Land of Promise
Leviticus 16-19
Land of Promise, Leviticus 16-18. In Leviticus 18, God explained his purpose for this land that the Children of Israel were going to go into. It was to be a picture of Heaven, a clean land.
24 “Do not make yourselves
unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am
driving out before you have become unclean, 25 and the land became
unclean, so that I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out its
inhabitants. 26 But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none
of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns
among you 27 (for the people of the land, who were before you, did all
of these abominations, so that the land became unclean), 28 lest the
land vomit you out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the
nation that was before you. 29 For everyone who does any of these
abominations, the persons who do them shall be cut off from among their
people. 30 So keep my charge never to practice any of these abominable
customs that were practiced before you, and never to make yourselves
unclean by them: I am the Lord your God.”
Leviticus 18:24-30, English Standard Version
Land of Promise
Leviticus 16-18
This last paragraph of Leviticus 18 is very interesting, as God explained His purpose for the Land of Promise. Why did God command the Israelites to kill and destroy the inhabitants of the promised land? Why not just conquer them or send them away?
But
you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these
abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you
(for the people of the land, who were before you, did all of these
abominations, so that the land became unclean), lest the land vomit you
out when you make it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was
before you. Leviticus 30:26-28
The promised land was to be a picture of Heaven, a clean land; God
purposed to have a righteous people dwell in His land which had formerly
been polluted by the practices of the people who had lived there. Did
the Israelites keep these laws of God, or did they continue to pollute
the land with their evil practices?
We
know that they, too, were removed from the land when their sin became
totally intolerable to God. Remember, we, as Christians, are caught in
this same web of sin. We will never really come to the land of promise
until we reach the gates of Heaven.
Does God know today in this, the 21st Century, when the land is polluted by sin and disobedience to His Word? Are we only talking about the land of Israel? Yes, God notices the pollution of the land, and no, we are not just speaking of Israel. God created this entire earth. As His glorious project has been marred by sin and decay, He still notices when people disobey His Word and, thereby, pollute the land. The Word of God is God's Word for all of mankind, not just believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through
obedience to God and His commands, we, Christians, are given a little taste
of heaven to come. It is possible, in a Godly home, to get a little
glimpse of the glories of heaven to come. Oh how sweet will be the time when we enter the gates of Heaven to live with Him forever!
Pray, today, that God would be gracious to you and keep you from sin. And, again, remember that this world is not your home.Look unto Jesus Who is the only Author and Finisher of true faith.
We are looking forward to living in a clean land someday!
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