They Came To The Land Of Canaan

One of this morning’s headlines on The Drudge Report reads: “Obama calls on Israel to halt settlements…”

The settlements are in the West Bank, a portion of land on the west bank of the Jordan River, which is part of biblical Canaan. Canaan is the land that God promised Abram (later known as Abraham), a promise that is known as the Abrahamic Covenant. Part of that covenant is found in Genesis 12:

    “Now the LORD had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” (Genesis 12:1-3)

God makes two types of covenants: conditional and unconditional. The Abrahamic Covenant is an unconditional covenant; in other words God has promised to do something, and it is not based on the behavior of those He promises. In Genesis 12 God promises to Abram seven things: 1) To make Abram into a great nation; 2) To bless Abram; 3) To make Abram’s name great; 4) Abram will be a blessing; 5) God will those people who bless Abram; 6) God will curse those people who curse Abram; and 7) all people on earth will be blessed through Abram.

Time and space does not allow a thorough exegesis of this passage, but suffice it to say that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of this covenant and through Christ you will be either blessed or cursed. The Apostle Paul explained this in his letter to the Galatians:

    “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16)

Another part of the Abrahamic Covenant can be found in Genesis 15 where God promises Abram Canaan as the Promised Land:

“On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:18-21)

A look at a map of the Promised Land clearly shows the West Bank is part of that territory.

So what is the point of all this? I fear for our nation more and more each day not only because we as a people reject God in almost every aspect of our lives, but also because we are inviting His curses by not standing by Israel. The territorial limitations that America has demanded of Israel we would never have accepted. It would be like us giving in back California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas to Mexico and Florida to Spain. And we as a nation were never promised those regions; at least not by God.

We need to pray for America.

We also need to pray for Israel.

As you go into the weekend, I encourage you to read through Genesis 12-17 and learn of God’s promises to Israel. In light of what is going on in the Middle East I think you will find it fascinating reading.

Have a blessed weekend and remember to go to church on Sunday.

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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