Defeat of King Og of Bashan, 1-11

3:1 Next we set out on the route to Bashan, but King Og of Bashan and his whole army came out to meet us in battle at Edrei. 3:2 The LORD, however, said to me, “Don’t be afraid of him because I have already given him, his whole army, and his land to you. You will do to him exactly what you did to King Sihon of the Amorites who lived in Heshbon.” 3:3 So the LORD our God did indeed give over to us King Og of Bashan and his whole army and we struck them down until not a single survivor was left. 3:4 We captured all his cities at that time—there was not a town we did not take from them—sixty cities, all the region of Argob, the dominion of Og in Bashan. 3:5 All of these cities were fortified by high walls, gates, and locking bars; in addition there were a great many open villages. 3:6 We put all of these under divine judgment just as we had done to King Sihon of Heshbon—every occupied city, including women and children. 3:7 But all the livestock and plunder from the cities we kept for ourselves. 3:8 So at that time we took the land of the two Amorite kings in the Transjordan from Wadi Arnon to Mount Hermon 3:9 (the Sidonians call Hermon Sirion and the Amorites call it Senir), 3:10 all the cities of the plateau, all of Gilead and Bashan as far as Salecah and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 3:11 Only King Og of Bashan was left of the remaining Rephaites. (It is noteworthy that his sarcophagus was made of iron. Does it not, indeed, still remain in Rabbath of the Ammonites? It is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide according to standard measure.)

His sarcophagus was made of iron…It is thirteen and a half feet long and six feet wide – It has been argued on archaeological grounds that it was a bed (and not a sarcophagus).

Wright comments:

‘Apart from his defeat by Israel, the only thing Og has bequeathed to the annals of history is the size of his bed!’

Wright adds that commentators have puzzled over the purpose of this detail. The Rephaites were renowned for their tall stature. The size, however, was ‘probably honorific – a truly “king-size” bed’.  It was probably a wooden frame plated or decorated with iron. At this time of transition from the Late Bronze Age ro the Early Iron Age iron was a precious metal and a suitable material with which to decorate a royal bedroom. The mention here of the bed is consistent with an early date for Deuteronomy.

Distribution of the Transjordanian Allotments, 12-17

3:12 This is the land we brought under our control at that time: The territory extending from Aroer by the Wadi Arnon and half the Gilead hill country with its cities I gave to the Reubenites and Gadites. 3:13 The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. (All the region of Argob, that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim. 3:14 Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the Argob region as far as the border with the Geshurites and Maacathites (namely Bashan) and called it by his name, Havvoth-Jair, which it retains to this very day.) 3:15 I gave Gilead to Machir. 3:16 To the Reubenites and Gadites I allocated the territory extending from Gilead as far as Wadi Arnon (the exact middle of the wadi was a boundary) all the way to the Wadi Jabbok, the Ammonite border. 3:17 The Arabah and the Jordan River were also a border, from the sea of Chinnereth to the sea of the Arabah (that is, the Salt Sea), beneath the watershed of Pisgah to the east.

Instructions to the Transjordanian Tribes, 18-22

3:18 At that time I instructed you as follows: “The LORD your God has given you this land for your possession. You warriors are to cross over before your fellow Israelites equipped for battle. 3:19 But your wives, children, and livestock (of which I know you have many) may remain in the cities I have given you. 3:20 You must fight until the LORD gives your countrymen victory as he did you and they take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them on the other side of the Jordan River. Then each of you may return to his own territory that I have given you.” 3:21 I also commanded Joshua at the same time, “You have seen everything the LORD your God did to these two kings; he will do the same to all the kingdoms where you are going. 3:22 Do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God will personally fight for you.”

“I also commanded Joshua at the same time” – Those who are older, and more experienced, should do everything they can to encourage those who are younger and just setting out.

“These two kings” – Sihon, king of Heshbon (Deut 2:24-37), and Og, king of Bashan (Deut 3:1-11). Past mercies are the guarantees of future ones, Psa 9:10; 2 Cor 1:10. What God has done before, to two kings, he can do again, to many. Similar encouragement is given in Deut 31:1-8, when Moses actually commissions Joshua, and Josh 1:1-9.

“The Lord your God will personally fight for you” – As indeed he did, notably at Jericho, when the walls fell down, and at Gibeon, when God rained down hailstones on their enemies. Truly, one person with God on his side is in a majority.

