I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Numbers 19-21.

    The King of Edom refused the people of Israel passage through his land. He mustered his army and confronted them at the border. As a result, the Israelites turned back and went another way. Later, two other kings also refused the Israelites passage. However, these two kings were not satisfied with mustering their armies and defending their borders. Instead they launched an attack against the Israelites. The result in these latter cases is that the Israelites completely conquered those who attacked them.

    There is a lesson here for us (actually two). The King of Edom made a show of force, but did not initiate violence. By doing this he gained the outcome he desired. The Israelites did not enter his lands. The other two kings also made a show of force, but they initiated violence. Not only did they fail to keep the Israelites out of their land, they were completely destroyed. The lesson here is that there are times when a show of force is called for, but we need to resist the urge to be the first to turn to violence. The second lesson is that is we follow God’s lead, He will defeat our enemies for us.