"21 Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, 22 “Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” 23 But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. 24 And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. 25 And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. 26 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the ballad singers say,
“Come to Heshbon, let it be built;
let the city of Sihon be established.
28 For fire came out from Heshbon,
flame from the city of Sihon.
It devoured Ar of Moab,
and swallowed[f] the heights of the Arnon.
29 Woe to you, O Moab!
You are undone, O people of Chemosh!
He has made his sons fugitives,
and his daughters captives,
to an Amorite king, Sihon.
30 So we overthrew them;
Heshbon, as far as Dibon, perished;
and we laid waste as far as Nophah;
fire spread as far as Medeba.”
31 Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32 And Moses sent to spy out Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. 33 Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 34 But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35 So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land."
Numbers 21:21-35
The incidents recorded in these verses are similar in content and significance to Israel's earlier experience in 20:1422 with Edom. Once again, as previously, Moses declares his intention of going 'by the King's highway' (22); but to no avail, and the Amorites confront Israel just as Edom earlier did. This, as we said, symbolises the conflict between the people of God and the world: it is, ultimately, an irreconcilable conflict, and one that is fought to the death. What is said in 34 is ever the heritage of God's people in the ongoing battle. It is God's battle, and the victory is His. All that is needed is for His people to be at one with Him in His purposes in the world: given that, no power on earth can finally resist or oppose them. But the work of God ever advances by the way of conflict, whether in Old Testament times or in New, or today, and it is simply unrealistic for us to think otherwise, or to imagine that we will ever 'get by' in our Christian experience without encountering opposition of one kind or an- other. As Paul says, 'We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God' (Acts 14:22).
The number of place names mentioned in this passage reminds us of the value of con- sulting a good map, to trace the movements of Israel during this time and to gather something of the strategy of their advance towards the Promised Land.