“Then the Lord said to us, ‘Get moving. Cross the Zered Brook...’ Thirty-eight years passed…By then, all the men old enough to fight…had died in the wilderness…”
“Then the Lord said, ‘Now get moving! Cross the Arnon Gorge…begin to occupy the land. Beginning today I will make the people throughout the earth terrified because of you.’”
Deuteronomy 2:13-14, 24-25
Each of the “Get moving” commands in this chapter signify big change…
Crossing the Zerod Brook marked the end of thirty-eight years of wilderness wanderings. When ALL the fighting-age men had died, the consequences of their rebellion died too. The new generation left the pain of unbelief behind and put a period at the end of their wandering.
Crossing the Arnon Gorge marked the beginning of new life in the Promised Land. God said that very day HE was beginning to make the people of the land tremble, and HE had begun to hand the enemy over to them. Now THEY were to conquer and begin to occupy the land. (v 31)
Ending and beginning reminds me of the New Testament principle of put off, put on. Perhaps it’s time for us to also get moving…to end fear and begin faith, to end anger and begin forgiveness, to end my way and begin God’s way. Each move may become more difficult…the Israelites first crossed a small brook, but later crossed an impending gorge! However, their new life in the Promised Land made every move worth it.
So, whether we’re putting an end to wandering, or beginning a higher walk of faith, we can be sure that every brook and gorge will be worth it as we rejoice in our new land of promise!
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