Deuteronomy 2:1-15 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs!
Today’s passage is Deuteronomy 2:1-15.
Deuteronomy 2:1-13 (NIV)
1 Then we turned back and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea, as the LORD had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.
2 Then the LORD said to me,
3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.
4 Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful.
5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own.
6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.'”
7 The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.
8 So we went on past our brothers the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.
9 Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.”
10 (The Emites used to live there–a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites.
11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites.
12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. 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.)
13 And the LORD said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley.
On verses 1-13: Moses recounts how God specifically warned that first generation of Israelites not to provoke or harass the people living in the lands that they passed by, especially after they themselves had lost their chance to enter the Promised Land. So God warns that first generation of Israelites not to touch the descendants of Esau living in the land of Seir, or the descendants of Lot living in the land of Ar. “For I will not give you any part of their land”, God said in both cases (v5, 9), since God had given those lands specifically to those other groups. It’s as if God knew that this first generation of Israelites would be tempted to take over the lands of other peoples after having lost out on their own Promised Land.
What can we learn from this?
1. Especially when we have yet to come into all the good things that we desire for our lives, we can be tempted to envy and covet what other people have. But God knows that harbouring envy is the quickest way to live in frustration and discontentment. That’s why God tells us not to covet what others have. What is envy, how do you know if you struggle with envy and how do you overcome it? In a message from October 2019 called “The End of Envy”, I try to address all those questions. In that message I share 4 tips on overcoming envy. They are (1) Admit you have a problem with envy; (2) Don’t let comparisons control you; (3) Focus on the good in your life, not the poo in your life; and (4) Let God’s unconditional love define your worth. For practical tips on how to take each of those steps, check out “The End of Envy” message here: https://www.
2. God is committed to giving you the inheritance He has assigned to you, but He will not do it at the expense of taking away from what He promised or assigned to someone else. We must have the humility to remember that the world does not revolve around us. Instead of envying the success of others, may we have the maturity and the patience to wait for God’s best for us to come in His time.
Deuteronomy 2:14-15 (NIV)
14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.
15 The LORD’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.
On verses 14-15: That first generation of Israelites had rejected God’s leading over and over again, looking down on His provision and taking His grace for granted. It got to the point where God vowed that none of that generation would enter the Promised Land, except for Caleb and Joshua. And indeed that is what happened. Moses reports in verses 14-15 that this entire first generation (other than Caleb and Joshua) had been eliminated from the camp.
What can we learn from this? We can either follow God’s leading or reject it. It’s our choice. But if we keep fighting against God instead of going with Him for long enough, one day we will get what we wished for: an existence devoid of God’s leading, presence or blessing.
Father, I pray that I would not be eaten up by envy, but that I would be at peace and content with what I have. May I rest in the truth that Your plan, Your provision, and Your timing for my life are the best, and that I’m the most at peace and the best off when I trust in You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
