WTB 2 - No Free Lunch for the Chosen

In writing Deuteronomy 2, I kept underlining phrases that stood out to me. In simply reading, this was the chapter that marked  Israel moving from Sinai towards the first of the battles that would bring them the Promised Land. But this time, phrase by phrase, I saw something else. At first, I was noticing that God was warning them to follow his instructions exactly and not get into fresh trouble (no surprise there). Then, I noticed a more regular trend. Things like:
Be very careful (v4)

I have given them (v5)

You will have to buy (v6)
Before the LORD gave the Moabites their land (v10)
I gave them their land (v19)
The LORD helped them (the Ammonites) as he had helped the Edomites (v22)

I couldn't help but think how frustrating it might be to have been a People chosen by God, knowledgeable about that special status, wandering for 38 years with your parents having recently died (v 14) as punishment for being stubborn and untrusting (oh yeah, after 430 years of slavery), and what do you have? Consistent warnings to not get into any tiffs with the locals because God had already given them their land. What's more, anything needed must be paid for. Challenge after challenge and for what? To learn your relatives (v8), those outside the explicit blessing, are already settled and comfortable...

But then, in verse 25, we see the next words, "Today I will start...", and that's when the action begins on behalf of Israel; God causes adversaries to fall with nary a fight.

I can't help but think on my own journey. As with any follower of G-D, I am promised great trials as well as great rewards. If I can be brave enough and steady enough and trusting enough, I can represent the Kingdom sincerely enough to witness great joy and experience the growth of Fruits beyond my wildest imaginings. But to get there, I must stay the course, just as my Hebrew ancestors did. Ultimately, while it took longer, entailed more challenges, and even saw more loss and, yes, death, holding fast to the promised blessing brought extraordinary response from the Father.

I still genuinely believe I am where I am today because there is something I'm intended for. It may be as simple (and profound) as spiritually influencing the 1,500 sq ft that is our home. It may be more. It may even be less. And I am the first to admit that I have many days that I lose heart and wonder what madness led me to think I'm in a chosen place at a chosen time. But I take heart from chapters like Deuteronomy 2. That I am not the first to traverse lands that make little sense to me, filled with stories of others who are nicely settled and seem to have order to their lives. Instead, I shall continue to move forward, trusting that I will find the Jordan some day, either in this life or the next...