And we’re in on it. Deuteronomy 3.15-22
Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Deuteronomy (3)
Pray Psalm 32.1, 2.
Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Sing Psalm 32.1, 2.
(Hendon: Take My Life and Let It Be)
Blessed are they whose sins the LORD has forgiven by His Word!
Pure their spirits are within; them He charges with no sin;
them He charges with no sin!
Read Deuteronomy 3.12-22; meditate on verses 21, 22.
Preparation
1. What had God done for Israel to this point?
2. What did He promise them?
Meditation
We sometimes wonder about Israel’s destruction of the Canaanites and the appropriation of their property. But consider: The people of the land of Canaan had been abundantly blessed by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When their descendants removed to Egypt, the Canaanites had no qualms about taking over their properties, and God allowed them to do this, so that they flourished on the foundation of God’s covenant with Israel. And how did they respond? They became tribal, like the ancient Greeks, and maintained a steady economy of war and plunder. They developed disgusting and cruel false deities to justify their abominable moral practice. They were treacherous, deceitful, brutal, and immoral. They squandered the gifts of God and mocked Him by their idolatries. And they did not intend to change their ways.
Thus, God gave them and their property to His nation of priests, having given them the Law, shown them His promises, and directed them in their way. The good gifts of God would soon be in the hands of His people once again, to be developed and used as He intended. And all who resisted them or sought to destroy them would themselves be destroyed. Only those, like Rahab, who repented and turned to the Lord would be spared.
This great plundering of the Canaanites began on the east side of the Jordan. What happened there, God promised, would happen throughout the land of Canaan if His people would obey His Word. The plundering of the Canaanites east of the Jordan foreshadowed that which would soon follow through the Canaanite lands.
And this plundering of the Canaanites—this restoring of God’s good land and resources for Lawful and God-honoring use—foreshadowed Christ’s plundering of the devil’s kingdom, which Jesus announced had already begun with His drubbing of the devil in the wilderness (Matt. 4.1-11; 12.22-29). And Jesus’ initial plundering of Satan’s holdings—healings, deliverance from devils, resurrections, and the saving of souls—was itself a foreshadowing of the work He appointed to us, to redeem and restore the reconciled world to God in all its facets, components, peoples, cultures, and lands, for the praise of the glory of our King and Savior.
The plundering has begun, and the weapons of our warfare are sufficient. His Kingdom has come to the Canaan of the wrong-believing world, and nothing can resist His advance.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
If we are to continue the drubbing of Satan that Christ began, we must make sure that we are accomplishing that work in the same way Jesus did. He did it by, through, and with the Word of God:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”’
“It is written, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’”
“Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Matt. 4.4, 7, 10).
Jesus was fully dressed in the “whole armor of God” and was “able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
Of what, then, did His armor consist? Was it lots of chainmail? Perhaps Kevlar reinforced? No, it was garb fit for fighting against “principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness.” So, to fight off these enemies, as Jesus did, we need:
-to be girded around our waist with truth
-to put on the breastplate of righteousness
-to cover our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace
-to take the shield of faith to protect against the fiery darts of the wicked one
-to put on the helmet of salvation
-to carry the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God
-to pray always in the Spirit
-to be watchful in prayer for all the saints
-to be bold to make known the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 6.11-19).
Dressed and prepared for the battle:
“You must not fear them, for the LORD your God Himself fights for you” (Deut. 3.22).
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6.10).
Some things never change. From Moses to Jesus to us, the marching orders are the same.
Plunder on, trusting in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!
This is the work He has appointed for us to do: “to redeem and restore the reconciled world to God in all its facets, components, peoples, cultures, and lands, for the praise of the glory of our King and Savior.” Remembering always that “nothing can resist His advance.”
And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us:
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure;
One little Word shall fell him.
That Word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still;
His kingdom is forever.
(Martin Luther, 1529)
Reflection
1. How competent do you feel in using all the weapons of our warfare?
2. How would you counsel a new believer to begin each day with all our weapons at the ready?
3. Whom will you encourage today in using the weapons of our warfare?
Consider what God has done, what God has promised. If God be for us, who can be against us, so as to prevail? Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Deuteronomy 3.21, 22
Pray Psalm 32.3-11.
Pray that you will keep learning, keep growing in Jesus, and continue serving Him faithfully in every aspect of your life. Lay before Him in detail your opportunities for plundering Satan’s household today, and call on Him for mercy and grace for all your times of need.
Sing Psalm 32.3-11.
(Hendon: Take My Life and Let It Be)
When in silence I remained, groaning in my sinful pain,
You Your hand upon me lay; all my strength You drained away,
all my strength You drained away.
I confessed my sin to You; You forgave me, ever true!
Let confession’s pleading sound reach You while You may be found,
reach You while You may be found!
When flood waters threaten me, You my hiding place will be.
O’er them I will rise above, buoyed by Your redeeming love,
buoyed by Your redeeming love.
Teach me, LORD, how I should live; sound instruction ever give.
Let me never stubborn be; let Your eye watch over me,
let Your eye watch over me.
Though the wicked wail and weep, they rejoice whose souls You keep.
Trusting, we exult with praise, joyf’ly singing all our days,
joyf’ly singing all our days!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
