Is the actual land of Israel important to God? As Christians, when reading the Bible we often position ourselves in the story to ask how does this apply to my life. This is not entirely a bad thing to do. It’s just that we can lose a sense of what actually has taken place in that scripture.
We can easily fall into the temptation of making it all about us. We begin to apply the narrative to where we are at in life. While this can be a helpful tool, we don’t want to forget or miss the importance of what God was doing and saying in that exact moment. This is often what happens when we read about God calling Abraham and making a covenant with him. We are in awe of his faith, the changing of his name and the sacrifice he was willing to make. These are all things we take away from Abraham’s experience with God in Genesis, and rightly so. But, in addition to these very important take aways, it’s vital that we remember that God speaks with clarity and resolve regarding the land covenant He makes with Abraham.
Abraham And The Land Covenant
“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.” Genesis 17:5-8
In the book of Genesis, God makes a solemn promise. He makes a covenant to Abraham that the land of Canaan (what is now modern day Israel) would be the home of Abraham’s descendants. The word land is actually mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures more than the word covenant. When covenant is mentioned is it often directly related to the land. Covenants are intended to be forever and there’s no biblical precedent for God braking His covenants.
Here is another reference in Genesis to God’s land covenant made with Abraham. “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates.” Genesis 15:18 Again, in Psalm 132 the writer confirms God’s eternal covenant to Abraham not only about his descendants, but specifically pertaining to the land. He says, “For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place: “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”
Is The Land Of Israel Still Important?
Jesus came to a specific land and a specific people group. His death, resurrection and ascension made a way for all of us to enter into covenant God with Him. God did not nullify His covenant; He expanded it. Israel’s rejection of Jesus opens the doors for the Gentiles to be “grafted in”. Welcomed in to that covenant God made with Abraham. In Romans 11, Paul mentions the Olive Tree. It’s important to note that the branches are not cut down. The branches are added into it. This means that the Jewish people and the land of Israel still plays a vital role in God’s story.
Psalm 122 tells us to, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” So, today as the country is at war, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray for peace all throughout the land that still has an important role in God’s story.
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