Deuteronomy 2:3b-8 – His grace is sufficient for us

The Israelites must have gone around Mount Seir so many times that they could even go around it blindfolded. So after what seemed like an endless circling of it, God decided that it was time for the Israelites to change direction. Even that was the grace of God. He could have left them to their mindless wandering since they would not believe in Him. But He did not. He told them to turn and take the route up north by the territory of the Edomites.  

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau who had been dwelling in Seir. Esau, as we know, was the twin brother of Jacob. God had given the land around Seir to Esau as a possession. Since they were relatives by reason of Esau’s kinship with Jacob, God would not allow them to annex any part of the land. Knowing that with such a big group of Israelites traveling through the land, the Edomites could feel threatened, so God told the Israelites to regard them as “brothers.”

Here in Deuteronomy, no detail was given about what transpired between the people of Israel and the people of Esau, but in Numbers 20:14-21, some details were given. We can now understand why Moses resorted to negotiating with the Edomites in the passage in Numbers. There he was seen seeking permission to pass through their land possessed by the Edomites, but his request failed. From Deuteronomy 2:4-5, we now understand why Moses chose to negotiate rather than force their way through the land.   

In Deuteronomy 2:6, God told the Israelites that they would need to pay for the food and drink, and services, should they be granted them by the Edomites. However, the request they made to the Edomites was turned down. They were denied access to pass through the land. Verse 8 seems to indicate that they passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.

Passing by the land of Edom was probably a lesson for the Israelites. It should help them to see that if God could give the land to the sons of Esau, He could easily give the promised land to them. In this passage, we can also see the evidence of God’s grace. In the almost 40 years of wandering, they had acquired much wealth till they had the capacity to pay for their own food, drink, and services, had the Edomites granted them. Though the wilderness wandering was a judgment, yet in their discipline, God made sure they had enough wealth to subsist. While they might have angered God, yet He remained faithful in His provision to them. His eye was upon them through their hazardous journey. Think about it this way, if God's hand was still upon them in their discipline, how much more would He had done for them if they had obeyed Him.

While the grace of God is sure, the lesson for us here is never to take His grace for granted. Knowing that we have done nothing to deserve God’s love and care should make us more determined to trust Him and live our lives for Him. Be sure to obey God in what He has revealed to us and to trust Him in what He has not. It is true that His grace is sufficient for us. Thus, we must live to give Him praise!