Denial to Moses of the Promised Land, 23-29

3:23 Moreover, at that time I pleaded with the LORD, 3:24 “O, Lord GOD, you have begun to show me your greatness and strength. (What god in heaven or earth can rival your works and mighty deeds?) 3:25 Let me please cross over to see the good land on the other side of the Jordan River—this good hill country and the Lebanon!” 3:26 But the LORD was angry at me because of you and would not listen to me. Instead, he said to me, “Enough of that! Do not speak to me anymore about this matter. 3:27 Go up to the top of Pisgah and take a good look to the west, north, south, and east, for you will not be allowed to cross the Jordan. 3:28 Commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, because he will lead these people over and will enable them to inherit the land you will see.” 3:29 So we settled down in the valley opposite Beth Peor.

I pleaded with the Lord – The expression is a strong one. “Moses has just begun to see the greatness and the power of Yahweh bringing to pass his promises to his people…With deep longing in his heart Moses sought permission to cross over the Jordan and witness the end of the great pilgrimage which had begun under his leadership, Ex 3:10. It was not to be. Like Jeremiah and other Moses was asked to accept the outworking of God’s purposes in faith.” (Thompson) Cf. Heb 11:39. Moses turns from his encouragement of Joshua concerning the future, to his own desire to be allowed to share that future.

“Through the humble prayer of Moses and the firm reply of Yahweh we discern a deep fellowship between God and a man such as it rarely seen in all the Bible except perhaps between Jeremiah and God. Jesus, of course, showed this supremely. It is a unity of purpose which leads to the utterance of such word as ‘If thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.’ (Lk 22:42). It is only out of the experience of deep fellowship with God that one may speak so.” (Thompson)

“You have begun to show me your greatness and strength” – “He has a long-term understanding of God’s will and purpose, such that he can look back over the incredible acts of God in two generations and realise that they were only ‘the beginning’ of God’s greatness (rather like the way Luke can describe his gospel as merely what Jesus ‘began to do and to teach,’ Acts 1:1)!” (Wright) Would not God allow him to see the next stage of his mighty acts?

v26 This passage, along with Deut 1:37and 4:21, indicate that Moses’ exclusion from the Promised Land was the peope’s fault. However, Deut 32:48-52 and Num 20 suggest that Moses himself failed in some way, albeit under provocation from the people. Both are, of course, connected. What is clear is that there is evidence of both the ‘severity and the kindness of God’ here.

“Do not speak to me any more about this matter” – This suggests that there may be times when prayer is actually wrong!

“Take a good look” – This will be Moses’ compensation for not being allowed to enter the Promised Land. (“You are not going to cross this Jordan”- In v 4 the outmost boundaries of the land are defined, though the southern boundary is sketchy. Only during the reign of Solomon did Israel control such an area (Josh 13:1-7). The desert refers to the eastern desert that begins in Trans-Jordan. Lebanon is included in the promised land in Jos. 13:5.”

“Commission Joshua” – The commission itself is recorded in Num 27:15-23. Consider what qualities and qualifications Joshua had for this leadership role.

“He will lead these people over and will enable them to inherit the land” – Moses, and Joshua after him, can have confidence that God, having begun a good work, will bring it to completion, Deut 1:38; 31:7. In God’s wisdom, the new phase of Israel’s history needed a new leader. Moses commissioning of Joshua is an important theme of Deuteronomy, and vital for the peoples confidence. We see here at what great personal cost Moses did this. His laying down of his own deepest desire is the best measure of his faithfulness.” (NBC)

“One of the greatest challenges facing leaders is to replace themselves, training others to become leaders. Many outstanding accomplishments have been started by someone with great ability whose life or career ended before the vision became reality. The fulfillment of that dream then became the responsibility of that person’s successor. Death is the ultimate deadline for leadership. One of the best tests of our leadership is our willingness and ability to train another for our position.” (Life Application)

“Joshua had played a key role in the exodus from Egypt. Introduced as the field general of Israel’s army, he was the only person allowed to accompany Moses partway up the mountain when Moses received the law. Joshua and Caleb were the only two among the 12 spies to bring back an encouraging report after being sent into the promised land the first time. Other references show him to have been Moses’ constant shadow. His basic training was living with Moses — experiencing firsthand what it meant to lead God’s people. This was modeling at its best!” (Life Application)

“Who is your Moses? Who is your Joshua? You are part of the chain of God’s ongoing work in the world. You are modeling yourself after others, and others are patterning their lives after you. How important is God to those you want to be like? Do those who are watching you see God reflected in every area of your life? Ask God to lead you to a trustworthy Moses. Ask him to make you a good Joshua.” (Life Application).