19 he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.
This could have been taken from our current headlines in regard to Israel today. The Palestinian’s land was taken from them when the State of Israel was reestablished in 1948. The battle over that land continues to today. In our text Paul is recalling the history of Israel’s occupation of the Promised Land following the 40 years of wandering in the desert. It took 450 years for them to occupy all the land that the Lord promised to give them. That is a long time to be fighting and struggling to get possession of a promise. What I find interesting is that Israel is in this same type of struggle today, right now. The existence of modern Israel is in jeopardy almost daily. They have been under attacks for years. And now with Iran’s leader reveling in their destruction by nuclear devastation, it could happen again. Israel was forced out of their land 2500 years ago because of their stubborn rebellion against the Lord. They lost what they had struggled 450 years to gain because of unbelief. Are we in danger of losing what we have gained in Christ because of our unbelief? Are we living fully in the grace purchased for us on the Cross? Or are we walking the fence, hoping destruction does not come in our lifetime? I don’t know about you, but I am concerned about the future my grandchildren are inheriting from us. I know they are getting a godly heritage and are seeing an active faith in Christ lived before them by their parents. But the society into which they are entering is filled with uncertainty. That is why I am so thankful for God’s eternal perspective. The current political and economic turmoil are just a blip on God’s timeline. He has things in control. We don’t need to worry about temporary ups and downs. He is not taken by surprise. He has a plan for us. He will take care of us. Our job is to trust and walk that trust out in our daily lives.
The Arnold Journey 