Pt. 4, The Biblical Story - Moses

 
God Delivers His Chosen People from Slavery Pt. 4, The Biblical Story – Deliverance: Exodus 1-7; 10-17 By Pastor Dan Kennedy © January 26, 2014 www.pastorkennedy.com Moses and The Exodus The Biblical Story of Moses and the deliverance of the Children of Israel is not just a one or two-dimensional story of one or two people, or one or two nations, but it is a wide, multi-faceted and intricately woven “event tapestry” including millions of people, thousands of families and multiples of nations. Summary of Historic Proportions In reviewing the specific details of those recorded in Scripture, we must understand that in every life touched by the faith of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses… and all the men and women of faith throughout the ages, the comprehensive, eternal and Godly perspective… can be summed up in two verses found in Daniel 7:27 and 28a. These key verses are written at the end of chapter 7, following the revelation of four great symbolic beasts representing kings that have arisen, or that will arise, representing worldwide political dominance, in relationship to Israel and the Kingdom of God. “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.” “This is the end of the matter.” Daniel 7:27-28a Why do you and I exist? Why do the nations of the world exist? • To bring forth, for Himself, those who are Redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ, who will worship and serve Christ, eternally in His Kingdom! We should keep in mind that this “end of the matter” regarding all of the people on earth… from the beginning of time until the end of time, including the individual intimacies of their lives, their responses to each other; and, the interaction, domination, decisions and goals of the leaders in each of the nations, cultures and tribes of the world, those which have been, which are, and which will be – affecting all those under their authority – all these and everything in heaven and earth, moves toward the personal and corporate working out of the revelation of those who will participate in Christ’s Eternal Kingdom. Those who will be an integral part of “the People of the Most High”, to serve in Christ’s Everlasting Kingdom, and who worship, serve, and obey Him. As we go through the many parts of this Biblical Story, we will see that this “End of the Matter” is the goal for each “story”, each segment of life and each generation of people living on the earth during “their” time. This is the “End of the Matter” for each person who hears this message, and each person who is yet to be born. Summaries of Faith Hebrews 11:1-29 (see addendum) gives a summary of the “Stories of Faith” that bring us up to Moses and the deliverance of God’s Chosen People, from Egypt and from Slavery. • 17By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice…. • 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. • 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. • 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. • 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. • 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He [Moses] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. • 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. • 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. • 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. ~~~ 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. […toward our final “End of the Matter”!] Romans 15:4 In every case, the interwoven tapestry of life, which includes Faith, Testing, Trial, Hope, Perseverance, Success, Endurance, and any number of other dynamics all leading to “the End of the Matter”, where the “people of the Most High God” rule and reign with Christ in His Eternal Kingdom, also includes something far more problematic for those who refuse to acknowledge God and worship Him. It involves “the filling of the cup of sin” leading to disaster. God Foretold the Trials of His People, so they would have hope! 400 years (plus 30 years for Joseph’s time in Egypt) is a long time to be under the domination of an absolute dictator in a foreign country...with the majority of the time under the cruel domination of forced slavery. Did the Israelites remember what their father Abraham taught them about their years in a foreign country? We have this recorded for us…the Israelites in Egypt, during those 400 years had understood the same covenant and Word spoken by God, through the oral record of their father Jacob. Is this understanding what helped them through to their release from Egypt 430 years (including Joseph’s previous years in Egypt), to the very day (Ex. 12:41). • God told Abraham, when making a covenant with him about his future generations, that his descendants would be “strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years”. Genesis 15:5–8; 12-16 (After Abram’s discussion with God, again, regarding his not having the promised heir…) 5 He (God) took him (Abram) outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” 8 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” [God then committed Himself to give Abram the land He had promised, through a covenant sacrifice. Three animals each three-years-old: a heifer, a female goat and a ram, with a dove and pigeon. During this sacrifice/covenant God also revealed to Abram Israel’s 400 year enslavement and mistreatment in Egypt – until the “sin of the Amorites had reached its full measure”.] 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” God allowed the Trials of His Chosen People for 400 years, for purposes known to Him for His People, and so the Amorites would have time – some hopefully to repent and some to have their cup full for just judgment and exacting retribution! The implication of Gen. 15:16 reveals the righteousness, patience and longsuffering of God. “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” God’s Patience Seeking Repentance God has told us a multitude of times in many, many ways, of His great patience and longsuffering…in order to give time for each of His Creation to repent of their sins and be reconciled to Him. What has been God’s pattern of patience throughout mankind’s history in order to give people the optimal opportunity for repentance? 