The Israelites were on their way to
their Promised Land. They came to the border of the land of the
Amorites. They asked politely once again to pass through their land
without making even a dent, but they were once again denied access.
However this time they were not only rudely denied entry, they were
attacked by the king of the Amorites, King Sihon. This time they
had no choice but to engage in battle. And God was with them. They
defeated the Amorites and captured all their towns and settled
there. Next on the list was King Og of Bashan. Now King Og was a
force to be reckoned with. He was the last of the feared giants
named, Rephaites. His iron bed was more than thirteen feet long and
six feet wide. He had sixty fortified cities in his kingdom, with
high walls and barred gates. But God comforted them and said:
"Do not be afraid of him, for I
will give you victory over Og and his entire army, giving you all
of his land. You will do the same to him as you did to King Sihon
of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon." Numbers 21:34
Now it is interesting to note, that
this was exactly the kind of enemy that the spies feared when they
went to spy out the Promised Land. They said that they won't be
able to enter the land, because there were giants living there in
fortified cities, impossible to breach. And yet, this time the
Israelites didn't murmur and complain. They had learned their
lesson. They trusted God for the outcome and attacked King Og
without any doubt and without dwelling on the past. And they were
victorious! Not a single survivor remained. God was with them.
We need to learn from this. We need
to learn not to dwell on the past like the Israelites did. They
didn't fret about the past and they didn't dwell on their past
mistakes. They learned from it and moved on and obtained victory.
We need to use our past also as a good learning school and move on.
We need to let the past go and we need to trust God with our
future. Simply learn what needs to be learned and move on.
God helped the Israelites. If you
think about it, they never had any military training. They were
never trained on how to attack and conquer a fortified city. They
were slaves all their lives and further wandered aimlessly through
the wilderness, but God was with them and that was enough. When God
tells you to do something, don't think about how unqualified you
are and how you messed up in the past. No, keep your focus on the
task at hand, give it your best shot and watch how God will help
you in your weaknesses. Because if He says He will help you, He
will. Trust Him and not your own abilities and witness the victory
in your life.
Father thank you that we can know
that we are never alone. Thank you that You are always there for
us. Help us to follow in Your ways and to stand up for what we
believe to be true. Help us in our weaknesses and aid us in our
walk with You. In Jesus' name. Amen