Wisdom of the Old Testament

No, I'm not talking about Proverbs.  This is a more general observation.

 

I have often marveled at the wisdom that you find in the Old Testament.  Some of the dietary rules for example were later born out by science.  I mean who hasn't been told to wash your hands before you eat? 

So I noticed this today.  It is part of the passage where Moses is telling the Israelites that God will drive out the nations before them as He gives them the promised land.  What caught my eye was the detail that I highlighted.
 

Deuteronomy 7:22-25(NKJV)

And the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 

But the Lord your God will deliver them over to you, and will inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed. 

And He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will destroy their name from under heaven; no one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 

You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. 

 

God said He would give the Israelites the promised land little by little.  The reason was that there were not enough Israelites to hold all of the land if God had given it to them all at once.  If you don't have enough people to control the land then you don't really own it. 

God mentions the beasts of the fields but it applies to human animals as well.  It made me think of a more recent time in history where this principal was born out.  Back in the early 1800's, after Mexico fought for it's independence from Spain they had a problem. 

They captured all of this land but didn't have enough people to occupy it and tame it.  So there was this little country to the northeast called Texas.  Yes, Texas was it's own country before it joined the United States. 

Mexico invited the Texans to settle in the land which would help Mexico occupy the land.  Over time Mexico allowed so many Texans in that Mexico could no longer control their own land  which led to a war which led to Mexico losing a bunch of the land that they couldn't control because they didn't have enough people.

Isn't interesting that the Old Testament offered this warning way back in the day!