Sept. 24, 2014
Deuteronomy 2-Part 1
Meddle not with them: for I will not give you their land, no not even a foot breadth... Deuternomy 2:5a
LET IT GLOW
When I taught elementary children in another part of our state, I would often hear the phrase, "He/she is meddlin' with me". When I heard that, I knew there was a dispute among the sweet ones. Hmm.
So I would go settle the little problem before it was blown into a big one.
Don't we do the same thing as adults? When someone offends us, we get mad, don't talk to them, nor have anything to do with them? Sometimes we even make snide remarks about them or to them. Why don't we go to them and settle the matter? Pride, pride, pride.
God was trying to prevent any such things from happening to His children, so He warned them.
Keep in mind that Moses is preaching his sermon to the second generation of the Israelites. In the first chapter, he reviewed the first part of their 40 years of wanderings in the wilderness. We know it was because of unbelief in God's ability to help them conquer the Promised Land back then was the reason they were where they were.
Skip down to verse 7. What does Moses tell the Israelites?
- The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands.
- He has watched over your journey through this vast desert.
- These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.
Is the lack of faith the reason we are where we are or have been in our wilderness? It can be a physical location or spiritually a wilderness. Have we been wandering in our wilderness due to rebellion. Perhaps it is a loved one that is there. Is it due to our not trusting God?
Has God not provided what we needed, sustained us, even when we did not acknowledge Him in our life? Has He not blessed the work of our hands? Did He not watch over us while we were traveling on that journey in our life? All those years, months, or days, wasn't God with us, whether we prayed to Him or not? Did we lack for anything?
Israel had to admit that those things were all true. And so do we, whether we gave God credit for our survival or we took the credit. Perhaps our provisions did not meet our expectations, but we still had them. We survived, didn't we?
Thank God for all He does for us. Praise Him for His everlasting love and mercies.
LET IT GROW
Moses reviews Israel's journey from Kadesh to Moab, where they were camped. Notice that he includes himself as Moses uses the word "we" in verse 1. He identifies with those in rebellion.
Those who were faithful identified with those who were under the judgment of God. This is true obedience and humility. (Falwell)
God had directed Moses to lead the Israelites to pass through the territory of their brothers, who were the descendants of Esau, in Seir, to their current position. These Edomites would be afraid of Israel this time. Back in Numbers 20:14-21, the Edomites refused Israel passage through their land. What a change of attitude or heart. Anyway, God would not allow Israel to attack them, for He had given Esau possession of Mount Seir (Gen. 32:3; 36:6-8) The Edomites' land was not a part of the Promised Land, so Israel would not occupy it.
Israel had been instructed to not fight with three nations because they were blood relatives-Edom (descendants of Esau), Moab, and Ammon (descendant of Lot).
What instructions were the Israelites given concerning this situation?
- Meddle not with them. Meddle means to anger, contend, stir up, strive. In other words, don't make them mad, thus provoke them to war.
- Pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.
LET IT GO
Forgive others of what they do to cause us to be angry toward them.
Let it go, then let love in.
Watch my words and deeds so I don't anger others.
Don't meddle in someone's business.
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