2 Peter 3:9–10 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. On the Other Hand, those in the World have obviously not always repented. Without repentance there is a Filling of the “Cup of Wickedness” toward just and sure retribution 1 Thessalonians 2:16 16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! Matthew 23:32 – Jesus, to the Jewish carnal spiritual leaders 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. In the “End Times” there will be a “filling up” of the cup of wickedness before the rise of the antichrist… and the coming of Jesus as King. Daniel 8:23 23 “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked NIV [“when the transgressors have reached their limit” ESV] [“when the transgressors have run their course” NASB], a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise.” 2 Timothy 3:12–13 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. Those who are wicked and refuse to repent and turn to God, fill their cup of wickedness to the brim before a Holy and Righteous God. They will bring condemnation upon themselves. But God is still patient, waiting on repentance. Genesis 15:16 states that “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” Who are the Amorites and what were their circumstances in regard to the Israelites during the 400 years God patiently waited for them? Sihon and Og During the time Moses was being trained in Egypt and then exiled in the wilderness for 40 years, there were two other young men who were becoming kings: kings of the Amorites. Their fathers before them, most likely during the previous 3-400 years (while Israel was exiled in Egypt), had amassed huge parcels of land and subdued and conquered tribal warlords with their people. All of this was consolidated under two huge Amorite kingdoms ruled by Sihon and Og. They were ruthless warrior kings, who plunged their people even deeper and deeper into corrupting practices, greed, pride, abuse, and all forms of debauchery and depravity, corrupting them even greater than their fathers. Og was a giant warrior-king (larger than Goliath of Gath – whom David slew) with an iron bed (to give a perspective of his size) 13 ½ feet long and 6 ½ feet wide (Deuteronomy 3:11). Rahab recounts the Parting of the Red Sea, and these two kings These two kings were such legends that some forty years later, when Israel spied out Jericho, Rahab the harlot relayed the two things that caused those in Jericho to tremble in fear of the Israelites – the parting of the Red Sea, when Israel left Egypt, and the conquering of the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. Five hundred years after that, King David was still recounting them in Psalm 135 and 136! (see Addendum). Sihon and Og’s Demise When the Israelites left Egypt and came into the Amorites land, Israel asked graciously, “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” But Sihon would have none of it. He gathered all his people and attacked Israel. God allowed Sihon the Amorite to be destroyed. A similar fate awaited Og. Sihon and Og had finished filling of the cup of God’s Wrath. Numbers 21:21-35 The Prelude of Promise for Abraham’s Inheritance of the Land 17 “As the time drew near for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham, the number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.” Acts 7:17 How long did it take before Abraham’s offspring began inheriting the Promised Land, according to God’s Promise? …Around 650 years. Now We Come to Moses and The Exodus! • Moses’ Parents: His mother Jochebed and his father Amram (Num. 26:59). (How important are parents in the lives and future of their children?) God gave Jochebed and her husband the willingness and ability to defy Pharaoh’s command and keep Moses alive (for three months), and then entrust their baby Moses to God by releasing him, in a pitch coated basket to the unknown and dangerous waters of the Nile – in God’s care and infinite Sovereignty (Ex. 2:1-10). Then Moses was weaned by his mother – critical years in the beginning life of a child, and of his understanding of his family heritage and circumstances. Moses’ leadership in the deliverance of Israel began here. • Moses’ Training in Egypt: Moses tutelage, for his first forty years was in Pharaoh’s courts. 22 “Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.” Acts 7:22 o Moses learned the Egyptian language. o Moses learned Egyptian cultural protocol. o Moses learned Egyptian academics, personal defense and military strategy. o Moses also understood the religious nature of the gods of Egypt, the spiritual implications of the Nile, and the deification of Pharaoh. 23 “When he (Moses) was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the children of Israel.” Acts 7:23 o God used this training in Egypt as only the beginning of Moses’ training to lead His People out of Egypt and bondage…God had a more rigorous forty years of training, which would be of much greater importance to God’s people Israel as they were to wander in the wilderness for many years. • Moses’ Advanced Leadership Training in the Wilderness: Moses’ Advanced training in Trusting God and knowing the land through which Israel would travel: in humility, depth, and wilderness trekking, shepherding, being a father, and survival in the desert, for his second forty years. o When Moses was drawn aside to see the burning bush, and God revealed His plan of Moses’ leadership for the Exodus of Israel. o Moses appealed to God that he wasn’t the man to lead this exodus! o God told Moses that the “sign” confirming his leadership, to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, was that Moses would bring the people back to “this mountain” to worship God. Exodus 3:12 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Moses would be returning with over two million people together with their flocks and herds, to this very mountain on which he had learned to guide his flocks to find food as a shepherd for his father-in-law, Jethro (Ex. 3:1). His “advanced training” was indispensible! • Moses’ Leadership through the Wilderness: Moses brought God’s People out of Egypt and led them for forty year in the wilderness…with one stop being to worship God on “the mountain” (Exodus 19). It was early in this final forty years that Israel rebelled when given opportunity to go into the land of promise (Numbers 13-14), which sent them back to wander again in the wilderness. Nehemiah 9:19–21 19 “You in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness. The pillar of cloud to lead them in the way did not depart from them by day, nor the pillar of fire by night to light for them the way by which they should go. 20 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. 21 Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.” Communion in the Wilderness: Water from the Rock and Bread from Heaven 1 Corinthians 10:1–5 10 For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered over the desert. “Communion” at the Passover • The Unleavened Bread • The Sprinkled Blood on the Doorposts “Communion” in the Wilderness • The Bread – the Manna that was provided by God • The Cup – the water that came from the Rock, which was “struck”. Why was Moses disciplined so strongly in that he could not enter the Promised Land? Moses “struck” the Rock the first time at Rephidim because God told him to strike it (Exodus 17:1-7). In great symbolism and spiritual reality, the Rock that came with them was Christ, and Jesus Christ was “struck” only once in His Crucifixion. Restorative and Redemptive water flowed from that “striking”. Exodus 17:5–6 5 The Lord answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. 