Respect and Rejection
Text Deuteronomy 2:1-3:11 Time 23 01 08 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Midweek)
We are looking at the fifth book of the Bible the book of Deuteronomy. We have said that Deuteronomy is organised like an ancient near eastern suzerainty treaty or covenant. We have looked at the preamble found in 1:1-8 and have begun to look at the historical prologue in the next couple of chapters. The historical prologue establishes the relationship between the Suzerain or overlord (God) and the vassal (Israel). We saw in 1:9-46 firstly and more briefly how leaders had been appointed for the people under Moses and how that was to continue in the future. There are things in the Christian life that we begin on and we must then continue in. At greater length we learned of the rebellion that occurred on the threshold of their entrance into the Promised Land a generation before and how that had led to these long years of wandering in the desert. We focussed on the twin themes of the unfaithfulness of God's people and the faithfulness of God himself.
We come now to 2:10-3:11 and what we have here is the story of how, after some 38 years of wandering in the desert, entrance into the Promised Land was finally beginning once again in earnestness. Before they could enter it they had to pass through several other countries – namely, Edom, Moab and Ammon and the Land of the Amorites. In the first two or three cases they are instructed to pass by without doing harm to the inhabitants. In the latter case they are informed that this will not be possible. There will be resistance and so they must fight and when they know victory they are to completely destroy the wicked people they are victorious over.
Now this all seems very remote from our situation today. We are not passing through the lands of foreigners on our way to an earthly Promised Land or engaging in war to the death with others and destroying them from the face of the earth. Indeed, although there can be no moral problem with passing through certain lands the idea of completely destroying a people is one that is sometimes raised as an objection to the Bible itself. How can it be right for a people, God's people at that, to be involved in the wholesale destruction of men, women and children. In some ways this is not an easy question to answer and we cannot enter into a full discussion here. However, we can say at least two things.
1. God's people acted here on direct command from God. It was not something that they decide for themselves or concluded indirectly.
2. The people they destroyed, the Canaanites, it is clear belonged to an utterly corrupt and ungodly culture that after many years of mercy was now to receive its just reward. God raises up cultures and civilisations but when they become proud and corrupt he also brings them down. Sometimes he acts directly as in Sodom and Gomorrah or, I suppose, Pompei and Herculaneum. At other times he uses other peoples who are more or less conscious of their role.
Given that we have no such direct command for God what are the lessons to learn from a passage like this for us today? Well, the moment we speak about being on our way to the Promised Land we become aware that as Christians we too are on a journey – from this world to the world to come. We are in a sense passing though foreign nations. Further, we are opposed also by a godless culture that would oppose us as virulently if not as violently as the Amorites. We can learn here a great deal then, I would suggest, about both respect and rejection – respect for the people we live among and yet a total rejection of the pagan culture that so often characterises these peoples.
1. Practice respect but don't forget to be thankful yet aware of God's wrath
1. Respect others and be thankful
We are looking at the fifth book of the Bible the book of Deuteronomy. We have said that Deuteronomy is organised like an ancient near eastern suzerainty treaty or covenant. We have looked at the preamble found in 1:1-8 and have begun to look at the historical prologue in the next couple of chapters. The historical prologue establishes the relationship between the Suzerain or overlord (God) and the vassal (Israel). We saw in 1:9-46 firstly and more briefly how leaders had been appointed for the people under Moses and how that was to continue in the future. There are things in the Christian life that we begin on and we must then continue in. At greater length we learned of the rebellion that occurred on the threshold of their entrance into the Promised Land a generation before and how that had led to these long years of wandering in the desert. We focussed on the twin themes of the unfaithfulness of God's people and the faithfulness of God himself.
We come now to 2:10-3:11 and what we have here is the story of how, after some 38 years of wandering in the desert, entrance into the Promised Land was finally beginning once again in earnestness. Before they could enter it they had to pass through several other countries – namely, Edom, Moab and Ammon and the Land of the Amorites. In the first two or three cases they are instructed to pass by without doing harm to the inhabitants. In the latter case they are informed that this will not be possible. There will be resistance and so they must fight and when they know victory they are to completely destroy the wicked people they are victorious over.
Now this all seems very remote from our situation today. We are not passing through the lands of foreigners on our way to an earthly Promised Land or engaging in war to the death with others and destroying them from the face of the earth. Indeed, although there can be no moral problem with passing through certain lands the idea of completely destroying a people is one that is sometimes raised as an objection to the Bible itself. How can it be right for a people, God's people at that, to be involved in the wholesale destruction of men, women and children. In some ways this is not an easy question to answer and we cannot enter into a full discussion here. However, we can say at least two things.
