Choosing Your Battles.(Deuteronomy 2: 1-37)

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Welcome:
In this episode, we're diving into Deuteronomy 2:1-37, where we explore the concept of "Choosing Your Battles." As we journey through this passage, we’ll discover how the Israelites navigated their way through enemy territories, discerning when to fight and when to hold back, all under God’s guidance.

Episode Overview:
In this study, we examine the Israelites' journey from Kadesh Barnea to the plains of Moab, focusing on their interactions with neighbouring nations. We learn that God sometimes calls us to fight, and at other times, He commands us to refrain. The challenge lies in discerning His will and acting accordingly. This episode will help you reflect on how to apply this wisdom in your life, particularly when it comes to deciding which battles are worth fighting.

Study Notes for Episode 5: "Choosing Your Battles" (Deuteronomy 2:1-37)

Key Themes:

1. Following God's Direction:
   • The Israelites' journey was marked by obedience to God's guidance. They moved when He said to move and refrained when He said to refrain. This chapter reminds us that God’s guidance is crucial in making decisions about when to engage and when to step back.
2. Respecting Boundaries:
   • As the Israelites passed through Edom, Moab, and Ammon, God instructed them not to provoke these nations because He had given them their lands. This teaches us the importance of respecting others' boundaries and recognizing when a conflict is not ours to pursue.
3. Knowing When to Fight:
   • In contrast to the earlier commands to avoid conflict, God later instructs the Israelites to engage in battle with King Sihon of the Amorites. This highlights that while peace is preferred, there are times when we must stand and fight, particularly when it aligns with God's will.

Application Points:

1. Discerning God's Will:
   • The central lesson of Deuteronomy 2 is the importance of seeking God’s will in every situation. Whether it’s deciding to engage in a conflict or choosing to avoid it, our actions should always be in line with His direction.
2. Choosing Your Battles:
   • Not every issue requires a fight. Reflect on the battles in your life—whether personal, relational, or spiritual—and consider if they align with God’s purpose for you. Are there conflicts you need to let go of, and are there others where you need to stand firm?
3. Standing Firm in the Faith:
   • As Paul emphasized in Galatians, we must defend the purity of the gospel. There are times when we must fight for our faith, particularly against false teachings or distortions of the gospel. This is a battle worth fighting.

Discussion Questions:

1. How do you currently discern which battles in your life are worth fighting?
2. Can you identify a situation where you felt God was telling you to step back from a conflict? How did you respond?
3. In what ways can you stand firm

Transcript

Choosing Your Battles.  (Deuteronomy 2: 1-37)

Full Transcript

 A quote I stumbled across in my preparation was,

"Choose your battles wisely. Life is too short to spend it on wars that don't matter. Fight only the most important ones, and let the rest go. Choose your words carefully; the last thing you say to someone may be the last thing they ever hear."

(C.JoyBC/Quotes/goodreads.com)

That, to me, sounds like great advice: choose your battles carefully, choose your friends carefully, and choose your words carefully.

But how do you know how to choose your battles carefully? What criteria determine whether you should fight or let go of something? Well, there’s a story in the book of Deuteronomy that I believe gives us some insight into answering that question.

So let me invite you to turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 2, but before doing that let me provide some context. 

In our study yesterday of chapter 1, I pointed out that the book of Deuteronomy is essentially a series of sermons. 

The first sermon spans the four chapters. In chapter 1, Moses reviewed and rehearsed what had happened at Mount Sinai and Kadesh Barnea.

Now, in chapter 2, which is just a continuation of that sermon, Moses recounts what happened from Kadesh Barnea up to the east side of the Jordan River. So today, we’re continuing the journey that began in chapter 1.

To give you a bit more context, let's talk about the geography of the events. The land of Canaan, which God promised to Abraham, lies to the north. South of that, you have the Sinai Peninsula. To the east, there’s the Dead Sea. The Israelites had ventured towards Canaan but then returned after receiving the spies' report. 

