The Promised Land – July 26 – Masei

Is the Promised Land of the Bible still the Promised Land today?  

I was talking to some friends the other day about the situation here in Israel regarding the current war between the Hamas terrorists in Gaza and the nation of Israel. In discussing the situation I asked my friends what they think about the Land of Israel today and the Biblical Promises for the Land. There were various responses with most focusing on the spiritual implications of heaven as the true Promised Land. In this week’s Torah Portion (Num. 33-36) there are some verses that speak specifically to this question.

In Numbers chapter 33 we find that the journeys of the sons of Israel are coming to an end. God then speaks to Moses to give instructions to the Israelites regarding how to conquer the Land, destroy the foreign gods in the Land, receive the Land as an inheritance, and possess it (Num. 33:50-56). God also stated that if the Israelites did not drive out the inhabitants of the Land they would be a source of constant contention, “as pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides” (Num. 33:55).

God gave the Land to the Israelites to conquer and any peoples from the nations left in it would be the pricks in the eyes and thorns in the sides of the Israelites. Although I don’t believe that the Old Testament commands must be fulfilled in “reconquering the Land” today by the Jewish people, I do believe that it is still the Promised Land with the borders as defined in Numbers 34:1-12 and that those who are enemies of the Jews and the nation of Israel, for example Hamas, are like pricks and thorns.

If you’d like to watch an interview with the Hamas leader to illustrate this point, click on this link

How are we to understand the promises in the Bible concerning Israel today?

It must be according to God’s Word (the Bible) and according to His plans. There are some in Christian circles who believe that all promises concerning the Land of Israel and the Jewish people are no longer valid. This type of teaching is often called “Replacement Theology,” meaning that the Christians have replaced the Jews as the promised people and the Land is no different from any other land.

The Bible is filled with future promises and prophecies regarding the Land and people of Israel. One very clear Scripture is found in Ezekiel 36:22-38. God foretells how He will gather the Jewish people from the nations where they have been scattered, bring the house of Israel back to the Land of Israel, and allow the cities to be rebuilt. This Scripture is being fulfilled in our days.

This same Scripture in Ezekiel speaks of the spiritual new birth of the house of Israel. We are seeing Jewish people come to a living faith in the Messiah but not yet in its fullness. We long to see the day when God will pour out His Spirit of grace and supplication as prophesied in Zechariah 12:10 when He will open the eyes of the people of Israel to see their Messiah. The day is also still to come when the full mystery of God will be revealed through the Jewish people when all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:25-32).

In the end, God’s will and plan will reign in all the earth, including this little strip of Land called Israel and the people that have been chosen by God to represent Him on earth (Psalm 33:6-12). God is faithful to His promises!

Shabbat Shalom!

Torah Reading: Numbers 33-36

Haftarah Reading: Jeremiah 2:4-28; 3:4

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