This small group Deuteronomy 2 Bible study guide contains commentary, discussion questions, cross-references, and application to encourage life change. Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group.
Deuteronomy 2 Bible Study Commentary – The Wilderness Years
Outline
I. Israel’s travels in Edom, Moab, and Ammon (1-23)
II. Israel defeats the King of Sihon (24-37)
I. Israel’s travels in Edom, Moab, and Ammon (1-23)
Discussion Questions
• How did the people know where to go as they journeyed in the wilderness?
• What do you observe about God’s leading of His people?
• What do you observe about God’s promise toward the people of Esau? Moab? Ammon?
• What does His faithfulness toward these pagan nations tell you about His character?
• What do you see about God’s faithfulness toward His people (verse 7)?
• What does God’s faithfulness toward those who were rebellious teach us about Him?
• Who are the Enim? The Anakim? The Rephaim?
• What do you learn about God’s justice in verses 14-16?
Cross-References
Deuteronomy 29:5-6 – I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.
Psalms 136:16 – To him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Hosea 13:5-6 – It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me.
Acts 13:18 – And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. God directed His people – Throughout Israel’s time in the wilderness, God was their leader. He told them when to go, where to go, and how long to stay. In addition to giving directions through Moses, the Lord also led them visibly through a pillar of cloud.
Exodus 13:21-22 – And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.
Reflect – Do you think it would be easy or difficult to wait for instructions from God at every stage of the journey? Why?
On the one hand, it seems easy to simply follow God’s instructions. It takes all the decision-making out of one’s control. You simply wait for God’s instruction. He says, “Go,” and you get up and go.
However, that is not as easy as one might think. The Israelites did not know if they would have to stay in a location for a day or months (or longer). It would be impossible to make any kind of long-term plans. Every day they would go to bed not knowing if they would have to move the next day. That could be stressful.
That lifestyle forced them to depend on God. They had to trust in His goodness and timing.
It was a very practical way to practice the instruction given in Proverbs 3:5-6.
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
God was faithful. He did not leave them hanging. At the appropriate time, He led them to the next place. He is always the good shepherd, leading His sheep.
Application – Perhaps you feel like the Israelites. You may be in a situation where you cannot make long-term plans and need to depend day-by-day on His leading. That can be difficult. Yet it is also an opportunity to learn to trust Him in a deeper and more personal way than ever before. Ask Him to help you rest in His plan, to cease striving, and know that He is God. (James 4:13-16, Psalm 46:10)
2. God’s faithfulness to Esau, Moab, and Ammon – When Israel was getting ready to enter the Promised Land, God made it clear that the lands of three nations (Esau, Moab, and Ammon) were protected. He had given those lands to their people.
The area around Mt. Seir is often called Edom and was given to Esau for a possession. Moab and Ammon were sons of Lot. Even though these sons were conceived illegitimately, God graciously provided for them and their descendants.
All three of these nations were pagan nations. In the future, they would often be enemies of Israel, oppressing God’s chosen people. God knew what they would do in the future. Yet because of His consideration for Abraham and his family, He still extended grace to these pagan people groups. It was not something they deserved based on their actions. It was unmerited divine favor.
The grace shown to these nations stands out against the judgment executed on King Sihon and his people later in the chapter.
Every person and nation deserve judgment, but God sovereignly decides to extend mercy to some. He is the one on the throne, and this is His divine prerogative.
Exodus 33:19 -And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
Application – God’s mercy to undeserving people is good news for us! We do not deserve His mercy either. We should often step back from our busy lives and take the time to thank the Lord for His compassion. Think about all of the ways He has been good to you, and all of these despite your sin.
3. God’s faithfulness to His people –
Deuteronomy 2:7 – For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.
Verse 7 is a reminder that throughout their time in the wilderness, the Israelites lacked nothing. He provided for all of their needs. Day after day, He supernaturally gave them manna to eat. Water and meat were also supplied. Even their clothing and shoe lifespans were miraculously extended so that they did not wear out (Deuteronomy 29:5-6).
This was not done as a reward for good behavior. In Deuteronomy 1, we see how rebellious the people were. That disobedience continued during their forty years in the wilderness. There were frequent complaints and occasional insurrections. As a good Father, God did not stop loving His people. He did not abandon them to their devices. As Paul said, God continued to “put up” with them (Acts 13:18). At any point He could have said, “Enough is enough!”
Application – It is also good news for us that God is faithful even when His people are not.
