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The Companion Bible note to Deut. 2: 28 suggests that Moab sold too, but the very
clear-cut distinction made between Moab and Edom in Deut. 23: 3, 4 and 7 is rather
opposed to this suggestion. However, be that as it may, Edom and Moab both refused
permission for Israel to pass through their territory.
What did the Lord say? Did He command, "Arise, O Israel, manifest by conquest that
you are the redeemed of the Lord"? No; Israel's attitude was to be the reverse of this.
All that is written in Numb. 20: 21 is: "Wherefore Israel turned away from him."
Deut. 2:, however, makes very clear what Israel's attitude was to be:--
"Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren, the children of Esau, which dwell
in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore.
Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot
breadth" (Deut. 2: 4, 5).
Much the same is said of the Moabites: "Distress not the Moabites neither contend
with them in battle" (2: 9). Here is no uncertain sound, and the spiritual analogy is not
difficult to perceive:--
"We wrestle not with flesh and blood" (Eph. 6: 12).
"Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods" (Heb. 10: 34).
"They confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth" (Heb. 11: 13).
"No man that warreth entangleth himself in the affairs of his livelihood" (II Tim. 2: 4).
"Let your moderation be known to all men" (Phil. 4: 5).
"I have learned in whatsoever state I am, to be content" (or independent) (Phil. 4: 11).
Passages like these bear out the analogy. We are not citizens here. This world is
partitioned out to others; brothers indeed in the flesh but, alas, not in the line of promise.
We leave them their inheritance, we do not meddle with them, we shall not possess one
foot of their territory, and we are forbidden to enter into conflict. "From such turn away"
is the apostle's echo of the words, "Israel turned away from him". If the rebuff of the
world hurts our pride, we must remember that we should have no pride left to be hurt.
The redeemed of the Lord should have no "rights" in the world. Their citizenship is not
here; they are at best pilgrims seeking a pathway home.
When we come to the consideration of the Canaanite opponents, we are on entirely
different ground. The first is King Arad the Canaanite. We read:--
"And when King Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel
came by way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them
prisoners" (Numb. 21: 1).
The spies had originally entered the land by this route (see Numb. 13: 17), and this
early act of unbelief (as we have seen the sending of the spies to be) not only brought
disaster upon those who lived at the time, but upon their children forty years afterwards.
The Canaanites are delivered into the hand of Israel and are utterly destroyed.