Deuteronomy 2:16-26 – Be in step with God

Just as God warned the Israelites not to harass the Edomites and the Moabites, He warned them against harassing the Ammonites as well. These Ammonites were the descendants of Ammon, Lot’s other son.  From God’s refusal to allow the Israelites to trouble the Edomites, Moabites, and the Ammonites, we conclude that God does care about how we treat our earthly relationships. The lesson here is: no matter how badly we might have been treated by some relatives before, we must not be hostile toward them.

In this passage, like for the Edomites and the Moabites earlier, we are told that the Ammonites were not served the land without a fight. They had to take responsible action to possess Ar. They had to fight the Raphaim, whom they called Zamzummin. These were the same people that the Moabites referred to as Emims. These were not only numerous but were also huge and tall, suggesting that they were no easy opponents to take on.  

Deuteronomy 2:21-22 made it clear that it was God who had helped the Ammonites to tackle the Zamzummim. Just as He did for the Edomites regarding the inhabitants of Seir, He also helped the Ammonites. If God had helped these relatives of theirs, would He not help them, the Israelites, to possess the land He promised to give them as an inheritance? God used that moment to challenge the Israelites to go in and take on the Amorites. He assured them that He would help them with the task. His assurance captured in verse 25 says, “This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

The key lesson for this portion of Scriptures however lies in verses 16-18. In these three verses, we are told that it was not until all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, that the Lord gave the instruction saying, “Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab.” These verses indicate to us that God is very precise in timing. It was not until all the men of war of the previous generation had perished that God told them to act. Concerning the timing, God acts with precision, especially with our lives and achievements. He has a timetable for us. We can only progress incrementally as He changes us from one degree of growth to another. We can only arrive at where God wants us to be at the right time. But in the interim, we need to keep on trusting God and do all the needful preparation to get ready for every critical moment. The precise time is God's prerogative. Till then we must stay alert and be increasingly responsive to God’s leading and guidance in our lives. Stay sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit!