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Deuteronomy 3:1-2   Next we turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with his whole army marched out to meet us in battle at Edrei.  The LORD said to me, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land.  Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.”

As I plough through these chapters in Deuteronomy each year I find, as a 21^st century believer, that I am struggling a bit with emotions.  Our culture dictates that I should feel profoundly guilty that I belong to a cultural heritage that took possession of another culture’s land and colonised it by forced settlement.

But here in the revealed Truth, given to us by the supreme, Divine Creator of all things himself in his inspired Word, we read that that he carries out his eternal purposes by doing this very same thing among the nations!  I also note that even in the New Testament it is declared that: “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.  God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us” (Acts 17:26-27).

So, from his perspective, he brought us here to the ‘Great South Land of the Holy Spirit’ in order that we might declare the gospel to the indigenous inhabitants – and it is wonderful to meet with indigenous Christians who warmly embrace this fact, and thank God for it.

Let us continue to pray for indigenous missionaries, that they might be able to testify after the fashion of the apostle Paul in writing to the Thessalonians: “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in [Australia] – your faith in God has become known everywhere.  Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us.  They tell how you turned to God from [serpent] idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath”  (1 Thessalonians 1:8-10)!

Notwithstanding the authenticity of all these sovereign workings of Almighty God, Israel did fail badly in their assigned function after the conquest: not only to be blessed by the LORD, but to be a blessing to the nations (cf Genesis 12:1-3).  And I fear this is where we, too, have failed badly, and are collectively truly guilty.

Just reflecting on all this makes me resolve to be more faithful in prayer for indigenous ministries.

– Bruce Christian