Don't let it happen to you

Israel’s failure to enter the Promised Land has got to be one of the greatest tragedies described in the Bible. However, I think we often consider the failure a tragedy for the wrong reasons. We see in our minds eye an entire generation trudging for forty years in a pall of dust, the very dust that eventually swallowed them up and to which they returned. They never saw the lilies of the valley, the dew of Hermon never sparkled like jewels in their hair nor did they drink beneath the roar of her waterfalls. Flies and heat were their lot as they shrivelled like raisins in the burning sun.

But the real tragedy was that Israel missed out on the purpose that God had for her. Yes, Israel was saved from a terrible slavery, yet her rescue was intended as a means to something else. God was in the process of bringing redemption to mankind, and Israel had a part to play in that redemption. Israel was to become God’s people, and He was to become their King so that they could teach the nations of the world about God, setting the stage for the coming of Jesus.

Israel’s inheritance, therefore, was not ultimately for her own satisfaction. The Promised Land was a place where Israel could meet her divine destiny. It was provided so that Israel would have the means to fulfil God’s divine purpose for her existence. And God’s choice was perfect, for the Land was at the centre of civilisation, placed strategically at the intersection of the world’s greatest trade routes.

So may you see that saving you from slavery to sin was not God’s ultimate intention for your life. He has an inheritance for you. It is an inheritance that will enable you to fulfil God’s purposes. And here’s the thing: the world is literally dying for you to enter your inheritance so that you may start walking in God’s purpose for your life.

Cheers for now - Ian