Saturday, January 27, 2007

A nation's right to exist: Dt2: 4-6, 9

“‘You will pass through the territory of your brothers the sons of Esau who live in Seir; and they will be afraid of you. So be very careful; do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, even as little as a footstep because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession. You shall buy food from them with money so that you may eat, and you shall also purchase water from them with money so that you may drink.’… Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not harass Moab, nor provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot as a possession.’” (Deuteronomy 2:4-6, 9)

This passage tells us two important truths about nations, their sovereignty, and their right to exists. First, nations exist by the will of God and their borders are established by His own choosing. The scripture says quite clearly that it was the Lord who gave Mount Seir to Esau and his descendents. Their right as a nation was granted to them by God. Also, God gave Ar to lot and his sons as an inheritance. Their right to exist and their sovereignty as a nation were granted by God. This God given right to exist, and a nations sovereignty, should be respected by other nations, since it has been granted by God.

Secondly, God gives possession of a land to whomever He wishes. The scriptures are full of examples where, in the will of God, one people are displaced by another people and one nation gives way to another. “The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim. Like the Anakim, they are also regarded as Rephaim, but the Moabites call them Emim. The Horites formerly lived in Seir, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did to the land of their possession which the Lord gave to them.” (Deuteronomy 2:10-12) God, according to His own prerogative, displaces one people to make room for another. Israel displaced the nations of Canaan to establish their own nation, all according to the will of God. God not only chooses the borders of a nation, but also its rise and fall. What is important to learn from this is that there is no inherent right of nations to exist apart from the will of God. Many talk about “first nation” peoples and their right to rule, but that right to rule only extends as long as the Lord wills it to. If the Lord should chose, their right to rule may be replaced by another’s right, and their nation displaced by another. Even if they were there first, another nation may rise up and rule in their place, if the Lord should so decide.

David Robison

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