2 Timothy 2:13 – If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.
To cast aside His covenant with His people would be to abandon Himself, to betray His very being. And God cannot do that. God is gracious. He is not seeking a chance to cast us aside. Rather, He is faithful. Think about your own past. How many times have you gone your own way, even after salvation? How many times have you had to confess? He is always there like the father of the prodigal son, waiting to receive you again.
4. God was also just – Although God was gracious in providing for His people, neither did their sin go without consequence. In the last chapter, we saw that God promised that none of the people who willfully disobeyed His command to enter the land would be able to enter it. It was a classic case of “you reap what you sow.” They would not enter the land, so in essence, God said, “I will give you what you wish for. You can’t ever enter it.”
His judgment was that the only adults who could enter were Joshua and Caleb. They were the ones who attempted to persuade the people to obey. All of the men were culpable for their disobedience and God decreed that they would die in the wilderness. In normal circumstances, some of the hundreds of thousands of adults would have lived longer than forty more years.
But not a single twenty-year-old lived past 60. Not a single thirty-year-old lived past seventy. What we see happening is a case of what I will call “reverse providence.” It is similar to what happened to the people in the book of Haggai.
At that time, they refused to build God’s temple and focused on building luxury upgrades to their own houses. God therefore worked against them. Their supplies rotted and were dispersed. When they expected a bountiful harvest, they reaped little. It was as if nature itself was working against them (hint: it was).
People often blame God, accusing Him of injustice. Those who do are looking at things with a worldly perspective. If we adjust our perspective, we will realize how merciful He is and how serious our sin is.
In the wilderness, God sovereignly ordained that this group of people would die early. Some would accuse God of being harsh.
But let’s adjust our perspective. He did not cause them to die immediately even though they deserved it (Romans 6:23). Mercifully, He extended their lives and gave them more opportunities to repent. During those forty years, they witnessed many more miracles. They had the opportunity to place their faith in the Lord for salvation, be forgiven, and receive eternal life (an opportunity they would not have had if God judged them immediately). But the life extension was limited to forty years. This was a real-life “grace period.”
II. Israel defeats the King of Sihon (24-37)
Discussion Questions
• How would Israel’s victory over Sihon influence other people in that area?
• Are there any cases of anyone believing in the Lord because of it? If so, who?
• What did this reveal about the heart of King Sihon and his people?
• What does it mean that God hardened his heart? Why?
• Was Sihon responsible for his pride or did God cause it (30)?
• Are there any other similar cases in Scripture?
• What can we learn from this about sin, responsibility, and God’s sovereignty?
• Is there a point of “no return” for people after a certain amount of sin?
• What would you say to a person who asks why God commanded them to kill even the children?
• Why did God give this command?
• What would be the results of disobedience?
• What does this show us about the heinous nature of sin and its consequences?
• What were the Canaanite people and religion like?
• Did God change from the Old Testament to the New Testament periods?
• How was Israel acting as God’s agent of justice on earth?
Cross-References
Deuteronomy 29:7-9 – And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them. We took their land and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all that you do.
Romans 9:18 – So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
Psalms 81:12 – So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to follow their own counsels.
Verse by Verse Commentary
1. I have given into your hand Sihon to take possession –
Now it was time for Israel to begin the mission to possess the land. The first quest was on the east side of the Jordan River (the side they were already on). It was an opportunity to test their new resolve and faith to see if, as a nation, they had grown in boldness and were ready to obey God.
2. I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples –
Until now, the Israelites likely ranged from something of a curiosity to a laughingstock in the eyes of the people of Canaan. They had not had any major military conquests. The people of the land felt secure in their fortresses with their armies.
Now God was going to start to change that. People would hear of Israel’s victory and fear. This would accomplish a three-fold purpose.
• The Israelite’s boldness and confidence would grow as their enemies became afraid.
• Their enemies fear would weaken their military position. A fearful soldier is likely to run.
• It would encourage people to turn to the Lord and place faith in Him.
This is exactly what happened in the case of Rahab and her family.
Joshua 2:10-11 – For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
The news of Israel’s victories over Og and Sihon gave Rahab a healthy fear of God. She responded to this news by placing her faith in Him. As a result, she and her family were saved.
Presumably, others could have done the same thing if they repented. Either they could have befriended Israel or they could have run away from the land. However, there is no record of any others repenting and placing their faith in Yahweh.
Application – A healthy fear of God should make us turn from evil.
Proverbs 16:6 – By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
When you revere God, you know that He is just and hates sin. You know that there are consequences for sin. Consequently, you will be motivated to do what is right.
