Deuteronomy 2:1-25, Yahweh Sans Frontiers

Please open your Bible with me to Deuteronomy chapter 2. Deuteronomy chapter 2. Be reading verses 1 to 25.

Hear the word of the Lord.

The Lord Gives Israel Its Boundaries in the Wilderness

Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea as the Lord told me and for many days We traveled around Mount Seir then the Lord said to me You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough turn northward and command the people.

You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers the people of Esau who live in Seir and they will be afraid Of you so be very careful. Do not contend with them for I will not give you any of their land.

No, not so much as the sole of the foot to tread on because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall purchase food from them for money that you may eat and you shall also buy water of Them for money that you may drink for the Lord.

Your God has blessed you and all the work of your hands. He knows you're going through this great wilderness these 40 years. The Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing. So we went on away from our brothers the people of Esau who live in Seir away from the Arab wrote the Arab a road from Elah Eloth and is he on Gibber and We turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab and the Lord said to me Do not harass Moab our contend with them in battle for I will not give you any of their land for a possession.

Because I have given our to the people of lot for a possession. The mm formally lived there of people great and many and tall as the Anakim like the Anakim. They are also counted as Raphael but the Moabites call them mm.

The Horites also lived in Seir formally but the people of Esau just possessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave to them.

Now rise up and go over the brook Zerod so we went over the brook Zerod and the time for our leaving Kadesh Barnea and the top and until we crossed the brook Zerod was 38 years until The entire generation that is the men of war had perished from the camp and the Lord had sworn to them As the Lord had sworn to them for indeed the hand of the Lord was against them to destroy them from the camp until They had perished.

So as soon as all the men of war had perished and were dead and from among the people the Lord said to me today you are to cross the border of Moab at our and When you approach the territory of the people of Amman do not harass them or contend with them for I will not give you any Of the land of the people of Amman as a possession because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.

It is also counted as a land of Raphael. Raphael formerly lived there. But the Ammonites called them Zamzum him a people great in many and as tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before the Ammonites and they dispossessed them and settled in their place as he did.

The people as he did for the people of Esau who lived in seer when he destroyed the Horites before them and they dispossessed them and settled in their place even to this day as For the of him who lived in villages as far as the got as Gaza.

The calf to rim who came from calf door destroyed them and settled in their place. Rise up set out on your journey and go over the valley of the Arnon behold. I have given them in Given into your hands see Han the Amorite king of Heshbon and his land.

Begin to take possession and contend with him in battle. This day I will begin to put the dread of and fear of you on the people who are under the whole heaven. Who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.

The Lord had his blessings the reading of his Holy Word. Well, everybody needs to know their place, right? They need to know what belongs to them. What what what doesn't belong to them. What their responsibilities?

What's none of their business. Where they can go where they can't. What's out of bounds? I mean key to knowing most any sport like basketball. Where's out of bounds? Why can't you step over that line?

I Mean, what would you think though of someone who after the service today went out to the parking lot and began to try to drive? Off in your car. I mean, you know get set the path in the driver's seat.

You might you know protest. Hey, I got. I have the keys the titles in my name, you know, go get your own car. There's boundaries for everything and everyone. Everyone needs to know their boundaries, right?

It's weird when someone steps over them. We naturally assume the same about God. Surely God has his boundaries, doesn't he? The areas of life that he is interested in. The things or the people that he claims these are mine he says what he what belongs to him the rest.

Though the rest is outside of God's concern, isn't it? So if a religious person believes in tithing, you know, then they give their 10 and the rest then the 90 is Theirs to do with as they want one, isn't it gamble it away on a trip to Vegas?

Splurge it on themselves. Whatever. God doesn't really care as long as he gets his cut, right? Some things after all God just isn't concerned with. Does God care about sports? Some people pray fervently that their team will win.

There's this picture of Tim Tebow with John 316 written under his eyes and I black Crying as his Florida Gators were being deprived of another national championship. By a team that will go nameless. Some think that God is for the team with the most devout Christians on it.

Well, that's so why did Tebow lose? Some think that God is. Is he interested in that at all. And the more sophisticated people though Will scoff at the idea that God even cares about sports. Does God care who wins a game?

