Every now and then something in the Bible jumps out at me, and it seems this might be the place to share these thoughts. As I was reading Deuteronomy, chapter 2, I came to think about the fact that God gave Mideast land to three different groups of people. You might like to give some thought to these gifts too.

As the Israelites traveled to possess their Promised Land in Canaan, they passed by their brothers, the descendants of Esau, and God said to them, “I will not give you even so much as a foot’s length of their land, since I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession” (Deut 2:5-6). So, the Bible teaches that God gave land to both the children of Jacob and the children of Esau.

Furthermore, God told the Israelites, “Do not harass Moab or engage them in battle, for I will not give you any of its land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot” (Deut 2:9-10). In addition, God told them, “When you approach the frontier of the Ammonites, do not harass them or engage them in battle, for I will not give the land of the Ammonites to you as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot” (Deut 2:19-20). Lot was, of course, a nephew of Abraham.

So, God gave Mideast land to each of these people groups and expected them to live in peace and respect the property rights of each group. I found this very interesting, and perhaps you do too. So, the next time you read Deuteronomy 2, think about how God demonstrated His concern for the family of Abraham.