INTERNET BIBLE STUDIES

Hebrew History Part 5

We continue our studies this week as we study "Moab, Ammon, and the Amorites"

Introduction:

Last week we left Israel just as they were ready to go over into the land of Moab. God went with them as they travel to this new land.

I. Israel goes into the land of Moab

Num 21:11 And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ijeabarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.

We see Israel coming to Ije-abarim in the wilderness just before Moab.

Num 21:12 From thence they removed, and pitched in the valley of Zared.

The people move the wilderness and go into the valley of Zared. This land was on the southern border of Moab. In our daily walk with the Lord, we may not always understand why he leads us to the places he does, but we need to always have the faith to know that wherever God’s presence and spirit reside, we can rest assured that he will take care of us. As many of the missionaries who have visited our church have said, it is better to be in the wilderness of a foreign land like Russia or the Phillipines, than to be out of God’s will in a nice place, no matter how nice and wonderful it may be. We have the knowledge that God will be with us all the way, so we need like Israel to follow and trust him.

The Moabites were descendants of Moab, the son of Lot’s oldest daughter.

Gen 19:36 Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father.

Gen 19:37 And the firstborn bare a son, and called his name Moab: the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.

We see that this sin that these girls took part in caused trouble for the nation of Israel for many years. The Moabites first inhabited the rich highlands along the eastern side of the Dead Sea extending as far north as the mountain of Gilead. This was the place where they dispelled the Emims, the original inhabitants.

Deu 2:11 Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.

They were drive southward by the warlike Amorites, who had crossed Jordan and confined to the country south of the river Arnon, which formed the northern boundary. The Israelites, while entering the promised land, did not pass through the land of the Moabites. Rather, they conquered the Amorites who occupied the county from which the Moabites had recently been expelled. After Israel’s conquest of Canaan, the relations of Moab with Israel varied. Sometimes they were warlike, othertimes peaceful.

The Moabites believed in a religion of polytheism which believes in more than one god. The worshipped the false gods Chemosh and Peor.

1 Ki 11:33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father.

Num 31:15 And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

Num 31:16 Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the LORD.

Josh 22:17 Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the LORD,

Many groups that claim to be religious believe in more than one god. When Paul came up to Mars Hill, he found the people there had monuments established for many gods, even one to the "unknown god". Paul took this opportunity to teach about the one and true Living God, the God Jehovah that we worship.

Acts 17:21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

Acts 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

Acts 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

Acts 17:24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

Acts 17:25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

Acts 17:26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

Acts 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

We see in prophecy that the land of Moab is one of the nations that will not be conquered by the antichrist during the Great Tribulation period.

Dan 11:41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

The people removed from Zared, the southern border of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon. This was the northern border of Moab at this time which was the border between the Moabites and the Amorites.

Num 21:13 From thence they removed, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, which is in the wilderness that cometh out of the coasts of the Amorites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

We see that Israel went up the eastern side of Moab, but did not come within the borders of Moab.

Judg 11:17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.

Judg 11:18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.

Israel asked for permission to pass peacefully through Moab, but they were refused. When we ask the world to let us as Christians to do things that we know will not hurt anything, we should not be surprised if they decline to help us. The world does not understand us, and we should not desire to be like the world.

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Deu 2:8 And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

Deu 2:9 And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

We see that Israel did not try to take Moab because they had been given a command from God to not distress the Moabites. They were wise to follow God’s desire. When we follow God’s commandments, it pleases the Lord.

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

John 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

We see that after they left Arnon, that they went into "Beer", in the wilderness.

Num 21:16 And from thence they went to Beer: that is the well whereof the LORD spake unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.

After leaving Beer, the travel to Mattanah and then to Nahaliel and then to Bamoth. From there they went to the top of the mountain Pisgah.

Num 21:18 The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness they went to Mattanah:

Num 21:19 And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

Num 21:20 And from Bamoth in the valley that is in the country of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh toward Jeshimon.

Since the people of Israel were not granted permission to pass through his land, King Sihon, of the Amorites, declared war on Israel.

Num 21:21 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

Num 21:22 Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink of the waters of the well: but we will go along by the king's high way, until we be past thy borders.

Num 21:23 And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness: and he came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

Num 21:24 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon: for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

Sihon was defeated and his land was taken from the river Arnon (on northern side of Moab) to the river Jabbok. (A river that crossed the land of the Amorites at the northern boundary of Ammon) and then southward along the western border.

We find that the progenitor of the children of Ammonites was Ben-Ammi, a son of Lot by his youngest daughter.

Gen 19:38 And the younger, she also bare a son, and called his name Benammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.

We see that the children of Israel did not come into the land of the Ammonites.

Deu 2:37 Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbad us.

Deu 3:1 Then we turned, and went up the way to Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.

None of their nation were allowed to enter into the congregation of the Lord to the tenth generation. Sin may seem to sometimes have a small price, but many times it has a greater price than we would ever think. It may affect both our immediate family and those that follow after us for many generations.

Deu 23:3 An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the LORD for ever:

Israel then goes towards Bashan.

Num 21:32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.

Num 21:33 And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he, and all his people, to the battle at Edrei.

Num 21:34 And the LORD said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Heshbon.

Num 21:35 So they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, until there was none left him alive: and they possessed his land.

We see Og, king of Bashan, went out against Israel and was defeated. When we choose to fight against God, we will always lose. But when we are on God’s side, we are on the winning side everytime. We just need to always check that the spirits are truly of God, and be sure we are on His side.

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