They'll say of course not. They expect everyone every thinking person every clear thinking person to understand after all God has his boundaries. There are some things he just doesn't delve into. But yes, God does care.

Who wins a game? About whether the Cleveland Cavaliers will beat the Golden State Warriors this year. Unlikely, but his agenda is not ours. He'll use victories and defeats for his purposes. Maybe to teach young Tebow that life is more than sports championships.

Who knows? But God does God care about business is business. None of God's business. God is very interested in business but not always as a way to make us rich so that we can have the Most expensive cars and the gadgets of the stuff that we want maybe instead as a way to equip us.

To give.

To others to support the work of the ministry. To make us generous. Maybe it's kind of like sandpaper, you know. You use something rough to make something else smooth. By rubbing against greed constantly teaching us.

To have what the Puritans called weaned affections that our loves our desires Would be on things above Not on things on the earth. Does God care about family?

Well, of course.

Christians today are quick to say absolutely cares about family. In fact, he wants us to focus on the family. They insist almost as if they will say it out loud, but it seems like they're implying it all the time.

Almost as if God exists almost the very purpose of God's existence is to help the family. That's what he that's what he's all about. Isn't he about enriching marriages and helping us raise obedient kids?

So we can all go up to heaven and have an eternal family reunion. And if Jesus wants to drop by occasionally, that's great, too. By the way, when we have that eternal family reunion Do I get to be the dad or am I the kids.

I get confusing because my parents would want me to be the kid. Well, then if that's so though of all of all the things of life that Jesus could have challenged Why did he challenge the family?

Whoever loves.

Father or mother a wife. Our children more than me. There are God's boundaries. That's the question. Where does his jurisdiction?

Jurisdiction.

Begin and end where's where's the zone? Like it when Germany was divided between occupied zones after World War two. You know, there's the French and the British and the Russian and the American zone and there were even these signs.

On the roads you are now leaving the American zone. Where's the zone? That belongs to the Lord something God is the God of America. America is or was or was supposed to be a Christian nation. So while I'm in America, I Should be a Christian or at least kind of look like one.

Some immigrants actually think that way now some of our immigrants here were Christians before they came. They were Christians in China some got baptized in China, but there's but there are other people.

Out there the immigrants who before they came to the u .s. Didn't care at all about the Lord. When they were where they came from they weren't Christians at all and then they arrive if they're Chinese in China.

They were they believed in Chinese religion. Ancestor veneration family ism. Now if you want a religion that focuses on the family, you should try traditional Chinese religion. I mean, that's what it's all about.

So if that's what you're but it's what you're in Christianity for you might want to try that instead. But it's it's this mixture of Buddhism and Taoism with some Confucian philosophy to live by the three religions.

They call it what the Chinese call themselves the people of the three religions. And by the way, they don't mean you choose one of the three they mean they believe in all three at the same time. But you know, that's the way they would be maybe in China and then they come to the u .s.

And they think well. Now since I'm here I should be a Christian or at least go to church and look like I'm one. Since I'm in a Christian nation after all the Lord is the God of this nation. You might think.

You don't want the God of this nation this zone to get mad at you. You know, you're in his territory and you don't want to be offending him. Maybe if you went back to China, I guess you'd be one you might go back to being one of the people of the three religions.

The Lord wouldn't mind would he because I mean well after all anyway He's in the u .s. And he can't see on the what's going on on the other side of the world. Can he I Get that's what people think. Is that is that what the Lord is?

Is he our national God sort of like our tribal deity? We believe in him because we just happen to be born within his boundaries. When Mary was young and I may get the story wrong, but this is way I remember hearing it secondhand when Mary was a young Christian a teenager in Singapore her mother asked the Taoist priest if If she should make Mary eat the food sacrifice to idols to participate in the Taoist idolatry and the priest said no.

That would cause a conflict among the gods. The Christian God here is kind of like a WWE Smackdown here is the Christian God and on the other hand the Taoist gods playing tag team. I guess they would get into a fight kind of like having a sumo wrestlers, you know fighting in your living room.

