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[God said], You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink (Deuteronomy 2:2-6).

Moses is recounting Israel\u2019s history. His own commentary is mixed in with God\u2019s directions for the journey and instructions for life as his people. In our text, he is recounting the moment for which Israel had spent nearly 40 years waiting. That\u2019s how long they had been wondering in the wilderness after the first failed attempt to enter the land.

One can imagine that a few of the Israelites wondered quietly if God would keep his promise or would he leave them to wander endlessly, generation after generation, in this wilderness. Centuries earlier God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would one day live in the land of promise. Israel\u2019s lack of trust in God\u2019s capacity to make it happen had launched them on this 40-year wilderness wanderings. Maybe God didn\u2019t want to risk it again.

But no! God calls an end to this pilgrimage. \u201cIt\u2019s time,\u201d he says. He is faithful to his promises. He was now setting the stage for their triumphant entry into the Promised Land from across the Jordan opposite Jericho. He will give them the land. These stories are written, as least in part, so that we will see God\u2019s faithfulness at work. We, too, must often wait for God to fulfill his promises. Sometimes, the waiting is long and longer. We, too, wonder if God has forgotten, or maybe God is abandoning us to the wilderness. The promise God made to Abraham took more than 400 years to be fulfilled. The lesson here is simple: God does not forget; he keeps his promises. Trust him.

This part of Moses\u2019 sermon also demonstrates that God is faithful to his threats. Because the faithless Israelites had refused to enter the Promised Land, God swore to destroy that generation in the desert and start over with a new people. There is also a warning here for us. That first generation was ungrateful for divine grace experienced over and over again. They repeatedly clamored to return to Egypt. Part of the covenant arrangement is that we take God seriously at his word. That we trust him. There is consequence for lack of trust.

Consequences for lack of trust may appear less obvious for us then they were for Israel. But, then again, maybe not. Consider the disciples in the boat with Jesus soundly asleep while the wind and waves threatened to capsize the craft. What does Jesus say when they wake him, \u201cWhy are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?\u201d (Mark 4:40). Later, one of those disciples would pen the line, \u201cPerfect love drives out fear\u201d (1 John 4:18). Whose love is the disciple speaking about? God\u2019s love of course. We do not need to fear because God loves us. This is the lesson Israel had such a hard time learning. Are we much different? But we do not have to live in fear, we can trust in his love. It was lived out on the cross.

There is another lesson in this text. The reference to Esau is significant. The land his descendant\u2019s live in was given to them by God. It\u2019s the same language that is used to describe God giving Canaan to Israel. God is involved with the nations around Israel as well. We do well to remember this. As much as it may seem that God is absent from the affairs of the world, Moses wants Israel to see that God is the King of kings. This gives us encouragement in our prayers for the nations, for peace among the peoples.

Israel did have a unique purpose, but she did not have a monopoly on God. God is deeply invested in the whole earth. The psalmist understood this well when composing this prayer, \u201cMay God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us\u2014so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations\u2026 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you\u201d (Psalm 67:1,2,5). Likewise, the church does not have a monopoly on God. God is always at work outside the church. The church is called to reveal God to the nations, that the peoples may join us in praising him.