Israel sets out for Canaan again

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Welcome

Prayer

Hymn - THE SON OF GOD RIDES OUT TO WAR (865) - Michael John Saward & Reginald Heber

Notices

Prayer Meeting - 7:30pm

Friday 7pm - Online

Sunday Morning 11am & 6pm

Tithes & Offerings - £

Main Prayer

Hymn - SPIRIT OF GOD, OUR HEARTS INSPIRE (527) - CHARLES WESLEY 1707-88

Reading

Deuteronomy 2 ESV

“Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” ’ So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. “And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab. And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.’ (The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim. Like the Anakim they are also counted as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the Lord gave to them.) ‘Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered. And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished. “So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, the Lord said to me, ‘Today you are to cross the border of Moab at Ar. And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.’ (It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim— a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place, as he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.) ‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’ “So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left. You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving to us.’ But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’ Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. And the Lord our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors. Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The Lord our God gave all into our hands. Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

Sermon

Moses Recounts the way in which God brought the people to the border of Canaan

By a different route and a different place from the first occasion.

This time they came from the south via Ezion-geber and northwards on the eastern side of the Dead Sea

Grace and Judgement

Deuteronomy 2:1–8 ESV

“Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the Lord told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. Then the Lord said to me, ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” ’ So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. “And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab.

For more details we can consider Numbers 20:14-21

The details of the route they took is not absolutely clear.

Edom would not let them go directly through its territory, and seems they had to travel around it to the south

They then went northwards along the coast, now known as the Gulf of Aqaba

The israelites were to look upon Edomites as “brothers”, as they were through Jacob & Esau

God was protecting the land he had promised to Jacob & Esau’s decendants.

This was confirmation and a comfort to the Israelites that God had fulfilled His promises and would do the same if they obeyed Him.

Although the years of wanderings were a judgement due to diobedience, the Grace of God was also seen.

By His Grace the generation growing up were different from their fathers and God blessed them

He blessed the work of their hands so that they had money to pay for food and water

God’s eye was upon them throughout their perilous journey

God was with them and although the way was heard they lacked nothing

God has not promised believers an easy pathway, but he knows our way and goes with us

Faith needs to grasp thhis and derive hope and confidence from it

Obeying each step of the way

Deuteronomy 2:8–15 ESV

So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber. “And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab. And the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.’ (The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim. Like the Anakim they are also counted as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the Lord gave to them.) ‘Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered. And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.

Moses outlines how the people had been obeying God

He repeats the exact manner in which Israel obeyed God’s command

Now rise up and go over the brook Zered

So they went over the book Zered

Moses reminds the people that the Moabites & Ammonites had both overcome foes who were especially tall and terrifying

This reinforces the encouragement that Israel was to take from th example of the Edomites

It also reinforces the key principal that God is Lord over all nations

Where people live and what happens to a nation are not haphazard of chance and accident

Paul explaiuned in Athens...

Acts 17:26 ESV

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

The same is true today

Where we live is not a matter of chance but of God’s purpose

Part of that purpose is that we should be His witnesses and serve in the place where he has put us

Edom, Moab and Ammon were all related to Abraham and for this reason God particularly blessed them

Genesis 12:2–3 ESV

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Here there is an anticipation of the spiritual blessing to come to the nations through the coming of Jesus and the preaching of the Gospel

Moses provides a parenthesis describing who originally lived in Moab and Edom (here called Seir, now known and the Sinai Peninsular)

Moses provides it to help this and future generations to know the history

38 years is a long time, and more than half a lifetime

It was a long time to trudge through the desert, while the older generation of men died off

Their bodies were buried en route and there was no cemetery or place where grieving relatives could stop and mourn, revisit and remember

God’s hand was againts them

Direct disobedience to a clear command of God is a fearful thing, and the consequences of sin may have to be borne for a long time

Obedience is not brought about through an easy life, it is developed through hardship

Not a day too late

Deuteronomy 2:16–25 ESV

“So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, the Lord said to me, ‘Today you are to cross the border of Moab at Ar. And when you approach the territory of the people of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.’ (It is also counted as a land of Rephaim. Rephaim formerly lived there—but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim— a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim; but the Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites, and they dispossessed them and settled in their place, as he did for the people of Esau, who live in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day. As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their place.) ‘Rise up, set out on your journey and go over the Valley of the Arnon. Behold, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin to take possession, and contend with him in battle. This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

As soon as the last men of war had perished, the Lord said “Today you are to cross the border of Moab”

Not a day was lost

As soon as the last funeral was complete they crossed over into the first piece of terrority that was to become theirs

As the crossed the river Arnon, they entered into the terrirotry of Sihon the Amorite

The Caphtorium, were Philistines who came from Crete (Caphtor)

This was going to involve a battle, and God affirmed he would go before them and put a dread and fear of Israelites upon their enemies

Rahab bore witness to this ...

