Deuteronomy 2-3

Intro:

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

Read Deut 2:1-8

I. Family Drama vs. 1-23

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

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

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.

Matt 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God”

Rom. 14:19 “Let us, therefore, follow after the things which make for peace”.

There are times when avoiding conflict is cowardly, but there are other times when it’s a mark of courage and wisdom

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 (vv. 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

God is on His throne and deals with the nations according to His perfect will

One of the more famous Moabites in the Bible was Ruth. She was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite man named Boaz and became grandmother to King David and one of the ancestors of the Messiah.

Vs. 10 The Moabites were of note because they defeated a Canaanite people known as the Emim, who were a large, fearsome race.

The term translated giants here is actually the Hebrew word rephaim.

The term rephaim is often translated “giants,” but it actually means “fearsome ones.”

The Rephaim were a group of large, warlike people who populated Canaan before the Israelites.

vs. 14 Thirty-eight years: In these brief verses, Moses covered thirty-eight years of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness. This was a period when they just took up time, waiting for the generation of unbelief to die so that the generation of faith could take the Promised Land.

III. vs. 24-3:11 Defeat of the Kings

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

vs. 26- 30 Sihon’s refusal of passage and Hardened heart

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

Because of this refusal, Israel fought a battle recorded in Numbers 21. They simply asked for safe passage through the land of the Amorites, but they were refused.

VI. vs. 12-29 Moses Forebidden to Enter

The victories over Sihon and Og, the two mighty kings of the lands east of the Jordan, were themselves preparation for the battles Israel would fight when they arrived in Canaan.

The new generation was getting its first real taste of warfare and was quickly discovering that Jehovah could be trusted to overcome every enemy.

All that the army had to do was obey God’s orders, trust His promises, and courageously confront the enemy.

A second step of preparation for conquest was the settling of the two-and-a-half tribes in the territory that had been captured on the east side of the Jordan.

Once that was done and all the tribes had been assigned to their inheritance, the men of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh could return home to their families (Josh. 22).

The fact that Moses gave them the land and that the men were willing to leave their loved ones behind was evidence of their faith that God would give Israel the victory in Canaan.

Moses described this victory as “the Lord giving rest” (Deut. 3:20), a phrase that is used again in 12:10 and 25:19 and frequently in Joshua

Canaan isn’t a picture of heaven; it’s a picture of our spiritual riches in Christ, the inheritance that we have in Him.

A third step of preparation for conquest was the appointment of Joshua to succeed Moses and lead the nation into Canaan (Num. 27:18–23).

At the command of the Lord, Moses publicly laid hands on Joshua and with the help of Eleazar the high priest consecrated him to his new office.

Joshua was a man of great faith and experience and was fully qualified to lead God’s people.

He had served as Moses’ servant (Ex. 33:11) and as leader of the army (17:8–16), and he had been on Sinai with Moses (24:13).

At Kadesh-Barnea he proved his faith and obedience by standing with Moses and Caleb against the ten spies and the whole unbelieving nation.

The only cloud over all this celebration of victory was that Moses wasn’t permitted to enter the Promised Land because of his impetuous sin of striking the rock (Num. 20:1–13; 27:12–14).

But even this sad note brought with it a trumpet call of encouragement in what Moses said: “O Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand” Deut. 3:24