Then the LORD said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.” — Deuteronomy 2:9

Each week in synagogue, Jews read through the Torah from Genesis to Deuteronomy. The Torah portion for this week is Devarim which means “words,” from Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22.

One of the most challenging questions we face is the question of evil. As people of faith, we have full trust in God’s plan. That said, it can be so difficult when we see wicked people riding high, seemingly unaccountable for their misdeeds.

But we must always remember that God’s plan is a mystery to us. Think about your own life. If you’re like me, you’ve probably had some tough times when you couldn’t understand what God was doing. But as is often the case, years later we see what God had in mind and we understand that what He put us through was for our best.

The same is true when we see evil succeeding. We must trust that God’s plan will eventually reveal the good that will emerge.

Trust in God’s Plan for Good

We see this lesson hinted at in this week’s Torah portion. Moses was recounting Israel’s journey in the desert. He recalled what God said to him as they approached Moabite territory: “Then the LORD said to me, ‘Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’”

The Jewish sages wondered why God needed to tell Moses not to attack Moab. Moses was not a warmonger looking for conflict.

We need to go back to Numbers 31:2 for our answer. After God told Moses to attack Midian because of their role in leading Israel into sin, it was a natural assumption on Moses’ part that he should attack Moab as well.

After all, it was the daughters of Moab who were mainly culpable of luring the men of Israel to sin. The Midianites only assisted the Moabites in enticing Israel. As far as Moses could tell, attacking Moab made perfect sense.

But God’s plan for good included the future birth of Ruth the Moabite, who would leave her nation to join Israel. This would lead to the birth of her great-grandson King David and the entire royal line leading to the Messiah.

No matter how wicked Moab was and how much they deserved to be punished, God’s plan for the future meant that they must be spared. Moses needed to trust in God’s plan for good, as do we. Your turn: As you pray for the defeat of the wicked, also let God know that you trust in His plan for good!