The Land of Promise

Posted on October 25, 2018 by America's Keswick in Victory Call

The Land of Promise.  Stop and think about that for a moment. Just the thought of it brings comfort doesn’t it? Can you imagine what it was like for the Israelites wandering in the wilderness with Moses and Joshua for 40 years?  It had been over 400 years since God’s promise to their father Abraham (Genesis 12).  It was described as glorious in terms of water, springs, food, abundance, and fulfillment.

What was it about the Promise Land that was so important to the Israelites?

The promise fulfillment:  For one thing it was the long anticipated fulfillment of a promise made to their father Abraham, 470 years earlier (1926 BC), and reiterated to his son Isaac (Genesis 26:3-5), and grandson Jacob (Genesis 28:13-17).

“Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” … Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” Genesis 12:1-3, 7

A promise of freedom from bondage: The Land represented a place of possession in which they would be free of slavery.

“I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners.  Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’’” Exodus 6:4-8

 A Promise of Inheritance: The Israelites wandered in the wilderness 40 years without a place to call their own.  They moved every time the Pillar of cloud or the Pillar of fire moved. They pulled up their tent stakes, literally, and moved.

He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.” Psalm 105:7-11

A Promise of God’s Presence:

The Land of Promise was something the Israelites yearned for. For over 400 years they looked forward to the day they would take possession. As Moses points out in his conversation with God, God’s very presence with Israel is what makes Israel distinct from all the other people of the earth.

And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.  For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” Exodus 33: 14-16

God’s presence IS the inheritance of His children, then and now.

Blessings,

Diane

Diane Hunt serves on the board of America’s Keswick and provides ministry support from her home in North Carolina. She is also a biblical counselor and women’s event speaker. For more information about having Diane speak at your next event please contact her at dhunt@americaskeswick.org.

The Daily Bible Reading: Luke 10-11; John 10:22-42| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “To wait on God is to live a life of desire toward Him, delight in Him, dependence on Him, and devotedness to Him.” – Matthew Henry

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him” – Lamentations 3:24