Deuteronomy 2:7
Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these forty years, and you have lacked nothing.
Indeed, the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands.
This phrase emphasizes God's providence and favor upon the Israelites. The blessing on the work of their hands signifies success and productivity in their endeavors, reflecting the covenant relationship between God and His people. This echoes the promise given to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3, where God assures blessings to his descendants. The concept of divine blessing is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, highlighting God's faithfulness and the importance of obedience to His commandments.

He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness.
The wilderness journey refers to the Israelites' 40-year sojourn in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. This period was marked by God's miraculous provision and guidance, such as manna from heaven (Exodus 16) and water from the rock (Exodus 17). The wilderness is often seen as a place of testing and reliance on God, where the Israelites learned to trust in His provision and guidance. The phrase underscores God's protective presence, akin to a shepherd watching over his flock, as seen in Psalm 23.

The LORD your God has been with you these forty years,
The forty years symbolize a generation and a period of testing and preparation. This time frame is significant in biblical numerology, often associated with trials and divine testing, as seen in the 40 days of rain during the flood (Genesis 7:12) and Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). God's presence with the Israelites during this time is a testament to His enduring faithfulness and patience, despite their frequent disobedience and complaints.

and you have lacked nothing.
This phrase highlights God's provision and sufficiency. Despite the harsh conditions of the wilderness, the Israelites' needs were met, illustrating God's ability to provide abundantly. This mirrors the promise in Philippians 4:19, where God supplies all needs according to His riches. The lack of want also points to the future promise of rest and abundance in the Promised Land, serving as a type of the eternal rest and provision found in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-10).

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who provides and guides His people.

2. The Israelites
The chosen people of God, journeying through the wilderness after their exodus from Egypt.

3. The Wilderness
A vast and challenging landscape where the Israelites wandered for forty years.

4. Moses
The leader of the Israelites, who communicates God's words and guidance to the people.

5. The Forty-Year Journey
A period of testing, reliance on God, and preparation for entering the Promised Land.
Teaching Points
God's Faithfulness
Reflect on how God has been faithful in your life, providing for your needs and guiding you through difficult times.

Divine Provision
Trust in God's provision, knowing that He is aware of your needs and will supply them according to His will.

Gratitude for God's Presence
Cultivate a heart of gratitude for God's constant presence and care, even in the "wilderness" seasons of life.

Learning from the Past
Consider how past experiences of God's faithfulness can strengthen your faith and trust in Him for the future.

Dependence on God
Embrace a lifestyle of dependence on God, recognizing that true satisfaction and sufficiency come from Him alone.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding God's provision for the Israelites in the wilderness encourage you in your current circumstances?

2. In what ways can you see God's hand of blessing in the "work of your hands" today?

3. How can the assurance of God's presence over the past "forty years" of your life influence your trust in Him for the future?

4. What are some practical steps you can take to cultivate gratitude for God's provision and presence in your daily life?

5. How do the themes of divine provision and faithfulness in Deuteronomy 2:7 connect with Jesus' teachings in the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Exodus 16
This chapter describes God's provision of manna, illustrating His care and sustenance during the Israelites' wilderness journey.

Psalm 23
The imagery of God as a shepherd who provides and guides His people parallels the care described in Deuteronomy 2:7.

Matthew 6:25-34
Jesus' teaching on not worrying about material needs echoes the assurance of God's provision found in Deuteronomy 2:7.

Philippians 4:19
Paul's assurance that God will supply all needs according to His riches in glory connects to the theme of divine provision.

Hebrews 13:5
The promise that God will never leave nor forsake His people reflects the constant presence of God with the Israelites.
A New DepartureC. S. Robinson, D. D.Deuteronomy 2:1-7
A Sermon for the New YearW. E. Sellers.Deuteronomy 2:1-7
A Short Account of the Long Story of Israel in the WildernessHenry, MatthewDeuteronomy 2:1-7
Comfort in the WildernessW. Hoyt.Deuteronomy 2:1-7
Forty YearsDeuteronomy 2:1-7
The Divine Recall to DutyJ. L. Williams, B. A.Deuteronomy 2:1-7
God's Faithfulness in Dealing with Nations Outside the CovenantR.M. Edgar Deuteronomy 2:1-23
International RelationshipsD. Davies Deuteronomy 2:1-23
Edom, Moab, AmmonJ. Orr Deuteronomy 2:4-10, 17-20
People
Ammonites, Anakites, Avvites, Caphtorim, Caphtorites, Emites, Esau, Geber, Horites, Moabites, Moses, Rephaites, Seir, Sihon, Zamzummites
Places
Ammon, Ar, Arabah, Aroer, Caphtor, Elath, Ezion-geber, Gaza, Gilead, Heshbon, Jabbok River, Jahaz, Jordan River, Kadesh-barnea, Kedemoth, Moab, Mount Seir, Red Sea, Seir, Valley of the Arnon, Zered
Topics
Anything, Blessed, Blessing, Desert, Forty, Hands, Hast, Journey, Knoweth, Lacked, Nothing, Short, Vast, Walking, Wanderings, Waste, Watched, Wilderness, Works
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Deuteronomy 2:7

     1330   God, the provider
     1654   numbers, 11-99
     4230   desert
     5156   hand
     5357   journey
     8491   watchfulness, divine

Library
A Great Part of South Judea Cut Off under the Second Temple. Jewish Idumean.
The Talmudic girdle ends, as you see, in "Kadesh, Barnea, and Ascalon." Hence it cannot but be observed, that these two places are placed, as it were, in parallel; and whatsoever space lies between Ascalon and the river of Egypt, is excluded,--to wit, fifty-four miles. And one might, indeed, almost see some footsteps of that exclusion under the first Temple, in that very common expression, "From Dan even to Beer-sheba." This country, that was excluded, was something barren. The Talmudists speak thus
John Lightfoot—From the Talmud and Hebraica

The New Leaders Commission
'Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 2. Moses My servant is dead: now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates,
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
Syria: the part played by it in the ancient world--Babylon and the first Chaldaean empire--The dominion of the Hyksos: Ahmosis. Some countries seem destined from their origin to become the battle-fields of the contending nations which environ them. Into such regions, and to their cost, neighbouring peoples come from century to century to settle their quarrels and bring to an issue the questions of supremacy which disturb their little corner of the world. The nations around are eager for the possession
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 4

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Deuteronomy
Owing to the comparatively loose nature of the connection between consecutive passages in the legislative section, it is difficult to present an adequate summary of the book of Deuteronomy. In the first section, i.-iv. 40, Moses, after reviewing the recent history of the people, and showing how it reveals Jehovah's love for Israel, earnestly urges upon them the duty of keeping His laws, reminding them of His spirituality and absoluteness. Then follows the appointment, iv. 41-43--here irrelevant (cf.
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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