PRESS AHEAD. Deuteronomy 3 It seemed that the Israelites had little chance of defeating the well-trained army of Og, king of Bashan. Israel won the battle because the Lord fought for them, and the victory belonged to Him. God is sovereign, and He controls the outcome of battles and all events in life. As Christians, our battles are spiritual warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Temptations, fear, discouragement, disappointments, false teaching, and disillusionment are some of the challenges we face. When we put our hope and confidence in God, we discover that He is with us every step of the way, even when our enemies are numerous and strong.
After forty years of understanding who they were, their limitations, and learning who God is with His infinite power and authority, the children of Israel began moving toward their goal with events happening rapidly around them. As they pressed forward, they saw God's power at work in and through them. In His own way, God empowered the Israelites to do what they normally could not do. Sihon, king of the Amorites, was miraculously defeated, and all he and his people had was now theirs. The giant Og, king of Bashan, and his forces came against them, and God gave His people the power to completely destroy them. What once belonged to those of Bashan now belonged to them.
When God's people are in fellowship with Him, things we believe are impossible to accomplish become achievable. We thought the obstacles were huge, but we have overcome them. Barriers we once thought were insurmountable are crossed when the sovereign God works on our behalf. One of the best ways God teaches us is by placing things in front of us that are beyond our ability to handle on our own. During those times, we earnestly seek the Lord and pray with genuine faith, asking Him to do what we know we cannot do. If we do not "trust Him and be not afraid," we will fall into worry and discouragement that we cannot defeat. Our doubts and fears take over our minds and time because we focus on ourselves and our weaknesses instead of focusing on God and His strength. When we are in despair, we need to remember God’s promises and trust Him, who is faithful to fulfill them. Our gracious Father often allows the problems we face in life to keep us looking beyond our failed attempts at solving problems to His grace, which does "exceedingly abundantly, above all that we ask or think."
Israel achieved victory over Og, the king of Bashan, and all his forces through divine power. The land on the east side of the Jordan River was granted to the Israelites. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh recognized that the highlands were suitable for their cattle and herds and were given that land. The victories over those who opposed them before reaching the promised land encouraged all the Israelites by confirming the presence and power of God with them. They could move forward confidently in God and have nothing to fear. "If God be for us, who can be against us."
A common problem among God's people occurs after achieving a significant victory. We begin to think we are the authors of success. When a soul is saved through our efforts, it is crucial to acknowledge that all glory belongs to God. Likewise, if someone recovers from illness miraculously, we should thank God and also recognize the medical professionals He used. When a wandering son or daughter returns to the family with humility, we must not assume our home life’s magnetism is the cause—it's important to give God all the glory for answering our prayers.
It is very encouraging to us when divine intervention defeats persistent evil pressures against us. Such moments motivate us to move forward in faith toward the next goal in our Christian journey. Victories are not reasons to slow down or stop pursuing our divine calling. The temptations of the world will always be present, pulling against us in this life. The deceitfulness of our flesh will persist in trying to lead us into failure. The god of this world, the devil, will continue to attempt to discredit God's children and lure believers into surrender. Enemies will oppose God's people until our Lord Jesus Christ reigns. We must keep moving forward, resisting temptations and fears, and trusting in our faithful God to do what we cannot. Our hope and trust in the unfailing God—who has promised to "never leave [us] nor forsake [us]"—is placed in the right Person. "Vain is man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm."
Not everything we hope for will happen in this life. Our expectations are often based on our limited view of what we or others have experienced, rather than on the Lord's plan. Much of what we hoped to accomplish may not be fulfilled. We have a limited perspective and shouldn’t claim credit for victories ourselves. In God's work among believers, He uses various gifts to benefit the entire body. Some gifts given to certain individuals will only be known to that faithful servant and God. Other more public uses of gifts might be part of a collective effort when we work together for God. Each person has a specific task being used passionately to move forward with the work. Whatever my role in any activity or service for God, I should keep moving forward with confidence in Him. By faith, I do what is before me and trust that the result will be some form of victory that brings glory to Him.
The Lord God clarified to Moses that Joshua was to be the new leader He had chosen. Moses' responsibility before he died was to make this known publicly to the nation of Israel. In that way, there would be no leadership vacuum when God took Moses.
The ongoing leadership of God's people should be carried out by men who have been prepared in advance to serve in roles suitable for them until they become skilled in that work. When a leader passes away or steps down for some reason from the work he has been doing, the training he received over the previous years should enable those raised up by the Holy Spirit to move forward with confidence. They should now have learned to trust in God and act in faith as they lead the Lord's people forward in the work of testimony for the Lord.
Preparation for work takes longer than dealing with arising situations. Much of the training process is general, as principles must be taught for appropriate action even in new, unfamiliar circumstances. Moses had known Joshua for a long time and had him share in the work in many ways before God called Joshua to lead the nation. Serving in a leadership role requires time and involves making mistakes along the way. Paul wrote to Timothy about this and said, "The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also."
As Moses reviewed God's agreement with the people of Israel, they revisited both their failures and victories. His leadership, and now the transition of leadership to Joshua, was discussed. Moses wasn't permitted to lead them into the promised land but was allowed to see it from a mountain and imagine the day when the people would dwell in peace where God intended them to be. We may never witness the results of our effort in serving God because of our own shortcomings in the work or for other reasons. By God's grace, we can see through faith the outcome of work done for Him. With that assurance and hope, we must continue forward with what we are called to do and do it "with our might as unto the Lord, and not unto men."