fall, and they fall even harder, because no doubt, he 
wasn't light. Then notice the settlement of 
the Transjordan in verses 12 to 20. That's the land east of 
the River Jordan. And basically, it was carved 
up. And you had Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh. So Manasseh 
had some on the west side of the Jordan in the promised land 
proper. But the other half of Manasseh 
had a portion on the east side. And basically, these were farmers. 
These were herdsmen. These were men that had found 
a good piece of land. And they wanted to stay there. 
And you remember back in the book of Numbers, basically what 
we have. is Moses instructing them that they need to go along 
with the other tribes into the land of promise to assist them 
in battle. So they're not gonna just settle 
in the East, you know, East Transjordan and chill out while the other 
tribes go battle in the promised land. No, you need to come with 
us and you need to help us and you need to, you know, engage 
in the conquest, then you can go back to the east side of the 
Transjordan. You see that given as a reminder 
in Joshua chapter 1 in verses 12 to 18. You're coming with 
us. And they were willing. They weren't 
fighting that. They were all too willing to 
go along and do that. And then they're commended for 
it in chapter 22 in verses 1 to 8. So they did not renege on 
their their commitment to go with the other tribes into the 
land of promise. They did go back to the East Transjordan. 
They settled there, and that caused a bit of a difficulty 
in Joshua 22. God willing, someday we will 
see that in more detail. And then the section ends with 
the earthly leadership in Israel. So remember, as we are sitting 
poised on the plains of Moab, getting ready to go into the 
promised land, it's been said already that Moses is going to 
die. So the generation that is there 
is not going to have the benefit of Moses. I mean, if ever there 
was a leader that you'd want to be led by, Moses would probably 
be right up there at the top of that. Not a perfect man, not 
a spotless man, but a diligent and faithful man under God. And 
so it was important to stress succession. It was important 
for them to know. There's going to be leaders in 
terms of tribes. There's going to be lower court 
systems. There's going to be a judiciary. 
There's going to be priests. There's going to be both religious 
and political leaders, to be sure, at a more micro level. But in terms of the macrocosmic 
level of leadership in Israel, Moses' death should not be an 
occasion for the children of Israel to fear. God set apart 
Joshua. God showed Joshua as faithful. He was one of the two spies that 
spied out the land, that faithfully responded, along with Caleb, 
let us go and take it. So Joshua was a man that was 
promised succession, and Joshua, according to the book of Joshua, 
was a very faithful servant in that regard. He did very well, 
very commendable, and a very consistent man. So in terms of 
the earthly leadership, you've got encouragement to Joshua in 
verses 21 to 22, and then you've got exclusion of Moses in verses 
23 to 29. But in terms of the encouragement 
to Joshua, note verse 21, I commanded Joshua, So a specific illustration 
or emphasis for Joshua. I mean, if I'm sitting on the 
plains of Moab and I'm, you know, hearing and rehearsing and reviewing 
what God did with Sihon and with Og, I as just a rank-and-file 
Israelite, I'm encouraged by that. But I would imagine a Joshua 
who's going to lead this campaign needs a dose of encouragement 
as well. because he's not just rank and 
file, he's not going to be in the background. He is going to 
be the one that goes into the land, that conquers the land, 
that then divides up the land, and then encourages the people 
on how to retain the land. So Joshua needed specific encouragement 
and then exhortation. Notice in verse 22, you must 
not fear them for the Lord your God himself fights for you. So when you turn to the book 
of Joshua in chapter 1, verses 1 to 9, none of that's surprising. When God emphasizes for Joshua 
the necessity of courage, the necessity of obedience, and the 
necessity of meditation upon the Word of God, there's a background 
to that. Joshua is serving. He's going 
to engage in holy war, and for him to be successful in that, 
he needs to walk with God. He needs to be faithful to God, 
and he needs to be faithful to his people. and lead them in 
a way that brings glory to God and preservation to them. So 
both encouragement and exhortation, you must not fear them, for the 
Lord your God Himself fights for you." So the way that God 
delivered Israel from Sihon and Og, Joshua, you have great encouragement 
to take heed, or to find encouragement, rather, in the fact that God 
is going to deliver you likewise when you get into the Promised 
Land. And then with reference to Moses, we've seen this scattered 
throughout the book of Numbers, you'll see it all through the 
book of Deuteronomy, references to it, and then of course the 
actual fruition of it at the end of the book of Deuteronomy. 
So Moses specifically asks that he can see. Notice in verse 23, 
I pleaded with the Lord God at that time, saying, O Lord God, 
you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty 
hand. For what God is there in heaven or on earth who can do 
anything like your works and your mighty deeds? I pray, let 
me cross over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, those 
pleasant mountains in Lebanon. So, you know, we read that Moses 
dies and we trust that Moses' spirit departs and is present 
with the Lord and, you know, that should be enough. And it 
is enough. I mean, it's as good as it gets. 
