The Israelites left Egypt and arrived at
Mount Sinai after forty-four days of walking. Six days upon arrival at Mount
Sinai, Moses ascended the mountain and returned with the Law (Exo 19:3-6). They
stayed in front of Mount Sinai for eleven months and five days (Num 10:11), then
they left to arrive at Kadesh-barnea exactly two years after they left Egypt
(Num 20:1). Deuteronomy 1:19-46 narrates that upon arrival at Kadesh-barnea,
God commanded them to start the journey to the promise land. But instead of
going straight, the people sent an envoy to explore the land. Upon hearing the
report of the spies, the people thought that God sent them out of Egypt to be
killed by the Amorites instead (Deut 1:27). So God was furious, and proclaimed
that none of them (including Moses who allowed the exploration), except Joshua
and Caleb, would enter the promised land (Deut 1:35-37). Because of this, the
Israelites spent thirty-eight years at Kadesh-barnea, which is also called “the
wilderness of sin” (Deut 1:46).
After the Israelites spent a long time in the
oasis in Kadesh-barnea, they set out southeasterly and went around Mount Seir,
“as the Lord directed Moses” (Deut 2:1). Going out of Kadesh-barnea is quite
symbolic, because it is a place associated with failure, sin, and death. When
God commanded them to leave Kadesh-barnea, it was as if God was telling them to
leave behind their failures, and it was time to move on. But if we look at the
direction they were going, they left Kadesh not northward going to the promise
land, but south-easterly going to Mount Seir. They were still heading to the
opposite direction. It was as if God was telling them that although they have
already left Kadesh, they were still not ready to enter the promise land. Worse
still, they seem to be just wandering around Mount Seir, purposeless and
aimless. Deuteronomy 2:1 indicates that “for a long time we
made our way around the hill country of Seir.”
“For a long time we made our way around the hill country
of Seir” (Deut 2:1)
If you are a part of the Israelites, what
would you feel? I can imagine frustrations and impatience. They were given the
promise to take possession of a land flowing with milk and honey, and yet,
there they were in the wilderness with barely anything nice to eat. They have
left Egypt with high hopes, thinking they have escaped suffering and death, and
yet in the wilderness it was precisely suffering and death that accompanied
them. They can see the road to the promised land. They know the way to the
promised land. But they have been avoiding that route for forty years. They
were suffering in the wilderness, when just a few miles away is the land of
abundance, where a branch of grapes had to be carried by two grown men (Num
13:23). For many days and years, they were stuck in the stinking wilderness.
Their mouths and stomachs were tired of the food they are eating and their feet
were weary of walking.
We experience this, right? We feel that we
are stuck in a valley of dry bones, and we feel as if nothing is going happen
for the good. There has been a long drought, and there is no prospect of rain
on the horizon. We feel as if we have been cursed. And we begin to blame
ourselves and feel guilty, which then adds to our depression and anxiety. On a
personal level, we feel that we have been wandering aimlessly, counting days
and times go by without accomplishing any of our goals and aspirations in life.
Even as a church, we feel that we are walking
in circles. Church attendance is not growing and is actually dropping. Church
programs and advocacies for growth are not finding realization. Projects are
canceled and put on hold. Giving is lower than the previous year. The pastor is
preaching but there are no tangible responses apart from a few Facebook posts,
tweets, and a handshake.
We know that when these experiences come, we
need a change.
“The Lord said to me” (Deut 2:2)
It is amazing that only five words are in his
one verse. In Hebrew, there were actually only four words: Way-yomer Yahweh elay lemor, which literally means “And God spoke,
saying to me.” God spoke. Change is coming! How many of us can testify
that their lives have been radically changed because God spoke? This short transition verse in the passage is extremely crucial. It is the in-between moment between Israel's wandering years and Israel's entrance to the promise land. When God
speaks, we know something amazing is coming. Change is coming. We know that
when God opens His mouth, He is up to something. We know that when God speaks,
exciting days are ahead.
What was God’s spoken message to Moses and
the Israelites?
“You have made your way around this hill country long
enough; now turn north” (Deut 2:3)
From Egypt, the Israelites travelled
southeast to Sinai. Then from Sinai they travelled northwest to Kadesh-barnea.
In Kadesh, they went around in circles for 38 years. From Kadesh they walked
southeast to Seir. And now God was telling them to face north.
