Circling Mount Seir
2 “And the Lord spoke to me, saying: 3 ‘You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.” Deuteronomy 2:2-3 NKJV
The Israelites had wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Moses has told us earlier in Deuteronomy that the journey, which took forty years, should have only taken 11 days! Imagine that! The Lord had a Promised Land for them to enjoy, He had already established and prepared it for them to go into and possess. It was only an 11-day journey from where the Word of the Lord was given on Mount Horeb to the Promised Land and yet the people had squandered 40 years. They wandered through the wilderness because they would not believe the Lord and obey.
Now they are near the point of entering in and the people have been circling Mount Seir. God says they have been skirting the mountain long enough and it is time to move forward and possess the promises of the Lord.
It is easy for us to fall into the same endless circle the Israelites were in. In this life, there will be times of walking through the wilderness, but the wilderness always leads to the land of His promises for you. The key is to get through the wilderness journey as quickly as we can. But we often get stuck in our wilderness crossing and wind up going in aimless circles, which leads to frustration and disappointment.
Consider this, if you the problem you are facing looks the same each day, if nothing ever changes, then you are going in circles in that wilderness journey. If each day looks the same as the one before and the one before that and nothing ever changes, then you are circling Mount Seir and that will never get you to the Promised Land. Going in circles will never gain forward progress. Determine that it is time for you to go forward. It is time to possess the victories and deliverances that are already readied for you by Jesus.
As you read further in Deuteronomy chapter 2 the Lord tells the people it is time to turn and take their journey to deliverance. God reminds the people that He has had His eye on them the entire journey and that He is faithful. It is time for you to trust Him and move into the fullness of His promises. If everything looks the same each day to you then you are circling Mount Seir and it is time to change your perspective. God’s eye has always been upon you, now it is time for your eyes to meet His eye, to see His Word. Look to the Word instead of the problems and you will also find the answers and deliverance, the Promised Land in Him. See it in the Word and then move forward and possess. Until you do this, you will only continue to circle your Mount Seir.
J Todd Hostetler