Deuteronomy Chapter 2
(1-3) God said: You have skirted this mountain long enough.
- To skirt around something is to continue moving without a goal. It is when one keeps trying to move forward every day, but in reality, is just circling around the initial point.
A life lived just skirting around something is a waste of time, one is merely consuming life, and in the end it is vanity. - We must obey the word of God. We have skirted around the world long enough, now we must turn to God, in order for our lives to have a purpose, and for our lives to have eternal value.
(4-7) The land which you cannot take – Mount Seir
1. “For God had given this land to Esau as a possession.” Wasn’t Esau hated by God? (Romans 9:12-13)
God hated Esau because he didn’t value God’s promise and sold his birthright, not because God predestined him to be hated.
In fact, God also loved Esau, and God gave him the land to live in, not allowing the Israelites to take his land. God loved Esau, but Esau did not love God.
2. Why should they not fight?
Because they were both descendants of Abraham, they are brothers, and they should not contend with each other.
- “and they will be afraid of you. Therefore watch yourselves carefully.”
(Galatians 6:1). Be extra careful with erring brethren, who are already guilt-ridden, and don’t put more pressure on them. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench. - “You shall buy food from them with money” – don’t take advantage of your brother, don’t take advantage of the brotherly affection for your own gain.
God has given us many good things, and we should use these that God has given us to help our brothers instead of taking advantage of them.
(8-16) The land which you cannot take – the land of Moab.
- Because God had given the land to the descendants of Lot.
- It can be seen that sinners also receive the grace of God, just as the sky gives rain both to those who are good as well as those who are bad. But will sinners be able to wake up and be grateful to fear God?
(17-23) The land which you cannot take – the land of Ammon.
- Because God has given the land to the descendants of Lot. God’s love was righteous, and God helped them to destroy their mighty enemies so that they could have land to live in.
- The people of God shall not covet the land of Esau – the land of the covetous, nor the land of Moab and Ammon – the land of the adulterer.
- God’s people must stay away from these sinful places. The land we deserve is the good land of Canaan.
(24-25) Land to possess – the land of Sihon king of Heshbon.
This war will make Israel famous and shock all nations.
In verses 33-35 it says: “we utterly destroyed the men, women, and little ones of every city”. Is it not inhumane to destroy even women and children? In order for the Israelites to possess the land, God ruthlessly destroyed the city and destroyed the people. Isn’t this a savage war of aggression? The word for “utterly destroyed” in the original text is harem, which is a special word. It means that it is a holy war for God, a war based on God’s judgment, not a war of human will. Sihon did not allow the Israelites to pass by, which went against God’s will and was in opposition to God. God wanted to lead Israel into Canaan to execute righteous judgment (Deuteronomy 9:4-5), but Sihon did not let Israel pass, which also means that he did not let God pass through.
In verses 26-29, it is explained: In fact, the Israelites are not belligerents. They had no intention of aggression at all. They requested for passage with words of peace, and they asked only to follow the road without turning to the right or left. They also asked that the people of the land sell food or water to them; they would not take advantage of the people.
In verses 30-32, it is said: Sihon did not allow the Israelites to pass by but instead went out with all his people to fight against the Israelites. Who is savage and unreasonable? Who invaded first?
The meaning of “God hardened his heart” is that God let him be and let him do what he wanted (Exodus 4:21). In fact, he had hardened his own heart himself, and God left him as he was.
Verses 36-37: There is no city so strong that we cannot take it, but by relying on the Lord we can overcome all our enemies.
