July 15, 2019
On the Journey Through Scripture, Don't Take the Bypass!
Numbers 21:21–35
Matt Moss
Central Truth
Every single word of Scripture is in God's book for a reason. We will be rewarded for our efforts to unpack even the most seemingly pedestrian passages.
Key Verse | Numbers 21:23-24
But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong.
Numbers 21:21–35
King Sihon Defeated
21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the ballad singers say,
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built;
let the city of Sihon be established.
28
For fire came out from Heshbon,
flame from the city of Sihon.
It devoured Ar of Moab,
and swallowed
1
21:28
Septuagint; Hebrew the lords of
the heights of the Arnon.
29
Woe to you, O Moab!
You are undone, O people of Chemosh!
He has made his sons fugitives,
and his daughters captives,
to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30
So we overthrew them;
Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished;
and we laid waste as far as Nophah;
fire spread as far as Medeba.”
2
21:30
Compare Samaritan and Septuagint; Hebrew and we laid waste as far as Nophah, which is as far as Medeba
King Og Defeated
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 But the LORD said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land.
Dive Deeper | Numbers 21:21–35
Years ago, I was touring Europe with my family. During the last leg of our trip, we had the option to either pull into a fast food restaurant along the highway or divert several kilometers to a neighboring town for lunch. While I would have preferred the bragging rights from doing the Venice-to-Stuttgart run in under seven hours, wiser heads prevailed, and we ventured into a small Austrian village.
To my surprise, this remote Bavarian outpost featured well-maintained cobblestone streets, picturesque Tudor-style shops, and amazing restaurants. Best of all, we arrived during an annual festival, complete with polka bands, dancing, and hundreds of welcoming villagers. It was basically a scene out of a TV commercial!
Sometimes as we journey through Scripture, we tend to skim or "bypass" parts of the text. At first blush, today's passage seems like a prime candidate for such treatment. After all, who cares about Heshbon and Jazer, two nondescript way stations for Israel on its march to the Promised Land? Let's get to the Jordan River and on to Jericho! Are we there yet?
But what if we disengage cruise control and venture into the details of this passage? Israel has asked the kings of two territories for passage through their lands. Both King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan not only refuse, but also take up arms against the Israelites. Look at what else we find:
- The explanation of why the Israelites not only settled the Promised Land west of the Jordan, but also two territories east of the Jordan later to be allocated to two and a half of the 12 tribes of Israel (see Numbers 32:16-17 and Joshua 22:1-4).
- A rare example of God "hardening" someone's heart. (Deuteronomy 2:30 adds this detail about King Sihon's story from Numbers 21:21-26.)
- The explanation of why Balak, the king of Moab, is so fearful of Israel that he hires a man to curse them: The Moabites were defeated by the Amorites; and Israel easily defeated the Amorites—hence the Moabites' concern.
These are pretty important to our storyline and not obvious if we take the "bypass"!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you trust that all Scripture is "breathed out by God and profitable"? (2 Timothy 3:16)
2. What are the distractions that cause you to go into "cruise control" during your quiet time? What can you do to eliminate them?
3. Before reading the Bible tomorrow, take a minute to pray that God would "[o]pen my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." (Psalm 119:18)