Joshua 2:9–11 ESV

and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

They feared but it did not lead to their submission to Israel or their seeking mercy from them and God

Fear of death and judgement does not always have a beneficial effect

In revivals many sense the presence of God in a particularly unique way and there is great fear and a realisation of accountability of God, which is turned into a greater Joy through believing in Jesus.

There is no simple explanation as to why God’s presence is realised particularly at certain times, but certainly, when the churches are obedient to him and go forward in faith, crying out to him for his presence, that presence is more likely to be known.

The Beginning of Victory

Deuteronomy 2:26–37 ESV

“So I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to Sihon the king of Heshbon, with words of peace, saying, ‘Let me pass through your land. I will go only by the road; I will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left. You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat, and give me water for money, that I may drink. Only let me pass through on foot, as the sons of Esau who live in Seir and the Moabites who live in Ar did for me, until I go over the Jordan into the land that the Lord our God is giving to us.’ But Sihon the king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him, for the Lord your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might give him into your hand, as he is this day. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land over to you. Begin to take possession, that you may occupy his land.’ Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Jahaz. And the Lord our God gave him over to us, and we defeated him and his sons and all his people. And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors. Only the livestock we took as spoil for ourselves, with the plunder of the cities that we captured. From Aroer, which is on the edge of the Valley of the Arnon, and from the city that is in the valley, as far as Gilead, there was not a city too high for us. The Lord our God gave all into our hands. Only to the land of the sons of Ammon you did not draw near, that is, to all the banks of the river Jabbok and the cities of the hill country, whatever the Lord our God had forbidden us.

Moses sent messengers to Sihon with words of peace, giving him an opportunity to let the ISraelites pass throuh his land on the way to the Jordon in order to cross over into Canaan

Sihon did not respond to this gesture, and the Lord hardened Sihon’s heart in judgement

The time had come fro him and his people to receive the punishment for their evil ways.

As a result Sihon came out to fight against the Israelites

The Israelites had no choice or time to think, and God gave them victory

They captured the all cities

The significant victory would give them confidence in crossing the Jordon

Moses shows God knew what He was doing and when we look back we can see how God is leading them.

This truth gives reason to go forward in faith.

Deuteronomy 2:34 ESV

And we captured all his cities at that time and devoted to destruction every city, men, women, and children. We left no survivors.

This goes against our modern western sensibilities, constituting Genocide & Ethnic cleansing

1) Messengers had been sent with words of peace

This was to be the standard procedure, giving enemies an opportunity to come to terms of peace.

It is only when peace was rejected that the destruction takes place

In other cases women and children would be spared

The treatment of the Canaanite tribes was exceptional because of their grievous sins

2) Israel was here carrying out the judgment of God ipon these people for their sins

This had nothing to do with ethnicity: it was a moral and spiritual matter

When Sodom & Gomorrah were destroyed (Genesis 19) these tribes were spared because “their iniquity was not yet complete”

These people had had Abraham living among them for many years

They continued with their paganism prokoing God by their evil which included gross immorality, sacred prostitution, child sacrifice and barbaric cruelty

Over 400 years they had examples of Abraham, history of Israel, and example of Rahab and her family who were spared

3) God Chose to use Israel as his instrument of judgement in this case

This sets no precedent for any other nation to act in the same way

God chose to use warefare as the method of judgements, rather than flood or volcanic eruptions etc.

Canaanite tribes were themselves particularly cruel and vicious

4) To preserve the holiness of Israel

Outlined in Deuteronomy 7

This is a clash between a virulent paganism and a the nation chosen by God to be his witness among the nations

It is essential for Israel to be different and Holy to the Lord

The tragedy was the Israel fell far short of its calling

5) Judgement of the Canaanites is a foreshadowing and warning of the final day of Judgement

We see the importance of God’s people maintaining their distinctiveness as those who are holy to him

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Q&A

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Closing Prayer

Doxology