4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
This is one of the verses that promise the land as a tangible gift of the covenant with the Lord. This reaffirmation of God’s promise to Abraham declares that the land will be the possession of the Jewish nation forever. Many people don’t like to hear this fact. They limit God’s ability to work in history. But God promises this land to them. Period. That doesn’t mean they don’t get kicked out of the land because of their rebellion and hardheartedness. But God keeps His end of the bargain. He also promises that they will become a large number of people. Notice it says not simply a community, or a peoples, but a community of peoples, many smaller groups forming a community with one purpose and one calling. Some want to transfer this promise to the Church. I don’t think this is warranted. I think some of these promises are for specific people and times. We can’t just see a promise we like and take it as our own. God sometimes limits the reach of His promises to specific people and places. God did not promise us the lands of Israel as our possession.
The Arnold Journey 