Deuteronomy 2

Our journalism instructor taught us that the first paragraph of every news article had to inform the reader of the “who, what, where, when, and why” of the event being reported. Deuteronomy 1:1–5 isn’t a

Remembering God’s blessings (1:1— news article, but it does just that. The people of Israel are 5:33) at Kadesh-Barnea in the fortieth year after their deliverance from Egypt, and their leader Moses is about to expound God’s law and prepare the new generation to enter Canaan. Although Moses himself wouldn’t enter the land, he would explain to the people what they had to do to conquer the enemy, claim their promised inheritance, and live successfully in their new home to the glory of God.

God was giving His people a second chance and Moses didn’t want the new generation to fail as their fathers had failed before them. Israel should have entered Canaan thirty-eight years before (2:14), but in their unbelief they rebelled against God. The Lord condemned them to wander in the wilderness until the older generation had died, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb (Num. 13—14). Philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” so the first thing Moses did in his farewell discourse was to review Israel’s past and remind the new generation who they were and how they got where they were (Deut. 1—5). Knowing their past, the new generation in Israel could avoid repeating the sins of their fathers.

This is a summary of the record given in Numbers 20:14—31:54, describing the people of Israel defeating nations and kings in their march to the Promised Land. In this speech, Moses gave no details of what Israel experienced while wandering thirty-eight years in the wilderness. During those years, Israel was out of God’s covenant favor, and there’s no record that they observed the Passover or even circumcised their sons. After Joshua led the nation across the Jordan River, he took care of those responsibilities and Israel was back in God’s covenant blessing (Josh. 5). The people in Moses’ congregation who were nineteen years old when the wanderings began were now fifty-seven (19 + 38) and certainly would remember those difficult years and tell their children and grandchildren about them.

Avoiding the Edomites (2:1–8; Num. 20:14–21). Moses was commanded by God not to declare war on the people of Edom and try to take their land. The Edomites were descended from Jacob’s brother, Esau, and therefore were related to the Jews (Gen. 36). Moses at first tried a friendly approach, but the Edomites wouldn’t accept their brothers on any terms, so Moses led the people by another route that bypassed Mount Seir. The Edomites should have shown Israel brotherly love, but instead they preferred to perpetuate the ancient feud between Jacob and Esau (Gen. 27; 32— 33). Centuries later, Edom was still angry with Israel and rejoiced when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem (Ps. 137:7; Ezek. 25:12–14; Amos 1:11; Obad. 10–13).

Of all problems we face in life, family disagreements are probably the most painful and the hardest to solve, and yet the Bible records so many of them. Cain killed his brother Abel (Gen. 4); Jacob and Esau were rivals; Jacob’s wives competed with one another (Gen. 29— 30); Jacob favored Joseph and therefore Joseph’s brothers hated their youngest brother (Gen. 37); and David’s father-in-law King Saul hounded him and tried to kill him (1 Sam. 19—20). Even in the Christian family, brothers and sisters in the local church don’t always love each other. The Corinthian church was divided four ways (1 Cor. 1:12); the Galatian believers were biting and devouring each other (Gal. 5:15); the saints in Ephesus needed to be kind and forgive each other (Eph. 4:31–32); and in the Philippian church two women were at odds with each other (Phil. 4:2–3). Family feuds and church disagreements are at least somewhat confined, but when entire nations cultivate and sustain hatred for one another and wage war, many innocent people are hurt.

Moses did the right thing by obeying God’s command and deliberately avoiding a costly and unprofitable confrontation. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt. 5:9). “Let us, therefore, follow after the things which make for peace” (Rom. 14:19). There are times when avoiding conflict is cowardly, but there are other times when it’s a mark of courage and wisdom (James 3:13–18; Matt. 5:21–26). Like James and John, we might feel like calling down fire from heaven on people who reject us, but it’s better to follow the examples of Moses and Jesus and take another route (Luke 9:51–56).

