This window of God shows His people that He will not let anything or anyone stand in His way of keeping His promises. God is the promise maker and the promise keeper. He promised this land—the Promised Land—all the way back to Abram/Abraham and his descendants. After hundreds of years from when God made that promise, it was now time to keep iy. Even when God’s people demonstrated their unbelief and unfaithfulness to God, He still remained faithful.
Yhwh God is the great victor in this part of Psalm 136. God’s people were so close to entering Canaan, and yet so far. They could reach out and touch the land, but they weren’t ther quite yet. There were some enemies in the way, Sihon and Og. They refused to let God’s people pass through “their” land in order to reach the promised land.
The Christian life is that of journeying to THE Promised Land. Sometimes it seems so close that you can reach out and touch it. Other times it might seem so far out of reach that you might wonder if it’s ever going to be attainable. Like God’s ancient people traveling to Canaan, we modern-day people of God have enemies that stand in the way seeking to keep us out. The devil and his kingdom of darkness try everything they can to block our way and keep us from entering God’s Promised Land.
Numbers 21:21-35 gives the account of what happened to the kings who sought to keep God’s people from entering Canaan. Peter Naylor gives his comment on this section in Deuteronomy in his commentary:
Israel was hemmed in between Moab and the Amorites (21:13). The way to Canaan was barred. The message sent to Sihon, king of the Amorites, was similar to the message to Edom (22; 20:17), and the response was the same: to muster an army and repel them. This time Israel did not turn away but defeated the aggressor and occupied its cities. Again, an ancient saying is quoted to mark this victory. … Their words anticipated the coming defeat of Moab, whose god was Chemosh (29;1 Ki. 11:33). Og, king of Bashan, was the next enemy defeated (32-35; a fuller account is in Dt. 3:1-11). After both victories, Israel occupied the land taken (25, 31, 35).[1]
Remember in the beginning of Psalm 136 God opens His window of Creation for all to see and gaze upon. God created everything, therefore everything belongs to Yhwh and no one else—including us. Sihon and Og were simply supposed to be stewards of the land, not owners. Yhwh owned the land, and He wasn’t going to let anyone stop Him from delivering His people to the land He promised them.
This window of God shows us that He is the Conqueror and Victor on behalf of His people. He was there to fight for them, and He’s still here to fight for you. The ultimate enemy against God and His people is Satan. Satan rules this present evil age, but he certainly doesn’t own it. God sent His Son to do battle against the enemy on a little plot of land called Calvary. There on the cross is where the barrier stood between life in the wilderness of sin and entrance into the Promised Land. There on the cross is where Jesus defeated more than Sihon and Og. He defeated the powers of sin, death, eternal damnation, and the devil himself. Three-days later this Conquering Victor rose from the grave that will shut each of us in some day. God’s window of Jesus’ death and resurrection demonstrates that this life of sufferings and hardships is not the end. There’s more to this journey that what the windows of the world and culture show us.
When the Sihons and Ogs of this world seek to deflate you; when it seems like God and His promises are so near and yet so far, don’t shut the window. Gaze through God’s window of Christ’s death and resurrection. This is the window that leads to God’s Promised Land for you!
[1] Naylor, Peter John. Numbers. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by D. A Carson, R. T France, J. A. Motyer, and Gordon J. Wenham. Accordance electronic edition, version 2.3. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994. 188.
A Redeker Respite 