The Promised Land?
The last blog was all about the blessings and curses that went along with God’s covenant with Israel. Basically, when the Israelites held their side, they would receive increasingly great blessings, with the pinnacle promise being that God would walk among His people.
The next step for the people of Israel was to enter the Promised Land. Unfortunately, when the time came for them to go and take the land, the Israelites were afraid of the people who dwelt there. The task of taking over the land seemed too great. Really, they just didn’t trust in God. In fact, they even said that they would rather go back to Egypt or even die in the wilderness than to enter into the Promised Land.
So God gave them what they asked for. He told the people that their generation would not be allowed to cross over into the Promised Land. They would wander in the wilderness until every last one of that generation had perished, save Caleb and Joshua, the only two of the entire congregation that remained faithful. Out of the hundreds of thousands of Israelites over the age of twenty, only two were faithful to God. The rest would die in the wilderness.
It was because of their disobedience that this generation was unable to enter into the land. Hebrews 4:6 says “it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience.” Because the Israelites separated themselves from God by their lack of obedience, God couldn’t allow them into the land. Instead, this generation had to die off in the wilderness before the nation could enter into the land.
The people finally did enter the land, but they still missed out on it. The truth is, the nation of Israel never completely received the inheritance of the land, because the land wasn’t just a physical thing. The land was a place of complete blessing. The land was a place where “I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.” This land could only be obtained through righteous obedient faith, the faith of their father Abraham. The people never walked in that. The people didn't really seem to understand that. We probably don't either.
Hebrews 4 talks about how we need to be diligent to enter into the rest of God, because the Israelites never did. So what is this rest?
The next step for the people of Israel was to enter the Promised Land. Unfortunately, when the time came for them to go and take the land, the Israelites were afraid of the people who dwelt there. The task of taking over the land seemed too great. Really, they just didn’t trust in God. In fact, they even said that they would rather go back to Egypt or even die in the wilderness than to enter into the Promised Land.
So God gave them what they asked for. He told the people that their generation would not be allowed to cross over into the Promised Land. They would wander in the wilderness until every last one of that generation had perished, save Caleb and Joshua, the only two of the entire congregation that remained faithful. Out of the hundreds of thousands of Israelites over the age of twenty, only two were faithful to God. The rest would die in the wilderness.
It was because of their disobedience that this generation was unable to enter into the land. Hebrews 4:6 says “it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience.” Because the Israelites separated themselves from God by their lack of obedience, God couldn’t allow them into the land. Instead, this generation had to die off in the wilderness before the nation could enter into the land.
The people finally did enter the land, but they still missed out on it. The truth is, the nation of Israel never completely received the inheritance of the land, because the land wasn’t just a physical thing. The land was a place of complete blessing. The land was a place where “I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.” This land could only be obtained through righteous obedient faith, the faith of their father Abraham. The people never walked in that. The people didn't really seem to understand that. We probably don't either.
Hebrews 4 talks about how we need to be diligent to enter into the rest of God, because the Israelites never did. So what is this rest?
posted by I Believe We Shall Win at 7:44 PM
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