Messianic Education Trust
		Hukkat   (Num 19:1 - 22:1)

B'Midbar/Numbers 21:23   But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory

View whole verse and interlinear translation ...

After the death of Aharon at Mt. Hor, Israel moves on towards their entry into אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, Eretz Yisra'el, the Land of Israel, the land that The Name ...

HaShem: literally, Hebrew for 'The Name' - an allusion used to avoid pronouncing the Tetragrammaton, the so-called 'ineffable' name of G–d
HaShem had sworn to give to Avraham and his descendants for all time. Edom has already refused them passage, forcing a detour further to the east of the Dead Sea and Moshe has sent a message to Sihon, the Amorite king in Heshbon, asking permission to cross his territory on the well established caravan and trade route known as the King's Highway. This crossed through many small kingdoms as it passed from south of the Dead Sea up the eastern side of the River Jordan to rejoin the Via Maris (The Way of the Sea, which passed south to north west of the Jordan in the coastal plain, next to the Mediterranean) to the north and east of the Kinneret before going on to Damascus, Padan Aram and over to the cities in Mesopotamia.

Despite Israel's promise to keep strictly to the highway itself and not to enter any of the neighbouring fields and vineyards, nor to drink water from the wells, our text tells us that Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. Like Edom he assembled all his troops and advanced towards Israel but, unlike Edom, he was not content simply to put on a big show at the border as a deterrent, but "went out against Israel in the wilderness. He came to Jahaz and engaged Israel in battle" (B'Midbar 21:23, NJPS). He attempted a preemptive strike, but was heavily defeated with all his cities and lands being captured and his people placed under the ban - devoted to destruction. Israel "put them to the sword, and took possession of their land, from the Arnon to the Jabbok" (v. 24, NJPS).

Given that the Israelites were a very large number of men, with current military experience and reputation under their belt - they had only recently completely defeated "the Canaanite, king of Arad, who dwelt in the Negeb" (v. 1, NJPS) and devoted all his people to destruction - what was Sihon thinking? Was this not a rather foolish act of bravado? The result certainly seems to suggest that it was. Who Is ...

Rashi: Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105 CE), French rabbi who wrote commentaries on the Torah, the Prophets and the Talmud, lived in Troyes where he founded a yeshiva in 1067; focuses on the plain meaning (p'shat) of the text, although sometimes quite cryptic in his brevity
Rashi quotes a midrash that claims that Sihon acted as a paid gate-keeper in the strip of land between the Jordan and the eastern desert, that "all of the kings of Canaan would pay tribute to him, for he would guard them so that invading armies should not pass through them. Once Israel said to him, 'Let me pass through your land,' he said to them, 'There is no other reason for me to be dwelling here but to guard them against you, and you say this?'" This implies that Sihon was duty-bound to engage in combat; he could not let Israel pass by and so fail to defend his clients.

On the other hand, reminding the Israelites about Sihon just a few months later, during his summary for the entry generation of the years in the wilderness since leaving Sinai, Moshe tells them that "King Sihon of Heshbon refused to let us pass through, because the L-RD had stiffened his will and hardened his heart in order to deliver him into your power -- as is now the case" (D'varim 2:30, NJPS). This is sufficiently pressing that he repeats himself at the end of his teaching: "And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them" (29:7, NJPS). Why is it important that this new generation of Israelites know that they didn't start the fight; that it was forced upon them by the attacks of others? The history of the Jewish people, from Roman times until the modern day, is a catalogue of unprovoked attacks against the Jews by a variety of larger and smaller peoples and groups, seeking to destroy or impoverish them by force of arms, by economic threat or social coercion.

Yeshua faced this situation a number of times during His years of ministry. In one of the early incidents in Mark's gospel, Yeshua is teaching in the synagogue. The people are astonished because of the way He is teaching - "as one who had authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22, ESV) - and are hanging on His words. But, Mark tells us, "immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 'What have you to do with us, Yeshua of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are -- the Holy One of G-d'" (vv. 23-24, ESV). Where did that come from? Who provoked that and why? The enemy provoked that in order to cause an interruption, a disturbance, to take people's eyes and ears off Yeshua, in the hope that perhaps He or the people might lose the thread and the teaching moment would be overshadowed by the shouting and commotion as the man was quieted down or put out.

