GOD'S WAY IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT WAY

September 4, 2013

GOD'S WAY IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT WAY

Deuteronomy 2:1-15

Brandy Coty

Central Truth

God will provide clear instructions and direction; it is up to us to listen and go where He is leading.

'‘You have circled this mountain long enough. Now turn north." (Deuteronomy 2:3)

The Wilderness Years

1 Then we turned and journeyed into the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea, as the LORD told me. And for many days we traveled around Mount Seir. 2 Then the LORD said to me, 3 ‘You have been traveling around this mountain country long enough. Turn northward 4 and command the people, “You are about to pass through the territory of your brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful. 5 Do not contend with them, for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of the foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. 6 You shall purchase food from them with money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them with money, that you may drink. 7 For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.”’ 8 So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber.

And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab. 9 And the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the people of Lot for a possession.’ 10 (The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim. 11 Like the Anakim they are also counted as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. 12 The Horites also lived in Seir formerly, but the people of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, as Israel did to the land of their possession, which the LORD gave to them.) 13 ‘Now rise up and go over the brook Zered.’ So we went over the brook Zered. 14 And the time from our leaving Kadesh-barnea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. 15 For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished.

Have you ever felt God calling you to do something, but thought your way was better? I am ashamed to admit that doing things my way has been a running theme in my life. I've found that many times, God gives me specific instructions, but my human sinful nature says, "I think my way is better." I don't go down the path God intended, but instead stray along my own path, which often leads to a dead end or has me running in circles with no end in sight.

In Deuteronomy, the Israelites come to the end of the 40-year wandering that resulted from their unbelief. As I read this passage, I thought about how many times my life compares to the story of the Israelites. I thought about the times I have been disobedient and unwilling to do what the Lord commanded and "circled the mountain" many times before listening when God said, "Now turn north."

For about five years I had been consistently gaining weight. Food became my reward when I needed to celebrate and my comfort in times of trouble, stress, and sadness. Instead of turning to God in moments of sorrow, I turned to food. When I overate, I got upset, felt discouraged, got more depressed, and ate some more. This unhealthy tug of war led me to gain 80 pounds in five years. I dieted, counted calories, and joined weight loss programs. I tried everything, except including God. I am embarrassed to openly admit how this took complete control of my life, but I'm excited to tell you that after battling for so long, I finally stopped circling the mountain and listened when God said to turn north.

Just as God took the Israelites on a detour so they could truly learn to trust Him, I know He wrote the weight gain into my story because I needed to fully understand how to be completely dependent on Him. After circling the mountain long enough, I am now on my way back down the scale, and God is the center of making my body healthy again.

1. Is there anything in your life you are "doing your own way" that you need to surrender to God?

2. Read Proverbs 16:9 and Psalm 37:23. What do you learn from these verses?

3. The Israelites took a detour because of their lack of faith and trust in God. Is there any area in your life in which you are lacking faith or trust in God?