The people said, "We can’t conquer theses giants in the land," and they rebelled against God, refusing to go in. As a result, God declared that they would die in the wilderness, meaning die here in the Sinai Peninsula.

In chapter 2, we’re focusing on the journey from Sinai up along the east side of the Jordan River. To get there, the Israelites had to pass through lands belonging to Edom, Moab, and other nations. Deuteronomy chapter 2 will recounts this part of the journey.

Let’s begin our discussion by looking at their journey through Transjordan. Starting in chapter 2, verse 1, it reads: 

"Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea, as the Lord spoke to me, and we skirted Mount Seir for many days."

(Deuteronomy 2: 1)

Moses is speaking here, and he’s emphasizing that this journey was at the Lord’s command. Notice carefully: "as the Lord spoke." They were following God’s direction, and that’s what’s critical. God commanded them to take this route, which was likely a caravan route running several miles south of the Dead Sea up to the north tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. 

Regardless of the exact path, the important point is that they were following God’s direction.

Then the Lord said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.

(Deuteronomy 2: 2-3)

Once again, notice that the Lord is giving clear instructions. He says, "You’ve been wandering around this mountain long enough." 

Typically, this period of wandering is calculated to be around 40 years. But now God is saying, "It's time to move on." This is significant because it demonstrates God's faithfulness to His promises. He hasn’t given up on His people. He’s still leading them to the Promised Land, all be it by a roundabout route. Despite their disobedience, God has not abandoned His plan. He continues to direct them, guiding them through the wilderness.

In verse 3, God commands them to head north, and in verse 4, He instructs them: 

Give the people these orders: ‘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.

(Deuteronomy 2: 4)

This is interesting. The Israelites are about to pass through the land that God gave to Esau, which is called Edom. God warns them to be very careful as they do so. The phrase "be very careful" comes from a Hebrew word meaning to "keep" or "observe carefully." God is saying, "I’m taking you through this territory, but you need to be cautious."

In the next verse God then says,

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.

(Deuteronomy 2: 5)

This is fascinating. God is leading them through Edom, but He makes it clear that they are not to take any of the land because He has given it to Esau. The Hebrew word for " provoke " here means to " meddle " or "contend." In other words, God is saying, "Don’t start a fight with them."

This should be an encouragement. If God is protecting the land He gave to Esau, how much more will He protect and provide the land He promised to the Israelites? It’s a reminder of God’s faithfulness to His promises.

God now gets more specific: 

“You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

(Deuteronomy 2: 6)

God instructs the Israelites to purchase food and water as they pass through. He’s protecting the land of Edom and ensuring that His people respect the property of others. This is a large group of people moving through a region with limited resources, and God wants to ensure that they conduct themselves honourably.

God then says.

The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything.

(Deuteronomy 2: 7)

God reminds them that He has taken care of them for 40 years. He’s been with them every step of the way, providing for their needs. Because of this, they can trust Him to continue providing as they move forward. That’s why He tells them to pay for the food and water—they don’t need to take what doesn’t belong to them because God is already providing for them.

In verse 8, Moses continues, 

So, we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and travelled along the desert road of Moab.

(Deuteronomy 2: 8)

Moses is simply recounting their journey here. They passed through Edom, as God instructed, and then turned toward the wilderness of Moab. 

We know from Numbers 20 that the Edomites refused to let the Israelites cross their territory, so they had to go around.

The Lord then gives another instruction:

Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.”

(Deuteronomy 2: 9)

This is getting even more interesting. God is leading the Israelites through Moab, but again, He tells them not to fight with the Moabites. The land of Moab was given to the descendants of Lot, so it belongs to them. God is telling His people, "There are some battles you should not fight."

This brings us to an important point: sometimes, God directs us not to engage in certain battles. There are times when we must trust His plan and pass through peacefully, knowing that He has other promises in store for us.

