Deuteronomy 2;26

Deuteronomy 2:26 says, And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,  Verse twenty-seven adds, Let me pass through thy land: I will go along by the high way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the left.  Moses said he sent word to Sihon the king of Hesbon asking for permission to pass through his land.  Matthew Henry said Moses was attempting to not disobey God, Who had told Him to contend with the people there, by contending with him peacefully.  We cannot attempt to compromise God's word because it is more convenient or peaceful to do so.  Verse twenty-eight continues, Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink: only I will pass through on my feet;  Mose told Sihon that he would profit by allowing the people of Israel to pass through, and they would do Him no harm.  People today should never face harm by allowing Christians to move about freely in the world, and they will often profit materially from doing so.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, (As the children of Esau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwell in Ar, did unto me;) until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the LORD our God giveth us.  Moses even gave Sihon proof of his word by citing how the people of Israel had passed through Edom and Moab without harming them.  People of the world should be able to see examples of how we as followers of Christ have always dealt honestly with other people.  Verse thirty states, But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.  Moses said that Sihon would not listen and let them pass because God hardened his spirit and made him obstinate.  I believe that it was a lack of believing in God that made Sihon this way, just as not believing in Jesus Christ today because someone has hardened their heart against Him leads to their everlasting destruction, but God Himself does not cause them to not believe.  Verse thirty-one adds, And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.  God told Moses that He had already begun to give the land to Israel, so go and possess it.  God has already given us victory over the world today as Christians, and we need to claim the victory and do whatever God tells us to do.  Verse thirty-three continues, Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his people, to fight at Jahaz.  Moses said that Sihon came out to fight against them at Jahaz.  Even if we offer nothing but peace to the people of the world today, they are continually going to attempt to fight against God and us.  Verse thirty-three says, And the LORD our God delivered him before us; and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.  Moses said God gave them the victory over SIhon and his people, just as He gives us as followers of Christ victory over the world today.  We will never win without God being for us and we will never lose if He is.  Verse thirty-four adds, And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly destroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left none to remain:  Moses said they utterly destroyed Sihon and all of his people while taking possession of all of his cities.  Today, we are not called to destroy the lost people of the world, even if they are at war with God, but to share the gospel of Christ with them instead.   We are simply passing through this world on the way to Heaven, our Promised Land.  Verse thirty-five continues,  Only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took.  Moses said they took the cattle and spoils from the war for themselves.  Verse thirty-six says, From Aroer, which is by the brink of the river of Arnon, and from the city that is by the river, even unto Gilead, there was not one city too strong for us: the LORD our God delivered all unto us:  Verse thirty-seven adds, Only unto the land of the children of Ammon thou camest not, nor unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatsoever the LORD our God forbad us . Moses described the size of the land they took, which did not include any land that God had prohibited them from taking.  They could have felt that they were so powerful that they could just take everything they wanted, but obedience to God gave them their power, just as it does to Christians today.

Deuteronomy 2:16

Deuteronomy 2:16 says, So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead from among the people,  This would have been all the men who were over twenty when the people of Israel first got to the Promised Land.  Verse seventeen adds, That the LORD spake unto me, saying,  Verse eighteen continues, Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of Moab, this day:   Moses said that God told him it was now time once again for the people of Israel to move toward the Promised Land.   After lacking the faith to go in all those years ago, and even attempting to do it on their own after God told them they weren't going to be allowed in and and failing, a new generation was now ready to go into the Promised Land.  We cannot just choose when and where we will come to God, but must come when He calls us, and we must then be ready to follow Him by faith wherever He leads us if we are to be spiritually successful in life.  Verse nineteen states, And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.  God told them not to disturb the children of Ammon, because He had given the land that they possessed as a possession to the children of Lot.  God does not change His word to one group of people to help another group.  When God makes a promise, we can be certain that He will fulfill it.  Verse twenty adds, (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;  God said that people who counted as giants once lived in the land.  We are going to encounter those people and things that seem to be giants in our spiritual life, but as long as we are faithful to God, they will just be something that once existed in our life.  Verse twenty-one continues,  A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; but the LORD destroyed them before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead:  God said that He had defeated giants in the past and He could do so again when the people of Israel went into the Promised Land, and He still can today in our life.  Nothing is big enough to defeat God.  Verse twenty-two says, As he did to the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, when he destroyed the Horims from before them; and they succeeded them, and dwelt in their stead even unto this day:  Moses reminded the people of Israel that God had defeated giants when Esau took possession of the land God given him.  Our giants are no bigger nor more powerful than those that God has defeated in the past.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, even unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, destroyed them, and dwelt in their stead.)  This was just a reminder that giants had been defeated before. We are not the first followers of Christ to face giants, nor will we be the last, but as long as we remain faithful to God, we need to realize that He has already defeated them.  Verse twenty-four states, Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: behold, I have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land: begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle.  God told the people of Israel to pass over the river Arnon, where they would battle the king of the Amorites.  God did not tell them that He had already removed the king of the Amorites, but that they must go by faith and battle Him.  God does not remove all the spiritual and even physical giants or just normal sized enemies from our lives today, but He gives us the power to overcome them.  Verse twenty-five adds, This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee.  God said He would put the fear of the people of Israel into all who stood against them.  They had done nothing that would have caused others to fear them, except put their faith in God.  As long as we are faithful to God, those who fight against us should do so in fear of the power of God.