1. God's people acted here on direct command from God. It was not something that they decide for themselves or concluded indirectly.
2. The people they destroyed, the Canaanites, it is clear belonged to an utterly corrupt and ungodly culture that after many years of mercy was now to receive its just reward. God raises up cultures and civilisations but when they become proud and corrupt he also brings them down. Sometimes he acts directly as in Sodom and Gomorrah or, I suppose, Pompei and Herculaneum. At other times he uses other peoples who are more or less conscious of their role.
Given that we have no such direct command for God what are the lessons to learn from a passage like this for us today? Well, the moment we speak about being on our way to the Promised Land we become aware that as Christians we too are on a journey – from this world to the world to come. We are in a sense passing though foreign nations. Further, we are opposed also by a godless culture that would oppose us as virulently if not as violently as the Amorites. We can learn here a great deal then, I would suggest, about both respect and rejection – respect for the people we live among and yet a total rejection of the pagan culture that so often characterises these peoples.
1. Practice respect but don't forget to be thankful yet aware of God's wrath
1. Respect others and be thankful
Respect others
I have often had conversations with people of other faiths and often they have said that it is important that we respect each other and I've generally agreed. I've heard the idea expressed on other occasions too. But is it correct? I think these verses in Deuteronomy 2 help us to establish that it is.
In 1-6 Moses describes how, after being in the desert a long time they turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the LORD had directed Moses. He goes on For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. Then the LORD said to me, You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.
Israel's relation to Edom or the descendants of Esau was not to be like their relationship with the Canaanites. They and the Edomites were descended from the same two brothers and there was to be peace. I think that what was said to Israel then can be applied in part to our situation today. There are perhaps four principles here.
1. Take care how you deal with unbelievers and do not be needlessly provocative
I have often had conversations with people of other faiths and often they have said that it is important that we respect each other and I've generally agreed. I've heard the idea expressed on other occasions too. But is it correct? I think these verses in Deuteronomy 2 help us to establish that it is.
In 1-6 Moses describes how, after being in the desert a long time they turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the LORD had directed Moses. He goes on For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir. Then the LORD said to me, You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. Give the people these orders: You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.
Israel's relation to Edom or the descendants of Esau was not to be like their relationship with the Canaanites. They and the Edomites were descended from the same two brothers and there was to be peace. I think that what was said to Israel then can be applied in part to our situation today. There are perhaps four principles here.
1. Take care how you deal with unbelievers and do not be needlessly provocative
God says of Edom here They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, ... Sometimes we get a little agitated. We feel we are too much at peace with the people of the world and need to stir things up a little. Not necessarily. Sometimes it is plain wrong to stir things up. We need to be very careful how we react to outsiders.
2. Do not suppose that God intends to give believers everything unbelievers have
2. Do not suppose that God intends to give believers everything unbelievers have
... for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. There is an idea that we believers ought to seek to emulate all that the world does well. We ought to have brilliant artists and musicians, etc, and beat them at their own game. But no, God has different plans for us to those he has for the world.
3. God has his purposes for the world and we must not interfere with them
3. God has his purposes for the world and we must not interfere with them
I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. God is concerned not only about the believer but the unbeliever too. He has his plans for them on this earth as well as for us. A further note in 11, 12 reveals that Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the LORD gave them as their possession.
Also see 22, 23 The LORD had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.
God is in control of the various people movements that go on down the centuries. he is the one who ultimately decides where peopel live (see Acts 17).
Also see 22, 23 The LORD had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.
God is in control of the various people movements that go on down the centuries. he is the one who ultimately decides where peopel live (see Acts 17).
4. It is right that we reward the unbeliever for what he provides
You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink. Now again some believers can get quite wound up about such things. We owe the world nothing - and it is rotting anyway. Yet here the people are told to give silver provided by God to these non-Israelites in exchange for provisions. Such trading is not wrong.
Be thankful and content with God’s blessings
The other thing here is in 7, 8 The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These 40 years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. So we went on past our brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.
While we show respect to the unbelievers around us, trading with them and interacting in other ways, recognising their rights and their successes, we must nevertheless keep our thoughts on God and his kindness to us – the way he has provided for us in every way. We do not simply rely on others or forget God's benefits towards us.
2. Respect others, acknowledge giants and take note of God's judgements
Respect others
Having spoken about the Edomites God goes on to speak about the Moabites and Ammonites. Being the descendants of Lot these were more distantly related to Israel than the Edomites but the same sort of respect is to be shown.
9 Then the LORD said to me, Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.
19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.
Some of the same points are made though in more brief compass
1. Do not harass believers or provoke them
Be thankful and content with God’s blessings
The other thing here is in 7, 8 The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These 40 years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. So we went on past our brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.