But this man had led these people through all these miles, under 
all these hardships and afflictions and all these difficulties and 
such that there is a time when he prays, God, if I found favor 
in your sight, please kill me. in Numbers chapter 11. He had 
taken pains to do this. It's not an unreasonable request, 
though God denies this because Moses had sinned and He doesn't 
let him forget this, nor does Moses let the children of Israel 
forget this. So that first generation is not 
going to inherit the Promised Land. Miriam, Aaron, Moses, they're 
not going to enter into the Promised Land. So he petitions in verses 
23 to 25 and then the response of God in verses 26 to 28. He will get to see it. He will 
not get to enter in. Verse 26, the Lord was angry 
with me on your account and would not listen to me. So the Lord 
said to me, enough of that. Speak no more to me of this matter. 
Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift your eyes toward the west, 
the north and the south and the east. Behold it with your eyes 
for you shall not cross over this Jordan. But command Joshua, 
and encourage him, and strengthen him. For he shall go over before 
this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which 
you will see." So this is what Moses gets, and Moses is encouraged 
to pass on these things to Joshua, because it's Joshua, who is the 
successor of Moses, that's going to bring to fruition the promises 
made to the patriarchs. Now, he will see that promised 
land, according to verse 27, in his life. But we know from Matthew chapter 
17 that he sees the promised Messiah in his death. On the 
Mount of Transfiguration, it's Elijah and Moses. They get to 
gaze upon the Lord Jesus Christ in the Transfiguration. Well, 
I know that's a lot of material, and it's a lot of history, but 
just a couple of quick thoughts. First, the sovereignty of God. 
You see his presence with the people of Israel. All the while, 
they were trudging through that wilderness. And all the while, 
if you go back to chapter 1, just to rehearse what we saw 
already in verse 26. Nevertheless, you would not go 
up, but rebelled against the command of the Lord your God. 
You complained in your tents and said, because the Lord hates 
us, he has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver 
us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us. Where can we go 
up? Our brethren have discouraged 
our hearts, saying, the people are greater and taller than we. 
The cities are great and fortified up to heaven. Moreover, we have 
seen the sons of the Anakim there. Note the response in verse 29, 
and I said to you, do not be terrified or afraid of that. 
The Lord your God who goes before you, he will fight for you according 
to all he did for you in Egypt before your eyes. And then verse 
31, he uses this paternal illustration, and in the wilderness where you 
saw how the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son 
in all the way that you went until you came to this place. 
So they interpreted it as God bringing them out there to kill 
them. God says, no, I was a father carrying you through the wilderness, 
and all the while you trudged through this wilderness, I preserved 
you. So you've got the presence of 
God with Israel, the power of God over the nations. Again, 
Exodus 15, 11, Psalm 86, 8. Gill makes the observation, for 
what God is there in heaven or in earth that can do according 
to thy works and according to thy might? Here Moses speaks 
according to the notion of heathens, who suppose there were other 
gods in heaven and in earth besides the true God. And upon this supposition 
observes, let there be as many as they will or can be imagined. 
There is none of them like the Lord God of Israel for power 
and might. or are able to do such works as he has done in 
nature, in the creation of all things out of nothing, in providence, 
in supporting what he has made, and in governing the world, and 
in those amazing instances of his power, in bringing down judgments 
upon wicked men, kings, and kingdoms, and in the deliverance of his 
own people from them, and putting them and their kingdoms into 
the possession of them, which were the wondrous works of might 
Moses had in view, and a sense of which was impressed on his 
mind at this time." So he's sovereign over all the nations of the earth. 
And then the faithfulness of God to his promises. Tried to 
point that out along the way. Every instance where it says, 
for he had delivered them, he delivered them, he delivered 
them, you're supposed to think in terms of the perfection of 
God, which we call faithfulness. And then the value of historical 
review. This is good not only for Old 
Covenant Israel, but for New Covenant Israel as well. This 
is why we read our Bibles, so that we can be warned against 
the sins that our forefathers and brethren have committed, 
but as well to be encouraged at God's faithfulness to see 
us through the various trials that we face. Davis says, we 
stand in the present, but dwell on the past in order that we 
may be steadfast for the future. I think that's a very good perspective 
on the study of redemptive history. We stand in the present, but 
we dwell on the past, in order that we may be steadfast for 
the future. I think you get that in many 
of the psalms. The psalmists lament the various 
conditions or circumstances in which they're going, or which 
they're going through, and they go back to the Exodus. They rehearse 
God's deliverance of the children of Israel out of the land of 
bondage, or out of Egypt, the land of bondage. They do that 
to encourage themselves and their readers to be faithful in the 
midst of the trying circumstances and hardships. Well, let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank 
You for Your Word. We thank You for redemptive history 
and for Your power displayed in the pages of Holy Scripture. 
May we learn the lessons, on the one hand, to warn us against 
committing the same sorts of sins that we see in passages 
like these. but as well to encourage us with 
a view of your faithfulness to your people in all circumstances, 
whether good or bad, that you will bring us to that glory in 
the future. We thank you for your goodness 
to us in the gospel. We thank you for that blessed 
history of redemption we have in the new covenant, even the 
life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. And 
we pray in his most blessed name. Amen. Well, any comments? Not ready for questions. Go ahead. 
Just the quote again from the very end. Davis? Yeah. We stand in the present, but 
dwell on the past in order that we may be steadfast for the future. So this commentary on 1 Samuel. All right. No questions. Oh, 
Pete, I thought you were throwing. OK. All right.