Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Hughes  The land promises are dual. There was a physical reality of them but they pointed to the greater reality of the land of the kingdom of God in eternity.
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We read in the NT commentary on the OT: Hebrews 11:9-10, "By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was LOOKING FORWARD to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." |
I agree that there was a dual promise, as evidenced by the verses in Heb 11. I'd like to focus, though, on the physical land promise and how/why that promise has been done away with. I realize that done away with is probably not the best way to describe it because the promise was fulfilled in Christ, and something better has replaced it, but in one sense it seems it has been done away with. The people of Israel at one time had a 'right' to build homes on the land, raise their children, etc. It was there land, just like the land I live on is mine - the police will come to my aid if somebody trespasses on my land, vandilizes it, etc.
Going back to my original post, and focusing just on the land promise, God promised Abraham and his seed all the land (physical) that Abraham saw when he looked in all directions.
Psa 105:42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham his servant.
Psa 105:43 And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness:
Psa 105:44 And gave them the lands of the heathen: and they inherited the labour of the people;
Psa 105:45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.
Around 400 years later, God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt and gave them the lands of the heathen, just as He had promised to Abraham. God promised them the land, it was promised to them forever, and God 'made good on' His promise.
How are we to understand the term "for ever", with regard to just the physical land of Israel? If the land was promised to Abraham and His seed forever, but its only their land from the time of Abraham up until the cross, how is it (the land) given to the seed forever?
Is the land promise conditional upon Israel's obedience? Did they lose all right to the land when they rejected Jesus? Did the remnant that followed Jesus also lose any right to the land, because of the unregenerate Israel's rejection of the Messiah (keeping in mind, of course, that the remnant could probably care less anymore about the land, knowing they had a better one awaiting for them)?
Psa 105:45 That they might observe his statutes, and keep his laws. Praise ye the LORD.
One of the reasons they were brought into the land was so that they could observe his statues, and keep His laws. If this is referring to the ceremonial law, which as the book of Hebrews makes clear was done away with, then that purpose for having the land doesn't exist anymore. There's no more need to use the land for sacrifices, etc. Since the land isn't used for that purpose anymore, does that somehow justify not considering the land promise as being forever?