One more factor in this “peacemaking” should be noticed: God had graciously cared for Israel and blessed His people even during their years of wandering, so there was no need for them to attack their brothers and exploit them (Deut. 2:7). God would give Israel all the land they needed without their having to go to war. If more individuals, families, and nations were content with the blessings God has given them, there would be less fighting among them.

Avoiding the Moabites and Ammonites (2:9–23). Just as the Edomites were not attacked and conquered because they were related to Jacob, so the Moabites and Ammonites were spared because they were the descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham (Gen. 19:30–38). God is supreme over all nations and assigns their territories according to His sovereign will (Acts 17:26–28; 2 Chron. 20:6). In fact, the Lord even helped these other nations defeat their enemies and take their land (Deut. 2:20–23). God is on His throne and deals with the nations according to His perfect will (Dan. 4:35). Neither the Moabites nor the Ammonites deserved this kindness, but the Lord sometimes blesses people because of their relationship to other people. Israel was certainly blessed because of God’s covenants with Abraham and David, and the church is blessed today because of the Father’s eternal covenant with Jesus Christ (Heb. 13:20).

It was a turning point in their history when the Jews crossed into the Zered Valley, for now the older generation was gone except for Moses, Caleb, and Joshua (Deut. 2:13–16). With their time of divine discipline ended, Israel could now look forward to defeating their enemies and moving into the land which the Lord had promised to them.

Defeating the Amorites (2:24—3:11). Sihon and Og were powerful kings in the region of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan, and the Lord had determined to destroy them and their people. God’s orders in 2:24–25 and 31 summarize the pattern Israel would follow in their conquest of the Promised Land. God would tell Joshua which city or people to attack; He would assure them of victory; and He would go with them to help them win the battle. Israel’s defeat of Sihon and Og was especially important because it would send a message ahead to the nations in Canaan and bring fear to their hearts (11:25). By the time Joshua was ready to enter the land, the news of Israel’s invincible march had already gone before them (Josh. 2:8–11; see Ex. 15:14–16).

As he did with the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, Moses first made Sihon an offer of goodwill, promising to pass through the land peacefully and pay for whatever food and water the people consumed. However, the Lord wanted Israel to defeat Sihon and seize all his land, so he hardened the king’s heart as He had hardened the heart of Pharaoh in Egypt. When Sihon led his army out to attack Israel, God gave Moses a great victory and all the people of the land were slaughtered. This victory over Sihon gave the Israelites encouragement to confront Og, and they won that battle as well and took over all the land. The fact that the cities had high walls (Deut. 3:5) and that Og was a giant (v. 11) didn’t seem to create any of the problems that the older generation had feared (Num. 13:28). God is bigger than the walls and greater than the giants!

Liberal critics of the Bible express concern at the way Israel destroyed entire nations, killed “innocent people,” and confiscated their cities and their lands. But how “innocent” were these people? The critics of Scripture (and God) may not realize that the nations Israel encountered east of the Jordan and in Canaan itself were indescribably wicked. They were brutal people who sacrificed their own children to the false gods that they worshipped. Male and female prostitutes served in their temples and sexual intercourse was an important part of the Canaanite religion.

These people were not left without a witness from God in creation (Rom. 1:18ff.) as well as through the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who had lived in Canaan. Furthermore, the news of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt, and Israel’s deliverance through the Red Sea (Josh. 2:8–11) came to the ears of these people and bore witness that Jehovah alone is the true God. God had been longsuffering with these wicked nations even in Abraham’s day, but now their time had run out and their judgment had come (Gen. 15:16). If these evil civilizations had not been exterminated, Israel would have been in constant danger of being tempted by pagan idolatry. In fact, that’s what did happen during the period of the judges, and God had to chasten His people to bring them back to the true God. Israel had important work to do on earth in producing the written Scriptures and bringing the Savior into the world, and imitating the pagan nations would have polluted Israel and threatened God’s great plan of salvation for mankind.