Every now and then something in the Bible jumps out at me, and it seems this might be the place to share these thoughts. As I was reading Deuteronomy, chapter 2, I came to think about the fact that God gave Mideast land to three different groups of people. You might like to give some thought to these gifts too.
As the Israelites traveled to possess their Promised Land in Canaan, they passed by their brothers, the descendants of Esau, and God said to them, “I will not give you even so much as a foot’s length of their land, since I have given Mount Seir to Esau as a possession” (Deut 2:5-6). So, the Bible teaches that God gave land to both the children of Jacob and the children of Esau.
Furthermore, God told the Israelites, “Do not harass Moab or engage them in battle, for I will not give you any of its land as a possession, since I have given Ar as a possession to the descendants of Lot” (Deut 2:9-10). In addition, God told them, “When you approach the frontier of the Ammonites, do not harass them or engage them in battle, for I will not give the land of the Ammonites to you as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot” (Deut 2:19-20). Lot was, of course, a nephew of Abraham.
So, God gave Mideast land to each of these people groups and expected them to live in peace and respect the property rights of each group. I found this very interesting, and perhaps you do too. So, the next time you read Deuteronomy 2, think about how God demonstrated His concern for the family of Abraham.
#1 by marianneloveridge on February 22, 2008 - 10:57 am
Your motto says it all…”prolonging inconclusive thinking”. After rereading Genesis 15-17 today I could see where the non-Isaaic descendants of Abraham have Biblical basis to lay claim to their land portions, but in 17:21 God says He will make His covenant with Isaac (not Ishmael). Then there’s the geographical boundary descriptions of 15:18, and to whom does this apply? Now I am wondering just what exactly are the components of the covenant…land, numerous descendants, fruitfulness, royal authorities, etc…God seems to imply at first reading that all the descendants of Abraham are recipients of the covenant, but 17:20-21 is the clincher. So the land issue arises again…what are the land aspects of the covenant and with whom is the covenant made????
#2 by LGP on February 29, 2008 - 2:44 pm
Your thoughts also make me think about conditional and unconditional covenants. I am wondering now if the land grants to Ishmael might have been conditional, and if so if the Ishmaelites might have broken the conditions to retain their possession (or occupation) of their land. For example, Israel has lost possession (or occupation) of their land at various times, because of their disloyalty to God. It appears to me that the Ishmaelites have too. Secondly, God made a new covenant with Israel that includes all those who trust in Jesus the Messiah for salvation: this would include both the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael. In light of the new covenant, the physical land claims of either group may mean very little to God. We are promised a new heaven and a new earth, and as I read the New Testament, I do not see much attention given to land claims, but all nations living together in peace under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, after He returns. Prior to His return, we will probably continue to have land disputes in the Middle East, with little resolution to these taking place.
#3 by marianneloveridge on March 4, 2008 - 10:29 am
So this brings us to the question as to who the true descendants of Abraham really are in the spiritual sense. Romans 9:24-26 and the following chapters speak to the issue of Gentile believers being grafted in as the people of God and heirs of the promises too. I can’t buy the whole replacement theology position, but I wonder to what extent God really cares about the quantity of Hebrew DNA a person has to qualify him for privileged status. I would tend to agree that the new covenant supersedes the old with regard to the land issues, but I still have a problem with the idea of God using language like “forever” in His promises to the descendants of Israel, and those physical geographical boundary markers having never been actually fulfilled. So many eschatological dilemmas!