While we show respect to the unbelievers around us, trading with them and interacting in other ways, recognising their rights and their successes, we must nevertheless keep our thoughts on God and his kindness to us – the way he has provided for us in every way. We do not simply rely on others or forget God's benefits towards us.
2. Respect others, acknowledge giants and take note of God's judgements
Respect others
Having spoken about the Edomites God goes on to speak about the Moabites and Ammonites. Being the descendants of Lot these were more distantly related to Israel than the Edomites but the same sort of respect is to be shown.
9 Then the LORD said to me, Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.
19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.
Some of the same points are made though in more brief compass
1. Do not harass believers or provoke them
God says Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war. When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war. As we have suggested harassing and provoking people is not only unnecessary but wrong. We need to be very careful how we react to outsiders.
2. Do not suppose that God intends to give believers everything unbelievers have
2. Do not suppose that God intends to give believers everything unbelievers have
... for I will not give you any part of their land. ... for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. God has different plans for us to those he has for the world.
3. God has his purposes for the world and we must not interfere with them
3. God has his purposes for the world and we must not interfere with them
Just as God had given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own so he had given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession and other land as a possession to the descendants of Lot. He is concerned about unbelievers as well as believers. He has his plans for them on this earth as well as for us.
Acknowledge giants
In 10 we have the first of a series of references to giants. The subject comes up again in 20, 21.
10 The Emites used to live there - a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites.
20, 21 That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place.
Perhaps the lesson here is that there is no merit in denying the greatness of people who achieved things and yet were nevertheless not godly. Part of us may want to simply ignore the greatness of a Plato or a Shakespeare or a Beethoven or some great sportsman or some try and claim any great person as some sort of Christian. Yet no, we acknowledge human achievement. The Guinness Book of Records is not illicit reading for a Christian! Indeed the whole subject is a fascinating one, one that Moses devotes some attention to.
Take note of God’s wrath and judgement and beware God’s curse
The other thing here is in 13-18
And the LORD said, Now get up and cross the Zered Valley. So we crossed the valley. Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. The LORD's hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp. Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, the LORD said to me, Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.
Acknowledge giants
In 10 we have the first of a series of references to giants. The subject comes up again in 20, 21.
10 The Emites used to live there - a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites.
20, 21 That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The LORD destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place.
Perhaps the lesson here is that there is no merit in denying the greatness of people who achieved things and yet were nevertheless not godly. Part of us may want to simply ignore the greatness of a Plato or a Shakespeare or a Beethoven or some great sportsman or some try and claim any great person as some sort of Christian. Yet no, we acknowledge human achievement. The Guinness Book of Records is not illicit reading for a Christian! Indeed the whole subject is a fascinating one, one that Moses devotes some attention to.
Take note of God’s wrath and judgement and beware God’s curse
The other thing here is in 13-18
And the LORD said, Now get up and cross the Zered Valley. So we crossed the valley. Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. The LORD's hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp. Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, the LORD said to me, Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.
Now was the time to begin to conquer the Promised Land but the reason this was so was because the effects of the terrible judgement that had been announced nearly 40 years before was now at last coming to a close. The very moment was a reminder of the wrath and judgement of God. And so I would say that although we certainly ought to be thankful for God's mercies and blessings, we must also never forget his judgements. We respect the unbeliever and we are not doing wrong when a week goes by and we have said nothing about hell to him. However, we must never forget God's judgements. Respectful, we do not let that respect blunt our awareness of God's curse.
2. Practice rejection as well as respect, expecting disrespect but looking to God for victory
1. Hear this call to rejection and understand the key to success
So that is what is said regarding the Edomites and the descendants of Lot. But then there are other peoples to be encountered – the Amorites - and so we have to temper what we have already said with these considerations. Here different peoples are to be treated in different ways. For us it will be more so that different circumstances will demand different reactions. Sometimes we will be dealing with the same people and seeing them in two different ways. For example, unconverted members of our families. From one point of view they are our nearest and dearest and yet at the same time they may be thorns in our sides and real enemies of the gospel. So
24, 25 Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.
Hear this call to rejection
See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. Here was land to be taken. For us too there is land to be taken. We must reject the false ideas of unbelief and refute what they say. We must stand up for the truth. Fight for it. There is land to be won and we must seek victory in Christ.
Understand the key to success
This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.
We often forget this and yet it is the key to our success. I know we are also fearful at times but for no good reason.
2. Do not forget to show respect for others
Their initial approach was to be the same as with the Edomites and others. Cf 26-29 From the desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying, Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left. Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot - 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 the LORD our God is giving us. The same approach we have already outlined applies initially to all who we come into contact with.
