In the same breath with which the LORD God instituted a special relationship between Himself and the physical descendants of Abraham, He designated a geographical area on the face of the earth to be their exclusive national homeland, forever: Genesis 17:8
Those with no fear of God would question whether He has the “right” to designate who should own what land. The Bible’s answer is clear: Psalm 24:1-2
Moses makes the astonishing assertion that God actually based His allotting of land to all nations according to what He knew Israel would need: Deuteronomy 32:8
The Bible records different sets of boundaries for the Promised Land. Those delineated to enclose the areas assigned to the twelve tribes of Israel are recorded in Numbers 34:2-12.
Personally, I believe it is important to note that, when God brought the Children of Israel back to Canaan under Moses, not only did He give them the land, but He also gave into their hands seven nations “greater than the Israelites” who were then living in Canaan: Genesis 15: 18-21
God said He would throw out these nations: Deuteronomy 7:1
And He said that He would give their fields and houses to the Israelites: Joshua 24:13
Later, long after the Israelites had waged many bloody and often merciless battles to take the land, the Psalmist acknowledges before the LORD that it had not been their swords and their might that actually defeated their foes, but that He had done it: Psalm 44:3
So we see that God chose the Land of Israel for the Israelites, led them to the land, threw out those who lived in the land, and settled the Israelites there.
Could it be that in the restoring of the Jews to that same land, also through wars and some dispossession, the LORD God is doing precisely the same thing today? This writer believes the answer is a resounding “yes!”
What of the land itself, what it looks like and what it contains? The following passages are beautifully descriptive of Eretz Isra’el, and God’s care for it, even to this day: Deuteronomy 8:7-10; Deuteronomy 11:11-12
Eretz Israel (Land of Israel in Hebrew) is a small (470 km/290 miles), narrow (135 km/85 miles at its widest point), country with a total land area (including the areas temporarily under Palestinian rule) of just 27,800 sq km/10,840 square miles.
The country boasts moonscapes, comet craters and reclaimed desert areas, lush and loamy valleys, crop-crammed fields, reforested hills, mini mountains, ski slopes and sun-drenched beaches. Many of these contrasting features lie just minutes apart. From the Mediterranean Sea in the west to the Dead Sea in the east, the country can be crossed by car in about 90 minutes, while a north-to-south drive takes about six hours.
In this channel we will be tracing the history of the Land of Israel, God’s relationship with it and His marrying of the Jewish people to it. We’ll take a look at how the land has changed down the ages, and we’ll discover what it looks like today, with its changing borders, water and natural resources, its topography and its character. A special section will be devoted to Jerusalem, the city of the great King, where God chose to place His name for ever, and from which the Messiah will one day reign over all the earth.
As with the rest of Israel My Beloved, we will be richly illustrating these pages with images and maps to give those who have never visited a better grasp of what this special land is all about.
Enjoy!
