I am continuing my journey through my ESV Study Bible, and today we witness God defining the Promised Land.
First of all, God makes it clear that he wants every single Canaanite driven from the land. Every single one, not one left behind.
He then commands Moses to destroy all of the Canaanite idols in the land, and instructs them how the land is to be divided.
Not all 12 tribes will be crossing the Jordan, as Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh have asked God to let them occupy the lands this side of the Jordan.
It will be interesting to see how well Israel obeys God's command to boot out the Canaanites, and their idols.
This has been quite a journey, this wandering in the wilderness. Can you feel the expectation?
This is the Promised Land! I suppose this is no different than us longing for our Promised Land: heaven.
My mind thinks of a young child about to go to Disneyland, for the first time. Anticipation for weeks, and then the night before, no sleep. Getting up at 4:00. "Is it time yet, dad?"
All the songs, about crossing Jordan, have new meaning to me. I want to peek ahead, and see what happens next! But, I will saver the anticipation.
Another thought that comes to mind, has to do with the Deists. How can someone believe that God created the world, and then stood back and watched? Look at the detail in how God described this land? Clear, absolute, precise. Am I missing something? Have the Deists never read the Bible?