10 (The Emites used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

(Deuteronomy 2: 10-12)

Now, if you look closely at the text in your bible of the verses, I have just read you will see that verse 10, begins with a brackets/parenthesis, and verse 12 at the end is also in parenthesis.

So, what's happening in this passage is that we're being informed that the land the Israelites are passing through belonged to others before the Moabites conquered it.

In verse 12, the text mentions that the Moabites dispossessed the previous inhabitants, just as the Israelites would later do in the land of Canaan, which the Lord gave them. This raises an interesting point because Moses never entered the Promised Land himself, so how did this information get included in the text?

This brings us to a key observation: Moses was no longer alive when this statement was written, which presents a bit of a challenge. To address this, most biblical scholars in our modern translations draw attention to the fact that this is an editorial note added later, after Moses had written the main text. Which is why translators usually put these three verses in parentheses to indicate it as such. 

This short passage was added by someone else under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to give the reader this additional context.

Now, you might wonder what this means for the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible as the Word of God. If Moses didn’t write every single word of the book, does that affect the Bible's divine inspiration? 

Absolutely not. Let me take a moment to clarify the differences between revelation, inspiration, and illumination.

Revelation is when God directly communicates His truth to someone—like when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments.

Inspiration refers to the process where the Holy Spirit guides someone to write or say something according to God's will.

This includes all the Scriptures in the bible, where the Holy Spirit inspired the authors to record God’s words. Illumination is when the Holy Spirit helps believers understand the truths revealed in Scripture.

For example, the Bible quotes other sources, such as in Titus, where Paul refers to a saying from one of the Cretan poets, from that time. 

While the original poet wasn't inspired, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to include that quote in the letter. In the same way, these editorial notes in Deuteronomy, added later, were still guided by the Holy Spirit and do not undermine the doctrine of inspiration at all, they are their to give us context so we understand the main revealation of the scriptures they are commenting on.

Now, back to our main passage

13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley.14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley. By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.

(Deuteronomy 2: 13-15)

In verse 13, the Israelites continue their journey and cross the Valley of Zered, as the Lord commanded. Verse 14 provides a flashback, noting that the journey from Kadesh-Barnea to crossing the Valley of Zered took 38 years—until the entire generation of fighting men had died, just as the Lord had sworn would happen.

This raises another question: If the entire journey was 40 years, why is it now described as 38 years? Well, the 40 years includes the two years spent at Mount Sinai and Kadesh-Barnea before they began wandering. The 38 years refer specifically to the wandering period. Both figures are accurate, 40 years in the wilderness 38 years spent wandering.

What’s significant about verse 14 is that it marks the end of the wilderness wanderings. All the men of war had died during those 38 years, which was a fulfilment of God’s judgment. 

This chapter in Deuteronomy is a significant benchmark in the narrative, indicating that the old generation has passed away, and a new chapter is beginning.

In verse 15, it states that, The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp." This simply means that it was God’s will for that generation to die in the wilderness because they had refused to enter the Promised Land when first commanded.

Now, with the old generation gone, the Israelites are ready to move forward. 

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died, 17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar.

(Deuteronomy 2: 16-18)

So, these verses note that after the last of the fighting men had perished, God spoke again, instructing them to cross the border of Moab. 

In verse 19, God tells them:

" When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot."

(Deuteronomy 2: 19)

This is the same command God gave regarding Edom and Moab: "I’ve given this land to others, so you are not to take it." Once again, God makes it clear that there are battles the Israelites are not to fight.

In verse 20-23, we encounter another statement in brackets, similar to the one we discussed earlier. 

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.)

(Deuteronomy 2: 20-23)

This passage describes how the land had been dispossessed by others and occupied by the people of Ammon. It’s in brackets because it is another probable editorial note, not written by Moses, but included later to provide historical context.

The journey through Transjordan reveals a recurring theme: God led the Israelites through the lands of Edom, Moab, and Ammon, and in each case, He commanded them not to fight because those lands had been given to others. 

