Deuteronomy 2:1 – Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as the Lord spake unto me: and we compassed mount Seir many days.

Deuteronomy 2:2 – And the Lord spake unto me, saying,

Deuteronomy 2:3 – Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.

Hello all, end of a long week here in Adelaide. A long, hot week as summer draws to a close! Today is quite a simple blog, I’ve had several blogs I was planning on writing, but settled on this one for now. It’s ideal to read Deuteronomy 1 before the verses quoted above and this blog, because in it you find, at the end of forty years of wilderness wandering, Moses recounting to the people how God had given them and told them to go into the promised land, and how they did not go in because of unbelief. That kickstarted a wilderness wandering that saw that generation die out, wasted in the wilderness.

So today my blog is simple, I’ve dwelt here long enough! It’s in reference to what God said “ye have compassed this mountain long enough”.  It’s been long enough reader. Have you ever come to the point in your life where you think, this has gone on long enough. Have you had long enough in a life of sin and rebellion against God? How much is enough, when will enough ever be enough? Today God is saying you’ve compassed this mountain long enough. I’ve dwelt here long enough.

What mountain were they in? Mount Seir, that belonged to Esau. That’s a funny place to be. A nation of people, saved out of Egypt with the intention of being brought into the land promised to them… and here they are circling a mountain that’s not theirs. It’s Esau’s. Who was Esau? Well find about him for yourself… but he’s a man who did not repent, who did not believe, who was not saved. Esau was a man of the world, he didn’t care for the things of God, even when he was sorry, he wasn’t repentant toward God, he was just sorry he missed out on the blessing. How many Christians are in it just for the blessing aka, what they can get out of God, what God can do for them, how they can benefit out of all of it. So many people end up in Esau land in their lives, because they don’t believe, just as he didn’t.

How’d they end up in his land when they could’ve been in the promised land? Unbelief. Unbelief is a killer, it’s such a simple killer, but behind all of our sin and rebellion is unbelief. The reason we are where we are at in life, so far from Canaan, so far from where we should be in life, it’s because of unbelief. There’s no relationship with God, no fellowship, no obedience, no praise, no worship, no service… all because we don’t believe God’s word. Simple as that. Unbelief will stop you going in. We may say we believe, well consider that this people had just been at Horeb, the mount of God, they’d received the law of God, they’d committed to the covenant, yeah we’ll do it God!… this same people who’d been miraculously delivered out of Egypt and separated from Pharaoh and his pursuing armies forever… yet they did not believe. It’s amazing how deep unbelief and rebellion and disobedience runs.

It’s absolutely crazy. I look at all the sin in my life, and it all boils down to unbelief. Even while I say I believe, I do not. If I truly believed, I’d obey. If I truly believed, I’d possess. If I truly believed, my life would look so much different to what it is. Remember that man who cried out to Jesus, Lord I believe, help thou mine unbelief! Jesus’ disciples believed, yet they didn’t believe did they. They struggled with unbelief, and so do we all. Such a simple thing to believe God’s word, yet most people don’t, including those who say they do. You know, unbelief is calling God a liar, it’s pretty serious. Faith is believing God’s word, and without faith it’s impossible to please God. Abraham believed God, and we should follow his footsteps if he is our father. Abraham was this nation’s physical father, but most did not take after Abraham in believing God’s word, even against all odds.

So they compassed mount Seir. Compassed is a term for going round something. Round and round and round. Circling. After these guys refused to go in to the promised land because they were afraid and believed the evil report (oh and by the way, how many evil reports are people believing today that’s injecting them with fear unto unbelief and disobedience in God’s word!), they went in circles! They were circling a mountain that wasn’t theirs, that they had no place being at. You’re circling in a life that you don’t need to be in, but you’re there because you’ve rejected God’s word. You’ve chosen doubt, disobedience. The spies were sent into investigate the land, and ten out of twelve of them came back saying oh we can’t go in, there’s giants there, we can’t do it! Who and what are you believing over God’s word? They took the word of the majority, the majority were wrong, the majority didn’t believe… there’s a lesson in all that today for us with all the news and propaganda we are bombarded with that is trying to convince us that God’s word isn’t true, that God can’t speak straight or keep it straight… they’re lies.

Here they go round and round. So often we get into the cycle of sin, and we just don’t learn. This world is full of insanity, people doing the same rubbish and wondering why it’s turning out bad. In the darkness you don’t know what’s causing you to stumble. We often circle sin in our lives and keep going round and round it. People tonight even as I right, once again just like every other weekend, they’re out drinking, doing drugs, and sleeping around, cheating on their wives, whatever it is… that’s their life and they go in circles until they die out in that wilderness. That’s Esau land, they could have the blessing, but they despise the birthright. They don’t want salvation because they love their sin.

