Deuteronomy Chapter 2: Warnings/Advice re. Edom, Moab, & Ammon; and the Conquest of Sihon
The Passage and Some Thoughts
Verses 1-8 deal with God’s
warning to the Israelites not to meddle with Edom. I particularly like God’s
words in verse 3 where He says, “You have circled this mountain (Seir) long
enough. Now turn north…” Stop to think
about that for a moment. God knew exactly where the Israelites were and how
long they were there, and what they went through while there. And it’s the same
for us. He knows where we are in life’s long journey right now; what we’re
going through; how long we’ve been at it; and how long we need to stay there.
We are not alone. God is there and He knows. And He is sufficient for us.
From verses 4-8, we can see
that God knows where we are to go next. And it may be just as dangerous as we
were or worse. This is where the people of Esau had settled. They were the
Edomites and God calls them the brothers of the Israelites. They were not to be
provoked at all and God told the Israelites He would not give them any of the lands of the Edomites. I like verse 5
where He says, not “even as little as a footstep”. The Israelites were just to be passing through.
In verse 6 we learn that they could buy food and water from the Edomites for
money, but that was it. And that was all that they needed, as God Himself said
to them, in verse 7b, “These forty years the Lord your God has been with you;
you have not lacked a thing.” Chuck Smith says that’s a miracle – over one
million people, for 40 years, in the wilderness – and they never lacked a
single thing. Wow. That’s our God. [The
most famous Edomite was likely Herod the Great in the New Testament whom the
Jews hated because he was an Edomite yet wanted to be received and respected as
a Jew.]
And from there, the
Israelites moved on to Moab, closer to the Jordan River. Verses 9-15 describe
how God tells them not to “harass Moab”.
This is where the sons of Lot had settled, and God had given them this
land so again the Israelites were not to get any of it. And so, they pressed
on, crossing over the brook Zered. And in verse 14 we read that by then, “all
the generation of the men of the war perished from within the camp, as the Lord
had sworn to them.” But they didn’t just die at their own speed or pace. Verse
15 says, “Moreover the hand of the Lord was against them to destroy them from
within the camp until they all perished.” There is nothing, my friend, that will
stop the will of God. We need to know it, believe it, respect it. [The most famous Moabite was Ruth of the Old
Testament. She, through marriage, became a grandmother to King David, and thus
an ancestor of our Messiah, Jesus.]
Verses 16 to 23 deal with the
warning not to harass the sons of Ammon. They were also part of the family of
Lot and God had given them land as well. Again, the Israelites were not to
provoke these folks. God was not giving them any of their lands either.
Then in verses 24-37, we read
about the conquest of Sihon, which is also told in the book of Numbers
(21:21-35). Even before they go there, God tells the Israelites He has given that
land into their hands. So, He says, it’s a done deal, but you need to “Arise,
set out, begin to take possession, and fight them in battle.” (verse 24) I don’t
know about you, but it seems to me that this also a great image of our lives in
and through Jesus Christ. God says, “Look it’s a done deal. The war is
guaranteed. You’ve won because of Christ’s sacrifice. You are saved. But look,
son/daughter, you need to arise, take possession, and fight the good fight.”
And I assure you that it will be a fight for the Enemy of God, who may well
know that he has lost the battle of your soul – you are saved – still tries to
snatch you back.
Now I love verse 25. Please look
it up and read it. Oh, that we God would grant us that today in this world that
we are living in. Clearly, this is not one of those verses that we can claim
literally for us here and now. This was for the Israelites. Upon careful
reading, you will note that this fear that God will put on others to dread the
Israelites would be “everywhere under the heavens”. And we still see this today
– the majority of countries detest Israel, but they are all afraid of attacking
her head on militarily because they also fear her ability to defend herself. For
the believer, we know that Israel’s strength is due to God’s love for them and
His promises to her.
In verses 26 and onward,
Moses explains how he had sent messages to the Sihon king saying the Israelites
just wanted to pass through, buy bread and water from them, and leave them in
peace. But the Sihon king wouldn’t allow it. Abd in verse 30, Moses says God
hardened the king’s “spirit and made his heart obstinate” so that he would have
been delivered into the hands of the Israelites as God had promised.
And that’s exactly what
happened. He was defeated, all his cities were captured and utterly destroyed.
No male, female, or child survivor was left. Animals and booty were taken as
spoils. God fully delivered all the land to the Israelites.
But let’s go back for a
moment to the contents of verse 30. Sihon didn’t agree to let the Israelites
pass. And God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate. Now let’s
remember what transpired and when: First, God says He will give the Israelites
victory over this king. Then secondly, the king refuses to let them pass through
as Moses had requested. And it was only then that we read that God hardened his
heart in order that he would be delivered into the hands of the Israelites as
God had said would be the case.
This is not a time to say or
argue, “yes, but if God hadn’t hardened his spirit, this wouldn’t have happened”.
In all due respect, God knew it would happen, God wanted it to happen, the king
behaved as he did, and God just ensured it by hardening his spirit. We are not
dealing here with “two equally God-loving leaders” – Sihon and Moses – but rather
the former was a king of a very idolatrous nation. Had they both been
God-loving servants of the Almighty, this specific story may have had a totally
different plot. This was also true of Moses vs. Pharaoh – God kept hardening
Pharaoh’s heart. But Pharaoh was not a God-loving ruler.
What I’m trying to say here
is that God’s plan will unfold as He planned it. Because He knows the heart of
each of the players or characters involved in any given situation. He sees the
outline of events from their conception to their conclusion.
Wrap-up
Once again in ‘remembering’ the
history of Israel through the wilderness with Moses and the children of God, we
see the incredible providence of our Lord, the great “I AM”. He is with us, He provides for us, He goes
before us, and He delivers us.
Perhaps we need to stop and
reflect on our own journey, our own circumstances, our own trials. We can work
our own way through our wilderness alone, without God, and maybe fail to get to
the Beulah land He has promised us, or we can journey every year, every month,
every day, and every moment, with Him. And lack nothing of necessity. It’s our
choice.
It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.
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