Bird's-eye view
In this passage, we find Israel on the cusp of entering the land, but they need to pass through the territory of their kinsmen, the Edomites. What unfolds is a case study in covenantal breakdown and the hostility of the natural man toward the people of God. The history here goes all the way back to the womb of Rebekah, with the struggle between Jacob and Esau. Israel, the descendants of Jacob, make a humble and reasonable request of Edom, the descendants of Esau. The request is not only refused, but it is met with threats and a show of military force. This is more than a border dispute; it is the enmity between two seeds playing out on the stage of history. Israel's response is also instructive. They do not force the issue. They do not demand their rights. Under God's direction, they simply turn away and take the long road. This is a picture of the Christian pilgrimage. The world, which is kin to us through Adam, often refuses us passage, and our response must be one of patient faith, trusting that God's detours are part of His perfect plan.
Outline
- 1. A Brother's Reasonable Request (Num 20:14-17)
- a. An Appeal to Kinship and Shared History (vv. 14-16)
- b. A Promise of Good Conduct (v. 17)
- 2. A Brother's Unreasonable Refusal (Num 20:18-21)
- a. The First Refusal and Threat (v. 18)
- b. A Second, More Generous Appeal (v. 19)
- c. The Second Refusal and a Show of Force (vv. 20-21)
- 3. The Pilgrim's Godly Response (Num 20:21-22)
- a. Israel Turns Away (v. 21)
- b. God's People Continue Their Journey (v. 22)
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
v. 14 From Kadesh Moses then sent messengers to the king of Edom: “Thus your brother Israel has said, ‘You know all the hardship that has befallen us,
The first thing to notice is the basis of the appeal. Moses doesn't lead with threats or demands. He leads with family. "Thus your brother Israel has said." This is a covenantal appeal. He is reminding the king of Edom that they are not strangers. They are descendants of twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. This appeal to brotherhood is designed to evoke sympathy and a sense of familial duty. Moses then assumes a shared knowledge of their history: "You know all the hardship." This is a gentle way of saying, "You've seen what we've been through." It is an appeal to common decency, grounded in their shared bloodline.
v. 15 that our fathers went down to Egypt, and we stayed in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians treated us and our fathers badly.
Here Moses provides a brief, potent summary of Israel's testimony. It is a story of affliction. They went down to Egypt, they stayed a long time, and they were mistreated. This is the story of God's people in the world. We are sojourners, and the world system, represented by Egypt, is often hostile to us. This is the backstory that should have softened Edom's heart. It is a condensed version of the gospel narrative: bondage, suffering, and the need for a deliverer.
v. 16 So we cried out to Yahweh, and He heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out from Egypt; now behold, we are at Kadesh, a town on the edge of your territory.
This is the pivot of the testimony. In their affliction, they did the one thing that matters: "we cried out to Yahweh." And God responded. He heard, He sent, and He delivered. The angel mentioned here is the Angel of the Lord, a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. So, this is a testimony to God's saving power through His Son. They are not a band of marauders who escaped on their own; they are a redeemed people, delivered by the hand of God Himself. They now stand at Kadesh, on Edom's border, as a testament to God's faithfulness. Their very presence is a sermon.
v. 17 Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or through vineyard; we will not even drink water from a well. We will go along the king’s highway; we will not turn to the right or to the left until we pass through your territory.’
The request is as reasonable as it gets. It is a model of courtesy and respect for private property. They ask for simple passage. They promise to stick to the main public road, the "king's highway." They will not trespass, they will not forage, they will not even take a drink of water from a private well. They are promising to be the most low-impact travelers imaginable. This extreme reasonableness serves to highlight the irrationality of the response that is coming. They are bending over backward to be good neighbors.
v. 18 Edom, however, said to him, “You shall not pass through us, lest I come out to meet you with the sword.”
Here is the carnal heart revealed. The answer is a flat "no." There is no negotiation, no counter-offer. Just a blunt refusal. And it is immediately followed by a threat of lethal force. "Lest I come out to meet you with the sword." This is the spirit of Cain, who hated his brother Abel because Abel's sacrifice was accepted by God. Edom sees his redeemed brother, and his response is suspicion and hostility. The sword is the argument of the man who has no argument. It is the response of fear and envy, the native language of the flesh.
v. 19 Again, the sons of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, and if I and my livestock do drink any of your water, then I will pay its price. Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else.”
Israel does not respond to the threat with a counter-threat. They show remarkable restraint. They try again, sweetening the deal. They reiterate their promise to stick to the highway and then add a new provision: if they or their livestock drink any water, they will pay for it. This removes the last possible shred of a rational objection. They are not asking for a handout. They are asking for nothing but to walk through. "Let me only pass through on my feet, nothing else." This is Christian diplomacy. It is an attempt to overcome evil with good, to answer irrational anger with patient reason.
v. 20 But he said, “You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out to meet him with a heavy force and with a strong hand.
The second refusal is just as blunt as the first. Reason and generosity have no effect on a heart governed by enmity. And this time, Edom backs up his words with action. He musters his army, a "heavy force," and comes out to intimidate Israel. This is what the world does when confronted with the steady, peaceful advance of God's people. When its arguments fail, it resorts to shows of force. It tries to make the cost of obedience too high. The "strong hand" of Edom is set against the people delivered by the strong hand of God.
v. 21 Thus Edom refused to allow Israel to pass through his territory; so Israel turned away from him.
The conclusion of the matter. Edom's refusal was total. And Israel's response is the key lesson for us. "So Israel turned away from him." They did not engage. They did not protest that it was unfair. They did not try to fight for their "right of way." They had the God who split the Red Sea on their side; they certainly could have won a military victory. But that was not God's will. God's will was for them to trust Him and take the detour. This is a profound lesson in submission to God's providence. Sometimes the path of faith is not through the obstacle, but around it.
v. 22 Then they set out from Kadesh, and the sons of Israel, the whole congregation, came to Mount Hor.
Life goes on. The journey continues. Edom's roadblock did not stop God's plan. It only altered the route. They leave Kadesh and proceed to Mount Hor, which will be the site of another significant event, the death of Aaron. God weaves the sinful obstinance of men into the tapestry of His sovereign purposes. Edom thought he was demonstrating his strength, but all he did was demonstrate his own corrupt heart and provide an occasion for Israel to learn patience and trust. The people of God are always moving, always on pilgrimage, and no earthly king can ultimately halt their progress toward the promised land.
Application
This story is a permanent lesson for the church. We are on a pilgrimage to the heavenly city, and we must pass through this world. Like Israel, we should make our requests with humility and reason. We should seek to live peaceably with all men, respecting their property and their rights. We should be the best possible neighbors.
But we must also be prepared for the unreasonable hostility of Edom. The world, and sometimes even our closest kinsmen according to the flesh, will refuse us passage. They will meet our reasonable requests with threats and intimidation. Their hostility is not ultimately about us, but about the God we serve. It is the ancient enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.
When we face such opposition, our response must be like Israel's. We do not escalate. We do not demand our rights through carnal means. We turn away and trust that God has another path for us. God's sovereignty is not thwarted by locked doors. He is the one who opens doors that no man can shut, and He is the one who guides us around the obstacles that He, in His wisdom, allows to stand in our way. Our job is not to clear the path, but to follow the guide. Edom's refusal was not a defeat for Israel, but a test of their faith, a test they passed by turning away and continuing their journey toward Mount Hor.