How does Deuteronomy 3:3 connect to God's promises in earlier Scriptures? Deuteronomy 3:3—The Verse in View “So the LORD our God also delivered Og king of Bashan and his whole army into our hands, and we struck them down until no survivor was left.” A Promise First Spoken to Abraham • Genesis 12:7—“To your offspring I will give this land.” • Genesis 15:18-21—God even sets precise borders, naming the peoples to be displaced—one of whom, the Rephaim, includes Og (Deuteronomy 3:11). • Connection: Deuteronomy 3:3 shows a specific pocket of that land (Bashan) moving from promise to possession, just as God pledged four centuries earlier (Genesis 15:13, 16). Reaffirmed to Moses at the Burning Bush • Exodus 3:8—“I have come down to deliver them… and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land.” • The Lord ties deliverance (out of Egypt) with inheritance (into Canaan). Deuteronomy 3:3 records the inheritance phase unfolding. Spelled Out in Israel’s March Orders • Numbers 21:34—Before Israel confronts Og, God assures Moses: “Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand.” • Deuteronomy 2:31—Concerning Sihon: “See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his land over to you.” • Pattern: Promise first, victory second. Deuteronomy 3:3 is the tangible proof of those recent assurances. A Display of Covenant Faithfulness • Joshua 21:45 later sums up this campaign era: “Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; everything was fulfilled.” • Og’s defeat highlights God’s ability to overcome seemingly unbeatable foes (Og’s iron bed, Deuteronomy 3:11) and keep His word down to the last detail. Threads That Tie the Verse to Earlier Scripture • Land inheritance (Genesis 13:14-17; Deuteronomy 1:8). • Victory over enemy kings foretold (Genesis 22:17; Exodus 23:27-28). • Protection and presence promised (Deuteronomy 20:1-4). Deuteronomy 3:3 gathers all these strands and knots them into history. Why This Matters for Today • God’s promises are concrete, not abstract; He puts them on the map. • He does not forget centuries-old covenants; His timeline outlasts ours. • The same God who delivered Og into Israel’s hands still stands behind every promise He has made to His people now (2 Corinthians 1:20). |
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