In Him We Possess The Land

In Him We Possess the Land

The land was part of the inheritance God promised to Abraham and his descendants forever: “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River” (Genesis 15:18). “I will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8).

We might expect, based on these promises, that Abraham left Ur, moved into Canaan, and made himself at home. But according to the writer of Hebrews, Abraham made his home in the Promised Land of Canaan “like a foreigner, living in tents” (11:9), as did his son and his son’s son. In fact, the only land Abraham ever owned in Canaan was a cave in which he buried his wife, Sarah. And even when the children of Israel took possession of the land under the leadership of Joshua, their possession still fell short of God’s covenant promise. The land promise made to Abraham could be ultimately fulfilled only by a place with unfettered, eternal fellowship with God. And obviously that cannot happen in the world we live in now, on an earth that we know is going to pass away.

But Abraham’s faith did not consist in seeking ownership of Middle Eastern real estate. “Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God” (Hebrews 11:10). Describing people of faith like Abraham, Hebrews 11:13, 16 says,

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. . . . They were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

It is as we possess Christ that God’s covenant is fulfilled. God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

Once I was apart from you, excluded from citizenship among your people, alienated from the covenant promises. I lived in this world without God and without hope. But now I have been united with you. One day you will lead me into the heavenly homeland, where you will live with your people forever.