How does Numbers 21:35 connect to God's promises in Deuteronomy 7:24? Setting the scene Numbers 21:35 comes after Israel has already defeated Sihon (Numbers 21:21-31). Now King Og of Bashan confronts them. Verse 35 records the outcome: “So they struck him down, along with his sons and his whole army, leaving no survivors. And they took possession of his land.” Deuteronomy 7:24, spoken a short time later on the plains of Moab, looks forward to the coming conquest west of the Jordan: “He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will wipe out their names under heaven. No one will be able to stand against you; you will destroy them.” Promise previewed, promise reaffirmed • Numbers 21:35 is a living illustration of the very thing God promises in Deuteronomy 7:24. • The same God who handed Og over is now pledging to hand every Canaanite king over as well. • Past victory becomes the divine down payment on future victories. Key links between the two passages 1. Identical verbs – Numbers: “they struck him down… leaving no survivors.” – Deuteronomy: “you will wipe out their names… no one will be able to stand.” God’s choice of words underlines continuity: what He has done, He will do again. 2. Kings delivered – Og (Numbers 21:33-35); Sihon (Numbers 21:24) – “their kings” (Deuteronomy 7:24) points back to Sihon and Og and ahead to the thirty-one kings listed in Joshua 12. 3. Total conquest – Numbers 21:35: “leaving no survivors.” – Deuteronomy 7:24: “you will wipe out their names.” The same uncompromising judgment shows God’s holiness and His resolve to secure the land for His people. Why this mattered to Israel • Confidence booster: Standing on the brink of Canaan, Israel could look eastward to Bashan and see tangible proof that God keeps His word (cf. Deuteronomy 1:30-31). • Faith builder for the next generation: Those who had been children during the wilderness now possessed first-hand testimony of God’s power (Deuteronomy 11:2-7). • Motivation for obedience: Past grace fueled present responsibility—“Do not be afraid of them” (Deuteronomy 7:18). A pattern woven through Scripture • Exodus 23:31-33—initial promise of driving out the nations. • Deuteronomy 2:33; 3:3—repeated victories east of the Jordan. • Joshua 10:40; 11:23—promise fulfilled west of the Jordan. • Joshua 21:45—“Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” Takeaways for believers today • Past deliverance anchors future hope. If God kept His word at Bashan, He will keep every promise in Christ (2 Colossians 1:20). • Victories already won are meant to strengthen faith for battles still ahead (Psalm 77:11-14). • God’s faithfulness is literal, detailed, and unbreakable—just as literal as the fall of Og’s fortress and the silence of his name thereafter. |
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