Deuteronomy 2:24 – 37 (God continues His instructions to the Israelites) “Arise, set out, and cross the Arnon Valley. See, I have delivered into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.”
So from the Wilderness of Kedemoth I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon, saying, “Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left. You can sell us food to eat and water to drink in exchange for silver. Only let us pass through on foot, just as the descendants of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for us, until we cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD our God is giving us.”
But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass through, for the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate, that He might give him into your hands, as is the case this day.
Then the LORD said to me, “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”
So Sihon and his whole army came out for battle against us at Jahaz. And the LORD our God delivered him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and his whole army.
At that time we captured all his cities and devoted to destruction the people of every city, including women and children. We left no survivors. We carried off for ourselves only the livestock and the plunder from the cities we captured.
From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them. But you did not go near the land of the Ammonites, or the land along the banks of the Jabbok River, or the cities of the hill country, or any place that the LORD our God had forbidden.”
If the name “Amorites” sounds familiar, it should. Remember the conversation between God and Abraham back in Genesis 15? God told Abraham that Abraham’s descendants would not return to the Promised Land for several generations because “the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete.” Actually, Abraham was friends with some of the Amorite chiefs and they behaved honorably. But evidently over the years, the Amorites became far more corrupt and now God was choosing to end their existence as a people. (In fact, the Amorites were never completely wiped out but the survivors were eventually incorporated into the culture of Israel.)
The two main chiefs of the Amorites were Sihon and Og. This passage describes the complete destruction of Sihon along with all his people, including women and children. At first we are horrified at this idea; however, God has given the Amorites hundreds of years to repent and behave righteously. Evidently, the Amorites have merely gone from bad to worse. It’s possible that even the children were dedicated to demons from the womb.
The Israelites blew their first opportunity to conquer the Promised Land and paid dearly for their cowardice and unbelief. But this time, the Israelites moved forward in faith; and when they did, God went before them and “put the dread and fear of them on all the nations under heaven.” And in fact, the nations did hear the reports of the Israelites and they did tremble in anguish because of them.
The most amazing thing was Moses’s description: “From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Valley, along with the city in the valley, even as far as Gilead, not one city had walls too high for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them.”
We don’t know the height of all of these city walls; however, the walls of ancient Jericho were built on an earthen embankment that supported a stone retaining wall 12 – 15 feet high. On top of the stone retaining wall, stood another wall made of mud bricks 6 feet thick and 20 – 26 feet high. Together these two walls combined to form a fortification 32 – 41 feet high. (https://www.israel-a-history-of.com/walls-of-jericho.html) Assuming that some of these other city walls were equally massive, Moses’s assertion is even more impressive.
APPLICATION: So many times we frighten ourselves by anticipating problems. The ten spies who spread fear about the giants in the Promised Land made no allowance for the might of the God who had already delivered them and protected them. Once the Israelites began following God’s orders regarding the conquest of the Amorites, God began moving. Rumors about the ferocity of the Israelites spread throughout the region, demoralizing their enemies.
Perhaps you have been contemplating something you know that God wants you to do but that you are afraid to do. Don’t make the same mistakes the Israelites made: they defeated themselves before they faced the first enemy. Go forward and make a start, trusting that God will reward acts of faithfulness.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You that when we follow Your orders, You will help us to do exploits. Thank You for loving us, for caring for us, and for strengthening us to carry out Your will. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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