And command the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the border of your brethren the children of Esau, who dwell in Seir; and they will be afraid of you; and ye shall be very guarded
God tells Israel to turn north and march along the border of Edom, the land of Esau's descendants. The odd part is the warning. God is arming this nation for conquest, yet here He tells them to be careful with a neighbour's land.
Moses recalls the long detour. The first thing the command settles is what Israel was not free to do.
Moses says, "We turned," not simply "You turned." … So from the very first the LORD was teaching them. They were not sent out to conquer whatever land they liked. It was not in His mind to offer men His law or the sword. They could take possession of no lands at all by their own will. He gave them no such license as a right to kill, burn, or plunder others as they pleased. It was a question of being subject to God and obeying Him. From the first He had a plan for the nations, with Israel at their centre.
The wording reaches back into a family quarrel. God once protected Jacob from his brother Esau. Now the protection runs the other way.
Esau had a serious grudge against Jacob. God stepped in directly, so Esau was not allowed to touch a hair of his brother's head. Still, on the other side, Israel must not meddle with Esau's possessions. Jacob had supplanted Esau; and Israel must not attack Edom. … So we see that the same God who would not let Esau touch Jacob in Genesis 33 now will not let Israel touch Edom in Numbers 20.
Being God's people gave Israel no free hand with a neighbour's land. Mount Seir was Esau's because God had given it to him.
Rulers and statesmen forget that God takes an interest in the affairs of nations. He gives kingdoms, provinces and lands as He sees fit. At times they act as if it were only a question of military conquest. They act as if God had nothing to do with national borders and who owns what land. This is their great mistake. They do not understand the meaning and force of this simple sentence: "I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession." God will never surrender His rights here. He would not allow Israel to touch a single scrap of Esau's property. They were to pay cash for whatever they needed, and go quietly on their way. The people of God were not to think of killing and plundering.
Living in a land first does not settle who owns it either.
People who held a territory first do not gain undisputed rights to it that way. God had decreed that Edom was to have Seir, and that the Moabites were to have the country of Moab as it is today. In the same way He has decreed that Israel is to have the land of Canaan.
Israel had real reason to resent Edom. God's ruling passes over the grievance.
There was no doubt at all that Esau had behaved so badly that the children of Israel were not likely to forget it. … But no, God would not have them meddle. "I will not give you of their land." The LORD was most careful exactly where He had least sympathy. The fact of Esau's pride and contempt for Israel gave them no license to take their land. "I have given Mount Seir to Esau for a possession." God always holds to His own principles, and He teaches us to respect them in others.
God's care for Israel in the desert is the reason they could leave Esau's land alone.
They could well afford, then, to let Esau alone and leave his possessions untouched. They were the favoured objects of the LORD's tender care. He took notice of every step of their weary journey through the desert. In His infinite goodness He had taken on Himself all their needs. He was going to give them the land of Canaan, as He had promised Abraham. But the very same hand that was giving them Canaan had given Mount Seir to Esau.
Others treat the same restraint as a lesson in faith.
They might have wanted the plains of Moab, or Mount Seir, or the lands of Ammon for themselves. The Lord forbade them. Disobedience would have been disastrous. … They were, therefore, not to seek what the Lord had not given to them. And this is obedience and a lesson of faith. How happy and content God's people would be if they followed this rule.
- Given, not grabbed — Seir belonged to Esau because God gave it. That one sentence settled the matter for a whole nation on the march.
- Given to others too — the hand giving Israel Canaan had already given Mount Seir to Esau. God's giving does not stop at the borders of His own people.
- Given despite the grudge — God was most careful where He had least sympathy. Esau's pride gave Israel no claim on his land.
- Given, so be careful — the warning is aimed at Israel's own wanting. They were not to seek what the Lord had not given them.
- Given enough already — God had taken on all their needs, so they could leave a neighbour's property untouched.
attack them not; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot-breadth; for I have given mount Seir as a possession unto Esau.
Israel is on the move again after years of circling Mount Seir. The first command about the nations ahead is not attack — it is keep off. Edom is off limits, and not because Israel is too weak. God had already given that land to Esau's descendants, and His gift settles the boundary.
The ban rests on something God did long before Israel arrived. That principle reaches far past Edom:
This is a magnificent fact to keep before the mind. Emperors, kings, princes, governors and statesmen take little account of it. They forget that God takes an interest in the affairs of nations. He gives kingdoms, provinces and lands as He sees fit. At times they act as if it were only a question of military conquest. They act as if God had nothing to do with national borders and who owns which land. This is their great mistake. They do not understand the meaning and force of this simple sentence: "I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession." God will never give up His rights here. He would not allow Israel to touch a single scrap of Esau's property.
Israel was marching toward a land God had promised them. Was everything on the way theirs to take? The first order of the march answers that:
So from the very beginning the Lord was teaching them that they were not sent out on an errand of indiscriminate conquest. It was not in His mind to offer people His law or the sword. They could take possession of no lands whatever by their own will. The Lord gave them no such licence as a right to kill, burn, or plunder others as they pleased. It was simply a question of being subject to God and obeying Him. From the first He had a plan for the nations around Israel as their centre.
Esau and Israel had history, and none of it was warm. That history is exactly what makes the command a test:
There was no doubt at all that Esau had behaved so badly that the children of Israel were not likely to forget it. We know how such memories linger among people, especially in the East. But no, God would not have them meddle. "I will not give you any of their land." The Lord was most careful exactly where He had least sympathy. The fact of Esau's pride and contempt for Israel gave them no licence to take their land. "I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession." God always holds to His own principles. He teaches us to respect them in others.
Years earlier God had stood between these two brothers. Now the protection runs the other way:
Esau had a serious grudge against Jacob. God stepped in directly, so Esau was not allowed to touch a hair of his brother's head. But on the other hand, Israel must not meddle with Esau's possessions. Jacob had taken Esau's place, and Israel must not trouble Edom… So we see that the same God who would not let Esau touch Jacob in Genesis 33 now will not let Israel touch Edom.
There is a reason behind the order, and it is kindness. The God who was fencing off Edom had already taken charge of Israel's needs:
They could well afford, then, to leave Esau alone and leave his possessions untouched. They were the favoured objects of the Lord's tender care. He took notice of every step of their weary journey through the desert. In His infinite goodness He had taken responsibility for all their needs. He was going to give them the land of Canaan, as He had promised Abraham. But the very same hand that was giving them Canaan had given Mount Seir to Esau.
The command reaches past what Israel did to what Israel wanted:
Why should they covet? They must learn not to seek what God would not give them. That is the point — to do God's will. The Lord had blessed Israel, and would have them content and thankful instead of coveting their neighbour's goods.
- Given — the whole command rests on four words: I have given. God had already given Mount Seir to Esau. That gift, not Israel's strength, drew the border.
- Given to others — God gives to people outside Israel too. He hands out kingdoms and lands as He sees fit, and will not give up that right, even for His chosen nation.
- Given, not grabbed — Israel was never sent out to conquer at will. Their calling was to obey God, not a licence to kill, burn or plunder.
- Given despite grudges — Esau's old pride and contempt gave Israel no claim on his land. God is most careful exactly where He has least sympathy. He teaches His people to respect His principles in others.
- Given enough — the hand that was giving them Canaan had given Seir to Esau. God had taken charge of their needs, so they had no reason to covet a neighbour's land.