Deuteronomy 2:9-15 – Obey God and don’t gamble with your life

Being refused access through the land of the Edomites, the Israelites then proceeded toward the wilderness of Moab. Here the Lord again told them not to harass another group of people. This time it was the Moabites. Why? Because they were the descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. God explicitly told them He would not give any bit of their land to the Israelites. Hence, they were neither to harass them nor to provoke them to war. The place the Moabites possessed was referred to as Ar. 

The passage tells us that the people of Moab, just as the Edomites, were not handed their land on a platter. They had to overcome the inhabitants who dwelled in the respective lands that they had to possess. The Moabites had to take on the Emims who were not only numerous but also as huge and tall as the Anakim. And just like the Anakim, the Emims were also referred to as the Rephaim, meaning “the terrible ones.” Probably, these two groups were terrifying and fierce war-formed people. It meant that the Moabites did not have it easy. They had to fight to conquer the people of the land. The Edomites on their end had to evict the Horites who had long dwelled in Seir, so that they could possess their land. Both these groups had to take some responsibility and overcome obstacles to possess their land. So like the Moabites and the Edomites, Israel would also need to play their part if they were to possess the promised land. The success of the Moabites and the Edomites were meant to show the Israelites that possessing the promised land was not an impossibility if God so willed. Notice that verses 10-12 are in parenthesis. This suggests that they were added to explain and provide clarity.

This passage has one subtle truth. That is: all nations are under God’s sovereign control. In these verses, we get the sense that He was the one who determined the land for the Edomites and the Moabites, and in later verses the Ammonites as well. Where these different groups of people should live and the events that led to their possession of the land were not left to the work of chance. God had a great part in arranging their ownership. This truth is also the same for us. We are not where we are by chance. We need to be conscious that nothing happens to us by chance. The people we meet, the circumstances we encounter are all part of God’s refining process in our lives.  

Verses 14-15 show us one more telling truth. Disobedience exacts a huge price that is more than what one can afford. It is also more than what any sensible person will be willing to pay. The disobedient Israelites took a long 38 years, about half their lifetime to pay for their disobedience. They all died and were buried along the way. There were no marked graves for their loved ones to return to grief or remember them. They perished in the desert never to be remembered again. This is too huge a price to pay. This should be a warning to us to live for God obediently. Obedience brings blessings. Disobedience brings death ultimately!