Deuteronomy 2:9

Deuteronomy 2:9 says, And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.  The people of Israel were to not to disturb the people of Moab, because God had given the land to Lot for a possession.  God did not go back on His word even all those years later, and He still won't now.  Verse ten adds, The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;  Verse eleven continues, Which also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.  This meant terrible ones, accqording to Matthew Henry.  Moses said that the Emims had dwelt in the land before, and they were considered giants.  Matthew Henry also says they may have been as tall as the Anakims, but even more fierce.  Though they may have been giants to the people of Lot, they weren't to God.  If we see giants before us today, we need to turn them over to God.  Verse twelve concludes, The Horims also dwelt in Seir beforetime; but the children of Esau succeeded them, when they had destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their stead; as Israel did unto the land of his possession, which the LORD gave unto them.  Moses said that the Horims had dwelt there until the children of Esau destroyed them because God had given them the land, just as He had given a land to Israel.  Verse thirteen states, Now rise up, said I, and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered.  Moses said God commanded the people to cross over the brook of Zered, and they obeyed Him.  When God gives us a command, we need to obey Him.  Verse fourteen adds, And the space in which we came from Kadeshbarnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them.  Moses said they had been traveling thirty-eight years since they were at Kadeshbarnea until they crossed over the brook of Zered, during which time all those men over twenty had died.  God had said that due to their lack of faith when they first reached the Promised Land that none of adults would enter in.  Again, as He always has and always will, God fulfilled His promise.  Verse fifteen continues, For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed.  Moses said that since the hand of the LORD was against them they were destroyed.  They were called God's chosen people, but without faith, they were no better than anyone else.  We may call ourselves Christians, but without putting our faith in JesusChrist, we are doomed to destruction.  

Deuteronomy 2:1

Deuteronomy 2:1 says, Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the LORD spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.  The people of Israel eventually went again into the wilderness as the LORD had commanded.   We can only be successful spiritually by doing what God tells us to do, even if it is not what we want to do.  Verse two adds, And the LORD spake unto me, saying,  Verse three continues,  Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.  Moses said God told Him that they had stayed where they were long enough, and it was time to move, turning northward.  If we have been disobedient to God,  we cannot just stay where we are, but must go to Him asking forgiveness and then go where He is sending us.  Verse four states, And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:  God said they were to pass through the land of their brother Esau and that the people there would be afraid of them because of their numbers.  Verse five adds, Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.  God told them to not attempt to take the land there, because God had given it to Esau.  We as followers of Christ should never attempt to take what God has given to someone else.  Verse six continues, Ye shall buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye shall also buy water of them for money, that ye may drink.  God said that the people of Israel were to pay for what they needed, food and drink, while there.  We need to be ready to pay for the material things we need under God's guidance and not attempt to take what belongs to someone else, unless they freely offer it to help meet our needs.  Verse seven says, For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.  Moses reminded the people that God had provided for them in the wilderness and He would continue to do so.  As long as we are faithful to God, He will always meet our needs, but He won't always satisfy our desires.  Verse eight adds, And when we passed by from our brethren the children of Esau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Eziongaber, we turned and passed by the way of the wilderness of Moab.  Moses said they passed through the land belonging to the descendants of Esau and went through the wilderness to the land of the Moabites.  

Deuteronomy 1:40

Deuteronomy 1:40 says, But as for you, turn you, and take your journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea.  Moses said that he told the people at the time when they believed those spies who said they could not win instead of believing God what God's command was. to turn and go into the wilderness.  Verse forty-one says,  Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.  The people said hat they had sinned against the LORD and were going to arm themselves and fight.  This still did not mean that they had put their faith in God.  People may see that they aren't getting what we want out of life and profess to turn to God without really having faith in Him.  Verse forty-two continues, And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies.  Moses said God told him to tell them not to do this, because God was not among them.  God said if they did this they would be defeated.  God had already pronounced His judgment on them, and now it was too late.  We cannot decide to follow Christ only when think it will get us what we want, but must follow Him when He calls.  Verse forty-three states, So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill.  The people of Israel didn't listen, but went into the land to fight without God being with them.  We cannot just decide what we want to do and think that God has to bless us, especially if He has already told us no.  Verse forty-four adds, And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.  Moses reminded them that they were totally routed by the enemies they faced, just as we will be today if we are operating under our own power and not listening to what God tells us to do.  Verse forty-five continues, And ye returned and wept before the LORD; but the LORD would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.  Moses then said that they returned and wept before the LORD, but He would not hear them.  I believe this was because they were still trying to get God to do what they wanted.  If we devise our own plan and go against God's word, then even if we suffer defeat and cry out to Him, we are not going to get Him to endorse what we want to do.  Verse forty-six concludes, So ye abode in Kadesh many days, according unto the days that ye abode there.  The people of Israel then stayed where they were several days instead of going where God had told them to go.  When God tells us to go somewhere, even if it isn't where we want to go, there is no reason to stay where we are. 

