Deuteronomy 2:1-6. Moses is recounting the journey in the desert. In this passage he remembers that as they were traveling toward the Red Sea and around Mount Seir, God said to him to turn northward toward Seir, the territory of Esau, Jacob's brother. God warns Moses that the people of Seir will be afraid of the Israelites, so they are to be careful and to not contend with them. God has given this land to Esau; the Israelites are not to take any of it, but only to pass through. They are to purchase the food and water they need as they pass through.

When God is ready to give his people land, he makes no bones about telling them to take it from others who may be living there. But here we see that God protects his people, all of them. Esau was Jacob's brother. Jacob cheated Esau out of his inheritance and eventually became Israel - the father of the chosen people Moses is leading to the promised land. In his providence, God knew that Jacob was the one to be Israel. But this does not mean that he did not love Esau, the boorish older brother of Jacob/Israel and favorite son of Isaac. So God gave Esau gifts as well.

God protects the land he has set aside for Esau even as he leads his chosen family through it and onto their own land. The people from whom God will tell the Israelites to take land are not members of the family descended from Abraham. For whatever reason, their claim to land was not protected, God had not given it to them (and it is all God's to give). This does not mean that God did not love them, of course he did, but part of their story in salvation history was to lose their land to the Israelites. Eventually, their descendants would be called to be part of God's family. With Jesus we learned that we are all called, that God wants salvation for all.

In the Old Testament, at this point in humanity's history, God was establishing his chosen people. The rest of the world and the rest of history will learn from them what God's love and protection looks like. So he protects all of his people, including Esau's descendants, and he tells the Israelites to respect them and their land because they are part of the same family.