Quick Note – Deuteronomy 9:1-3 – Nothing Against Our God

Deuteronomy 9:1-3 – “Hear, O Israel: you are to cross over the Jordan today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, cities great and fortified up to heaven, 2 a people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you have heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the sons of Anak?’ 3 Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you.

In the last two devotionals, we discussed why we shouldn’t worry.  1) We shouldn’t worry in difficult or trying situations, because God takes care of those who aren’t His children and will most certainly take care of you.  2) We shouldn’t worry, because God has taken care of you in the past, and He will continue to be faithful and to take care of you in the future.  These lessons came from the encouraging words that Moses shared with the people of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land.  They were fearful of the giants and strong inhabitants that currently occupied the land – the Anakim.  They were worried that they would be unable to conquer and claim the land God had promised them.  To assuage those fears, Moses reminded them of how God conquered the land for the Moabites, Ammonites, and children of Esau and would most certainly do it for them (Deuteronomy 2:20-22).  Then, Moses reminded them of how God took care of them in Egypt and the wilderness and would most certainly take care of them in the future (Deuteronomy 3:21-22).  Finally, Moses shared with them the third reason why they shouldn’t worry in our passage today (Deuteronomy 9:1-3).  Do not worry, because the One who will conquer for you is the LORD your God. 

According to our passage, the Anakim were a tall, great, and mighty people.  They were so powerful that the phrase, “Who can stand before the sons of Anak?” was a common saying at the time.  People knew of their strength and feared them greatly.  It was basically hopeless to fight against them.  Even, Goliath, the giant who towered over but was eventually killed by David, might have been a descendant of Anak.  So you can surely understand why the Israelites were afraid of them.  However, Moses reminded the people of Israel that these giants were nothing compared to the consuming fire that is the Lord their God.  Rather than focusing on the obstacle, the problem, the giants in front of them, Moses wanted to redirect their attention to who their God was.  This was the God who had sent the ten plagues to Egypt and delivered His people from captivity.  This was the God who split the Red Sea in half, allowing His people to cross on dry land while escaping Pharaoh’s army.  This was the God who miraculously provided manna for food in the wilderness.  This was the God who gave them water from a rock.  This was the God who opened up the earth and swallowed up those who rebelled against Moses.  This God was the pillar of cloud that led them by day and pillar of fire by night, directing them in this desert land.  This was the God who defeated Og, King of Bashan, and Sihon, King of Heshbon.  This God was all-powerful and all-knowing yet showed love, mercy, and grace to this stubborn people who disobeyed Him constantly.  This was their Creator God.  Who could stand before Him?  If God was for them, who could stand against them? 

When worries come into your life, when you are fearful of the many obstacles that may stand in your way, when you feel depressed because of the trials that have come, then remember who your God is.  Your God is the Creator of the universe, who spoke this world and all that you see into existence.  Your God is the Lord of Creation, who could send earthquakes and hail to punish but also calm the storms.  Your God is the Miracle Worker, who caused the blind to see, opened the ears of the deaf, and raised the dead.  Your God is the Source of wisdom from whom direction can always be sought.  Your God is a caring Father, who constantly provides for His creation and His children.  Your God is a loving Savior, who was willing to go to the cross and die for your sins.  Your God is great.  Romans 8:31 – “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  There is no need to worry when nothing can stand against your God – neither height, depth, things present or things to come, death or life, angels or rulers, nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Quick Note – Deuteronomy 2:20-22 – God the Giant Killer

Deuteronomy 2:20-22 – “It is also counted as a land of Rephaim.  Rephaim formerly lived there – but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim – a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the LORD destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they disposed them and settled in their place, as he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day.”

When we face trials and difficulties in our lives, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed – to feel like we are drowning under the weight of the troubles with no rescue in sight.  The obstacles seem insurmountable, and the burdens too great to bear.  And it is during those times that our faith falters – that we begin to question whether our God is as powerful, as loving, and as gracious as the Bible describes.  The hardships just seem too tall, and we feel dwarfed by these giants. 

These are the thoughts that went through the Israelites’ minds when they first approached the land of Canaan.  After escaping from Egypt, traversing through the wilderness for two years, and finally arriving at the boundaries of the Promised Land, they sent spies out to scout the land.  These twelve spies returned with ten of them giving a bad report by telling the people of Israel that the people who dwelt in the land were giants, the cities were fortified, and that they had no chance of beating them, especially since the Anakim dwelt there (Read Numbers 13-14 and Deuteronomy 1).  The Anakim were people that were tall and strong.  This report sent waves of doubt into the hearts of the Israelites.  Rather than trusting God to defeat the Anakim, they let their fear direct their actions and rebelled against Moses and God.  They were then punished by God and had to wander in the wilderness for thirty-eight years with none of that generation being able to enter the land other than Joshua and Caleb, the two good spies.  Eventually, the children of the past generation were able to conquer the land, but they were delayed for almost forty years, because they refused to trust in God.

You may be wondering why I am reviewing this story about the Israelites when our verses for today focus on the Ammonites and the people of Esau and make no mention of the Israelites.  The reason I bring this up is because like the Israelites, the Ammonites and the people of Esau had to deal with their own giants when they were settling the land promised to them.  The Ammonites fought the Rephaim who were great and many, and as tall as the Anakim.  The people of Esau fought the Horites, who may have been giants as well.  The Moabites fought the Rephaim, who were also giants (Deuteronomy 2:10).  Each of these groups of people who were related to the Israelites (Moab and Ammon came from Lot, the nephew of Abraham, who is the father of the people of Israel.  Esau was the brother of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham.) dispossessed a group of giants to inherit the land God had promised to give them.  This was precedence of God’s faithfulness.  These were previous examples of His power.  Yet, even though, the people of Israel knew that God had done this previously for other nations, they doubted that God would defeat the Anakim, the giants in front of them.  They faltered in their faith even though God had shown Himself to be faithful.  

When we face adversities and troubles which seem like undefeatable giants, we need to look to the past and recall God’s faithfulness to others and to ourselves.  We should speak to other Christians who have faced similar giants and hear their testimonies of God’s deliverance.  We should read the Word of God and see the many examples in the Bible of God’s provision, God’s mercy, and God’s love.  We should recall the times that God has conquered the giants in our lives previously.  If God will work in the lives of others, He will and surely can work in your life as well.  So when you are faced with your giant, remember that God conquered Goliath for David (1 Samuel 16), your giant will fall as well.