"14 Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: “Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: 15 how our fathers went down to Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time. And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. 16 And when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. 17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, or drink water from a well. We will go along the King's Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.” 18 But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.” 19 And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” 20 But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. 21 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel turned away from him. 22 And they journeyed from Kadesh, and the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor."
Numbers 20:14-22
The next lesson of the chapter emphasises the grace of God from a different point of view. It is an interesting and instructive episode that is unfolded in these verses. Israel is re- fused a passage through the land of Edom, and not all the assurances Moses can give to the king of Edom will suffice to make a right of way for them. This enmity had old roots: Edom is Esau, and Esau and Israel had had differences in the past, as we know from Genesis. But what Edom did to Israel here was something God never forgot. It is an incident referred to not a few times in the subsequent history of the Old Testament and in the prophetic writings (cf, for example Judges 11:1618). The message here is: he who touches God's people touches the apple of His eye. He could chastise His people, judge them, discipline them, but woe betide anyone else who does them harm and ill. They were precious to Him, and for anyone to do despite to them was to ask for trouble. This also is the grace of God: He would buffet them, bruise them, chastise and punish them, but He had a care for them, He would never let them go, and He would allow no others to touch them with impunity. It is an interesting commentary on the nature of the life of pilgrimage that Edom should not allow Israel to travel through her land. The world is never slow to spurn and despise the people of God. This bears witness to the 'separate' character of true Christian life. We are in the world but not of it. In all con- science Israel had in so many ways all but obscured her pilgrim character. It would be well if as Christians we were to take seriously as our aim and intention the sentiments of Moses ex- pressed in 17, 'We will go by the king's highway, we will not turn to the right hand nor to the left.' Is this descriptive of our walk through alien territory?