Promise Land (Part 1)

In the Old Testament, God promised to give His people a land to call home. He made a covenant (a promise) with Abram, promising him that he would have so many descendants that they would become a great multitude. He also told Abram that his descendants would be forced to serve in a foreign land for many years, but after that time, the Lord would bring them out of captivity and into the Promised Land—a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8)—which basically meant the land would be a place of abundance. This promise was repeated many times throughout the Old Testament. Even when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, God was with them, leading them to the Promised Land. Even when the Israelites complained in the wilderness and rebelled against God, He led them on in love. It took four hundred years in slavery and forty years in the wilderness before the promise was fulfilled. But God never lies. In His good time, His people crossed the Jordan River and entered the land they had looked forward to for countless years. God had remained faithful in their unfaithfulness, and they were finally able to enter the land they had been promised long before that generation was born! But God wasn’t done yet. He also promised that one of Abraham’s descendants would be a new King—a Deliverer—who would save His people from sin and death (2 Samuel 7:11-16). God sent His Son, Jesus, to live a life of perfect obedience to God, die in our place on the cross, and raise from the dead, making a way for us to live with Him forever. Because God faithfully brought the Israelites to their Promised Land, we can trust that Jesus will faithfully save us. • Macy Lee • How do you see God’s perfect timing at work in leading the Israelites to the Promise Land? What were the Israelites’ reactions as God led them through the wilderness? • God always keeps His promises. What does that mean for us today? “I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you.’” Joshua 1:3 (NLT)

Read Verses:

Genesis 12:1-3; 15:13-16; Exodus 3:1-17; Joshua 1:1-9