Who is the promised land

If you identify as Christian, it is likely that you have heard these claims at some point or another. It is not uncommon for churches, pastors, social groups, and political consortiums to pledge their allegiance to Israel and cite their support as an inherently biblical practice.

And for many Christians in the Western world, viewing Israel as the Promised Land is common, shared language. Many of us learn matter-of-factly in our churches and Bible lessons that God promised the land of Canaan to the people of Israel and that such a promise extends into our world today.

But where do these beliefs come from? And do the biblical texts they are based on say what we think they do? In what follows, I invite you to explore these questions with me. In light of the recent uprisings and surging geo-political tensions in Israel-Palestine, many have begun to question what they really know about the land of the Bible and how it ought to be divided.

As someone who has spent significant time in Israel-Palestine and invested my career in Christian and Jewish dialogue on the Bible and its lands, I wrestle with these questions daily. An understanding that God historically favored the people of Israel which we now understand to be the Jewish people , and that such a predilection remains true today, is also prominent among many Christian communities. And although language of promise pertaining to the land of Canaan is present throughout the Hebrew Bible, we should take pause when we encounter claims regarding both the historic fulfillment of those promises and the authority they ought to hold in Israel-Palestine today.

Though these beliefs may seem harmless, they influence policy-making that bears brutal consequences on those who dwell in the land, and most acutely on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. In the world of the Bible, a nation is a far more localized concept than we might imagine, and, for Israel in particular, many scholars speculate that it is unlikely that Israel moved beyond its conceptualized nation-state into actualization.

To count the ticking of a watch thousands of miles away; to speak in but an ordinary tone and be heard across the continent; to signal from one hemisphere and be understood on the other though oceans roll and roar between; to bring the lightning into our homes and make it serve as fire and torch; to navigate the air and to travel beneath the ocean surface; to make chemical and atomic energies obey our will—are not these miracles?

The possibility of such would not have been received with credence before their actual accomplishment. Nevertheless, these and all other miracles are accomplished through the operation of the laws of nature, which are the laws of God. For further discussion of the significance of this loss, see Points to Ponder in this chapter.

It was a token of great remorse, true humility, and deep repentance. It also symbolized the unworthy station of man compared to deity see Genesis ; compare Job ; Lamentations It may appear that the action taken against Achan for taking the booty of Jericho was too severe, but the death of the mortal body may often be a merciful act both to other people and to the offender see 1 Nephi ; Leviticus Some offenses of men are of such consequence that the payment of the life of the offender is required for the expiation of the sin.

For Israel to fail to obey the Lord in all things would be tantamount to depriving her of the land of Canaan see 1 Nephi — It is apparent from his voluntary confession that Achan understood this truth see Joshua — See the tables of weights and measures in Maps and Charts to better understand the value of a shekel of silver.

More than Jericho, Ai, the second city conquered after Israel crossed the Jordan, became a model for the conquests of other cities. Once Ai was taken, Joshua moved Israel to Mount Ebal and fulfilled the instructions of Moses to build an altar there and pronounce the blessings and cursings of the Lord from Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim see vv.

Although the subtle alliance manufactured through deceitful means saved their lives, the people of Gibeon became the perpetual slaves of Israel. Moses had warned Israel not to make any covenants with the Canaanites see Deuteronomy , and this warning may explain why Joshua was so upset when he discovered the deception.

Since the oath had been made, however, he honored it, placing the people of Gibeon in slavery instead of having them killed. He was the chief of the confederacy of five kings that made war against Gibeon. Mormon, discoursing on the might and power of God, wrote:.

Yea, if he say unto the earth—Thou shalt go back, that it lengthen out the day for many hours—it is done; And thus, according to his word the earth goeth back, and it appeareth unto man that the sun standeth still; yea, and behold, this is so; for surely it is the earth that moveth and not the sun. And behold, also, if he say unto the waters of the great deep—Be thou dried up—it is done. Behold, if he say unto this mountain—Be thou raised up, and come over and fall upon that city, that it be buried up—behold it is done.

And since on the occasion in question he was fighting to bring victory to Israel, this was one of his means of doing so. And they shall behold blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke.

