by Barry Britnell
Synopsis: As we look at the land of promise, we realize God places His people where they can be of the most benefit for His plans.
In Genesis 12, God speaks with Abraham, telling him that He will give a land to Abraham’s family. As we read through the book of Joshua, we see the fulfillment of this promise. God gave Abraham’s family the land of Canaan. It was a small piece of land measuring approximately 50 miles east to west and 150 miles north to south.
God is God. He had the ability to give Abraham’s family any piece of land on the planet. So, why did God choose to give them this particular piece of land? What makes it so special?
In all honesty, I do not know. I am not God. Yet, I like to think about it. Let us take a closer look at the land.
The land of Canaan is a fantastic piece of land. It has streams, hills, and valleys. It has a nice mixture of weather with plenty of rain in the wet season and nice breezes the rest of the year. The soil is rich in nutrients and can grow almost anything. It is in almost every aspect, a productive and prosperous piece of land.
Nevertheless, there are similar pieces of land in other parts of the world that also meet these criteria. So, I will ask again: Why this piece of land?
Let us look at the land from a higher viewpoint. The land of Canaan is technically within the continent of Asia; yet, in reality, it sits at the intersection of three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. During Biblical times, how did people travel between these three continents?
On the western side of the land of Canaan is the Mediterranean Sea. As we can read in the Bible, there was naval activity on the sea. Yet, this was not how most people traveled. Most people traveled by land.
Now let us look at the eastern side of the land of Canaan. In the present day, this land is the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Although it is distinctly beautiful, much of that area is desert. Again, this was not a route people would use if they were traveling between continents.
So what would they do? They would walk through this small corridor of land that God gave to His people. It served as a land bridge between three continents. Maybe that is why God chose this piece of land to put His people.
As people would travel through the land of Canaan, they would see how blessed the people were. They would see their homes, their cattle, and their crops. In doing so, they would probably ask the Israelites living in the land, “Who is your god (i.e., local idol) that provides for you?” This question would allow them to tell the travelers about Jehovah. They could tell how Jehovah brought them out of the land of Egypt, how He fed them while they traveled, and how He gave them this land. In short, the people were perfectly positioned to have opportunities to tell others about God. Consequently, knowledge of Jehovah, the God of the Israelites, could be spread throughout three continents. Perhaps that is why God gave them this tiny piece of land.
That brings us to the question: Where has God placed you? Has He placed you in a particular location, or in a particular job so that you would have opportunities to tell others about Him?
We do not always know how God providentially works in our lives. Yet, we need to trust Him and know that He always uses His children in the best way possible and puts them in the best places to fulfill His wonderful plan.
Image-1 Caption: The NW corner of the Sea of Galilee from atop Mt Arbel
Image-2 Caption: The Jordan River S of the Sea of Galilee
Image-3 Caption: Modern Jericho with the Wilderness of Judea in the background
Image-4 Caption: The Wilderness of Judea
