Divine Victory and Promise

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This is where every weekday morning you and I, we get together, we have a little bit of coffee, we get into God's Word, and we grow in our love for the Lord together. And this year, 2024, Lord willing, we'll make it through the books of Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Hebrews. We're glad to be with you this morning. Let's have some coffee, we'll pray, and we'll get into God's Word.
Father, Thank you for an opportunity to read your word. Thank you for what a blessing it is. Lord, you've given us your word in a language that we can understand. We thank you for those who have translated this and we pray that you would please help us. We read your word that your spirit would teach us that we would know the amazing things that you have done. And father, we would know how these truths should apply to our lives.
We need your spirit to help us with that. So Lord, we pray that you would do your work in Jesus's name. Amen. Okay, so we're at Numbers chapter 21, beginning at verse 21. Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 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.
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. 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. So Israel took all these cities and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites in Heshbon and in all its villages.
For Heshbon was the city of Sihon king of the Amorites who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken away taken all his land from his hand as far as Arnon. Therefore those who speak in Proverbs say, Come to Heshbon, lest it be built. Let the city of Sihon be repaired. 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. Woe to you, Moab! You have perished, O people of Chemosh! He has given his sons as fugitives and his daughters into captivity, the Sihon king of the Amorites. But we have shot at them. Heshbon has perished as far as Debon. Then we laid waste as far as Nofah, which reaches to Mediba. Thus, Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites. Then Moses sent to spy out Jazar, and they took its villages and drove out the Amorites who were there.
Well, we need to ask ourselves our three questions. A, what's this about? B, what's the best verse to summarize this? And C, what do we call it to do? So, A, what's this about? So Israel is traveling through. Remember, they're on the Transjordan. They're on the other side of the Jordan River towards the sunrise in the east. And as they're traveling there, they tell the king of the Amorites, Sihon, You say, hey, just just let us pass through. Right. All we want to do. We're not going to take your stuff. We're not going to eat your food. We're not going to drink from your wells. No war. No, we wouldn't do. And he comes out and he says, baloney, no way that he comes out for war.
And so Israel fights against him. And amazingly, Israel wins. Right. This is this is one of these interesting things. So Israel actually wins this war. And so now they actually have land. It's on the wrong side of the Jordan River, but that's fine, right? So they have this land and then it gives us a poem, right?
Or a proverb. And that's where verses 27 down through 27 down through 30 is actually talking about now. This is some interesting background because apparently there had been almost like this tribal wars between the Amorites and the Moabites And this is a proverb that Moab almost like a lamenting type of song or proverb from Moab about the Amorites, right?
And so it's when, if we look at that with verse 26, for Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites who fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land from his hand as far as the Arnon. So this is the, you know, the Moabites had lost this land to Sihon. And now Israel had defeated Sihon, right? So Israel defeated the stronger king.
So this is one of these interesting things that then it gives us this background song. This background proverb. Fire went out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the heights of Arnon. And this is now an interesting verse.
Verse 29, Woe to you Moab, you have perished, O people of Chemosh. Chemosh was a pagan god, this pagan deity of the Moabites. And so it's as if Chemosh had his own people in Moab and he had deserted them. He has given his sons as fugitives, his daughters into captivity to Sihon king of the Amorites.
So this is this background story for how did the Israelites end up dwelling in In this area, on the other side of the Jordan River, while they defeated Sihon in the Amorites. So that's what this passage or portion of scripture is about. What's the best verse to summarize this? Well, I think. I could underline verse 31, thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites, but maybe if I was to. Underline something else. Verse 25. So Israel took all the cities and Israel dwelt in the cities of the Amorites in Heshbon and in all its villages. So maybe something like that. What does this call us to do? What is this about? Well, we can see that the Lord is the one kind of preparing things in advance for the Israelites.
I think the Lord had planned this war between Moab and the Amorites. He had raised up Heshbon, or sorry, he had raised up Sihon to capture Heshbon. He had he had allowed this king to become prideful. And he was the one who had given them victory. Right. And so it wasn't Shemosh at all who had done this, but it was the Lord himself.
It was God working beforehand to make things work out that The Israelites would come in. The Israelites would receive a land of inheritance. And so I think that's what this is calling us to in my own heart. Maybe you would have a different application here. But the Lord had promised that this was going to be the Israelites land. And the Lord was the one who is bringing this about, even as two different warring armies were fighting against each other. That was years before. But now they're weakened in battle. Now the king is full of pride.
And it makes the perfect opportunity for when the Israelites show up on the border, that they're actually able to defeat Sihon, king of Heshbon, king of the Amorites. And if you go through the Psalter, you'll find again and again, songs about this, about how they won against Sihon.
This is the first taste of inheritance. This is the first taste Of the promise that God had made them he told them he would give them a land he was leading them into that land And this was the first in the first portion of that promise They hadn't crossed the Jordan River yet. That's where the majority of the promise land was going to be But this was God making his promises good So they could take it to the bank. This is like a down payment That was a good, good promise for them, a good victory. And it strengthened them in trusting the Lord.
Let's pray. Father, we pray that we would trust in you. We pray that. We would know that our down payment has been made more than a down payment, the full price has been made. that we have righteousness in Jesus Christ and he has been risen from the dead for our justification. Because he is alive, we know that we have the promise of eternal life. And so, Father, we pray that we would not lose hope. We know that the victory has been won, but we wait the last great day.
And so, Father, we pray during that intermediate time that we would trust in you and we would be busy about your work. Lord, thank you that you are a covenant keeping God. You keep your promises and you love your people. Father, please help us to follow after you in Jesus's name. Amen. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May you rest in his love and take confidence because of his promises. I'll see you next time. Bye.
Thanks for listening to this week's message from God's Word for You, a ministry of Sharon R.P. Church in rural southeast Iowa. We pray that the message would be used by God to transform your faith in your life this week. If you'd like to get more information about us, feel free to go to the website, SharonRPC.org. We'd love to invite you to worship with us. Our worship time is 10 a.m. every Sunday at 25204 160th Avenue. Morning Sun, Iowa, 52640. May God richly bless you this week.