And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that He sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand(Josh. 21:43-44).
God had given Abraham His Word, and from that moment on, no power in the universe could have prevented that Word from being fulfilled. And I will establish My covenant between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God (Gen. 17:7-8). Although His chosen nation had frequently stumbled in their faith and commitment, God remained steadfast in His.
The Israelites stood before Joshua in the land of Canaan, believing that God’s Covenant had been fulfilled in its entirety. And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land which He sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein. God had promised them a permanent homeland as an everlasting possession, and He had promised He would be their God. Both of these conditions had been met, so the Israelites were content. Had they understood the deeper promise contained within that Covenant, they would have known that their journey with God, rather than having been completed, was just beginning. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people (Heb. 8:10).
Today, we have the privilege of living in a time when God’s glorious promise has been fully revealed. He has promised to be our God, not just for a lifetime on this earth, but for all eternity. Through the work of Christ, death has been defeated—Satan has lost. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (2:14-15). As was the case with His initial promise to Abraham, no power in heaven or on earth can prevent His promise from being fulfilled.
We must always remember, though, that God will fulfill His promises with or without us. His Covenant has been made with His people—the ones that form the body of Christ’s church on this earth (Rom. 12:5). While the Lord led the Israelite NATION into Canaan, many individuals chose to turn from God and were lost along the way. Unless we surrender ourselves fully to Christ and claim our position as a child of God and a member of the body of Christ, all we will be able to do will be to look on in despair when the day of total fulfillment arrives.
There failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass(Josh. 21:45).
Thought for Today: It is not God we fail but ourselves when we don’t follow the path He has set, nor is His work stymied by our stubbornness.
Christ Portrayed:By Eleazar, the chief priest (Josh. 21:1; Num. 3:32). Jesus Christ is our High Priest. The . . . High Priest of our profession (confession), Christ Jesus (Heb. 3:1).
Word Studies:20:2 Appoint out = Choose; 20:3 unwittingly = without premeditation; 20:4 declare his cause = state his case; 20:5 hated him not = was without malice; 20:9 stranger = alien resident; sojourneth = temporarily dwells among them; at unawares = by accident; 21:1 heads = leaders; 21:4 lot = share.
Pray for Staff:Tifany Parisi • Government Officials: Rep.Keith Self (TX) • Country: Turks and Caicos Islands (49,070) North Atlantic Ocean • Major Language: English • Religious Freedom • 72.8% Protestant; 11.4% Roman Catholic; 1.8% Jehovah’s Witness; 14% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Your prayers must be offered to God in Spirit and in truth (John 4:22-24).
Optional Reading:John 11