Before the children of Israel ever faced Jericho or crossed the Jordan River they had some battles to fight. Two of these important battles were with Sihon and Og. These seem to stand out among the battles that they fought. In Psalm 135 it mentions Sihon and Og by name and then bunches all the Canaanites together.
Psalms 135:10-11 KJV 10 Who smote great nations, and slew mighty kings; 11 Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan:
Why were these two so important? I am going to try to shed a little light on this.
First let’s look at Sihon.
Sihon has a few different meanings. Sihon is referred to as a warrior, as being tempestuous.
The word tempestuous is characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion, and very stormy.
Sihon has the central ruling activity of the state of consciousness while man is under the dominion of the carnal mind. It is the strong, seemingly unconquerable desire of the animal nature of man; also the almost ferocious determination with which he carries his desires into activity.
If you look at these from a spiritual perspective this points to the flesh and its carnal way. The strong, unpredictable, sometimes violent emotions. The strong seemingly unconquerable desire of man. This is the carnal mind.
Israel wanted to pass by peacefully. They didn’t want to fight. Sihon though wouldn’t stand for it. The same way that the flesh will not allow you to move towards the things God wants you to do. No it will cause a problem.
So Israel meets Sihon at Jahaz to fight. Jahaz was understood to be a threshing floor. The threshing floor is where the good is removed from the bad. It was a place of separation. We are commanded to come out from the world and be separate.
2 Corinthians 6:17 KJV Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
How do you come out from among the world? Repentance is the first step in this process. You must change from the ways of this world. Then we must live a separated life. We cannot live just any old way. We must keep our flesh under subjection. Because the flesh and the Spirit or contrary each other (they oppose each other).
Galatians 5:17-26 KJV
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
What about Og?
Deuteronomy 3:11 KJV For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.
Og represents a spirit of tiredness, slumber, laziness or self comfort. This is evident in that the Bible takes the time to give the dimensions of his bed though it never gave his size.
We must overcome this spirit. How though? As Jesus said some things only come by prayer and fasting. I know you didn’t want to hear that. Why, because we don’t want to put that work in. We don’t want to crucify the flesh. That’s hard work. I’m with you, I don’t like it either. Both of these were battles though. Something had to die. Our self-will has to die.
Romans 8:13-14 WEB 13 For if you live after the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.
Look at what it says after Og was defeated.
Deuteronomy 3:3-5 KJV
3 So the LORD our God delivered into our hands Og also, the king of Bashan, and all his people: and we smote him until none was left to him remaining. 4 And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan. 5 All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates, and bars; beside unwalled towns a great many.
Hebrews 12:3-4 ISV
3 Think about the one who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you may not become tired and give up. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Do you want to live in victory? Do you want to take your promise land? (Side note: the promise land is not heaven. There is nothing in heaven that we have to drive out. In the promise land though there will be.) What if this is what stands between you and revival in your family, revival in your city, between you and your promise. Just as Og stood between Israel and their promise. Isn’t that worth it to you? So we have to clean out our lives. So we have to live a life of repentance and separation. So we may miss a few meals. It’s not about our comfort. It’s about the kingdom. It’s about lost souls. How much is a lost soul worth? Jesus thought they were worth His blood. He made the ultimate sacrifice.
Both Sihon and Og represent the flesh and denying the flesh is how we defeat them. We must be as Paul and die to our carnal desires daily. 1 Corinthians 15:31 KJV….. I die daily.
What will you do? Will you fight or will you turn back to captivity? Do you want your promise? Do you want what God wants for you? Then fight for it.
Joshua 24:15 KJV And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.