Defeat Sin - Conquer the Land - Deuteronomy 1-3

 Deuteronomy 3:1-3 (ESV)

The Defeat of King Og

“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. 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.’ 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.

In the book of Deuteronomy (which means the second giving of the law), Moses is recalling for the nation of Israel, all that God did for them as they came out of Egypt and reminding them of all that God wants for them as they enter the promise land.   Moses, in the above text, tells them to take the lands and cities of the King of Og.    Moses will end up giving this land to 2 1/2 of the tribes.   

The key to this is that the people obey him and go in and take the land.  They plunder the property and destroy the people.   The writer of Hebrews will use this type of even to describe what it means to enter in God’s rest.  The “promise land” was to be the “rest” for the nation of Israel.  They were to go in and by the strength of God, possess the land and enjoy it.   They started to in the above passage.  But, they will ultimate fail.  They will refuse to destroy those in the land (who represent sin in our lives).  They will, instead, dwell those in the land and become comfortable with them (as we do with sin).   Instead of conquering the land, they befriend it.   In the above text we read that God promises the land to them and to subdue it for them.   The above even is an example of God’s power to do just that.  But, as we read through Joshua and Judges and more of the historical books, we find that the above story is not the normative.  The above story is the exception.    So, too, are we with sin.  We can overcome it for awhile, but then we befriend it and even enjoy it.   To sustain a victorious Christian life the fighting of sin is an ongoing battle.  It cannot be fought in our own strength, but we must allow God to conquer sin for us.  It is only by His power and strength can be subdue the land before us.   We are not to fear.   He can hand it into our hands.   Only He can.