3. Though we show respect to unbelievers in some cases we can only expect disrespect
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
Sometimes it will be like that. The unbeliever will despise us and mock us. We will be treated with contempt and scorn. It is to be expected.
4. Be certain of victory in the battle through the Lord
And so Moses says (31-36) The LORD said to me, See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land. When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz, the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them - men, women and children. We left no survivors. But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them.
What a great example of the sort of victory we can expect if we look to the Lord as Israel did at this time. We too can take much plunder and see the enemy overcome.
Don't forget respect (37) But in accordance with the command of the LORD our God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills.
Og King of Bashan - You see exactly the same pattern in 3:1-11 with Og King of Bashan and the victory at Edrei in Bashan, further north. 2 The LORD said to me, Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. We need to hear those sort of words. 4 There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them - the whole region of Argob, Og's kingdom in Bashan. In 5 we are told that All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. But We completely destroyed them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying every city - men, women and children.
Things are summed up in 8-11 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon. (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.) We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, towns of Og's kingdom in Bashan. (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.) Not that final reference – even great giants (like Popery and Communism can be overcome).
So to conclude. We must show respect to everyone. However, we are called upon to reject what is false and to advance the kingdom in Jesus's name. That involves some toughness. Taking the fight to our opponents in the Lord's name. Let's look to the Lord for victory.
2. Practice rejection as well as respect, expecting disrespect but looking to God for victory
1. Hear this call to rejection and understand the key to success
So that is what is said regarding the Edomites and the descendants of Lot. But then there are other peoples to be encountered – the Amorites - and so we have to temper what we have already said with these considerations. Here different peoples are to be treated in different ways. For us it will be more so that different circumstances will demand different reactions. Sometimes we will be dealing with the same people and seeing them in two different ways. For example, unconverted members of our families. From one point of view they are our nearest and dearest and yet at the same time they may be thorns in our sides and real enemies of the gospel. So
24, 25 Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.
Hear this call to rejection
See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. Here was land to be taken. For us too there is land to be taken. We must reject the false ideas of unbelief and refute what they say. We must stand up for the truth. Fight for it. There is land to be won and we must seek victory in Christ.
Understand the key to success
This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.
We often forget this and yet it is the key to our success. I know we are also fearful at times but for no good reason.
2. Do not forget to show respect for others
Their initial approach was to be the same as with the Edomites and others. Cf 26-29 From the desert of Kedemoth I sent messengers to Sihon king of Heshbon offering peace and saying, Let us pass through your country. We will stay on the main road; we will not turn aside to the right or to the left. Sell us food to eat and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot - 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 the LORD our God is giving us. The same approach we have already outlined applies initially to all who we come into contact with.
3. Though we show respect to unbelievers in some cases we can only expect disrespect
30 But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
Sometimes it will be like that. The unbeliever will despise us and mock us. We will be treated with contempt and scorn. It is to be expected.
4. Be certain of victory in the battle through the Lord
And so Moses says (31-36) The LORD said to me, See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land. When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz, the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed them - men, women and children. We left no survivors. But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them.
What a great example of the sort of victory we can expect if we look to the Lord as Israel did at this time. We too can take much plunder and see the enemy overcome.
Don't forget respect (37) But in accordance with the command of the LORD our God, you did not encroach on any of the land of the Ammonites, neither the land along the course of the Jabbok nor that around the towns in the hills.
Og King of Bashan - You see exactly the same pattern in 3:1-11 with Og King of Bashan and the victory at Edrei in Bashan, further north. 2 The LORD said to me, Do not be afraid of him, for I have handed him over to you with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. We need to hear those sort of words. 4 There was not one of the sixty cities that we did not take from them - the whole region of Argob, Og's kingdom in Bashan. In 5 we are told that All these cities were fortified with high walls and with gates and bars, and there were also a great many unwalled villages. But We completely destroyed them, as we had done with Sihon king of Heshbon, destroying every city - men, women and children.
Things are summed up in 8-11 So at that time we took from these two kings of the Amorites the territory east of the Jordan, from the Arnon Gorge as far as Mount Hermon. (Hermon is called Sirion by the Sidonians; the Amorites call it Senir.) We took all the towns on the plateau, and all Gilead, and all Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, towns of Og's kingdom in Bashan. (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.) Not that final reference – even great giants (like Popery and Communism can be overcome).
So to conclude. We must show respect to everyone. However, we are called upon to reject what is false and to advance the kingdom in Jesus's name. That involves some toughness. Taking the fight to our opponents in the Lord's name. Let's look to the Lord for victory.
