Adventures in the Land of CanaanBerry, R. L. (Robert Lee)
Religion
Adventures in the Land of Canaan
Berry, R. L. (Robert Lee)
Christian life
The same subject is treated again in chapter 4 of Hebrews. Here the
figure is "rest." The rest of the Israelites was their settling in Canaan,
and in verse 6, speaking of the fact that some did not enter rest because
of unbelief, allusion is made to the failure to enter Canaan from
Kadesh-barnea. Then ten spies brought back such a bad report that the
whole camp wept, and would not go over. For forty years these rebels
wandered in the wilderness, until all were dead except Caleb and Joshua,
the two faithful spies.
There is a beautiful analogy between the events of the Israelites in
their journey out of Egypt into Canaan and the fundamental experiences
of the Christian. Note these parallels--far too close not to have been
planned as type and antitype by the great Author of salvation:
1. Abraham was promised two things: first, his seed should inherit the
land of Canaan; second, in him should all families of the earth be blessed
(Genesis 12:1-3).
2. Abraham was the father of both a literal and a spiritual seed, the
first inherited literal Canaan and the second inherited spiritual Canaan
(Romans 4; Galatians 4).
3. There was a rest promised both to the Israelite and to the Christian
believer (Hebrews 4).
4. Israel was in bondage to Pharaoh and his taskmasters in Egypt, and
sinners are in bondage to the devil and sin.
5. By a miraculous deliverance at the Red Sea, Israel escaped from
Egyptian bondage; and sinners are saved by the miraculous new birth.
6. By another miracle of power, Israel entered Canaan through the bed
of the Jordan River; and by a second work of grace, believers are wholly
sanctified by the Spirit through the blood.
7. By refusing to believe and obey, the Israelites wandered for forty
years in the wilderness, just as Christians fall away, grow lukewarm and
backslidden many times when they see their privilege of being made pure
in heart and refuse to walk in the light.
8. After the Israelites entered Canaan, they had to fight for their
possessions; and so, too, do we have to fight for our spiritual possession
in the state of holiness.
9. The literal land of Canaan was a good land, "flowing with milk and
honey," where the Israelites ate the old corn and wine of the land. Just
so spiritual Canaan is the best place of grace under heaven; indeed it
is heaven's border-land, where saints have sweet communion with God and
Christ and are ready for the great crowning-day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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