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12 Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward: Sihon king of the Amorites who lived at Heshbon and ruled from Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the middle of the valley as far as the river Jabbok, the boundary of the Ammonites, that is, half of Gilead, and the Arabah to the Sea of Chinneroth eastward, and in the direction of Beth-jeshimoth, to the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, southward to the foot of the slopes of Pisgah; and Og king of Bashan, one of the remnant of the Rephaim, who lived at Ashtaroth and at Edrei and ruled over Mount Hermon and Salecah and all Bashan to the boundary of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and over half of Gilead to the boundary of Sihon king of Heshbon. Moses, the servant of the LORD, and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the LORD gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments, in the hill country, in the lowland, in the Arabah, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the Negeb, the land of the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites): the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; the king of Shimron-meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; the king of Dor in Naphath-dor, one; the king of Goiim in Galilee, one; the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.
(ESV)
I find it very fitting that Moses’ conquests are included in this list. Although Moses did not get to see the promised land, he was an important cog in fulfilling God’s promise to Israel. So many times in our journey we play different roles in others’ lives but maybe don’t get to see the final culmination of their growth. Scripture shows us that those roles, no matter where they occurred in the timeline of events, are critical to the overall plan of God.
I am reminded of these verse from Paul in 1 Corinthians…
5 After all, who is Apollos? And who is Paul? We are simply God’s servants, by whom you were led to believe. Each one of us does the work which the Lord gave him to do: 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered the plant, but it was God who made the plant grow. 7 The one who plants and the one who waters really do not matter. It is God who matters, because he makes the plant grow.
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 GNB
We see the model here for proper spiritual growth. It is patient endurance and obedience. God had a way of accomplishing His plan, but there were many obstacles in Israel’s way. They learned a lot about themselves and a lot about God during the journey. In the end, Israel’s path was marked by continually turning back to God. For the nations that were destroyed, their path was marked by rebellion against God.
The same is true for us today. There are those who are paving their path in rebellion. The sad part is, some will continue down that path, hardening their heart and fighting God until the very end. They will lose the battle against Him. On the other side of the coin is the follower who patiently endures. It is the one who, despite their shortcomings, desperately returns to the Lord and His ways in order to bring glory and honor to His name.
Just like Israel, we know the promise. It may seem far off at times, but He is faithful. We will try and do things our way, and He will correct us. It will be painful, and I’m sure we will feel like Joshua tearing our clothes in agony! But as Jesus says in Revelation…
I will make those who are victorious pillars in the temple of my God, and they will never leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven from my God. I will also write on them my new name. 13 “If you have ears, then, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches!
Revelation 3:12-13 GNB
He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit says.