CONQUEST OVER OG KING OF BASHAN After mentioning the conquest over Sihon king of the Amorites, the prophet Moses speaks here about the conquest over Og king of Bashan, and about dividing his land between the two and a half tribes. He also speaks about how he entreated the Lord, to let him enter into the land of Canaan. But God denied him that, allowing him only to ascend to Mount Nebo, to behold the land from afar, but not to enter into it. The conquest over Og was connected to that over Sihon, both for the glory of God. And as said by the Psalmist: “He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings – Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan; and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel” (Psalm 135:10-12); and, “Who struck down great kings, for His steadfast love endures forever; and killed famous kings, for His steadfast love endures forever; Sihon king of the Amorites, for His steadfast love endures forever; and Og king of Bashan, for His steadfast love endures forever; and gave their land as a heritage, for His steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:17-21). 1. Striking Og king of Bashan 1–11. 2. Dividing the land of Og 12–22. 3. Moses entreats the Lord to allow him to enter into the land of Canaan 23–27. 4. Moses’ charge to Joshua 28-29. 1. STRIKING “OG” KING OF BASHAN The prophet Moses reminds his people of how they conquered ‘Og’ king of Bashan; to give Gilead and all Bashan – the kingdom of Og – to two and a half Israeli tribes; then cross over to invade all the land; saying: “When we headed up the road to Bashan, king Og of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, foe battle at Edrei” (Deut. 3:1). Bashan is a Hebrew name, meaning “soft, fertile land;” a province in the land of Canaan, east of the Jordan, between the two mountains: ‘Harmon’ and ‘Gilead’ (Numbers 21:33); called ‘Bashan’ after a mountain in that province (Psalm 68:15). Bashan embraced ‘Horan;’ ‘Jaulan,’ and ‘Lagaa,’ all of volcanic rocks and very fertile soil, with plenty of water, cultivated with wheat, barley, sesame, corn, and lentils. It was bounded from the north by the lands of Damascus; from the east by the desert of Syria; from the south by the land of Gilead; and from the west by the River Jordan; Its eastern side was penetrated by the Mount ed-Druze, the old Mount of Bashan, that crosses ‘Golan;’ and a series of hills, of old dormant volcanoes, that extend from the north to the south. As to the region of ‘Lagaa,’ it is a field of lava; namely, of volcanic rocks, that poured from the hill of ‘Sihan,’ an old volcano. Bashan was mentioned 60 times in the Holy Bible. So Moses, bringing back to memory, his and his people’s dealings with God in the wilderness, telling about the opposition of another king of the Amorites, and how God granted them conquest over him; He clarified the following facts: (1) The conquest over the king of Bashan had not been a naturally human accomplishment; nor, as some think a mere coincidence, but it was actually according to a divine ordinance. God instructed Moses not to fear him, as He has delivered him, along with his people and his land, to the people of Israel. “The Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have handed him over to you, 7 along with his people and his land. Do to him as you did to king Sihon of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon. So the Lord our God handed over to us king Og of Bashan and all his people. We struck him down until not a single survivor was left” (Deut. 3” 2, 3). The divine command not to fear was not for the sake of Moses, but for that of the people. (2) ‘Og’ king of Bashan was a mighty brave man. Although he heard about the defeat of Sihon king of Heshbon before Israel; he did not seek to enter with them into a covenant of peace, but went out with all his people to war; believing that he would conquer them. (3) The abilities of king Og were extensive: He reigned over 60 cities, fortified by mighty walls, beside a multitude of villages without walls (5). His kingdom was strong, and seemed undefeatable. Conquest over him was a sure sign that it was granted by God Himself. The term ‘city’ here, does not necessarily imply having a huge population; as they were mostly inhabited by not more than few hundred people. (4) ‘Og’ king of Bashan was a giant, probably a descendant of the Amalek, as is proved by his bed that indicated his huge body size. The Ammonites, after their conquest over the Amorites, kept that rare iron bed, 9 cubits long and 4 cubits wide, in ‘Rabbah,’ their royal city (2 Samuel 12:26). Assuming that bed to be one cubit longer than the king’s height, it would mean that the king was 12 feet high, which is something incredible. That is why some believe that it was probably one third longer than the king’s height; that would even be 9 feet; still an enormous stature. Some Jewish Rabbis claimed fantastic estimates of Og’s size, recorded in the ‘Targum;’ portraying him as several miles long!1 (5) If we go through the people’s journey, we shall find that, in all its stages, there were opponents, as God’s way is not well received by the devil. In every generation, we see our Christ, rejected by the world, and in every era, we hear His divine voice; saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” God grants conquest over the giants as well as over the evil weak enemies. He grants us conquest over the sins, that we consider too difficult to get rid of, as well as over those that we consider simple and of no real importance. “At that time we captured all his towns; there was no citadel that we did not take from them – 60 