Verses 1 to 23 summarize the journey from Kadesh-Barnea to the border of Edom, highlighting that they were indeed to avoid conflict with these neighbouring nations.

The key takeaway here is that there are times when we should not fight. The Israelites were commanded not to engage in battle because it was God’s will. The criteria for choosing whether to fight or not is simple: the will of God should determine it.

In fact, the New Testament places a premium on peace. While there are times when conflict may be unavoidable, we are called to pursue the path of peace whenever possible.

An outstanding example of when not to fight is found in 1 Corinthians 6. Here, Paul addresses a conflict between two believers who had taken their dispute to secular courts. Paul rebukes them, saying it would be better to suffer wrong, to accept the loss, rather than to bring shame upon the church by airing their grievances in public.

This principle teaches us that there are indeed times when we should refrain from fighting, even if it means taking the loss.

However, the rest of this chapter in Deuteronomy shows us that there are also times when we must fight. This becomes clear starting in verse 24, where God commands the Israelites: 

“Set out now and cross the Arnon Gorge. See, I have given into your hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his country. Begin to take possession of it and engage him in battle.

(Deuteronomy 2: 24)

Here, God is instructing the Israelites to engage in battle. This shows that there is indeed a time to fight and a time to refrain from fighting. The key is discerning God’s will in each situation.

God is telling the Israelites to cross the river and engage King Sihon in battle, with the assurance that He has already given them victory over this king and his land. Numbers 21 provides additional details about this event. God’s command to destroy these people was His judgment upon them for their deep idolatry and sin. God was using Israel as an instrument of His judgment.

God reassures the Israelites, saying, 

This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you.”

(Deuteronomy 2: 25)

Here, God is promising to instil fear in the hearts of their enemies, causing them to tremble at the very thought of the Israelites.

It’s important to understand the phrase “nations under the whole heaven.” This is likely a figure of speech, a hyperbole, referring to all the nations within their immediate world—the surrounding regions that would hear of Israel’s victories and be terrified.

Moses recounts in verse 26 how he first approached King Sihon with a message of peace: “Let me pass through your land; I will keep strictly to the road, and I will turn neither to the right nor to the left.” He offered to purchase food and water, just as they had done when passing through the lands of Esau and Moab. The Israelites were willing to pass through peacefully, but King Sihon refused.

In verse 30, we see that King Sihon did not allow the Israelites to pass through, telling us. 

“But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the Lord your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.

(Deuteronomy 2: 30)

This might remind us of how God hardened Pharaoh’s heart in Exodus. It’s an example of God’s sovereign will at work, where He allows the heart of a leader to become obstinate in order to accomplish His divine purpose.

So, the Israelites offered peace, but when it was rejected, God instructed them to go into battle. In verse 31, God says, See, I have begun to deliver Sihon and his country over to you. Now begin to conquer and possess his land.”.”

Sihon and his people came out to fight against Israel, but as we see in verse 32-33.

When Sihon and all his army came out to meet us in battle at Jahaz, the Lord our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army.

(Deuteronomy 2: 32-33)

The Israelites took all the cities and utterly destroyed them, leaving no survivors. This might seem harsh to our modern sensibilities, but it’s crucial to understand that this was God’s judgment on a people who were deeply entrenched in sin and beyond repentance.

Verse 35 clarifies that the Israelites only spared the livestock and took the spoils of the cities. The passage concludes in verse 36, saying, 

“There was not one town or city too strong for us; the Lord our God delivered all to us.”

(Deuteronomy 2: 36)

This highlights that it was God’s power, not Israel’s, that brought them victory.

Finally, verse 37 notes that the Israelites “Obeyed God’s command and did not encroach upon the land of the Ammonites or any other territory that God had forbidden them to enter”. 

They were faithful to do what God instructed, fighting when He commanded and refraining when He said to hold back.