And before the day of the Lord shall come, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon be turned into blood, and the stars fall from heaven. Some power will darken the sun and make the moon refuse to give its light. Revell Company, , p. Like numerous other books mentioned in the Old and New Testament but not contained within their pages, the book of Jasher appears to have been a source that contained accounts of heroic deeds in ancient Israel.

It is thought by many to have been written in verse, but it likely contained some prose as well. A book with this title is currently available, but it is of doubtful origin, according to most scholars, and probably is not the one mentioned in the Old Testament.

One had then been literally trodden underfoot. This fact is often represented in Egyptian and Assyrian sculptures and wall paintings see 1 Kings ; Isaiah The destruction of the five nations of the Canaanites was accomplished over a period of days rather than on the same day as the battle at Gibeon. This chapter summarizes the conquest of northern Canaan. The destruction of these northern kingdoms, however, required a long time see v. The note in verse 22 is of interest because the Anakim were a race of giants see Numbers —33 and because Goliath came from Gath see 1 Samuel To hough a horse is to cut the leg tendons above and behind the tarsal joint or ankle, thus rendering the horse useless.

The Israelites were foot soldiers rather than charioteers. The fear seems to have been that should the horses and chariots be used as vehicles of war, Israel would turn from faith in God and trust in the arm of flesh see 2 Samuel ; Isaiah These chapters contain accounts of the division of the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel.

The map of Canaan in Maps and Charts gives a clear picture of how the land was divided between the tribes. Chapter 18 discusses the Levite cities commanded by Moses to be given to members of the tribe of Levi see Reading ; Numbers —27 , and chapter 20 lists the cities of refuge and their purpose. This chapter demonstrates the critical balance between true worship and apostate idolatry. Fortunately, the tribes showed that it was an act of legitimate worship and not idolatry.

The tragedy is that in a short time Israel would no longer react strongly against idolatry. The thirty-one Canaanite city-states destroyed by Joshua in his day were not all that the Lord intended to purge from Israel see Numbers —5.

Since men tend to adopt the values or habits of those with whom they associate, it was imperative that all idolatrous nations in Canaan be destroyed. Joshua warned Israel of three things in the event that some heathen nations, including those that surrounded them, were allowed to remain: 1 beware of social intercourse with them see Joshua , 2 refrain from worshiping their false gods see vv. Near the end of his life Joshua called his people together for a final blessing and warning, very much as Moses had done.

Such messages should be considered very significant, for what a prophet says as he approaches death seems to be an effort on his part to rid his garments of the blood of the people by placing the full responsibility for their conduct squarely upon their shoulders see Jacob Joshua showed Israel exactly what God had miraculously done for them in the past and challenged them to choose whom they would serve.

Elder Erastus Snow, commenting on the feeling some have that being obedient to God somehow limits their agency, gave an interesting insight on choosing to follow God:.

I leave you to answer this question in your own mind. To me, I think the angels and saints and all good people have exercised their agency by choosing the good and refusing the evil; and in doing so they not only exhibit their independence and manhood as much, but show a much higher and greater nobility of character and disposition; and I leave the future to determine who are wise in the choice of their freedom and independence. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

And that if we can learn these principles, and receive them in good and honest hearts, and teach them as our faith, and practice them in our lives, we shall show our manhood, our independence and our agency as creditably before the angels and the Gods, as any wicked man can, in refusing the good and cleaving to the evil, exhibit his before the devil and his angels. Most likely his body had been embalmed in the Egyptian manner. They resisted bitterly any attempt by others to settle on land they regarded as their own.

But the Lord had given Canaan to the Israelites. It was theirs to hold if only they had the courage and strength to wrest it from the Canaanites and keep it safe from their enemies.

In the strength of God, Joshua and Israel became fearless. Nations trembled at the mention of their name. Courageously they swept over the land of Canaan, east and west of Jordan, and none could stop their conquering spirit—except themselves. Contributing Writer.

Annette Griffin. Bible Articles Videos Audio. Share Tweet Save. Numbers Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, 4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea.

Then the boundary will go to Zedad, 9 continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. Commentaries for Numbers Deuteronomy He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land—your grain, new wine and olive oil—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.

He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you. Commentaries for Deuteronomy Hebrews By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings.

And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them.

They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. Commentaries for Hebrews John If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. Commentaries for John Joshua Commentaries for Joshua Genesis