towns, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan” (Deut. 3:4) The whole region of “Argob” (4); believed by some to be called ‘Trachonitis2’ later on, a Hebrew name signifies the land associated with the trachon, “a rugged stony tract,” is located in Bashan on the boundary of Geshur and Maacah. Whereas some others believe that ‘Argob’ is the eastern section of ‘Horan,’ seized by Jair from the tribe of Manasseh; hence it was called ‘Havvoth Jair’ (Joshua 13:30; 1 Kings 4:13). Opposition to God would only mean loss; Og opposed God, and he lost his cities and villages. The wicked loses everything even his inner peace; “There is no peace,’ says the Lord, ‘for the wicked’” (Isaiah 48:22; 57:21). “All these were fortress towns with high walls, double gates, and bars, besides a great many villages. And we utterly destroyed them, as we had done to king Sihon of Heshbon, in each city utterly destroying men, women, and children. But all the livestock and the plunder of the towns we kept as spoil for ourselves. So 1 Adam Clarke, Deuteronomy, 3. 2 Adam Clarke, Deuteronomy, 3. 8 at that time we took from the two kings of the Amorites the Land beyond the Jordan, from the Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir), all the towns of the tableland, the whole of Gilead, and all of Bashan as far as Salcah and Edrei, towns of Og’s kingdom in Bashan. (Now only king Og of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. In fact his bed, can still be seen in Rabbah of the Ammonites. By the common cubit, it is nine cubits long and four cubits wide” (Deut. 3:5-11). The excavations revealed the huge size of the stony fortresses of Bashan. What remained of the kingdom of Og, that mighty king of Bashan, is only his iron bed (11). What an unfitting fame it is! The Lord mocks the fame of the wicked. Captain Condor discovered a stony throne with the same dimensions at ‘Rabbah;’ that he assumes to be that bed. Salacah (10) is 7 hours away south east of Basra of the Moabites; and as it was on the eastern boundary of the kingdom of Bashan, it was definitely very fortified. I became a portion of the tribe of God (Joshua 12:5; 1 Chronicles 5:11). Sirion (9) means “glamorous;” a Sidonian name, probably used by a congregation of Sidonians (Judges 18:7), who dwelt at the foot of the snow-covered mountains. Some believe that word ‘Sirion,’ means “shield” in the Sidonian language; the same name the Sidonians called Mount Hermon (Psalm 29:6). It seems that this name was not given to a certain section of the series of Hermon Mountains, but was given to the part that was seen from Hermon, when someone stands on the Sidonian beach. Senir is an Amorite name, that probably means “Mountain of light,” a name the Amorites gave to Mount Hermon; and probably gave to a section of Mount Hermon (Gabal-el-Sheikh). That is why we see Senir and Hermon mentioned as separate mountains in (1 Chronicles 5:23). “Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnants of the Rephaim” (11). Og was the last Ammorite king. It seems that his kingdom was called after Mount Bashan ; and was also called ‘Batanea1.’ 2. DIVISION OF THE LAND OF OG: “As for the land that we took possession of at that time, I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites the territory north of Aroer that is on the edge of the Wadi Arnon, as well as half of the hill country of Gilead with its towns, and I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, Og’s kingdom, the whole region of Argob: all that portion of Bashan used to be called a land of Rephaim; Jair the Manassite acquired the whole region of Argob as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maacathites, and he named them – that is, Bashan – after himself, Havvoth Jair, as it is to this day). To Machir I gave Gilead, and to the Reubenites and the Gadites I gave the territory from Gilead as far as the Wadi Arnon; with the middle of the Wadi as a boundary, and up to the Jabbok, the Wadi being the boundary of the Ammonites; the Arabah also, with the Jordan and its banks, from Chinnereth down to the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, with the lower slopes of Pisgah on the east”(Deut. 3:12-17). As the time of Moses’ departure from this world was drawing near, God granted him two things to rejoice his heart: the first is to take possession of the region east of the Jordan, to let him taste the pledge of the whole Promised Land; and the second is letting him see the land west of the Jordan from the top of Mount Pisgah or 1 Adam Clarke, Deuteronomy, 3. 9 Nebo. Although the land, east of the Jordan, was given to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and Manasseh. Yet those tribes kept on helping their brethren in wars, until everyone found rest and settled down (Numbers 32). Likewise, the Church of Christ will not find rest and settle down, before its last member consummates his strife. Even the joy of those who did strive and conquer, then crossed over to paradise, would not be complete until their slave companions consummate their strife, to be crowned together with them. They keep praying before the divine throne for the sake of the salvation of the whole world! If the striving believers on earth, feeling their commitment of love, pray for the sake of their brethren; would those who have already crossed over to love itself, forsake their responsibilities to help their striving brethren by their prayers? And will their prayers, springing from love, be counted as a preoccupation away from God, who, together with the heavenly creatures, yearn for the salvation of all mankind? Concerning Joseph’s descendants, it is to