About the Good Land Deut. 8:7-107For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; 8A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey; 9A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass. 10When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. (Deuteronomy 8:7‑10)
IF we were going to a new country to live, we would like to hear all about it. The people of Israel were going to live in Canaan, and only two of them, Joshua and Caleb, had ever seen it, so God told Moses to tell them of it.
He said there would be many brooks, springs, and fountains of water, and gentle rains. These, they had not had freely in the wilderness, nor in Egypt, where the land was watered only when the River Nile overflowed its banks once a year, when it would be very muddy and afterward very dry.
There would be good pastures for their cattle and sheep; fields of grain; fruit trees; vines; olive trees; honey; plenty for all to eat. In the hills they would find minerals to make tools or other needed articles.
There would be one certain place in the land, which God would choose, where all should take their sacrifices and worship. Him, and that later became a much-loved place. Deut. 12:11, 1211Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord: 12And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. (Deuteronomy 12:11‑12).
God said the borders of the land should be Lebanon and the River Euphrates on the north; the plains of Jordan on the east; the great sea (The Mediterranean) on the west; Deut. 11:2121That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth. (Deuteronomy 11:21). You can find those names on a map of Canaan, (or Palestine).
But God also told the people that many strong people were then living in this land, even giants with high walled cities. How could Israel have their country? Because those people had become so dreadfully wicked they must be destroyed. They had all once known God as the Creator of the earth, but instead of honoring Him, worshiped images of every sort, even burning children in sacrifices, and lived in wickedness in all ways. (Deut. 9:55Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Deuteronomy 9:5)). And as you study world history you will learn many nations since, have lost their places by such wickedness.
God said Israel should not fear those people, that He would help them, but they must not keep their idols, or else they too, would be driven out. (Deut. 29:63).
ML 12/19/1937