Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 288
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
2:9-26
who live in Seir. We avoided the road through the Arabah Valley that
comes up from Elath and Ezion-geber.
“Then as we turned north along the desert route through Moab, the
Lord warned us, ‘Do not bother the Moabites, the descendants of Lot,
or start a war with them. I have given them Ar as their property, and I will
not give you any of their land.’”
(A race of giants called the Emites had once lived in the area of Ar. They
were as strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites, another race of
giants. Both the Emites and the Anakites are also known as the Rephaites,
though the Moabites call them Emites. In earlier times the Horites had
lived in Seir, but they were driven out and displaced by the descendants
of Esau, just as Israel drove out the people of Canaan when the Lord gave
Israel their land.)
Moses continued, “Then the Lord said to us, ‘Get moving. Cross the
Zered Brook.’ So we crossed the brook.
“Thirty-eight years passed from the time we first left Kadesh-barnea
until we finally crossed the Zered Brook! By then, all the men old enough
to fight in battle had died in the wilderness, as the Lord had vowed would
happen. The Lord struck them down until they had all been eliminated
from the community.
“When all the men of fighting age had died, the Lord said to me, ‘Today
you will cross the border of Moab at Ar and enter the land of the Ammonites, the descendants of Lot. But do not bother them or start a war with
them. I have given the land of Ammon to them as their property, and I will
not give you any of their land.’”
(That area was once considered the land of the Rephaites, who had lived
there, though the Ammonites call them Zamzummites. They were also as
strong and numerous and tall as the Anakites. But the Lord destroyed them
so the Ammonites could occupy their land. He had done the same for the
descendants of Esau who lived in Seir, for he destroyed the Horites so they
could settle there in their place. The descendants of Esau live there to this
day. A similar thing happened when the Caphtorites from Crete invaded and
destroyed the Avvites, who had lived in villages in the area of Gaza.)
Moses continued, “Then the Lord said, ‘Now get moving! Cross the
Arnon Gorge. Look, I will hand over to you Sihon the Amorite, king of
Heshbon, and I will give you his land. Attack him and begin to occupy the
land. Beginning today I will make people throughout the earth terrified
because of you. When they hear reports about you, they will tremble with
dread and fear.’”
Moses continued, “From the wilderness of Kedemoth I sent ambassadors
to King Sihon of Heshbon with this proposal of peace:
