2:24b-25: - See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle. This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you."
Echoing the call to faith and action issued to the previous generation to "see" what Yahweh had set before them (1:8 & 21) this recounting opens with a similar call to "see" how Yahweh is giving into GenB's hands Sihon and his land. A new tone, one of confidence and renewed drive, permeates this transition. After three denials—"I will not give (natan) you any . . . (2:5, 9, 19)—GenB is now showered with two acts of divine largesse: "I have given (natan) into your hands Sihon" (2:24) and "I will begin to put (natan) the terror and fear of you on the nations (v25).
In an allusion to GenA's accusation that Yahweh intended to "give" them and their children into the hands of the Amorites (1:27), the first gift refutes that lie: Yahweh now gives into their children's hands, as the firstfruit of their conquest, an Amorite king. To make good that gift, Israel is now directed to initiate those very actions that would stir up war with Sihon, actions that had been prohibited t them in their encounters with the Edomites, Moabites and Ammonites. Fear, by its power to demoralize, is a vital—and often the determining—element of war. Now, Yahweh promises to "give" (natan) terror and fear in the hearts of all the nations (literally, "upon the face of the nations under all the heavens"), not only of Sihon and his people. The battle with Sihon would only be the first of many to come. When, at the proper time, Yahweh initiates an action, He also already knows the result—"when they hear reports of you, they will tremble and be in anguish." We cannot always anticipate the results of our labour, but Yahweh can and never commands for which He is not already aware. This is the basis of our confidence in faith. This is, of course, simply the positive side of the coin that underlies Paul's encouragement about the temptations that face us in life, "God is faithful; he [knows and] will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." (1 Cor 10:13).
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, rev., 2021