Thursday, June 17, 2021

Tracing Israel's Physical Promises Through Scripture

Introduction

Israel was promised both spiritual and physical promises in the Abrahamic Covenant. Gentiles became partakers and sharers in Israel's spiritual promises (Rom 15:27, Eph 1:3) ). This article traces the explicit nature of scripture with regards to Israel's sole inheritance of the land of Canaan.

The Promise of Land to Abraham

The Promise

The source of the land promise in the Abrahamic Covenant is found in Gen 12:7.

Gen 12:7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

The Recipients

There arises a question among certain Christian groups as to exactly who the "offspring" are to whom the land is given. This is answered in Gen 15:3-4, and we are told the term refers to "flesh and blood". In other words, Eliezer of Damascus (Gen 15:2) would not be considered Abraham's offspring for the purpose of inheritance (Pro 17:2), but someone who was Abraham's own flesh and blood would be.

Gen 15:3-4 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." (4) Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir."

The "flesh and blood" relationship to the land promise is confirmed in Gen 17:18-19. God makes it clear that Isaac is the son that will receive the inheritance of the land, not Ishmael.

Gen 17:18-19 And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" (19) Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

The Land Promise to One Offspring, or Many Offspring

Another assertion brought up by certain Christian groups is that "the offspring" refers to only one person, Jesus. The claim is that the land was not promised to multiple offspring, but to one offspring who is Jesus. It is claimed that since the land was promised to Jesus, then on the basis of being "in Christ" all of the world becomes the recipient of the land of Canaan by association. This assertion comes from Gal 3:16.

Gal 3:16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

There are two things that address this. First, the context of Gal 3 is spiritual blessing, not physical blessing. When Paul is speaking of "The promises" to the Galatians, he is speaking of our shared spiritual blessing, not the physical land blessing. A detailed treatment of this is covered in the following article:

Abraham's Physical vs. Spiritual Blessings

(https://www.tojesusbeallglory.com/2021/05/abrahamsphysical-vs.html)

Secondly, it is clear from multiple passages that the context of "the offspring" in Gen 12:7 is multiple people who will inherit the land, not a single individual. In keeping with the context of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the promises, it is Abraham's physical flesh and blood that are considered his offspring, or descendants.

Exo 32:13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.'"

The Fulfillment of the Innumerable Offspring

There is some confusion about who the innumerable offspring are. Some claim that when scripture talks about a people "as numerous as the stars in the sky", "as the sand of the sea" or "as the dust of the earth", it is talking about Abraham's "spiritual" offspring. While it is true that Abraham's "spiritual" offspring can be considered as numerous as the stars in the sky etc., in the context of Old Testament passages with regards to Israel's physical blessings including the land, the "stars of the sky" etc. are referring to physical Israel.

Understanding this context will avoid the confusion of whether or not the land promise was to be given to Israel alone, or to all of Abraham's "spiritual" offspring including the Gentiles on the basis of being "in Christ". The following passages show that regarding Israel, the predictions that they would become "as numerous as the stars in the sky" was fulfilled during their time in Egypt.

Exo 1:7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

Deu 1:10 The LORD your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deu 10:22 Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deu 28:62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the LORD your God.

1Ki 3:8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.

Nehe 9:23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess.

Heb 11:12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

The Land Promise Confirmed to Abraham

Throughout the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, scripture reaffirms over and over again God's intent to provide Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their flesh and blood offspring with the land of Canaan. Here we will review scriptures that confirm the promise of land to Abraham.

Gen 15:18-21 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- (19) the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, (20) Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, (21) Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

Gen 17:7-8 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. (8) The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God."

Gen 18:19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

Gen 22:16-18 and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, (17) I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, (18) and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

The Promise of Land to Isaac

The Land Promise Confirmed to Isaac

The promise of the land is now traced to Isaac. Isaac is the recipient of the promise, not Ishmael.

Gen 21:12 But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.

Gen 26:2-5 The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. (3) Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. (4) I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, (5) because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions."

The Promise of Land to Jacob

The Land Promise Confirmed to Jacob

The promise of the land is now traced to Jacob. Jacob is the recipient of the promise, not Esau.

Gen 28:1-4 Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman. (2) Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. (3) May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. (4) May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham."

In the aforementioned pericope, the "community of peoples" in vs. 3 is a reference to the twelve tribes of Israel.

Gen 28:12-14 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (13) There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. (14) Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Gen 35:12 The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you."

The Promise of Land to the Offspring

The Land Promise Confirmed to Joseph

The promise of the land is now traced to Jacob's son Joseph, one of the 12 sons. The other 11 sons along with Joseph are the recipients of the land promise, not anyone else. Jacob and the 12 sons are told to go to Egypt, but that the Lord "will surely bring [them] back again".

Gen 46:3-4 "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. (4) I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."

Gen 48:2-4 When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed. (3) Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me (4) and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.'

The Land Promise Confirmed to the Offspring

Gen 50:24-25 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." (25) And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."

Exo 3:6-8 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (7) The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. (8) So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

Exo 3:17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey.'

Exo 6:7-8 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. (8) And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"

Exo 32:13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.'"