3. Israel requests passage through the land of King Sihon – Before the appeal to pass through, God had already told the Israelites He was going to give that land to them.
Reflect – If God planned to give Israel this land, why did they ask to be allowed to walk through?
The request revealed the arrogance that was already in the hearts of Sihon and his people. Israel made a very reasonable petition. They mentioned that they had followed the same practice already in Moab and Edom. They would pay for food and water and keep to the road, not walking off to the right or the left.
How did Sihon respond?
He refused the request. Then he gathered his people for war. This was not someone you could negotiate with.
The request did not change Sihon’s heart. Rather, it exposed his obstinacy. It is the same with the Old Testament law. It does not cause people to sin. However, the law highlighted the sin that was there already.
Romans 7:7-8 – What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.
4. The Lord your God hardened his spirit –
Why would God harden His heart? Does He not want all men to be saved?
First of all, the best translations agree that this seems to be the best way to translate this passage into English.
We see a similar case in Exodus.
Exodus 9:12 – But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
More information and background are given about that case, which makes it helpful to understand this account.
The phrase “And pharaoh’s heart was hardened” appears many times throughout the first chapters of Exodus (7:13, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, and 9:7) But this time, that refrain changes, and it tells us that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Back in Exodus 3, God told Moses he would harden Pharaoh’s heart. But in between chapters 3 and 9, we see Pharaoh hardening his own heart. In other words, all the previous times, it was his own choice. It doesn’t appear that God took any special action to harden Pharaoh’s heart before chapter 9. What can we learn from this?
We learn that Pharaoh was already hard-hearted and stubborn. He is responsible for his decisions and his response to God’s commands. He chose to disobey God’s command and rebel time and time again. The picture is not of a person who is desperately coming to God for help and God laughed at Him and hardened his heart. It is not as if he wanted to say to the Israelites, “Go!” but only “No!” came out.
He made his bed. Now he needs to lie in it. In other words, he got into this situation by his own pigheadedness. At this point, when God does harden his heart it is only after repeated self-hardenings.
We should take a warning from this. What warning? The warning is that if you willfully sin or reject God’s commands many times, you might cross a line of no return. You might harden yourself to the point where you are unable to turn back to God again. We learn of similar judicial hardening in Romans 3.
Believers should also take the warning in Hebrews 6:4-6 seriously.
Hebrews 6:4-6 – For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
We should be very careful to always keep a clear conscience before God, repent of known sins, and be soft-hearted to God.
For King Sihon, he was responsible for his actions. God never causes anyone to sin (James 1:13-15). God did not take a soft-hearted and repented king and then thrash him. Sihon was wicked and proud. At the same time, God is sovereign. He intended to give this wicked king’s land to Israel. Therefore, He decided to use this petition as an opportunity to bring it about.
Theoretically, Sihon could have graciously allowed them through and saved his people. In God’s infinite knowledge, that was not going to happen.
Application – Do not take God’s grace for granted. Some people think, “I will enjoy my youth now and repent later.” They then go out and sow their oats, thinking that it will be easy to say “sorry, God” later. Such thinking is very dangerous. We should never put God to the test. If you harden your heart intentionally against the truth, don’t be surprised when it turns to stone.
5. We devoted every man, woman, and child to destruction –
Let’s be honest. This sentence makes us very uncomfortable. It seems to disagree with what we know of God’s love, mercy, and compassion. After all, Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me.”
Many ask the question, “Why did God command the killing of innocent children?”
When we are confused or uncomfortable, it could be easy to skip past something and bury our heads in the sand. However, it is more fruitful to slow down and look deeply at the issue, seeking to find an answer. As we study, we can grow in our understanding and faith as well as prepare ourselves to answer difficult questions the world may use to attack Scripture. We will look at a number of points on this issue as well as suggest more resources for further study.
A. Interpret hard-to-understand passages through the lens of the rest of Scripture –
Most people who seek to attack Scripture highlight a few difficult passages and hang on to those while ignoring the rest of the Bible. We should use the rest of the Bible to interpret these.
God is love. He loved the world so much that He sent His only Son to die in our place. Jesus did not die for the righteous. He died for the very people who wickedly killed Him. God is not spiteful and vindictive. He is loving and kind.
We must approach this passage on the basis that God is good. Everything He does is righteous. He always has a reason.
B. Why did God give this instruction?
He told us the reason already. If they failed to drive out the people, those who remained would be a snare to them. Their idolatry would infect the people and cause them to turn away from God.