They'll make a mess. So you don't in the Taoist priest told? Mary's mother you don't want that going on in your home. So the gods had their boundaries. Keep them separate. That was his philosophy. The Taoist priest was half, right?

The Christian God would be upset indeed. He would be wrathful if one of his little ones was tempted to sin. In fact, he said it would be better for someone who does that who tempts one of his little ones to sin.

Be better for him if a millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. Better than what would come about when he has he or she has to face God. What the Taoist priest was wrong about is the idea that there are boundaries behind which you can confine the true God.

There is no sign anywhere. Declaring you are now leaving the Lord's zone. He is the God without boundaries. And we see that here in four parts. He is the first the God of the Edomites. Second, he's the God of the Moabites.

Third, he's the God of the not Israelites. And Finally, he's the God of the Ammonites. None of those four nations believes in God. Not really but the Lord is still the king of them all. Whether they believe it or not.

The Lord Is the God of the Edomites

First the Lord is the God of the Edomites. Whether they know it or not We continue from where we left off. We're in the middle actually of this speech that Moses is giving To the Israelites as they are poised for the second time to enter the promised land.

About 40 years earlier when they were on the verge of the promised land to the south of it Israel refused to go in. I had to turn back into the desert and wander around waiting for that entire generation to die off.

For many days. Moses says in verse in verse 1. Many days it's 38 years to be exact. We traveled around Round like on the outside of a Mount Seir. That's the way that's the Country of the Edomites. That's their territory Mount Seir.

The descendants of Esau the Edomites Jacob's brother now finally the Lord says to them in verse 3 you have been traveling around the mountain country long enough. This wandering is over now turn northward.

This time the Lord will lead them another way to the promised land this time east of the Dead Sea. And the Jordan River if you have a map on the back of your Bible may help you see it there. But if they if they take a road, there's a what's called the Kings Highway there's this nice road that goes right through Edom if they take that or they'll have to cross the boundary into Edom and Go right through there that other country.

Now, of course, they need permission that they should ask for permission. They don't actually need it. They can probably fight their way through but the Lord tells them in verse 4 that the people of Esau the Edomites will be afraid of them.

So he says be very careful. Kind of like coming across a bear in the woods. Don't provoke it be very careful. Don't do anything. To provoke it to attack you back away slowly. Don't provoke them. Don't provoke the Edomites.

Don't contend with them in verse 5 for I will not give you not give you any of their land. Not so much as the soul of the foot to tread on so otherwise. They're out of bounds at least for taking walk through them if they give you permission.

But you can't you can't take anything from them. Now is if they're they're out of bounds, is that because the Lord is the God of Israel and The God of Edom is a different God. And so we don't want a conflict of the gods, you know kind like that Taoist priest.

Is that because the the land of Edom is outside God's territory. It's beyond his jurisdiction. He didn't have any power there. He's not God there. Is that what's going on?

No, of course not.

Indeed notice what the Lord says next in verse 5 Don't go try to take land from Esau because this is the reason you cannot take their land I have given to given Mount Seir. That's the land of Edom again to Esau.

To the people of Edom I have given that territory to them as a possession and the key word I think is I.

I.

The Lord speaking I Have done it. They have that territory because I the Lord have given it to them Whether they know it or not. But how can that be? You know the people of Esau didn't worship the Lord at least not purely they may have believed in him kind of but they believed.

In.

Baal and other things. Probably a hodgepodge of stuff. They had sold their birthright. They didn't believe in God's promises. They were not God's chosen people. They are Outside the boundary of his promised land.

Now, does that mean they're outside the boundary of his concern? Outside the boundary of his sovereignty of his power.

No.

They have their land because the Lord gave it to them. Their boundaries were set by the Lord. They were still under the Lord's control. Whether they know it or not. So Israel you can't take their land.

Even if you want to because I the Lord haven't given it to you. I've given it to them. So when you pass through the land remember. Everything there in their land is theirs. Because the Lord gave it to them.

So you have to pay. You have to pay for every kernel of grain you pluck every drop of water you drink. It's theirs and if you're gonna take any of it you have to pay for it. You can't say well I'm the chosen people.

