God promised “The whole land of Canaan” as an “everlasting possession to you (Abram) and your descendants after you,” Genesis 17:8. And to Moses he promised, “I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage,” Exodus 6:8. Which God fulfilled, Joshua 21:43 – “the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers….not one of all the good promises the Lord God gave you has failed” (also Psalm 105:7-11, 42-45).
And in 1 Kings 8:55-56, Solomon yelled out to “the whole assembly of Israel….‘Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the lord our God be with us as he was with our fathers….so that (verse 60) all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and there is no other.’”
And therein lies the purpose of Israel being established forever in the land of Canaan. They were meant to be the showroom of God, the one place on the planet where “all peoples on earth” could visibly see the greatness of God, his utter faithfulness to his promises, his incredible blessings of peace and wisdom, and what happens to people who obey and trust him. It was all there for the world to see in Solomon’s day. And it could’ve happened in Eden too. Because that’s how God operates, showing through humans in a localized piece of land what he’s like and what he’s up to, so that people from all over can observe and visit, and in so doing come to trust God like Abraham did.
So how is God fulfilling that same promise and same purpose today? Well, true to God’s promise of choosing Israel to be a showroom in the land of Canaan, Jesus also chose “men of Galilee” (Acts 1:11) living in the land of Canaan to be a showroom to him – or as he phrased it, to be “my witnesses,” not only to the surrounding area but “to the ends of the earth,” Acts 1:8. The land of Canaan in Jesus’ day, therefore, was still fulfilling its purpose, as the jumping off point for “all peoples of the earth” coming to know God.
And in the “new heaven and new earth” of Revelation 21 and 22, Jerusalem is the showroom of “the glory of God” (21:10-11). So even in the future of this planet, Jerusalem is the location chosen “for the healing of the nations” (22:2) and all the peoples of the earth being blessed, just as God promised Abraham.
But Abraham knew that too. He knew that the promise of the land of Canaan being an everlasting possession would one day find its fulfillment in the city of Jerusalem (Hebrews 11:8, 10).
No mention yet, though, as to what part Jesus played in the promises to Abraham. So next blog: “Was Jesus a promise to Abraham too?”
Buck To Basics 