The Land Promise Confirmed By David

1Ch 16:15-18 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, (16) the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. (17) He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: (18) "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."

Psa 105:8-11 He remembers his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations, (9) the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac. (10) He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant: (11) "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit."

The Land Promise Remembered by God in the New Testament

It is important to notice when reading these New Testament passages regarding the promise of the land that remains the inheritance of Abraham's "flesh and blood", and not "spiritual" offspring. No previous scripture has ever redefined who the offspring are. The promises are "irrevocable" as written.

Luk 1:69-73 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (70) (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), (71) salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us-- (72) to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, (73) the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

Rom 11:28-29 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, (29) for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Written in the 60's AD, years after Israel's rejection of Messiah. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us of the unchanging nature of the Abrahamic Covenant and the heirs.

Heb 6:13-17 When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, (14) saying, "I will surely bless you and give you many descendants." (15) And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. (16) People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. (17) Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.

The Land and the Law

Covenant Theologians fall into two general camps. One camp says that the aforementioned promises are conditional, based upon righteousness and obedience. This camp cites Gen 7:1-2, Gen 22:16-18 and Gen 26:3-5.

The other camp states that the promises are unconditional, but that the promises must be interpreted allegorically and not literally in order to support a presupposition that the land promises are provided to Gentile heirs who are not Abraham's flesh and blood offspring.

Gal 3:15-18 makes the case that once the covenant was established, it would not later be changed. The promise of spiritual blessing is to Israel and "all the nations" (Gal 3:8), but the promise of physical blessing is to Israel alone (Gal 3:15-18) because God cannot change a covenant once it has been ratified.

Gal 3:15-18 Brothers and sisters, let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case. (16) The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ. (17) What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. (18) For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.

The Abrahamic Covenant is unconditional and everlasting. There are no conditions placed upon this covenant on the part of Abraham nor his descendants (Psa 105:8-11). Additionally, since a covenant cannot be changed once it has been ratified, the promise of land to Abraham and his flesh and blood offspring cannot change. Today, the promise remains.

The Possession of the Land by Israel

In the past, the people of Israel have been able to possess and enjoy the land God gave to them. From time to time throughout their history, they have been driven from the land (cf. Babylonian Captivity). However, their dispossession of the land did not change the promise that at some time they would finally and forever inherit the land, and would dwell safely in it. This time is future, following the Great Tribulation, and will begin with the start of the Millennial Kingdom.

The land given to Joshua:

Deu 31:7-8 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. (8) The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

The land possessed by the Israelites:

Deu 32:45-47 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, (46) he said to them, "Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. (47) They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess."

Jos 1:2-3 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelites. (3) I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.

Jos 1:10-11 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: (11) "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'"

The Promise of Land Is Unconditional

The Land is Promised In Spite Of Israel's Behavior

God made it clear that the promise of the land to Israel was without condition. It did not matter that Israel was and would become a disobedient nation undeserving of the land. God would keep His promise of the land to Israel for the sake of His name.

Deuteronomy 4 predicts a time when Israel would arouse the anger of God through their corruption and idolatry. They will be banished from the land and as a people will be scattered. Yet, when Israel turns back to God in "the later days", God will not forget the unchanging covenant that He made with Abraham, and the people will once again be brought back to the land.

Deu 4:25-31 After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time--if you then become corrupt and make any kind of idol, doing evil in the eyes of the LORD your God and arousing his anger, (26) I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you this day that you will quickly perish from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. (27) The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive among the nations to which the LORD will drive you. (28) There you will worship man-made gods of wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or eat or smell. (29) But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. (30) When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. (31) For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

Ezekiel also looks forward to a day when Israel will be regathered from the nations to the land He promised them. We know Ezekiel is not speaking of the day they return from the Babylonian Captivity, but to a time in the future because he speaks of a day when they will remember their conduct and defilement. National Israel today is still in a state of rebellion against their Messiah Jesus today. They will not repent of their conduct and defilement until the Great Tribulation (Zec 12:10). At that time, they will be restored to their land.

Eze 20:41-44 I will accept you as fragrant incense when I bring you out from the nations and gather you from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be proved holy through you in the sight of the nations. (42) Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors. (43) There you will remember your conduct and all the actions by which you have defiled yourselves, and you will loathe yourselves for all the evil you have done. (44) You will know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name's sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"

Ezekiel shows the unconditional nature of the Abrahamic Covenant promises and bring Israel back to their land when he says that God will fulfill the terms of the covenant because of His Holy Name, not because of anything Israel has done.

Eze 36:22-24 "Therefore say to the Israelites, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. (23) I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. (24) "'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.

The Promise of Land Foretold by the Prophets

The Land Promise Foretold by Ezekiel

Eze 20:42 Then you will know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the land I had sworn with uplifted hand to give to your ancestors.

Eze 28:25-26 "'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. (26) They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.'"

Eze 34:13 I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.

