DEUTERONOMY LESSON 3
We will begin this lesson in Deuteronomy 2:1 "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."
This is Moses telling of their turn back into the wilderness at
God's command. Moses had not gone in as a spy, but now, he is with
them, as they go back into the wilderness. The many days, covered in
the verse above, is speaking of the 38 more years of their wandering
in the wilderness.
Deuteronomy 2:2 "And the LORD spake unto me, saying,"
This is toward the end of the 38 years of wandering. The LORD
speaks to Moses.
Deuteronomy 2:3 "Ye have compassed this mountain long enough:
turn you northward."
"Compassed" means to revolve around, or circle. They had
apparently been circling around. Now, God says, it is enough and turns
them northward.
Deuteronomy 2:4 "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:"
We remember from our lessons in Numbers, that the children of
Esau refused passage to the Israelites. The Israelites never did go
through the land of Edom, but just skirted around their land. They
remained enemies of Israel. The LORD cautioned them to be careful of
them.
Deuteronomy 2:5 "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."
Even though the LORD was angry with Esau for not letting the
children of Israel cross, He will not take their land. The land was
given to them by the LORD. He would not take it back. Mount Seir was
Esau's possession, like the promised land was the possession of the
Israelites.
Deuteronomy 2:6 "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."
They were not to take anything from Esau. The things they needed,
they were to buy from them.
Deuteronomy 2:7 "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."
God had been their constant provider. It appears, he had blessed
them financially, as well as providing food and water for them. They
could buy whatever they needed.
Deuteronomy 2:8 "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 Ezion-gaber, we turned and passed by the way of
the wilderness of Moab."
We find that the children of Israel were obedient to God. They
did not go to battle with the Edomites. They went around their land,
instead of through it. They wound up in the wilderness of Moab.
Deuteronomy 2:9 "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."
Lot was the nephew of Abraham. This land had been given to him
for his descendents. They were distant relatives of the Israelites.
God commands them to leave them alone at this time.
Deuteronomy 2:10 "The Emims dwelt therein in times past, a people
great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;" Deuteronomy 2:11 "Which
also were accounted giants, as the Anakims; but the Moabites call them
Emims."
The word "Emims" means terrors, or frightful. They seemed to be
people of very large stature. They were thought of as giants. The
Anakims and Emims were the same people. They were Moabites, or
Canaanites.
Deuteronomy 2:12 "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."
This is just telling them that the Horites were cave dwellers
there before the Emims. Some believe these cave dwellers brought about
the city of Petra.
Deuteronomy 2:13 "Now rise up, [said I], and get you over the
brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered."
This brook served as a boundary line between Moab and Edom.
Deuteronomy 2:14 "And the space in which we came from Kadesh-
barnea, 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."
This states, again, that they wandered in the wilderness 38
years, after their first attempt to enter the promised land. The total
time, from the time they left Egypt until the actual entering the
promised land, was 40 years.
Deuteronomy 2:15 "For indeed the hand of the LORD was against
them, to destroy them from among the host, until they were consumed."
This is primarily speaking of judgements of God that came upon
them. Numbers 26:64 "But among these there was not a man of them whom
Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children
of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai." Numbers 26:65 "For the LORD had
said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was
not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua
the son of Nun." All of the men who were twenty years old, when they
disobeyed God by not going into the promised land, were destroyed
during this 38 years, except for Caleb and Joshua.
Deuteronomy 2:16 "So it came to pass, when all the men of war
were consumed and dead from among the people," Deuteronomy 2:17 "That
the LORD spake unto me, saying,"
When God saw that His punishment of the faithless had been
accomplished, He spoke to Moses.
Deuteronomy 2:18 "Thou art to pass over through Ar, the coast of
Moab, this day:"
The coast of Moab was at the river Arnon.
Deuteronomy 2:19 "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."
The Ammonites were descendents of Lot and his younger daughter.
This land had been given to them by the LORD. We mentioned before,
that Lot was the nephew of Abraham.
Deuteronomy 2:20 "(That also was accounted a land of giants:
giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them
Zamzummims;" Deuteronomy 2:21 "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:"
We see in this, that Moses is stating that even though there were
giants in the land, God had destroyed the giants and given the land to
the Ammonites.
Deuteronomy 2:22 "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:"
God destroyed the Horims, and gave their land to Esau's
descendents. God gives each person his rightful inheritance.