Numbers 33:55 – But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.
Deuteronomy 7:4 – For they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.
This is, in fact, exactly what happened. Israel did not obey and drive out the people completely. The result was that those who remained turned Israel’s hearts to idolatry.
Their disobedience threatened the entire future of Israel. Saul did not destroy all of the Amalekites as commanded. Later Haman, a descendent of the Amalekite king, Agag, almost exterminated the entire nation.
The Canaanite religion and culture were perhaps the most evil that has ever existed.
This is how God describes it.
Leviticus 18:25 – And the land became unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
Their religion included such practices as child sacrifice (some in fire). Numerous pits have been discovered filled with skeletons of small children, probably sacrificed by the Canaanites. It also included incest, bestiality, homosexuality, and cultish prostitution, both male and female. There is evidence that other peoples besides Israel disagreed with some of these practices, but the Canaanites were totally sold out to them.
Their civilization was like cancer. If a cancer is not completely removed, it grows and spreads. When a doctor cuts out cancer, some healthy tissue also is removed around the cancer to ensure that it is all removed.
If the Canaanite children grew up, they would assuredly be bitter about what had happened to their parents and the cycle of war would start all over again.
C. This happened because of sin – The sins of the parents affect the children. In World War II, many children died because of Allied bombs. Whose fault was that? Hitler or the Allies? The nazi leaders were at fault. It was their heinous policies that had to be stopped. As a result, there was a lot of collateral damage.
According to God’s perfect plan, the children are not punished for the father’s sin and vice-versa.
Ezekiel 18:19-20 – “Yet you say, Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.
However, children can be and are often affected by their parent’s sins.
Deuteronomy 5:9 – You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
A child whose father is a criminal is more likely to grow up to be a criminal. A child whose parents divorce is more likely to divorce. The parents’ poor choices affect the children. That is the result of the cursed world we live in. We are all still experiencing the results of Adam’s sin. God is not to blame. Adam is.
In this case, the adult Canaanites who defied God and followed demonic religions are to blame for what happened to their civilization.
This situation shows us just how evil and infectious sin is. It is far worse than we realize. It corrupts people and society to the core.
We would be wise to heed this warning for ourselves, our families, and our nation.
D. God has judged entire societies before – There are several examples in Scripture of God judging entire people groups.
Here are the most well-known examples.
• The flood – The world was so wicked that the only solution was to wipe out almost everything. Sadly, many children died in the flood because of their parents’ refusal to heed Noah’s message.
• Sodom and Gomorrah – Because of their exceeding wickedness, these cities were destroyed by fire from heaven. Everybody in the cities, with the exception of Lot, faced the same result. Again, many children died because of their parents’ rebellion against God and His standard.
God’s destruction of the Canaanites is the third major example in Scripture. It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally a people group goes so far astray that God’s remedy is to remove them from the earth before they contaminate the rest of his creation.
E. Israel was acting as God’s divine agent of judgment –
In the above examples, it is slightly easier for us to accept what happened because it was God directly doing it. In this case, He uses Israel as His agent. The situation, outcome, and judgment are the same. God merely uses a different means.
Would it be more palpable if He sent an angel?
This reminds us that being God’s chosen people was not all “milk and honey.” It came with sometimes heavy, serious, and even painful responsibilities.
F. We trust that the children went to heaven –
Most Bible scholars agree with the belief that children who die before the age of accountability are welcomed by God into heaven.
David believed that he would see his son again (2 Samuel 12:23).
In this case, difficult though it was, it would be far better for those children to go immediately into God’s presence than it would for them to grow up and be influenced by that wicked culture.
Bringing those children straight into His arms was the most merciful thing that God could do for them.
Isaiah 55:8-9 – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
G. This is a narrative passage –
We need to be careful in how we interpret narrative passages. There is no command to “go and do likewise.” This was a very rare and unique command from God in response to a terrible dilemma. It cannot be used to justify war of any kind today.
Yet we can glean some principles from it, ones that are supported by other Scripture or by commentary from God or the author. One clear principle is that God is just and judges sinners.
Another is that we need to be extremely careful not to be influenced by culture or unbelievers around us and also not to leave any sin or foothold for Satan (Ephesians 4:27) in our lives. If we give a foothold to Satan, he will use it and influence our lives negatively, trying to turn us from God.
Application – Different applications can be made from this principle and could include such things as getting rid of music, movies, magazines, or books that are bad influences. We can also learn to renew our minds in God’s Word regularly and establish fellowship with people who can keep us accountable.
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