The unclean spirit uses an illicit revelation of Yeshua's identity in order to generate confusion and contention as people argue about whether it is true or not. But Yeshua is not having any of it; without missing a beat, He "rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying out with a loud voice, came out of him" (vv. 25-26, ESV). Just like the Israelites summarily defeating and destroying Sihon, Yeshua silenced and expelled the unclean spirit. The net outcome is that the enemy's attempt at disruption is turned on its head. Instead of confusion and argument, the congregation are amazed and recognise not only Yeshua's teaching but His authority: "A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him" (v. 27, ESV). And just as with the Israelites - when Joshua's spies go into Jericho they find a woman who tells them "we have heard how the L-RD dried up the waters of the Sea of Reeds for you when you left Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings across the Jordan, whom you destroyed" (Joshua 2:10, NJPS) - so Yeshua's reputation is magnified: "at once His fame spread everywhere throughout all the surrounding region of Galilee" (Mark 1:28, ESV).

Once we recognise the pattern, we can hear the gospel writers telling us time and again how the enemy is constantly challenging Yeshua - whether through unclean spirits, the scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish leaders or even sometimes the disciples - breaking His train of thought, asking provocative questions, trying to block His way and distract the people from the truths that He is telling them about the kingdom of G-d. Every time, Yeshua turns the situation around and uses it to defeat the enemy, to demonstrate the power and presence of the kingdom and to drive home His teaching. Even His arrest and crucifixion - surely the biggest interruption of all and seemingly allowed to pass unanswered - is turned round as Yeshua uses the cross to achieve G-d's ultimate purpose of redemption and His resurrection as the proof that He has defeated the power of sin and death once and for all.

Rav Sha'ul also experienced this distraction technique in Philippi. Sha'ul and Silas have been followed around for days by a slave girl "who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling" (Acts 16:16, ESV). She trailed after Sha'ul and his companions crying out, "These men are servants of the Most High G-d, who proclaim to you the way of salvation" (v. 17, ESV). True as the words might be, Sha'ul commanded the spirit to leave her, which it did and Sha'ul was promptly seized and dragged before the magistrates for creating a public disturbance and teaching unlawful practice. Sha'ul and Silas were thoroughly beaten and thrown into prison. What an interruption and breakage in their efforts to tell people about Yeshua! Now they will never be abe to speak to anyone and no-one will take them seriously or listen to what they have to say.

Just watch how G-d turned their situation around. Sha'ul and Silas are singing hymns in the middle of the night when there is a great earthquake, all the prison doors are opened and all the chains are broken off. The jailor is distraught, for such a loss of prisoners would surely cost him his life, but then Sha'ul calls out to tell him that everyone is still there - no-one is lost. The jailor falls to his knees and asks, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30, ESV). He and his whole household hear all about Yeshua, believe and are baptised right there and then! Sha'ul and Silas can move on to the next city, for the jailor and his household are a ready-formed house-group and congregation. All the prisoners saw and heard the earthquake and the power of G-d; they will be talking about it till the end of their days. The name of Yeshua was lifted up and proclaimed from the rooftops!

So what about us? We get excited when we remember Yeshua telling the disciples, "whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father" (John 14:12, ESV) and comfort ourselves that this means us, that as disciples of Yeshua we should be doing the same things that He did - healing the sick, cleansing the impure, raising the dead - but it surely means also that we will be subject to the same attacks, disruptions, interruptions and - frankly - persecution and attempted intimidation that Yeshua was. We can expect that when we are doing the things that Yeshua did, or even starting to move in that direction, the enemy will come out against us - he seeks to destroy us. If we are to see G-d's glory and His miracles wrought in and through us, we must expect that the same levels of distraction and difficulty will surround us and be turned around by G-d for His glory. If that is not happening, then we need to ask why not - why is the enemy content to leave us alone?

Have you ever been interrupted in the middle of a sermon, or heckled when doing street theatre? Has the PA suddenly stopped or gone haywire in the middle of worship? What about the car breaking down or refusing to start on the way to a prayer meeting? Think "Sihon, king of Heshbon; here we go again!" and look for how G-d is about to turn the situation around to His glory. Cry out to Yeshua for the enemy to be completely thwarted and for the name of Yeshua to be exalted, right now and in this place!

Further Study: Joshua 11:19-20; Matthew 8:28-29; Romans 8:31-32

Application: Do you ever feel that you are banging your head against the wall in your attempts to share Yeshua's invitation with people? Know that the enemy has refused you passage through his territory and has come out against you to destroy you. "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4, NASB). Our G-d already has a plan to overcome the enemy; ask Him what it is and then put it into practice!

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© Jonathan Allen, 2024

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