Deuteronomy 2:23 "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 land was, also, taken from a stronger nation, and given to
those God had chosen to have it. The lesson in these last few lessons
is that God can take away from the strongest and give to the weakest,
if that is His desire. To doubt the ability of God to do as He wishes
is sin.
Deuteronomy 2:24 "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."
The above examples were given, to bolster the courage of the
Israelites to go in and possess the land God has chosen for them. God
has given them Sihon, the Amorite. Now, go in and possess it. {They
must battle for the land God has given them.}
Deuteronomy 2:25 "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."
Their victory, in this battle with Sihon, will cause the nations
around to fear the Israelites. They will hear of this battle and fear
for their own safety. The fear is not so much of the Israelites,
themselves, as it is of the God of Israel. Their anguish will be in
wondering, if they will be the next to be conquered by Israel.
Deuteronomy 2:26 "And I sent messengers out of the wilderness of
Kedemoth unto Sihon king of Heshbon with words of peace, saying,"
We see in this, that Moses had given them the option of peace.
Deuteronomy 2:27 "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."
Really, all they had wanted of Sihon was passage through their
land.
Deuteronomy 2:28 "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;"
They had money to buy what they needed from Sihon. They did not
even want to set up camp; they would pass through on their feet.
Deuteronomy 2:29 "(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 plainly tells them, this is not land that they really want.
They are headed for their promised land by the Jordan River. They
passed by Edom and Moab, without having war with them.
Deuteronomy 2:30 "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."
Sihon will not let them pass. They go to war, because the LORD
hardened the heart of Sihon. This little battle will be a warning to
the others they come against, that God is with Israel. Sihon is
defeated.
Deuteronomy 2:31 "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."
It is important for Israel to follow the commands of the Lord
here at Heshbon. The children of Israel must fight the actual battle
to possess the land, but God is with them, so that they win.
Deuteronomy 2:32 "Then Sihon came out against us, he and all his
people, to fight at Jahaz."
This is a test to see if Israel will truly fight, and take what
God has commanded them to do.
Deuteronomy 2:33 "And the LORD our God delivered him before us;
and we smote him, and his sons, and all his people."
We see, from this, that Sihon and his army are almost helpless in
this battle. The LORD fights the battle for Israel. The LORD is with
Israel, when they obey Him.
Deuteronomy 2:34 "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:"
They left no one to lead the Israelites away from their God into
idle worship. This area will be part of the land that the tribe of
Reuben will receive as their inheritance.
Deuteronomy 2:35 "Only the cattle we took for a prey unto
ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we took."
Reuben's tribe were people who raised cattle and sheep. This land
had been good for that. They kept the cattle and the other wealth of
the cities.
Deuteronomy 2:36 "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:"
Aroer was an Amorite city near the Arnon River. Gilead, here, is,
probably, Mount Gilead. Judges 11:22 "And they possessed all the
coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the
wilderness even unto Jordan."
Deuteronomy 2:37 "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."
The country of the Ammonites situated on the eastern side of the
upper Jabbok, which God had forbidden to the Israelites, was not
taken. They took only the area the Lord commanded them to.
Deuteronomy 3 Questions
1. What is verse 1 speaking of?
2. The "many days", in verse 1, is speaking of how much time?
3. What does "Compassed" mean?
4. Where do the children of Esau live?
5. What do we remember, from the lessons on Numbers, that the
children of Esau do?
6. Why will God not give them Esau's descendents' land?
7. How were the Israelites to get the needed things from the family
of Esau?
8. What had the Israelites lacked for in their wilderness wanderings?
9. Who are the children of Esau called in verse 8?
10. What warning is given the Israelites about the Moabites?
11. Lot was the __________ of Abraham.
12. The word "Emims" means ___________ or _________.
13. Describe these Emims.
14. The Horites were ________ dwellers.
15. What did the brook Zered serve as?
16. What was the purpose of the 38 year wanderings?
17. How many total years, from Egypt to the promised land, did they
wander?
18. What is verse 15 primarily speaking of?
19. Quote Numbers chapter 26 verses 64 and 65.
20. Who were the only two, of the twelve spies, spared?
21. Who were the Ammonites?
22. What did the Ammonites call the giants?
23. Who were they compared with for size?
24. Who had God given over into the Israelites hands?
25. What will this cause the other nations to do?
26. What had Moses tried to do with Sihon?
27. Why would he not do it?
28. What happened to all of Sihon's people?
29. Where was the battle of Sihon fought?
30. What did the Israelites take for a prey?
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