Day 75 - Joshua 19-21 (Have You Claimed Your Inheritance Yet?)
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"So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass." (Joshua 21:43-45)
Our Scripture passage for today is a puzzle for some students of the Bible because by the time it was written, Israel had not possessed all the land which God had sworn to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In fact, Israel never possessed all the land to this day. So, how do we reconcile this apparent contradiction of the Word of God?
There are two aspect to understanding this paradox. First is through what I would call positional fulfillment of God's promise. God's promise to give the specific piece of real estate to Israel is a done deal in the eyes of God even though Israel had not yet possessed it because of their disobedience. It is so much like the promises of God to the Christian that, unfortunately, most believers have not possessed because of their disobedience and unbelief.
"In the light of the Cross, is it not true that the enemy has no right to dwell in the land? Is it not true that Satan's claim to your life was taken from him at Calvary? Is it not true that sin has no right to a foothold in the life of the child of God? Is it not true that Satan has no power in the presence of Omnipotence? Is it not true that by virtue of His blood and His resurrection, Jesus Christ is pledged to destroy the enemy utterly? Is it not true that in the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit there is strength for every temptation, grace for every trial, power to overcome every difficulty?" (Alan Redpath)
The second aspect to understanding the promise of God is what I call perfect fulfillment. By this I mean that one day, what God has promised will surely be fulfilled because "till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." (Matthew 5:18) Regarding God's promise to give the specific land area to Israel, the Bible teaches that they will finally receive it upon the second coming of the Messiah.
"So what does all this have to do with me?" you may ask. Well, for one, if you are a true believer in Christ, the promises mentioned in the quote above is yours as your possession but you will have to claim it and live it. And, one day, you and I as followers of Christ will become perfect as Christ is perfect; no longer affected by sin and human weaknesses. Oh, the unsearchable riches of God's wisdom! Praise be to God most high!
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