Progressive possessing

The overriding theme of the first 6 books of the Bible, Genesis through Joshua, is God fulfilling his promise to Abraham to give his descendants the land of Canaan as their inheritance. Exodus 2:24 says that God heard the Israelites cries for help, and “remembered his covenant with Abraham…” Then, in God’s first encounter with Moses, He told Him that he had come to deliver his people from Egypt and bring them to “a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.” This hope of possessing the land God had promised them sustained the Israelites throughout their journey in the wilderness.

The New Testament draws a parallel between this incident and us as believers. Having been delivered from the bondage of sin, we are said to be, “born again to a living hope… of obtaining an inheritance…” (1 Peter 3:3-4) And, in Hebrews 4 we are told that the promise of entering Gods “rest” is still available to us, just as the promise of entering the promise land was available to the Israelites. In light of this parallel, we can learn a lot from the story of the Israelites possessing their land.

Perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from this story is that, even though God stated clearly that he would give his people their promise land, he also said that they would have to possess it. To possess something means to take it as your own possession, and this is exactly what God told his people to do in Deuteronomy 1:8, where he told them, “I have placed the land before you, go in and possess the land…”

We see this same principle in The New Testament, in regard to our promise land – the Kingdom of God. In Luke 12:32 Jesus told his disciples that it was their Heavenly Father’s good pleasure to “give you the kingdom.” And yet, in Matthew 11:12 Jesus said that the kingdom had to be “taken hold of” or possessed by “forceful men.”

The purpose of a will is to make provision for your possessions to be given to someone else after your death. And, in a very real sense, The New Testament is the Last Will and Testament of Jesus. (See Hebrews 9:16-17) But it is not enough that God has given us certain things in his will, we must also possess, “through faith and patience,” that which we have inherited. (Hebrews 6:12)

Another powerful revelation we can gain from the story of God giving his people a land to possess comes from Exodus 23. In verse 20, God told his people that he would send an angel before them to protect and guide them on the way to their promise land, which God referred to as “the place that I have prepared for you.” In verse 28 God told them that He would drive out the former inhabitants of the land, so that his people could possess it.

But then, in verses 29-30, God told His people that he would not drive out the former inhabitants quickly, but rather “Little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.” God said his reason for this was so that the “beasts of the field” would not become too numerous. The Israelites at this time were simply not ready to possess a land as big and rugged as the land God was giving them. And so, God told them they would possess it progressively, little by little, until finally, as they continued to grow and “become fruitful” they would possess the entire land.

The application of this principle to our lives as Christians is powerful. The land that God has given us is indeed “a good land” – one that includes the fulfillment of all of God’s good promises about his kingdom. And God intends for us to possess this land in its entirety. But as with the Israelites, God will not let us possess this land all at once, but rather progressively, little by little, as we continue to grow strong and mature in spirit. Let this word encourage you today, as you continue to take hold of your inheritance!