Numbers 21:21-26—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 fields or vineyards; we will not drink water from wells. 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. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 Then Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon; for the border of the people of Ammon was fortified. 25 So Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon. So the people are on the border of Moab and the Amorites. They need to continue northward to the land to which God has called them. To do so they must pass through the land of the Amorites. Now to take a little side trip, the term “Amorites” is a bit tricky, as there is not a land named “Amor” as there is Moab or Edom. If you look back at verse 13, it mentions that the Arnon River is the border between Moab and the Amorites. This is because the Amorites were an amalgamation of people of the Babylonian empire. If you look to find a region called “Amor” or anything similar, you will not find it. According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia:
Assyriological discovery has explained the varying use of the name. The Hebrew form of it is a transliteration of the Babylonian Amurrū, which was both singular and plural. In the age of Abraham the Amurru were the dominant people in western Asia; hence Syria and Palestine were called by the Babylonians “the land of the Amorites”… The use of the name “Amorite” in its general sense belongs to the Babylonian period of oriental history.
(https://timeintheword.org/2017/03/09/warning-moab-and-ammon/)
At any rate, the people of Israel need to pass through this land to get to their ultimate destination. But there is a problem. Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Once again the people are rebuffed from passing peacefully through a particular piece of land (see Numbers 20:20-21). But this time things are different. Whereas when Edom refused them passage and the people simply went around that land, here a battle is engaged. So Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel in the wilderness, and he came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. Why would Sihon do this? In part to (at least partly) fulfill what God said in Genesis 15:13-16—13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." Here we see God give a prophecy to Abram that his descendants would dwell in Egypt as sojourners, would serve them for 400 years, that God would judge Egypt, and in the fourth generation after they leave Egypt they would return to the land of the Amorites. And this delay would be because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. Which answers the inevitable question, “Why would God lead them to lands where they would have to fight?” Why would He do that? So that the iniquity of the Amorites would be completed. Why would God command Jeremiah to prophesy, knowing he would be cast into a deep well? Why would God lead Paul to Lystra and Derbe, where he would be stoned with stones to within an inch of his life? Why would He lead the remaining Apostles to lands where He knew they would be martyred? Why would He lead Jim Elliott to the Waodoni people, knowing he would die before he would ever meet them?
First, so His gospel could be proclaimed. Second, to fill up the iniquity of those who oppose Him. Matthew 23:31-32—31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt.” The Pharisees had many more sins to commit before they had finished filling the cup that their father began with. There is, for each one who is opposed to God, a measure of guilt they must fulfill. And this measure must be filled. And God will leave these people on the earth until this measure is filled. “But that’s not fair! That’s not the God I worship! The God I believe in wants everyone to be saved, and would never want anyone to sin!” Well, that may be the god you worship, but that is not the God of Scripture. God says many times, from Genesis to Revelation, that there are measures of sin that must be fulfilled. Revelation 14:18-19—18 And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, "Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe." 19 So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God. What does the angel mean when he says “the grapes are fully ripe” but that the sinners have filled their cup with sin to the measure which God has decreed, and the time has come for them to be gathered and cast into the winepress of God to receive their eternal due?
