Deuteronomy 2

God was giving the land of Canaan to His people, the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all those who were adopted into their number. He commanded them to take that land by conquest.

That did not mean that He was giving them every land on the face of the earth. The land of Seir belonged to the descendants of Esau, Jacob's brother. The lands of Moab and Ammon belonged to the descendants of Lot, Abraham's nephew.

God had spoken concerning Israel in the wilderness. He had blessed them for forty years with great provision. Moses said to them, “You have lacked nothing.” But he also said concerning the Passover generation that, “the hand of the Lord was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.”

But now the time had come for Israel to move into their possession, the land of Canaan. This was not their idea. It was the plan and gift of God. He would put the dread and fear of them upon all peoples.

Even before they came to Canaan, the Lord gave to Israel the land of Sihon. Sihon defied Israel and Israel's God and would not let them pass by unharmed on their way to Canaan. His territory became part of the Lord's gift to His people.

The God of Israel is the God of all creation and providence. Kingdoms rise and fall according to His command. His sovereignty over Canaan should not surprise us. He is sovereign over all lands on the face of the earth. He gives them to whomever He pleases.

But there was something different going on in the Lord's gift of Canaan to Israel. The Lord had special plans for Israel that would be central to the fate of the entire world.

First, Israel would need to move forward by conquest, but this conquest would be very limited. It would not even include Edom and Moab, at least not in the days of Moses.

Much later, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, a new kingdom of God would be announced to the entire world. The new eternal kingdom of heaven would bring life to the world not by killing, but by dying.

This new kingdom expands even today through the message of the Lord's dying love and resurrection power. The Lord's love will be victorious. His kingdom will never end.