Land

The land is a covenant promise, not a geographical convenience. When Yahweh calls Abraham out of Ur, one of the three things he promises is a land: “the land which I will show you.” This promise is repeated to Isaac and Jacob, and its fulfilment becomes the driving purpose of the Exodus narrative. The entire generation redeemed from Egypt is moving toward the land Yahweh has sworn to give their ancestors.

The land in the Old Testament carries covenantal weight at every point. Dwelling in the land is the sign of covenant blessing; expulsion from the land is the sign of covenant curse. Israel in the land is Israel in relationship with Yahweh. Israel scattered among the nations is Israel under the sentence that Deuteronomy 28 describes. The prophets announce both the exile and the return, and both announcements are framed in terms of the land as the place where the covenant relationship is either enjoyed or forfeited.

The New Testament treats the land promise as one that has been widened and fulfilled in Christ. Paul writes in Romans 4:13 that Abraham and his descendants would inherit the world, not merely the land of Canaan. The author of Hebrews says that Abraham and the patriarchs were strangers and exiles on earth, seeking a heavenly country, a city designed and built by God. The land was always a pointer toward something larger: the renewed creation that God’s people will inherit in Christ. The articles below trace this theme through several key passages.