This whole section in Deuteronomy chapter two teaches us that there are times to fight and times to refrain, and the determining factor is the will of God. We must seek His guidance to know when to pursue peace and when to stand our ground in battle.

This second chapter of Deuteronomy presents two contrasting sections positioned right next to each other. 

The first part is all about not fighting, where God repeatedly instructs His people to refrain from conflict. 

But in the second part, God commands them to engage in battle. From this, we can conclude that there is indeed a time not to fight and a time to fight.

How do we apply this? The criteria in the first part were clear: they didn't fight because God told them not to. 

Similarly, the reason to fight in the second part is also straightforward: God commanded it. 

The key takeaway is that our actions—whether to fight or not—should always be guided by God's will.

There are many things we might be passionate about, even good things, but we must be discerning. The one thing I've been most passionate about throughout my life, and would fight for until my last breath, is the core message of the gospel. This is solid ground worth standing on.

In Galatians, Paul makes it clear that if anyone, even an angel from heaven, preaches a different gospel, they should be accursed. If someone tries to add anything to the gospel, or take away something from it reducing its power, those are truths worth fighting for.

The gospel is simple yet profound: Jesus died for our sins, rose from the dead, and salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone.

In Paul's day, the Judaizers came to the churches in Galatia and tried to add the law to the gospel, insisting on practices like circumcision. But Paul stood firm, declaring, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.” We must be equally vigilant in defending the purity of the gospel.

So, while there are times when we should not fight, there are also times when we must stand firm and contend for the faith, just as Paul did in Galatians.

As we reflect on the retelling of the Israelites' journey from Kadesh Barnea to the plains of Moab, we see that they chose their battles based on the will of God. This is the ultimate criterion for determining when to fight: it’s about discerning and following God's will.

Now, let me make a few closing observations. For the Israelites, and for us, the land and the people were central to God’s plan.

Two key criteria led to the destruction of the inhabitants of the land: first, they opposed God's purpose, and second, their sin had reached a level that required divine judgment due to their religious contamination, particularly idolatry. This is the weighty subject underlying this chapter.

However, unlike the Israelites, we don't fight with swords or guns. Our battles are fought with words, and with the truth. The Israelites were not free to conquer any territory they pleased; they were guided by God's specific promises and commands. Similarly, our spiritual battles should be guided by the truth of God's Word.

Solomon wisely said, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” He lists various seasons in life, including “a time of war, and a time of peace.” This reminds us that history is filled with cycles of conflict and peace. Solomon's wisdom echoes through time: there's a season for everything, and our challenge is to discern what season we are in.

Interestingly, Solomon also seems to have anticipated our current times when he said, “a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.” He understood that life has its ebbs and flows, including times of war and times of peace.

I want to conclude by expanding on Solomon's thought. For he also said there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak.” There are moments in life when it’s best to keep silent, especially when our words might be untrue, unkind, or unnecessary. As Dante once wrote, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral crisis.” 

There are indeed times when silence is golden, but there are also times when we must speak up.

Solomon also advisesed in Proverbs, “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.” If we try to impart wisdom to someone who is not willing to listen, they will not only disregard what we say, but they may also despise us for saying it. 

Jesus echoed this sentiment when He said.

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.”

(Matthew 7:6).

As long as there is hope, we should speak. But when hope is gone, there comes a time to be silent.

So, to wrap up.

There is a time for battle and a time for peace. The determining factor is the will of God. As much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men. But there will be times when you must stand up, speak out, and fight for what is right.

I once heard an analogy that I think applies well here. Some people are like question marks—they are always questioning and doubting. Others are like exclamation points—everything is exciting and dramatic for them. Some are like commas—they keep conversations going and rarely come to a conclusion. But the best approach is to be like a period, what we in the UK call a full stop. 

So, know when to stop, know when to listen, and then, when necessary, speak with finality and authority.

May God grant us the wisdom to know when to be a comma and when to be a period, when to fight and when to seek peace.