And here we see the onset of the kings of the Amorites completing the measure of their sin. First by Sihon, then by Og od Bashan. Numbers 21:33-35—33 And they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. So Og king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand, with all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon." 35 So they defeated him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left him; and they took possession of his land. I'm skipping ahead a few verses, but we will come back to those verses in just a bit. In the Old Testament we see Sihon and Og mentioned together in the same verse 9 times. These were the two kings of the Amorites who tried to destroy the people of Israel when all they wanted was to pass through the land. And it was because of the defiance of Og that the iniquity of the Amorites was completed, their cities destroyed, and all their people killed. As Matthew Henry wrote in his Concise Commentary, Those not awakened by the judgments of God on others, ripen for the like judgments on themselves. Og had not learned from the defeat of Sihon; he thought himself and his soldiers better than these pesky slaves. And he learned the hard way—as did all the people “What do you mean ‘all the people’? Do you mean women and children as well?” Yes, women and children as well. For they were not spared when God commanded the people of Israel to destroy a people. Deuteronomy 3:3, 6—3 “So the LORD our God also delivered into our hands Og king of Bashan, with all his people, and we attacked him until he had no survivors remaining…6 And we utterly destroyed them, as we did to Sihon king of Heshbon, utterly destroying the men, women, and children of every city.” Was this destruction any worse than the eternal fate that awaited them? These were women of peoples that were opposed to God and worshipped idols. The children, had they grown to adulthood, would have also worshipped those same idols. “How do you know that God wouldn’t deliver them the way He did Rahab or Ruth?” Well, He didn’t. Which speaks to the election by God. He saved some from their heathen people and the damnation they would have experienced. But others He didn’t. Why? His election and purpose.
Even the people of Jericho were not as brazen as Og. Did the people of Jericho go out to battle the people of Israel as they marched around the city? They indeed tried to capture the two spies, but as the people were led by the Levites around the city, did their men go out with swords against them? Joshua 2:9-10—9 and [Rahab] said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 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. No, the people of the city were terrified of them. Then Joshua fit the Battle of Jericho, and the walls came a-tumblin’ down!
One last thing about this passage. Then Israel…took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the people of Ammon. The Ammonites and the Moabites were descendants of Lot. After God rescued them from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the daughters of Lot were under the assumption that they and their father were the last people on Earth, and it was up to them to repopulate the planet. So they got their father drunk and took advantage of him. Genesis 19:36-38—36 Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. 37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. 38 And the younger, she also bore a son and called his name Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the people of Ammon to this day. God had delivered Lot from the sinful city, only to see his wife look back fondly and turn into a pillar of salt, and for his daughters to conceive children by him who would grow into two nations that were enemies of the people of God. Both of these tribes settled in the area we now call Jordan. Both of these peoples were assimilated into the Roman population by the time of Christ’s arrival. The city of Amman, that capital of Jordan, derives its name from them, as they lived mostly in the northern part of modern-day Jordan.
And the Moabites? Well, one of them is an ancestor of Jesus. Ruth 1:3-4—3 Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. Matthew 1:5-6—5 Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, 6 and Jesse begot David the king. Ruth, the Moabitess, was the grandmother of King David. “But how could this be, when it says in Deuteronomy 23:3—‘An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD forever.’?” This is one of those places where you have to put it in context and look at how it was written in its original language. In the Hebrew, the words “Moabite” and “Ammonite” are in the masculine form. In other words, Israelitish women were prohibited from marrying Moabitish or Ammonitish men, but Israelitish men could marry Moabitish or Ammonitish women. This was to meant to keep the Israelitish stock pure, since children were considered to be descended from the father, and to have the father be of a heathen nation would be an abomination to God. John Gill:
An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord…Or marry an Israelitish woman, as Jarchi, and so the Targum of Jonathan, "the male Ammonites and Moabites are not fit to take a wife of the congregation of the Lord;'' for the Jews restrain this to men, because it is, as Aben Ezra observes, an Ammonite, not an Ammonitess, a Moabite, not a Moabitess; they allow that females of those nations might be married to Israelites, that is, provided they were proselytesses, as Ruth was.
Numbers 21:26-32—26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore those who speak in proverbs say: "Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be repaired. 28 For fire went out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; it consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the heights of the Arnon. 29 Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives, and his daughters into captivity, to Sihon king of the Amorites. 30 But we have shot at them; Heshbon has perished as far as Dibon. Then we laid waste as far as Nophah, which reaches to Medeba." 31 Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. 32 Then Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there. Verses 27-30 is a song sung by the people of Israel after they defeated Sihon. It is a song of almost mockery, as the song went up that Chemosh, the god of the Moab could do nothing to protect the Moabites from the people that YHVH fought for. This is a common theme throughout the Old Testament, that the gods of the pagans are helpless against the one, true, Living God. Because they are mute idols, unable to stand before the one true God.
