Abraham and the Land
The Land
Did God Give Abraham and Israel the Land He Promised Them?
Abraham
and the Land
I.
God promised the land to Abraham personally (Genesis
13:15, 17;
17:8).
II.
God promised the land to Abraham's seed (Genesis
12:7; 13:15;
15:18-21;
17:8;
26:1-5;
28:13-14).
III.
Abraham never received even one foot of ground in Canaan as a gift
from God (Acts
7:5); he even had to buy a burial place for Sarah (Genesis
23:1-20). He was a stranger in Canaan, and he lived the life of a
nomad in tents (Hebrews
11:9).
IV.
Abraham knew God intended heaven by the promise of the land (Hebrews
11:13). He saw the promise of heaven afar off; he was persuaded
of it; he embraced this superior fulfillment; and he acknowledged
that he was a stranger and pilgrim in Canaan. He set his affection on
things above rather than on things on the earth (Colossians
3:1-4); He saw the day of Jesus Christ and desired it (John
8:56).
V. Abraham didn't want the physical land of Canaan
(Hebrews
11:10, 14-16).
He wanted heaven. Who would want a piece of inferior ground just to
grow old and die? God promised him heaven and eternal life. He looked
for a city with real foundations - built by God, not some temporal
city of Canaan. He desired a far better country than Canaan: he
desired a heavenly country and the heavenly Jerusalem - even Mount
Zion, where his Friend God dwelt (Hebrews
12:22-23).
VI. God intended the promises to Abraham
spiritually. Abraham understood them spiritually; he believed them
spiritually; and he preferred the infinite superiority of heaven to
the earthly country of Canaan. He walked by faith (II
Corinthians 4:17 - 5:8). Did God keep His promise to Abraham by
giving him heaven instead of Canaan? If I promise you $10 but give
you $1,000,000 instead, did I keep my promise? Of course! God
fulfilled His promise infinitely better with heaven.
VII. The
promises made to Abraham and his Seed are truly fulfilled in Jesus
Christ, for He is the true Seed of Abraham (Galatians
3:16). This fact is extremely important and conclusive in any
promises to Abraham. And the true heirs of the promises are those in
Jesus Christ by faith - the children of Abraham by God's definition
(Galatians
3:7, 28-29).
God's promises are not fulfilled in the fleshly descendants of
Abraham, who were never the children of God (Romans
9:6-8; Revelation
3:9).
VIII. Nevertheless, national Israel did indeed
receive the whole land just as promised. Not a single aspect or
dimensional compromise was made. They received everything ever
promised (Joshua
11:23; 21:43-45;
23:14-15;
I
Kings 8:34, 56;
Nehemiah
9:7-8, 22-25;
Exodus
23:27-31; Numbers
34:1-15; Deut
11:22-25; Psalm
44:1-3; 105:43-45;
135:10-12;
Acts
7:45; Joshua
2:24; jos
3:9-11; 22:4;
24:13;
II
Chronicles 6:25; Jeremiah
32:21-23).
IX. The true Jew is a regenerated person
of any race (Rom
2:28-29; John
1:47). Christ united Jews and Gentiles into one body and kingdom
by His blood (Eph
2:11-22; I
Peter 2:4-10). The tabernacle of David has been rebuilt with
Gentiles (Acts
15:13-18). No longer is there any difference between Jews and
Gentiles (Gal
3:28; Col
3:11). Now saved Gentiles are as Isaac, the promised sons of
heaven; and fleshly Jews are as Ishmael, the rejected sons of hell
(Gal
4:21-31).
X. Mr. Scofield's scheme of a future
restoration of fleshly, national Israel to world preeminence is a
Jewish fable and lie that Paul condemned (Titus
1:14). God took the kingdom from the Jews and gave it to the
Gentiles (Matt
21:33-46), then He miserably destroyed those Jews for their
wicked rejection and crucifixion of Christ (Matt
23:31-36; 24:1-35; Acts 2:40; I Thess 2:14-16). The reformed kingdom is here permanently for believing Jews and Gentiles.
Lane Rogers