Why Did Israel Pass Through Some Lands but Fight Sihon?

Israel did not take possession of every land before them. In Deuteronomy 2, God told them not to contend with Edom, Moab, or Ammon, but commanded them to take possession of Sihon’s land. Israel’s course was determined not by their strength or needs, but by the boundaries and commands God had established.

God Told the People Who Had Wandered So Long to Change Direction

In obedience to God’s command, Israel entered the wilderness by way of the Red Sea and traveled around Mount Seir for many days. Then God told them that they had circled the mountain long enough and should turn northward.

But a change in direction did not mean that all the surrounding land now belonged to Israel. The descendants of Esau, Israel’s relatives, lived in Seir. God warned the Israelites to be very careful because the people there would be afraid of them. He then commanded Israel not to contend with them. Since God had given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession, Israel would not receive even a foot of their land.

The Israelites were not even permitted to seize the food and water they needed. They had to pay for the food they ate and the water they drank. The fact that God had been with them for forty years and that they had lacked nothing did not give them the right to take another nation’s land or possessions.

The Same Boundaries Applied to Moab and Ammon

When Israel traveled along the wilderness road of Moab, God again told them not to harass the Moabites or provoke them to war. Because He had given Ar to the descendants of Lot as their possession, Moab’s land did not belong to Israel.

The same command was given when Israel approached the Ammonites. God told them not to harass or contend with Ammon, because He had also given their land to the descendants of Lot as a possession.

The same restriction was repeated in the lands of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Israel could not seize land simply because its inhabitants appeared weak or because it lay along their route. In lands God had given to other nations, they were to avoid conflict and travel only along the permitted path.

The Command Changed in the Land of Sihon

At the Arnon Gorge, the command changed. God told Israel that He had delivered Sihon king of Heshbon and his land into their hands, and that they were to fight and take possession of it.

Yet Moses did not attack immediately. He sent messengers to Sihon with a peaceful request for passage. He promised that Israel would remain on the main road without turning to the right or left and would pay for food and water. As they had done when passing through the lands of Edom and Moab, the Israelites simply asked to travel through on foot.

Sihon refused to let Israel pass. He gathered all his people and came out to fight Israel at Jahaz. God delivered Sihon and his land into Israel’s hands, and Israel captured his cities.

Even then, the boundaries remained in place. Israel took the cities as far as Gilead, but did not approach the land of the Ammonites, the area along the Jabbok River, or the cities in the hill country that God had forbidden them to enter. Even after their victory, the places that were off-limits remained off-limits.

Both Fighting and Stopping Were Determined by God’s Command

The central message of Deuteronomy 2 is not merely that Israel continued to advance. In Seir, they paid for their food and water. They did not harass Moab or Ammon. They first asked Sihon for peaceful passage. When Sihon came out against them, they took the land God had delivered into their hands. After the victory, they stopped once again at the border of Ammon.

As you reread Deuteronomy 2 today, mark the three places where God said not to contend and the one place where He commanded Israel to fight and take possession of the land. When you consider where Israel advanced and where they stopped, it becomes clear that they were not fighting for every land they encountered. They moved within the boundaries God had set.