1 Corinthians 10:4 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. A second time there was a need for water at Meribah (Numbers 20:2-13), Moses, this time, was specifically told to “speak” to the rock, but he reacted angrily and struck the Rock a second time to give water to the quarrelling, rebellious Israelites. God judged his outburst of disobedience. (This was spiritually symbolic disaster – Christ, the Suffering Messiah, was not “struck” a second time. He would come a Second Time, as Eternal King!) Moses would not enter the Promised Land. “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” (Numbers 20:12) Striking the Rock – a second time was cause for the strong discipline of Moses Numbers 20:1–13 20 In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried. 2 Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3 They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4 Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? 5 Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!” 6 Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7 The Lord said to Moses, 8 “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.” 9 So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10 He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank. 12 But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” 13 These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he showed himself holy among them. Psalm 106:32–33 32 By the waters of Meribah they angered the Lord, and trouble came to Moses because of them; 33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips. Another Symbolism was that of Manna – the Bread from Heaven. This was symbolic and representative of Jesus, the Bread of Life that came down from heaven John 6:30–40 30 So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” 35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Conclusion What is God using in our life to prepare us to serve Him here and in His coming Kingdom? What are the “schools” of training He has brought us through, as He did with Moses? Are you continuing to fill up a cup of retribution, for which God will hold you accountable, or are we drawing near to God and Him drawing near to us, to fulfill His purpose in our lives right now o Whether “in the courts of Pharaoh” o Or, in the Wilderness! Why do you and I exist? Why do the nations of the world exist? • To bring forth, for Himself, those who are Redeemed by the Blood of Jesus Christ, who will worship and serve Christ, eternally in His Kingdom! “Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.” “This is the end of the matter.” Daniel 7:27-28a Addendum Hebrews 11:1–29 By Faith 11 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. 13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones. 23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. The Conquered Amorite Kingdoms of Sihon and Og Numbers 21:21–35 King Sihon Defeated 21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King’s Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the ballad singers say, “Come to Heshbon, let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established. 28  For fire came out from Heshbon, flame from the city of Sihon. It devoured Ar of Moab, and swallowed the heights of the Arnon. 29  Woe to you, O Moab! You are undone, O people of Chemosh! He has made his sons fugitives, and his daughters captives, to an Amorite king, Sihon. 30  So we overthrew them; Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished; and we laid waste as far as Nophah; fire spread as far as Medeba.” King Og Defeated 31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land. Deuteronomy 3:1–11 The Defeat of King Og 3 “Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon the king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.’ 3 So the Lord our God gave into our hand Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people, and we struck him down until he had no survivor left. 4 And we took all his cities at that time—there was not a city that we did not take from them—sixty cities, the whole region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates, and bars, besides very many unwalled villages. 6 And we devoted them to destruction, as we did to Sihon the king of Heshbon, devoting to destruction every city, men, women, and children. 7 But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as our plunder. 8 So we took the land at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon 9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion, while the Amorites call it Senir), 10 all the cities of the tableland and all Gilead and all Bashan, as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 11 (For only Og the king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bed was a bed of iron. Is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits [13 ½ feet] was its length, and four cubits [6 ½ feet] its breadth, according to the common cubit [approx. 18 inches].) [Og was a giant of a warrior-king – Goliath sized.] Rahab the harlot expresses why those in Jericho were so afraid of the Israelites 1. The parting and crossing, by Israel, of the Red Sea 2. The defeat of Sihon and Og Joshua 2:8–11 8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. King David also wrote of the same events as remarkable victories, obtained only by the strength and power of Almighty God – revealing His mighty work on behalf of Israel. No other kings of the conquered nations were mentioned like the kingdoms of Sihon and Og – the Amorite Kings – When God told Abram that “the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure” (Gen. 15:16), God was quite aware of the future nations that would occupy the land, the growing debauchery and their coming destruction when they reached their “full measure”, and their being conquered by the fledgling nation Israel. Psalm 135:8–12 [Israel delivered from Egypt] 8  He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast; 9  who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; [Israel Conquering the mighty Kings, Sihon and Og] 10  who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, 11  Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan, 12  and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to his people Israel. Psalm 136:10–22 [Israel delivered from Egypt] 10  to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, for his steadfast love endures forever; 11  and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever; 12  with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever; 13  to him who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever; 14  and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever; 15  but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever; 16  to him who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever; [Israel Conquering the mighty Kings, Sihon and Og] 17  to him who struck down great kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; 18  and killed mighty kings, for his steadfast love endures forever; 19  Sihon, king of the Amorites, for his steadfast love endures forever; 20  and Og, king of Bashan, for his steadfast love endures forever; 21  and gave their land as a heritage, for his steadfast love endures forever; 22  a heritage to Israel his servant, for his steadfast love endures forever. http://www.pastorkennedy.comshapeimage_1_link_0