Moses Smote Them - Joshua 12:6

In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east, Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon. And from the plain to the sea of Chinneroth on the east, and unto the sea of the plain, even the salt sea on the east, the way to Bethjeshimoth; and from the south, under Ashdothpisgah: And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei. And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Salcah, and in all Bashan, unto the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of Sihon king of Heshbon”, and in chapter twelve and verse six of Joshua we discover how “them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite” where we read, 

Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

The verse reads, “Them did Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel smite:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “them did Moses” which means “them, Og and Sihon, Moses whose name means ‘drawn out’ and was the prophet, lawgiver and leader of the exodus” “the servant of the LORD” or “the slave, bondman or man of servile condition” “and the children of Israel” which means “the offspring and progeny belonging to Israel whose name means’God prevails’ and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob” “smite” or “struck, hit, beat and killed”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Moses” was the leader of the people of “Israel” when they struck and killed kings “Og and Sihon”.

 

The verse goes on to say, “… and Moses the servant of the LORD gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.” Joshua or the writer continued with the words, “and Moses” which means “and Moses whose name means ‘drawn out’ and was the prophet, lawgiver and leader of the exodus” “the servant” or “the slave, bondman or man of servile condition” “of the LORD” which means “belonging to Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “gave it for a possession” or “granted, bestowed and assigned it, the lands of Og and Sihon, on behalf of a conquest, heritage or inheritance” “unto Reubenites” which means “to Reubenites whose name means ‘behold a son’ and were the descendants of Reuben”, “and the Gadites” or “and the Gadites whose name means ‘an invader: a troop; fortune’ and were the descendants of Gad”, “and the half tribe” which means “and one-half of the group or clan” “of Manasseh” or “belonging to Manasseh whose name means ‘causing to forget’ and were the descendants of Manasseh”. Joshua or the writer shared how “Moses” gave “the Reubenites, the Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh” the territory which was overtaken by “Israel” and previously ruled by “Og and Sihon”. (See Numbers 21:24-35; Deuteronomy 3:11-17)

When we meditate upon the words in this verse, we see how the land previously ruled by “Og and Sihon” which were on the east side of the Jordan River were given to “the Reubenites, the Gadites and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh” as an inheritance. “Moses” agreed to allow these “tribes” to have these lands provided if they would cross the “Jordan” river to help their fellow “tribes” with conquering the promise land. Jehovah God was fulfilling His word to bestow the promise land upon the children of “Israel”, and now was the time for the distribution of their different territories. God, who cannot lie, (See Titus 1:2) also promised forgiveness of sins and eternal life to “whosoever” believes in His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and rose from the dead after three days. When we yield our lives to Him, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and provide us with His Holy Spirit who will guide us into all truth and empower us to live according to that truth so we receive an inheritance from Him according to His perfect plan and will. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8)

Next time we discover how, “these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel smote on this side Jordan”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".