Eze 34:27-29 The trees will yield their fruit and the ground will yield its crops; the people will be secure in their land. They will know that I am the LORD, when I break the bars of their yoke and rescue them from the hands of those who enslaved them. (28) They will no longer be plundered by the nations, nor will wild animals devour them. They will live in safety, and no one will make them afraid. (29) I will provide for them a land renowned for its crops, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.

Eze 36:6-8 Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I speak in my jealous wrath because you have suffered the scorn of the nations. (7) Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I swear with uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn. (8) "'But you, mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for my people Israel, for they will soon come home.

Eze 36:9-15 I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, (10) and I will cause many people to live on you--yes, all of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. (11) I will increase the number of people and animals living on you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (12) I will cause people, my people Israel, to live on you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children. (13) "'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Because some say to you, "You devour people and deprive your nation of its children," (14) therefore you will no longer devour people or make your nation childless, declares the Sovereign LORD. (15) No longer will I make you hear the taunts of the nations, and no longer will you suffer the scorn of the peoples or cause your nation to fall, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"

Eze 36:22-24 "Therefore say to the Israelites, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. (23) I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes. (24) "'For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.

Eze 37:21-23 and say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. (22) I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms. (23) They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.

Eze 39:25-29 "Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. (26) They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. (27) When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. (28) Then they will know that I am the LORD their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. (29) I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD."

The Land Promise Foretold by Isaiah

Isa 60:21 Then all your people will be righteous and they will possess the land forever. They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.

The Land Promise Foretold by Jeremiah

Jer 3:14-18 "Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I am your husband. I will choose you--one from a town and two from a clan--and bring you to Zion. (15) Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. (16) In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land," declares the LORD, "people will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. (17) At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. (18) In those days the people of Judah will join the people of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.

Jer 16:14-15 "However, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when it will no longer be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' (15) but it will be said, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.

Jer 23:5-8 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. (6) In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteous Savior. (7) "So then, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "when people will no longer say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,' (8) but they will say, 'As surely as the LORD lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.' Then they will live in their own land."

Jer 30:3 The days are coming,' declares the LORD, 'when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land I gave their ancestors to possess,' says the LORD."

Jer 32:37-41 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. (38) They will be my people, and I will be their God. (39) I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. (40) I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. (41) I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.

The Land Promise Foretold by Amos

Amos 9:15 I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God.

Conclusion

The Abrahamic Covenant provided land for Israel. Israel are the blood and flesh offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Nowhere throughout the history of the Abrahamic Covenant has there ever been an amendment made to change the heirs of the land promise. Today, as it was in the days of Abraham, the land of Canaan still belongs to Israel, even though at times they were banished from the use of that land.

Israel's full inheritance of the land awaits future fulfillment. They will once again by pushed from the land during the Great Tribulation. But at the end of the Tribulation, when they repent and turn to the Lord as a nation, the land will come under their use once again as the Millennial Kingdom begins and lasts for 1000 years.

Thursday, June 3, 2021

The Sand of the Sea, Dust of the Earth, and Stars of the Sky

The ethnic nature of the Jewish people is based on the passages in Genesis that clearly state that Israel is made up of the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is no "spiritual Israel" or "true Jew" apart from believing Jews. Gentiles are never called the offspring of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, rather, they are called spiritual sons of Abraham, not Isaac and Jacob.

The following passage explicitly states that "a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir" which is clearly a reference to the physical offspring of Abraham that will be as the stars in the sky.

Gen 15:3-5 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." (4) Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir." (5) He took him outside and said, "Look up at the sky and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."

The Predictions

References to the "sand of the sea", "dust of the earth" and "stars in the sky" refer to the numerous descendants which are flesh and blood. This is clearly physical and ethnic, and has nothing to do with spiritual descendants as Gen 15:4 clearly states.

In Gen 13:15, Abraham and his children after him are promised all the land that he can see. The promise of the land of Canaan is only given to physical descendants, not Gentiles. The dust of the earth then is a reference to Abraham's physical offspring.

Note the references to the "land" in all these verses that speak of the numerous descendants.

Gen 13:15-16 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. (16) I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted.

Gen 22:17-18 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, (18) and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."

Gen 26:3-4 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. (4) I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,

Gen 28:13-14 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. (14) Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Gen 32:12 But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.'"

Exo 32:13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.'"

The Fulfillment

That the descendants of Israel would become as the sand of the sea was fulfilled at the time they were called out of Egypt. The sand of the sea or stars of the sky is not a future prophecy regarding a spiritual progeny, but was fulfilled physically in Egypt.

Deu 1:10 The LORD your God has increased your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deu 10:22 Your ancestors who went down into Egypt were seventy in all, and now the LORD your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Deu 28:62 You who were as numerous as the stars in the sky will be left but few in number, because you did not obey the LORD your God.

1 Ki 3:8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number.

Neh 9:23 You made their children as numerous as the stars in the sky, and you brought them into the land that you told their parents to enter and possess

Heb 11:8-12 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (9) By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. (10) For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. (11) And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. (12) And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

Passages which speak of Israel becoming great in number refer to their physical numbers, not their spiritual numbers. This is not to say that Abraham's spiritual descendants will not also be great in number, they will.

Additional study can be found in Gal 4:21-31 and Gen 21:8-21.