The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Passed over” it comes from the Hebrew Word “abar” which means “to pass over, to cross.”
Moses continues retracing the long road that brought Israel to this exact moment. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Deuteronomy 2.
Moses recounts the many years Israel spent wandering around Mount Seir before God finally told them to turn northward. He reminds them that God commanded them to treat the descendants of Esau, the Edomites, respectfully, “meddle not with them,” since God had given them their land as their own possession, just as He was preparing to give Israel theirs. The Hebrew word for passing through their territory peacefully is “abar,” meaning to pass over or cross.
Moses recalls similar careful instructions regarding Moab and Ammon, descendants of Lot, whose land God had likewise already assigned to them and was not for Israel to seize. He notes that God had been with Israel throughout their entire forty years in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing, even as that generation of fighting men gradually died out exactly as God had declared.
Once Israel reaches the border of the Amorites, however, the situation changes. Moses recounts sending messengers to King Sihon requesting peaceful passage, offering to pay for food and water along the way, but Sihon refuses and comes out to fight instead. God delivers him into Israel’s hand, and they take his entire land, utterly destroying his cities. Moses recalls this victory as clear, tangible proof of God’s power beginning to work on Israel’s behalf, right on the edge of the land still waiting to be conquered.
God’s careful instruction to respect Edom, Moab, and Ammon’s territory, even while giving Israel victory over Sihon, shows that conquest was never simply about unrestrained expansion. God’s promises to other nations mattered too, and Israel’s obedience required real discernment about which battles were actually theirs to fight.
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