They're not. God is for us. God mit ums in German the German soldiers had that embroidered on their uniforms and World War two. Thinking that gave them the right God is with us and that gave them the right to take anything.

They wanted even whole countries. Well, the Lord didn't quite go along with that. The the Lord is the king here not just of Israel not just of nations that believe in him. Not just of the United States because it's supposedly a Christian nation.

He is the God of China to of Ethiopia and Singapore their boundaries their people their gold their Uranium their oil their farmland their Grand Canyon. There are three gorges their Mississippi their young sea rivers were given them.

Given to them by the Lord if other nations want to have some of it. They want to have some of the grain they want to they want to tour the rivers. Well, then they have to pay. Because it belongs to the nation.

God gave it to the Lord is the God even of unbelieving nations. Now here Israel pays. You have to pay Israel for your stuff there in verse 7 because The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands.

All that work they did in Egypt. They got paid eventually for it. They were supposed to be slaves. But on their way out God let them take the riches of Egypt as back pay. And so now they can pay for what they need and you think about it for 40 years.

They had all this stuff they got from Egypt their back pay for 40 years. They haven't had to buy anything. They haven't had to spend any of the money. They have though the gold they have they wandered in the Sinai desert.

There's nothing spend on you know, there's no there's no mall there to go to go peruse. Now they go through Edom. So they should they should be able to pay without grumbling because the Lord your God has been with you.

He sent manna from the sky he's water out of rocks their clothes have miraculously not suffered wear and tear. They've had everything they need and here we see that God's provision for his people is supposed to make them free to spend or to give.

Without grumbling without panicking about where you know, it's all gonna run out. All my money's gonna run out. No, don't pay. God's supplied for your need. You can trust him for tomorrow. God has given us what he didn't owe us and So now we can freely give others what we owe them.

But as it turned out the Edomites were so afraid of Israel. They didn't even allow them to go through even though they were, you know offering will pay for everything. No, they said no way. They wouldn't didn't allow them to cross their boundaries.

And so Israel had to march all the way around Edom go way south. For and then east tacky going yet more unnecessary miles on their journey. They could have invaded and probably forced their way through.

I Guess they could have but the Lord had told them that he had given Edom their land. So we eat them could put up a no trespassing sign on their boundaries if they wanted the Lord the God they didn't recognize.

Had given them that right? Well, then next they come to Moab as they're skirting around the outside the outskirts of Edom next.

The Lord Is the God of the Moabites

Next.

Kingdom is Moab north of that and verse 9 Moses recalls that the Lord Told him do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle. Now it would be nice to make another shortcut through Moab. But the Lord says I will not give you any of their land as a possession.

It's off-limits to the Israelites were were not a marauding band of Nomadic barbarians who just we're gonna take any land and take anything they They wanted they wanted and then they just eventually settled on the gun land on the land of Canaan.

It's way many sometimes liberal unbelieving scholars interpret the early Israel, but no, they're not. There are nations that are off-limits. And they are off-limits even in the Old Testament. Because God is not just the God of Israel.

He's not just the God of the promised land though. That's his territory that other nations and other lands are not beyond him. They're not outside of his interest. Not outside of his ability. No quite the opposite.

The reason why they can't take Moab's land is because in verse 9 again, I The Lord speaking have given our that's the name of that land.

To Moab.

The people of the people of lot for a possession and Moab's people were descended from lot. In other words, it doesn't matter if the religion of Moab was the worship of a god called Chumash. Or Kimosh, however, you pronounce it.

They call themselves the people of Chumash. That's what they call themselves. You know, it doesn't matter if it was Moab that hired Balaam to try to curse Israel. That didn't work. It doesn't matter that it was Moab that attempted many Israelites to worship the bail or ball properly pronounced the ball.

Appear it was called. Yes. They are an enemy of Israel. They've tried opposing as Israel. They tried to stop them. They don't at all believe in the Lord, but the Lord declares that they have their country because he Gave it to them.

I God says I not Chumash have given their land to them. It doesn't matter if the people of China are the people of the three religions. That's the way they call themselves whether they live like Confucians while venerating their ancestors and die like Taoist and sprinkle a little Buddhism.