(https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2685112991572544&set=pcb.2685123044904872)
When the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, they set it next to their idol Dagon, thinking they would just add one more god to their collection. But, alas! 1st Samuel 5:2-4—2 When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon and set it by Dagon. 3 And when the people of Ashdod arose early in the morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the earth before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set it in its place again. 4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon's torso was left of it.
The ten plagues that were visited upon Egypt under Pharaoh were God’s way of saying their gods were useless. And let us not forget the challenge of Elijah against the prophets of Ba'al atop Mount Carmel. They cut up their sacrifice, they gouged themselves, they danced and cried all day for a god who would not answer. I like the way the ESV renders 1st Kings 18:26-29—26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened." 28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention. Did Elijah feel pity for them? Did he sympathize with them? Did he offer them any relief? No. And for good reason. Paul would write that we should avoid those who bring a different message than belief in YHVH. Galatians 1:8—But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge says this about calling on gods who cannot hear and who cannot answer:
Such were the absurd and degrading notions which the heathens entertained of their gods. "Vishnoo sleeps four months in the year; and to each of the gods some particular business is assigned. Vayoo manages the winds; Vuroonu the waters, etc. According to a number of fables in the Pooranus, the gods are often out on journeys or expeditions." Ward's Views of the Hindoos, vol. ii. p. 324.
Jeremiah the prophet warns the people about making for themselves idols of wood that are powerless to do anything to affect their lives. Jeremiah 10:3-6—3 For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. 4 They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple. 5 They are upright, like a palm tree, and they cannot speak; they must be carried, because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, for they cannot do evil, nor can they do any good, 6 Inasmuch as there is none like You, O LORD (You are great, and Your name is great in might).” And no, he wasn’t talking about Christmas trees!
Even today we have some who set up dumb idols and ascribe to them the attributes of Almighty God. Look in any Roman Catholic “church” and you will find there idolatry. Statues of Mary with candles and incense before them. Names of dead saints upon the doorposts. Prayers being said to those who cannot hear them and can effect no change in the person’s circumstances. Strings of beads to remind the people of what they are supposed to ask of the one who is indeed worthy of our gratitude but can in no wise do anything for the people who chant her name in vain. This idolatry is found not only here in the United States, but in Mexico, in South America, in Italy and many other countries where they cut down a tree, decorate it with silver and gold, and fasten nails and hammer it so it does not topple. They worship bones and pieces of wood. John Calvin, in his “Treatise on Relics”, famously said “In some places there are large fragments of Christ’s cross, as at the Holy Chapel in Paris, at Poitiers, and at Rome, where a good-sized crucifix is said to have been made of it. In brief, if all the pieces that could be found were collected together, they would make a big ship-load.” And they “venerate”—believe it or not—what they believe to be Jesus’ foreskin. And so many are swept up into this idolatry because it has marks and appearances of holiness. But Paul warned Timothy of this. In 2nd Timothy 3:5 he warns us that there will be those who will have the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. And the robes and the vestments and the stained glass all look so holy and religious. But do they address prayers to God? Do they ask Him for forgiveness for their sins? Do they call upon Him to deliver them from evil? Is their Rosary to guide them to God through Jesus Christ our Lord? No. They are no different than the people of Moab who called upon Chemosh to ask him for victory over the Israelites.
Lord God, Almighty Creator of Heaven and Earth. Please guide our hearts to worship You and You alone. Let us not put our trust in those who cannot hear our prayers, but let our prayers rise to You, that You may hear our petitions and supplications, You being the only One who can hear them. Let us look unto Christ, the Author and Finisher of faith, not depending on our own merit or our own works, which we do not do in order to be saved, but because we are saved. May we always look to You to be our Guide and our Help in the difficult times, and our Joy and Peace in the good times.