Even God was tired of them wandering the
deserts. So He commanded them to turn north. These were the words that they
have been waiting for. This was the change they have been looking forward to
experience. This was their calling. This was their destiny. This was their
birthright. This was their aspiration for so long. And when God said, “turn
north,” they knew that the days of staying in barren land is over. The days of
defeat are coming to an end. The days of scarcity will now be a thing of the
past. The days of turmoil are going to be forgotten. Change is coming!
Now is the time to leave the southeast direction
in order to go to the direction of the promised land. The time has come to
leave the barren deserts and to start the conquest and to receive their
rightful inheritance. They have been stuck long enough. They have wandered long
enough. The have eaten trouble enough. They
have drunk poison enough. They have had enough hell. They have had enough
disappointments. They have had enough shame. They have had enough misery. Enough
is enough.
God was telling them that it was time to
change directions. There is now enough wandering. There is now enough standing
still. There is now enough going the wrong direction. It is now time to change.
It is now time to face the north and venture in the way they are have been
called in the first place. They have taken a long detour already, but now they
have to walk the path that God has originally destined for them. Change is
coming. Turn north to the promise land. God is telling us that it is time to
change directions.
Like the Israelites, the destination where
God is leading us is a place of abundant harvest. It is a land flowing with
milk and honey. But we also know that Canaan was also the land of enemies. It
was the land of giants. The giants were still there. They still had to face the
giants. They could not avoid the confrontation. The battle has been waiting,
and every step they took heading north was a step closer to the battle. This is
very symbolic for us, because God’s appointed destination for us is full of
abundance and harvest, but in order to get there, we have to fight battles that
we have never fought before. We have to face our fears. We have to stand our
ground against forces that are more powerful than us. We have to fight with one
another, supporting those on our left and our right. We have to listen to our
army commanders. We have to stand up and walk in faith. We have to trust in God
that we can indeed become victors and arrive at the promised land.
Moses said, “The Lord your God has blessed
you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey
through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been
with you, and you have not lacked anything” (Deut 2:7). The God who was
with them in the past—the God who delivered them from the super nation Egypt,
the God who caused the Red Sea to part—He is with them. They should not be
afraid.
“Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any
of their land” (Deut 2:5)
But God warned the Israelites that on their
way up north to the promise land, they should not fight with the Edomites, who
were the descendants of Esau. Because the Edomite territory is not the promised
land, they are not to engage in war with the residents. They should only fight
and conquer what is given them. Instead of fighting with the Edomites, they are
to repay all the kindness they are given. They are to pay for everything they
consume, including food and water (Deut 2:6).
Basically, God is telling them not to fight
the wrong enemy. They are not to address the wrong issues. They should not use
their energy and effort dealing with marginal things. They are not to use their
resources fighting a battle that they can avoid. These battles can delay them
from reaching the promised land. These battles can exhaust them so that they
are weakened when they face the true enemies: the giants.
This sometimes happen to us. God tells us to
go north, to the promise land destined for us. But on the way there, our
attentions are shifted to something else. We realize that we have intentionally
changed, only to find out later that the change we experience is something that
needs to be changed again. It is like saying to yourself “I no longer want to
play video games. I am just going watch television all day.” Don’t waste your
time with other things. Do not spend your energy on other things. Just walk
north.
Conclusions
What promise land has God shown you at the
beginning of the year? What direction has God pointed you to? In the last six
months, have you felt that you were actually wandering the desert of
Kadesh-barnea, or are heading the wrong direction to Seir? God has spoken today.
Listen to Him. Change is coming. Face north. Walk towards your destiny. Walk
towards your calling. Walk to where God wants you to be. Be brave. God is here
to guide and help you overcome whatever battles you will face.
Most of the times, we look at ourselves and
what we have. We look inside our bags and find out that we are not ready to
enter a new road. We have conditioned our lives to walk a particular road and
are only prepared—physically, intellectually, emotionally, and materially—for
this one road. It is time to go to the place we have never been before. The
scary place. The new territory. It is time to head towards the land of giants.
This sermon is in response to the recent inauguration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte as the sixteenth President of the Republic of the Philippines. His dictum and his campaign slogan, "change is coming" has been in the lips of all Filipinos for a time now.
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