Deuteronomy 1:30

Deuteronomy 1:30 says, The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;  Moses said God would fight for the people of Israel just as He had in Egypt. God still fights for His people today, ensuring us the victory ultimately.  Verse thirty-one adds, And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place.  Moses also reminded them that God had provided for them in the wilderness.  In Egypt and in the wilderness, God did everything for the people of Israel to first secure their release from Egypt and to provide for them afterwards.  Neither situation required their being able to do things by their own power.  The same is still true today.  Verse thirty-two continues, Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,  Moses then said that the people still refused to believe in God in spite of all that he had done for them.  Too often we as followers of Christ refuse to believe that God will always give us the victory, no matter what happens in this lifetime.  Verse thirty-three states, Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to shew you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.  God provided them protection day and night,and He still does today.  Verse thirty-four adds, And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,  When God heard the people of Isreal murmuring, He was angry with them.  God has not changed, and we should never be guilty of murmuring against Him as Christians.  Verse thirty-five continues, Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,  Because of their lack of faith in God, He said none of those who were over the age of twenty would enter the Promised Land.  Once we are old enough to make a decision to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, if we refuse to put our faith in Him, we will never enter the Promised Land, Heaven.  Verse thirty-six says, Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.  Moses then said God was going to make an exception for Caleb, who had remained faithful,  and we know this applied to Joshua as well.  Even if the whole world, even those who are called God's people, were to turn away from God, as long as we remain faithful, He will carry safely home to the Promised Land.  Verse thirty-seven adds, Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither.  Moses said that God was angry with him because of his actions and said that Moses would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.  Fortunately for us, if we put our faith in Jesus Christ, our actions when we sometimes doubt God and act on our own will power will not keep us out of heaven.  Verse thirty-eight continues, But Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him: for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.  Joshua was going to replace Moses as the leader of Israel, just as leaders of the church are replaced today as others get old or die.  Verse thirty-nine concludes, Moreover your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall go in thither, and unto them will I give it, and they shall possess it.  Those who had been too young to make a decision when they first got to the Promised Land would also be allowed to enter.

Deuteronomy 1:19

Deuteronomy 1:19 says, And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which ye saw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadeshbarnea.  Moses then reminded them of their journey in the wilderness, though God was still guiding them.  They were still His chosen people.  Verse twenty adds. And I said unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the LORD our God doth give unto us. Moses said they came to the mountain of the Amorites, which God had given to them.  This didn't mean that they would not be required to obey God and fight for it.  Verse twenty-one continues, Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.  Mose told them to go and possess the land that God had set before them and to not be afraid.  When God sends us somewhere today, we need to go without fear.  Verse twenty-two states, And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.  Moses said the people proposed sending spies into the land to check it out.  This seems to have been their plan which God a)lowed more than God's plan to start with.  If they were faithfully following God, it would have only reinforced their desire to go.  When God sends us somewhere, we should simply go by faith without having to verify by sight that it is a good thing.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:  Moses said their plan pleased him, so he took the twelve spies, on from each tribe, to send into the land.  They were all equally represented.  We as Christians are all equally represented before God by Jesus Christ.  Verse twenty-four continues, And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and searched it out.  The spies went into the land to check it out, which really should have been unnecessary.  If they believed God, they would have known the land was good, and have also known that God had promised them victory.  We need to always remember that wherever God sends us in the world today that He goes before us and it is the best place to be.  Verse twenty-five says, And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us word again, and said, It is a good land which the LORD our God doth give us.  The twelve spies brought back the fruit of the land, and said it was a good land.  This verified a part of God's promise, but it was the easy part.  At times, we may be willingly to follow Jesus Christ as long as everything is going well and we are profiting from following Him, but that is not enough.  Verse twenty-six adds, Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God: Moses said that even though the spies came back with visual proof of the goodness of the land that the people still refused to go and possess it.  Living by sight and not by faith will always leave us short of salvation and the Promised Land of a heavenly home.   Verse twenty-eight continues, And ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the LORD hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.  The people of Israel once again began to murmur against God, saying He had brought them out of Egypt only for them to be killed by the Amorites.  After all God had done for them, they still had no faith in Him.  If we are only following Christ for the material rewards, we will see obstacles and fail to follow Him by faith because of those obstacles.  Verse twenty-eight states, Whither shall we go up? our brethren have discouraged our heart, saying, The people is greater and taller than we; the cities are great and walled up to heaven; and moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakims there.  The people asked why they should go up, since the spies, or at least ten of them, had discouraged their hearts.  We should never allow what someone else says, even a fellow Christian, to discourage us from doing what God has called us to do or going where He wants us send us.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.  This is still good advice for us today as followers of Christ.  We don't need to be discouraged by the things of this world that seem too big to overcome, but we need to follow Jesus Christ by faith.  He has already assured us of the victory, just as God had assured the people of Israel of the victory then.