Day 51. Deuteronomy 1-2

Deuteronomy 1-2
In our reading from chapters one and two of Deuteronomy we hear the voice of Moses speaking to us, essentially retelling the story we have already heard in Numbers, but from a somewhat different view. This is the voice of the lawgiver speaking with divine authority, commanding judges not to be "partial in judging," to "hear out the small and the great alike," and "not be intimidated by anyone," because "the judgment is God's" (1:17). The authority of the state flows from God, and God works through the civil authority to create justice and order in society, just as he works through religious authority to bring people into communion with himself.
In chapter 1 Moses retells the story of the refusal of Israel to enter the Land of Promise. It is seen as a rebellion against God, who had given the land into their hands. They were told through Moses not to "fear or be dismayed" (Deut. 1:21). They have been chosen for the task of conquering the land. But the people were scared by rumors that the inhabitants of Canaan are not only "stronger and taller" than the men of Israel (1:28)--they are"offspring of the Anakim"—giants!
Not only is this nonsense, but it reveals lack of faith in the power of God, and to fail to "trust in the LORD" is an insult the deity (1:31). God is hurt and angry, and he refuses to allow any of that cowardly generation, save Caleb and Joshua, to enter the Promised Land. Only they have shown that "complete fidelity to the LORD" (1:36) which is the sign of being truly chosen.
Even when the people confess that they "have sinned against the LORD" and profess themselves ready to fight (1:41), the LORD will not go with them and their invasion of the hill country is a dismal failure (1:41-45). So they go on wandering, encountering various peoples whose ancestry goes back to the time of the patriarchs.
In chapter 2 Moses is told not to attack the country belonging to "the descendents of Esau, who live at Seir" (2:4). They are kin. Jacob and not Esau was the child of promise—you remember the story in Genesis--and yet God is faithful to these descendents of Esau because of his covenant with Abraham and Isaac, and the faithfulness of LORD to his covenant promises is the theme of Deuteronomy. These descendents of Esau are recognized by Israel sharing a common humanity and basically "like us."
Again, Moses is told not to "harass Moab or engage them in battle" (2:9) because they are the descendents of Abraham's kinsman Lot—again you remember the stories of Lot and his daughters from Genesis. Again, they are kin. The LORD is faithful to the family his servant Abraham, and Israel is called to recognize these people as their distant cousins. The same is the case with the Ammonites. They too are kin. God will not give Israel their land "as a possession," because he has given it to the descendants of Lot (2:19), and the LORD is faithful to them, just as he will show his faithfulness to Israel in giving them the land of Canaan.
These neighboring nations were viewed as enemies to be decimated in the Book of Numbers. Here these peoples—distant kin of Israel--are seen has having a legitimate place in the world. They are granted a basic humanity and the right to live in the lands where God has put them because of their relationship to Abraham. This is great step forward.
But only kin are seen as human. Clemency is not extended to the people of the kingdom of King Sihon. When Moses offers term of peace, the LORD "hardened his spirit and made his heart defiant in order to hand him over" to Israel (2:30). The army of Israel captured his town and "utterly destroyed men, women, and children," leaving "not one survivor" (2:34).
These are not kin, and there is no mercy for them.
As we read the Bible from beginning to end, one of themes we will see is a growing awareness of the humanity of people who are not like us. It is called empathy. It does not come to us naturally. There are many twentieth century Americans who refuse to grant to people who look differ, worship differently and do not speak their language basic human rights. But the call of the gospel is to see in every human being of every kind one for whom Jesus died.