Deut 9:1-2
1 Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. 2 The people are strong and tall - Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?"
Before Israel can possess the land they need to dispossess the occupiers.
• They have to fight against strong foes and overcome them, yet this is God’s plan.
• There are obstacles and difficulties, yet this is God’s will for them.
“God’s plan” does not mean things will be easy.
• God’s promise is real and true, but the fulfilment of that promise will take courage and lots of hard work.
• The nations are greater and stronger than Israel (9:1). Their enemies are strong and tall (9:2), Moses says.
This is really not a typical motivational speech, from a coach to his players, just before a big game.
• In fact, to rub it in, Moses adds, “You know about them and have heard it said: ‘Who can stand up against the Anakites?’” (9:2)
• The odds are against them. The Anakites have a reputation in the region – they are the unbeatable.
• Moses practically quoted the words of the spies some 40 years ago (Num 13). They saw the same problem then and said the same thing.
Moses lays all the cards out before them, and he is doing it with confidence. He did not sugar-coat his words. It’s the reality, let’s face it.
• The task is impossible; indeed, humanly impossible. Moses wants them to know.
• BUT God has said, and so this is what we will do.
• Without God, the situation is hopeless. But God is with us in this!
Moses continues… Deut 9:3
BUT be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.
The odds are all against them but Israel had this - GOD. God on their side, and that’s enough. The unseen power is greater than the seen.
• Whatever trouble you are facing today, problems that come from the harsh situation or from difficult people, remember this: The unseen power of God’s presence is always greater than all that you see.
• God is going ahead of Israel to fight for them. If God is for us, who can be against us?
• With God’s help, every arrow will finds its Achilles’ heels. It is “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,” says the LORD Almighty (Zech 4:6).
WE ACCOMPLISH GOD’S WILL BY GOD’S STRENGTH
Israel, unskilled in war and with little experience, eventually overcome all their enemies. They did the impossible because God fought for them.
Today, we are called to fight this spiritual battle and accomplish God’s will.
• Eph 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
• We are called to put on the armour of God and fight. Paul tells Timothy to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12).
The evil one will do whatever he can to stop us from fulfilling God’s will. We can expect problems and obstacles.
• We are not going to pretend that they are not there. We are going to recognise them squarely and confront them head on, just as Moses did.
• We have the ASSURANCE that if it is God’s will, then He will go before us and help us.
The picture is beautiful. Read 9:3 again. God will go across “ahead of you like a devouring fire. HE will destroy them; HE will subdue them before you. And YOU will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.”
• God will destroy and subdue, YOU will drive them out. It’s a partnership!
• It’s not all of God and nothing from us. And it is not all of us, and nothing of God.
• Victory comes when we partner God in doing what He has called us to do.
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Deut 9:4-6
4 After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, "The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness." No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people.
God fought for Israel, against the Canaanites, for a reason.
Some may think that it is God playing favourite and siding Israel. Israel may think that they are of a superior race, more favoured and more righteous than others.
• But these are all wrong. If they think that they are favoured by God because they have been good, then they are mistaken.
• Moses set these thoughts straight. God judges the Canaanites because of their wickedness, not because of your righteousness. You did not earn God’s favour.
“You are a stiff-necked people”, Moses reminded them. And then went on to recall the incident of the golden calf (9:7ff.). It was a shameful thing.
• They too would have been annihilated, if not because Moses’ interceded for them.
• No one is righteous, not even Israel. No one is good enough to merit God’s favour. Human righteousness is deficient at its best.
WE RECEIVE GOD’S FAVOUR BY GOD’S GRACE
Israel’s righteousness, or lack of it, has nothing to do with them entering the land.
• God simply uses them to judge the Canaanites for their wickedness. And at the same time, fulfilled His good plan of blessing Israel.
• This incident was prophesied by God 400 years before, when He made a covenant with Abraham - Gen 15:12-16
12As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14But I will punish the nation [Egypt] they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
That means to say, their sin has reached its full measure NOW. After four generations, God is going to use Israel to punish the Canaanites.
• God judges because He is a just God. He executes His judgement through Israel.
Israel’s possession of the land is an act of God’s grace. It is a gift of God. He promised it and He kept His promise.
• Everything that Israel receives, comes from God’s grace.
• Earlier in Deut 8:17-18, Moses reminded them: 17You may say to yourself, "My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me." 18But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…
Nothing comes from them. Everything comes from God.
• Everything we have today comes by the grace of God. We are blessed because God is good (not that we are good).
• Every blessing we are enjoying today is a gift of God’s grace. Remember that.
CONCLUSION
Israel eventually won all their battles and occupied the Promised Land.
• BUT not without a fight. They fought many battles and overcome many obstacles.
• We fulfil God’s will the same way today, by overcoming the challenges we face.
• We put our trust in God, believing that He who calls us is faithful and will help us accomplish His purposes on earth.
Paul faced many hardships. He once asked God to remove the source of his pain.
• God’s reply was (2 Cor 12:9-10),
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
• When you face something that is more than you can bear, LEAN on Him. He is there and He will see you through.
We accomplish God’s will by His strength.
We receive God’s favour by His grace.
Running from your trouble is not the way to go.
• Confront it and face it head on, with God.
• Tap into God’s strength and overcome it. You’ll experience God’s grace and power.
I can assure you, it will be a lesson you carry with you for the rest of your life.
