It is good to remember that Moses is reminding the people of the way The LORD had been with them. In verses 1 and 2 he recalled how they went to Bashan and Og the king and all his people came out against them to battle at Edrei. The LORD had told Moses not to fear because He had given them the victory and they must do as they did to Sihon at Heshbon. The LORD delivered Og and all his people into their hands and left no survivors. They took all sixty cities, all the region of Argob. High, fortified walls did not prevent them as well as gates and bars and they took many rural towns. As they did to Heshbon, so they did to Bashan, destroying everyone and taking booty, spoil and livestock, and the list of places named (v3-11). There is a strange statement at the end of these verses about Og the king of Bashan, the last of the giants or fearsome men. It refers to the size of his iron bed – 9 cubits by 4 cubits (approx. 13ft 6ins by 6ft), A big bed for a big man! Some commentators have suggested that this was the size of his grave or coffin. When Israel trusted God, in His strength, they could defeat even the most fearsome. If only they had trusted Him much earlier.
Moses recounted the allocation of the land on the east side of the Jordan to the Reubenites, Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh (v12-17). The LORD approved of this provided that these tribes assisted the others in defeating and taking Canaan (v18-20) – “The LORD your God has given you this land to possess. All you men of valour shall cross over armed before your brethren, the children of Israel. But your wives, your little ones, and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock) shall stay in your cities which I have given you, until the LORD has given rest to your brethren as to you, and they also possess the land which the LORD your God is giving them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession which I have given you.’”
Moses recalled the appointment of Joshua as their future leader who would lead them into the Promised Land (v21,22) He encouraged Joshua by reminding him to remember all that The LORD had done for them. He had witnessed it all from Egypt to defeating the two kings Og and Sihon and Moses urged him to fear The LORD because He fights for them, and not to fear any of the kingdoms through which they pass.
Moses had been told by God that he would not enter the land because of his disobedience and misrepresenting God as angry (Numbers 20), and, no doubt, he was disappointed, but that did not stop him asking God to have mercy on him and let him cross over. He recognised the power and goodness of God (v23-29). He had pleaded with God to let him cross over. The LORD told him to stop asking, but that in His mercy He would let him see into the land from Mount Pisgah, and that he must encourage Joshua to lead the people in his place. It would have been easy for Moses to have thought that if he couldn’t go, he was not going to take time training and encouraging his successor, but Moses was a true man of God, despite his faults. I remember seeing a cartoon many years ago where a boss instructed one of his older employees to teach his successor all he knew and to collect his ‘cards’ on his way out. Of course, The Lord was not so callous, in fact in His great mercy he allowed Moses to see right over the land from the mountain, and in the New Testament, on the Mount of Transfiguration when The Lord Jesus was in close communication with His Father and seen in His glory, three disciples saw Moses and Elijah appear with Him. Moses had gone to a better land and appeared, yes, in the Promised Land, but visiting from the greater land of heaven.
God had said “No” to Moses’ prayer, but He had something better for him. God doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we want or expect, sometimes He says ‘No’ and sometimes ’Wait’ as well as ‘Yes’ but His answer is always for the best if we leave it to Him. He knows far better than we do and can see the end from the beginning. Moses knew that God could fulfil His will with or without him and was happy to play his part in encouraging Joshua to do the work. Let us never think that we are indispensable, but may we do God’s will whatever the cost. Despite his faults and failures, Moses was faithful as a shepherd of God’s people.