be noticed The children of Joseph were divided into two tribes: Ephraim and Manasseh. Then Manasseh was divided further into two groups: one group had its portion east of the Jordan, and the other had his portion, west of it. The group, east of the Jordan, was further divided into two families: the family of ‘Jair’ (14), and that of ‘Machir’ (15), each with its own portion. That probably realized the prophecy of Jacob, concerning what would happen to Manasseh, his firstborn grandson; when he placed his left hand over his head, instead of his right hand. And when Joseph tried to shift his father’s right hand to the head of Manasseh, his father refused, saying: “I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations” (Genesis 48:17-19). Jacob’s prophecy was realized; as the tribe of Manasseh became divided into several small families, whereas that of Ephraim remained one whole undivided tribe. The ‘Geshurites’ and the ‘Maacathites’ were two small kingdoms that were not seized by Israel, but were left to live under their authority. The Geshurites were the inhabitants of Geshur, a Hebrew name meaning “a bridge,” close to Argob, east of Maacah, within the portion of Manasseh. Geshur became independent, and to it, Absalom, the son of king David, escaped after he killed his brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13:37). On its boundary there was a bridge on the River Jordan, between Tiberias and El-Khaola; called the bridge of Jacob’s daughters (Gesr-banat-Jacob). The ‘Maacathites’ were inhabitants of Maacah; a Hebrew name meaning (oppression). The Maacathites joined forces with the Arameans and the Ammonites in their war against king David, who defeated them. It is probably ‘Beth En-gan'nim’ (Joshua 19:21) nowadays; a portion of the tribe of Issachar, west of the sea of Galilee. “At that time I charged you as follows: ‘Although the Lord your God has given you this land to occupy, all your troops shall cross over armed as the vanguard of your Israelite kin. Only your wives, your children, and your livestock – I know that you have much livestock – shall stay behind in the towns that I have given to you. When the Lord gives rest to your kindred as to you, and they too have occupied the land that the Lord your God is giving them beyond the Jordan, then each of you may return to the property that I have given to you. And I charged Joshua as well at that time, saying, ‘Your own eyes have seen everything that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord will do to all the kingdoms 10 into which you are about to cross. Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you’” (Deut. 3:18-22). “Gives rest” (20): the word “rest’ flows with its blessings in the entire Holy Bible; and Israel got what God promises here, in the days of king Solomon (1 Kings 5:4). Yet His promise of rest is to be more perfectly realized in the rest that the soul finds in Christ (Matthew 11:28; Hebrew 4:5-8). “And I charged Joshua” (21); the glimpses we see in the relationship between Moses and Joshua is magnificent. We see Joshua as the leader of the army (Exodus 17:9); as a servant of Moses (Exodus 24:13); and one of his choicest assistants (Numbers 11:28); Moses’ love for Joshua is clearly demonstrated in (Deuteronomy 1:38; 31:3; Numbers 27:18-23). 3. MOSES ENTREATS THE LORD TO ALLOW HIM TO ENTER INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN: “At that time, too, I entreated the Lord, saying, ‘O Lord God, You have only begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your might: what god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours! Let me cross over to see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and the Lebanon.’ But the Lord was angry with me on your account and would not hear me. The Lord said to me, ‘Enough from you!; Never speak to me of this matter again! Go up to the top of Pisgah and look around you to the west, to the north, to the south, and to the east. Look well for you shall not cross over this Jordan” (Deut. 3:23-27). The prophet Moses entreated God to allow him to cross over together with the people, to enjoy the Promised Land. The response of God was: “Enough from you! Never speak to me of this matter again!” (26). The heart of Moses (the symbol of the Law) was yearning to enter into Canaan; but, on account of his people, his request was denied. He was allowed to go up to the top of the Pisgah to see the land by his own eyes. But it is Joshua who would cross over with the people, and divide the land among them. Thus, by the Law, they looked at the heavenly Canaan; but only by Jesus Christ (symbolized by Joshua), will we enter into it, and enjoy the inheritance. For as long as forty years, Moses had prepared himself, longing for the divine promise to be realized, to cross over with the people, and to divide the Promised Land among them. God, as a compassionate father, did not stand Moses’ supplications and the screams of his heart. He said to him: ‘Enough from you!’ and granted him to see the Promised Land from the top of the Pisgah; and to let his disciple cross over with the people, and divide the land among them. Yet, after about 2000 years, Moses did cross over to the Promised Land, when he accompanied the Lord, as He transfigured on Mount Tabor. In his supplication we notice the following: 1. He starts by thanking the Lord for His amazing dealings and gifts; and praises Him, saying: “O Lord God, You have only begun to show your servant Your greatness and your might; what god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours?” (24) Having got divine blessings, Moses praised God; and his heart flared more, to gain and enjoy God Himself and his exalted gifts. The more we see God and feel Him in our life, the more would be our yearning to see and to enjoy Him. Moses did not preoccupy himself with his conquests, nor with the land that the people gained; but he got preoccupied with the greatness and might of God, as there is no god in heaven or on earth like Him. He previously said when he crossed over the Red Sea: “Who is like You, O Lord among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in 11 holiness? Awesome in splendor, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11) and as it is said: “There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like Yours” (Psalm 86:8). 