Num
20:14-21 (NIV) Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom, saying:
"This
is what your brother Israel says: You know about all the hardships that have
come upon us. 15 Our forefathers went down into Egypt, and we lived there many
years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers, 16 but when we cried out to
the Lord, he heard our cry and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt.
"Now
we are here at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us
pass through your country. We will not go through any field or vineyard, or
drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway and not turn
to the right or to the left until we have passed through your territory."
18 But
Edom answered:
"You
may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with
the sword."
19 The
Israelites replied:
"We
will go along the main road, and if we or our livestock drink any of your
water, we will pay for it. We only want to pass through on foot — nothing
else."
20
Again they answered:
"You
may not pass through."
Then
Edom came out against them with a large and powerful army. 21 Since Edom
refused to let them go through their territory, Israel turned away from them.
NOTE: Israel appeals
to the Edomites on the basis of their common ancestry. The request seems
reasonable, but Edom is unwilling to allow 3 million people pass through the
country, even if they pay for damage and food consumed. Numbers 20 is
characterized by a lot of human actions that fail. It is not clear if the
cloud's movement was distinct as to require them to take the King's highway or
if they misinterpreted the direction in their quest to get Edom's okay.
Ultimately they take the much wider path into the Arabian desert to go around
Edom.
The story does make
one wonder how much human effort was being applied to problems. It appears they
are near the end of the 40 years, but things still do not seem easy.
Even when the steps
seem reasonable, we still need to take our actions to the Lord in prayer. He
may change them, but if we don't even include him, then we risk catastrophe
because we weren't willing to listen.
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