1. Desert life with God (1-23)

For 38 years the Israelites wandered in the desert. The disobedient generation of fighting men died. Then the time came. God told them to turn north. The Israelites had learned to trust God who loved them and cared for them (7). They had learned obedience. When God told them not to bother the Edomites, Ammonites or Moabites (blood relatives), but to pay them for food and water when they passed through those lands, they obeyed.

2. The defeat of Sihon of Heshbon (24-37)

Their first taste of war and victory was against Sihon, king of Heshbon. Sihon was an Amorite king. He refused passage through his country because God had made his heart stubborn. Israel trusted and obeyed God. They fought and won. This was the first step in the conquest of the land. God used this victory to plant the fear of Israel in the nations of Canaan, and to plant confidence and a sense of victory in the Israelites. They learned that to obey God is victory.

Application: Lord, teach me the obedience that comes from faith in you.
One Word: God watches over his people