You know there are many good mountains in the Bible. There are mountain peak experiences in our lives as well as believers, but this is a mount you don’t want to be on. Because sin has a mountain, but it’s a mountain of wandering in circles and aimlessness, no direction, an enemy of God. The best sin can offer you is a life of going in vain circles. Sin’s mountain peak has a very steep drop off, sin will leave your life in tatters. People you know, they choose sin over God’s word, because they choose lust and pride over God’s word. They make all their arguments about why God’s word can’t be believed or as they try to justify their sin… but it all comes back to an old fashioned smoke screen for the fact they love their sin. Simple.

We go in circles in life in our unbelief. There’s no direction, there’s no purpose, no fulfillment, no sure end, nothing. Think of how this world goes, people pursue wealth and fame, and it vanishes and they die. That’s vanity! They live for stuff that has no value, that is not eternal, that doesn’t remain. Madness! That’s the life of someone who does not believe God’s word. Rejecting God’s word is madness, you’re circling the peak… but it’s not the mountain experience where God is. At Horeb, God was there, but here, there was nothing.

What’s incredible is that we think if we heard and saw half as much as these people did… we’d believe. Well, these people had heard and seen it all… yet they didn’t believe. The same mob who saw the Red Sea part here said nah, we  can’t go in, despite God saying I’ve given it to you, go in and take it. Despite all the deliverance where God had proved himself abundantly to them… they said nah, you’re a liar, we can’t do it. You brought us all this way for nothing Moses! Unbelief can run THAT deep, it’s a Christian killer. These guys could’ve gone into Canaan, but instead they wandered in the wilderness because they didn’t believe God’s word, even though God’s word is what had delivered them and saved them and fed them and watered them… crazy… yet we are the same.

Have you ever been in places in life where you had no business being? You weren’t in Canaan, you found your peak in life, but it wasn’t much of a peak was it. We have all been in lands and places in our lives where we didn’t have to be there, but we were there because of unbelief and rebellion towards God. Esau was a rebel. Esau wasn’t spiritually minded, Esau was a selfish, bitter, resentful, worldly man. You may be an Esau, not a Jacob, that’s why you’re on this peak, you don’t believe God’s word, you call him a liar with your life. Every person that rejects God’s word calls God a liar, no exceptions.

Turn you northward God said. So often we are heading south in our life, we head down… how do we head northward? Start believing God’s word. You know, their circling mount Seir ended with the word of God. God said… you’ve been here long enough. Get going. The word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ, that’s where your course of life will change. That’s where when receiving his word, you’ll get going. Leave that peak of false hopes and promises and temporary pleasures. It’s time to head northward with calling on the name of the Lord, with choosing to believe his word, with choosing to trust that he is who he says he is and that he will do what he says he will do.

I’ve been in this land, I’ve been in places of unbelief in life long enough. That’s what God’s word is for. It’s for those who have been in their land of unbelief, rebellion, sin long enough. Have you been long enough going round and round and getting nowhere in life? Have you had enough of mount Seir instead of Canaan land?

When you choose to reject God’s word, when your fear takes over your ability to trust him… that’s where you come up to the edge of the promised land and head back towards the wilderness. So many people “nearly” make it. They come to the brink, then decide, nah not for me. I fear my buddies too much. I believe what others say about God’s word too much. This generation nearly made it… but they got to Canaan land, and turned back into the wilderness! They’d come out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the wilderness… and they were about to go into Canaan… the land promised to their father Abraham! Four hundred years in the making… and they show they truly don’t believe… after all that. And here they are, because of unbelief and fear and disobedience and rebellion (these things go hand in hand… unbelief leads to disobedience every time), and they’re heading back into the wilderness. You could be in Canaan land, instead you’re heading into the wilderness… all because you don’t trust God’s word.

Hopefully today, you can say, I’ve been here long enough. The gospel is for you, you who have said I’ve been here long enough. The prodigal son had long enough with the hogs. God says you’ve been here long enough, you’ve been compassing that land of unbelief, you’ve been compassing the place of rejection of truth, you’ve been going in circles, you’ve had enough of the land of life you’re in because of your own decisions. That’s the problem with today’s society, everyone’s blaming and playing victim, Israel were wandering in circles because of their sin, it wasn’t anyone else’s fault, it was their fault. They couldn’t pin this one on Pharaoh!

Maybe you think, I’ve compassed mount Seir long enough. I don’t want this land of sin and rebellion anymore. I don’t belong here. My future isn’t here. I’d rather Canaan land. Well hear God’s word, because the gospel can take you from that land of sin and rebellion and take you to a life of relationship and fellowship with God, you can serve God, you can have deliverance and victory in your life. When are you going to realize a life of rejecting God isn’t your land, that’s not your home, that’s not the place you want to be? Believe the gospel. Get saved, and then abide in Jesus Christ. God’s word sets us free, God’s word is truth, Jesus Christ will take you by the hand and lead you in. It was Joshua who would take them in, and the captain of you salvation, if you choose to believe in him, he’ll take you to the land. Jesus came to die for the sins of the world, believe on him and be saved. Abide in him in your life and you won’t need to be wandering around wasting your life. Believe on him today, and just take him at his word. I’ve been here long enough!

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