Deuteronomy
chapter 2 provides a review of Israel’s wandering from God’s
perspective. As we read, we see God is preparing Israel for action,
even while keeping His promises to other nations. The chapter begins
with Moses continuing his history lesson to the nation in preparation
for taking possession of the Promised Land. After God’s people
rebelled and refused to enter the land 40 years earlier, “We
turned back toward the desert… for a long time we made our way
around the hill country“.
Those wandering years were almost worthless, but later God reminds
them, “These
forty years… God has been with you… God has blessed all the work
of your hands and watched over you“.
I am so thankful that God watched over me even during my years of
rebellion. Has God been trying to teach you something for a long
time? Finally God tells Moses, “Long
enough, now turn“.
Please don’t miss this, there is a time in our lives too when we
have wandered long enough. There is a time when the preparation is
over and it is time for action. If you are just going through the
motions of life, listen to God’s words to Moses, “Give
the people these orders“.
You were created for a godly purpose and it is time to heed His
call.
God
reminds Israel of two nations the He has already blessed as He will
bless the Israelites. The descendents of Esau (The brother of Jacob
who was also called Edom) were called Edomites. God warns, “I
have given the hill country to Esau… they will be afraid of you,
but be careful and do not provoke them… for I will not give you any
of their land“.
God is faithful to keep His promise to Esau. Next, God explains the
descendants of Lot (the nephew of Abraham) are called Moabites. And
we are told, “I
have given Ar to the descendants of Lot… They destroyed the Horites
from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in
the land the Lord gave them as their possession“.
It seems God did the exact thing for Lot that He has promised He
will do for Israel! And again God told Israel, “Pass
the region of Moab at Ar… do not provoke them to war, for I will
not give you any land belonging to… the descendants of Lot“.
God knows our faith is weak, so often He works in the lives of those
around us to teach us to trust Him.
Finally,
Moses recounts the recent victory. “I
will begin to put terror and fear of you on all the nations under
heaven. They will hear reports of you and tremble in anguish because
of you… Now begin to conquer and possess the land… not one town
was too strong for us… the Lord our God gave us all of them.”
God’s people are victorious because they have been prepared to
trust Him through their time in the wandering years. Whatever
situations you face now, trust that God has been working in your life
until this time to prepare you for it. Remember the words of
exhortation to Queen Esther when she had a difficult decision to
make, “And
who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time
as this?”
(Esther 4:14).