And it doesn't matter if the Chinese Communist Party declares that their commitment to atheistic materialism. The Lord has given China to the Chinese whether they know it or not whether they praise him for it or not.

He is the Lord is just as much the Lord of China as he is of the United States or of Ethiopia. Or of Europe or of Israel. He is the Lord. Without boundaries. There's a medical charitable organization.

Called in French now, I don't speak French. I've never had a French lesson in my life. But I believe it's pronounced something like medicine sans frontiers. Joyce Joyce must know French because she laughs that's not pretty but in English is doctors without borders.

They offer medical help and run clinics and so forth in poor countries. They're very large charity across boundaries here the Lord is.

Yahweh.

Sons frontiers. The Lord without borders and. To prove it we're given this little history lesson. You probably read this. There are these things you read in the Old Testament. Your eyes start to glaze over.

What in the world is this about? There's a little history lesson on the origins of Moab and then he begins to talk about the origins of Edom too. And then the other people. And you want in the world. It's that have to do with me.

But where they where they now live. Or the Moabites now live. There used to be a kingdom called the MMM in verse 10. And it says that they were these MMM were a great people many and tall as the Anakim.

So they're like a bunch of NBA players there like those Giants the spies saw in the land the promised land. You know, they're frightened them. Remember, they said these spies in the promised land and they saw these Giants and they said no way we can take that.

The majority thought they're too big. But we don't have a chance against them. They thought. But the Moabites came up against the people just as gigantic. Just as formidable. The Moabites did it. But the Lord gave them their land.

The Lord gave to the people of Chumash. The people who worship the Baal of Peor and who all do all kinds of other weird things the Moabites He gave to them the power to defeat those huge.

MMM.

The Edomites before came up against a nation called the Horites in verse 12. It wasn't as though it was the land that the Edomites and the the Moabites that the land they got they got Was empty there was no one in it before they moved in.

No, they had opposition the Moabites had gigantic opposition and they still got it done and Here it says they got it done because the Lord the Lord of all nations Presided over them. He gave them the power to take it.

He reigned over those nations, even though they knew nothing about him. Notice at the end of verse 12 they these pagan peoples these unbelieving nations. They took their land as I was in the same way That Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave to them.

In other words just as as the conquest of the promised land, you know in the book of Joshua Just as that was a work of the Lord so to the conquest of The lands of Edom and Moab by their people was also The work of the Lord it was all under his control.

The Lord is not just a tribal deity of Israel just confined to the boundaries of Canaan. And maybe well we happen to believe in him now because of some accidents of history and now he's the god of Just the u .s.

No. Or it could have been you know. Some people say what a back history had taken a different turn. We could just as easily be believing in the God the Greek gods like Zeus or the Norse gods like Thor.

No, he is the Lord of all nations. And so people of all nations.

Are.

Under his control whether they believe in him or not, but they are all called to believe in him. He's even the God of that most unbelieving nation. Not Israel. I don't know what else to call him. But in verse 13 Moses says after they marched all the way around Edom.

To cross a boundary they cross a boundary there. I say he mentions it like three times in a row the brook Zered. Not much of an obstacle, it's a little probably a little brook but it marked a boundary.

They cross a physical boundary and it turns about to be a crossing of a generation gap a boundary in time to a boundary in their. In their growth as they cross on their way around Moab. The last of the unbelieving generation of Israel passes away about the time.

They crossed this brook Zerod. The last of the unbelievers among them. It's been 38 years. From the first when they when they rejected the first offer to go into the promised land been 38 years when they were on the verge of the promised land and they Would not believe and the whole generation was sent back to wander in the desert and now they're on the verge of it again.

Now in those 38 years at verse 14 the entire generation that is the men of war every man 20 years or older. From that time in the next 38 years all of them died off. It means a lot of them died before, you know.

You should have been able to live longer than that. But all the men who were old enough to fight the first time had perished from the camp. God did the man. And there are boundaries in space and there are boundaries in time.

Sometimes we have Boundaries in our own life. When you reach age 18 or 21 you reach a boundary into a new stage in life. Some people think God is this the God of old age. Or maybe a childhood and old age.

You know teach the children the Bible stories and leave the church to the old folks. Those are the stages of life that the Lord is kind of confined to. When we're young adults or middle-aged. We have too many other important things to be doing, you know.

Getting married and having children and building career or a business when we get all that taken care of. Then when you know when we can retire then we'll have time for God again until then He'll stay out of my life and I'll stay out of his church.

Right. We have our boundaries. But just as the Lord is the God of all nations All areas of life He is also the God of all stages of life. Now here they've crossed a boundary into a new stage of life as a nation.

The old generation that saw the Exodus. They came through the sea out of Egypt saw Mount Sinai smoke and shake. Was carried by the Lord. They said in the previous chapter one like a man carries a child.

Yet they still wouldn't believe. Despite all that they still wouldn't believe that Israel that had no faith. And so was it the true Israel? That Israel finally died off. Paul quotes. Paul writes in Romans chapter 9 verse 6 that not all who are of Israel are of Israel.

Interesting phrase. Earlier in Romans 2 he wrote that to be a true Israelite is a matter of the heart by the spirit. It's have faith in the true God those who genuinely believe in the Lord like like Ruth from Moab.

Ruth is originally one of the people of Chumash. But because she has faith in the Lord She is of Israel. But if all you have is physical descent. You belong to the nation ethnically genetically, but you don't have faith in the Lord.

The Lord says the Lord says I have given you the land or Jesus is Lord and you say no way, those Giants are too big or The Christ is a crucified. Then you're not really in the spirit in the eyes of the Lord part of the true Israel.

You're.

Not Israel. Not all who are of Israel are of Israel. The rest are not Israel. Not my people. Hosea called them. If they're not God's people Does that mean they're outside of God's concern? He's just not gonna he's not dealing with them in any way.

They're beyond the boundaries of God's work. No here in verse 15 at this time with this generation for indeed Why do they all pass away? This is this is why they all died in 38 years. The hand of the Lord was against them to destroy them from the camp until they had perished.

The Lord was against them. He opposed them. Being natural Israelites didn't make them one of his chosen people. It meant that they knew more they had heard more they had seen more. So they were responsible for more much was given and so much was expected.

As we studied in Sunday school last year There's been a big theological movement in Christianity called Dispensationalism that has taught that all ethnic Israel is Israel the true Israel and that they are God's people.

By just by virtue of their ethnicity. They were born in the boundary of God's kingdom literally by being born and this is false for the reasons we've just seen and John the Baptist called not Israel to repent and.

Become.

True Israel and he baptized them the sign of their crossing the boundary. From being not my people to being one of God's people. Paul wrote that the the flesh our natural descent is of no avail that God's peace Rather than his opposition like here.

These people had his opposition. They're not Israel and for 38 years, but God's peace Comes on the Israel of God. That is through faith those who are his people by believing in him. But that doesn't mean that God is done with not Israel.

Mary and I have a Jewish friend in the Chicago area who once over lunch. I remember spoke approvingly of Someone whose life got transformed by Jesus and I was kind of taken aback. I didn't know what to say.

You know, I felt like saying hey, wait a minute. You don't believe in Jesus. I mean you're Jewish, but what she would probably say back is I believe Jesus is good for you and for others. I'm all for what works for you good for you.

But he's not for me. You'll find some people that actually hardly approve of Your religion they'll call it but it's just not for them. That they will like that you believe. But they don't like it. If you try to win other people to Jesus from other religions like Judaism or Islam Jesus is outside the bounds of their life.

If you're in his his territory if you're in his zone That's great for you. He's just not for me they say. But he's the Lord of everyone. Including not Israel. Next Israel coming to another border starting at verse 16 all the old generation the old not Israel.

They wouldn't believe we're dead. So in verse 18 today you were to cross the border of Moab at our. The next nation over that border is Ammon. So we three in a row like eat them first when they came across and then Moab next north of that and then north of that still is Ammon and The Lord says to them in verse 19 Do not harass them or contend with them for I will not give you any of the land of the people of Ammon as a possession.

In other words, no trespassing Israel. It's not yours. You don't have a right to take it. Because I the Lord have given it. That's the land to the sons of Lot for possession like Moab Ammon was also descended from Lot.