It is eleven days' journey from Horeb by way of Mount Seir to Kadesh Barnea.
Deuteronomy 1:2

Mount Horeb is Mount Sinai where Moses received the Law. Mount Seir is on the east side of the Jordan, just north of where the Jordan River empties into the Dead Sea. It was a perfect place to cross the Jordan to enter the Promised Land. It was an 11 day journey from Horeb to Seir. Why did the Children of Israel “wander” in the wilderness for 40 years before they were allowed to enter in?

The obvious reason given in the Bible was that the generation that left Egypt were not allowed to enter due to their unbelief (Num.13). It was God’s punishment on the nation. There is another leson to be learned as well.

God promised to take those He delivered from Egypt to Promised Land. But in God’s providence, the nation was not ready to enter into God’s rest. It took 40 years to make them ready.

Likewise, God promises to take those He saves into Heaven. But He doesn’t do it instantly. It takes the rest of our lives to be readied.

And on an even smaller scale, we may often wonder why God does not deliver us more speedily to life’s next destination. The answer is that we are not always ready, requiring a period of time to elapse before we are ready.

Lord, give us grace to trust You when we are waiting—especially when it feels like we are wandering.