2. He entreated God to allow him to enter into the land of Canaan. He did not entreat him to let him reign or to have authority; but to allow him to see the “good land.” He was longing to see the “good land” as a sanctuary for the Lord, where God dwells among His people. He was looking forward to see the Holy God dwells among His people to sanctify them. 3. God’s response embodied both mercy and justice. Although God got angry with him on account of his people, and did not listen to him (26). Yet, it is the anger of a father, bearing a fatherly love and compassion, toward his son. Such compassion was already demonstrated in several circumstances: He granted him conquest over Sihon and Og, for two and a half tribes to inherit the land east of the Jordan. He granted him to look at the Promised Land west of the Jordan, from the top of Mount Nebo. Finally He granted him to encourage his disciple, who was like a son to him, to enter with the people into the Promised Land, and to divide it among them. Moses as a father would count what Joshua gets, as though he himself has got. If God said to him: “Enough from you!” that was because the prophet Moses did actually get enough. As we said before, he was a symbol of the Law that led us to Christ, although he was not capable of realizing what the Lord Jesus has realized. It is as though God is saying to him “Enough! You have fulfilled your mission, and will gain heavenly glories. If you are not crossing together with them over the Jordan; yet you are going to cross over to the crown of the eternal glory.” It was fitting for Moses to realize, that even the great among the prophets, has a specifies mission, that he is not to surpass. Finally, commanding him to encourage Joshua, that was to confirm to him that Joshua will face several troubles. Moses had got his portion of strife, and enjoyed conquests, together with certain weaknesses in his life. Now, it is his disciple’s turn to share bearing the sufferings for the sake of the Lord. 4. MOSES’ CHARGE TO JOSHUA “But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because it is he who shall cross over at the head of this people and who shall secure their possession of the land that you will see. So we remained in the valley opposite Bethpeor” (Deut. 3:28, 29). As the Lord strengthened Moses’ heart, saying to him: “Do not fear” (2); Moses, in his turn, was committed to charge Joshua, encourage and strengthen him, not to fear (28). Joshua listened to the talk of his mentor the prophet Moses, reminding him, together with all the leaderships and the people of two things: The first, God’s dealings with them, especially concerning their exodus from Egypt, caring for them in the wilderness, and their conquest over their enemies, especially over Sihon and Og; God who began the work, and consummated it along those forty years, will surely bring it to its ultimate end. Joshua with his own eyes saw God’s exalted works; and listened to the words of Moses to remind him of them. The second thing, of which Moses reminded him, was God’s promise to fight for them and with them, to possess and to inherit. And if God is with them, who could be against them?! Beth-peor: was a city in the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, that probably got its name from the temple of the god ‘Peor’ that was worshipped there; and most probably the same god ‘Priapus’ of the Romans. The word ‘Peor,’ is a Moabite name, meaning, “a fissure.” 12 Moses probably, while looking from afar toward the temple of ‘Peor,’ his soul was bitter knowing what would later befall his people, when they fall into the worship of idols together with the rest of nations. If the calf “Ibis,’ has been in their hearts and thoughts, to let them make an image of him, that they worshipped, while Moses was on the mountain speaking to the God. How would they be after his death, and after they mix with many nations that follow these abominations. 13 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY (Chapter 3) “ENOUGH FROM YOU! NEVER SPEAK TO ME OF THIS MATTER AGAIN” Your prophet Moses kept entreating You to allow him to enter the Promised Land! Since his call, his eyes were looking forward to Canaan. And his heart kept crying out: When shall I find myself dwelling among Your people? He bore daily afflictions, in the hope to enter into Canaan! Not to inherit the land, but to see You dwelling among Your people! Who is worthy to listen to Your eternal voice: “I have granted you continuous conquests to conquer and to inherit! I granted you the authority, even over the devil and his works! I opened the gates of the heavenly Canaan before you. I prepared you to enter, and to settle down there eternally. Enough from you! You have already gained the pledge. Now, enjoy the perfection of glory. Enough from you! You have suffered much for the sake of Canaan. Now, Come to Me! Enter into My dwelling place!”
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