When we purchased our previous home, the children were still young. They were full of excitement as we described the new house, but nothing compared to the day that we got the keys and took them inside for the first time. Driving up in the yard I said, “Look, this is your new home.” As soon as the door was opened, they raced through all the rooms claiming rights to their bedrooms. “Is this really our house now?” “Yes, it is ours,” we reassured them.
When Israel was camped on the east side of Jordon and Moses instructed the people prior to entering the promised land, he reminded them of God’s word. ‘Look, I have placed the land before you; go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to them and their descendants after them’ (Deut. 1:8). When I read this, what caught my attention was the first word, ‘look’, also translated ‘see’, or ‘behold’ in various versions. They had reached the end of a forty year journey to the land the LORD had promised hundreds of years prior. The NIV translates this, See, I have given you this land. Only Joshua and Caleb had ever seen the land as two of the original spies. Those about to cross the Jordon River were a new generation having only heard the stories from their parents and grandparents. We can only imagine what went through their minds and the talk that took place around their fires at night as they camped in sight of the land God swore to give to Abraham and his descendants.
God’s first instruction was to look at the land because it was theirs. The Hebrew word for look means, “to see, to observe, to perceive, or to choose.” Most important it means seeing with one’s own eyes. No longer was it a story. It had transitioned from a hope to a reality. No longer were they seeing by faith, it was right before their eyes. Possessing the land was guaranteed because God sworn to give it to Abraham and his descendants and He also assured them He would go before them and prepare the way.
This verse could have begun, go in and possess the land, but first God wanted them to see, the land He had given them. He wanted them to comprehend that this was ‘their’ land. They were not merely going to camp again in their tents after entering. The land was filled with houses, barns, vineyards, orchards, and fields where they could settle and never need to pack up and move again.
Note also that this word can be translated choose. This suggests that God wanted them to look and choose the land He had given them. The only thing that could stop them from occupying their new home was themselves. Like their parents forty years before, they could have feared, doubted God, and continued as nomads in the wilderness. After seeing and choosing, their time for action came. They had to go in and possess.
Look! What has God promised you? The journey of life heading to His promises can be demanding and tiring. Like Israel, we travel by faith following His guidance. Forty years is a long time waiting and hoping to see fulfillment. It would have been easy for Israel to give up and settle into their life of living in tents. It is also easy for us to give up on His promises after waiting a long time.
Abraham and Sarah had a long journey before God fulfilled the promise of a son. Joseph had a long journey before he realized the fulfillment of the dream God had given him. Zechariah and Elizabeth waited a lifetime before their son John was born. Yet, the promises God made were fulfilled. However, they were on His time schedule.
Ministry required a lot of travel for me, here in America and foreign countries. After a long day of driving, it was easy to miss my destination. Several times, I have driven past the place I was head. I would have to stop and look. Often, it was right in front of my eyes; I had just overlooked it. We should stop often, remember His promises, and look to see if we have arrived.
What has God placed before you? It could be a ministry, a college degree, a spouse, a job, a church home, a closer spiritual walk, new friends, or anything else God has promised you through His word. Remember Israel; if the LORD has promised, He will go ahead of you and prepare the way. Before you give up, note these lessons. Age is not a factor; you may have tried and failed; you may have gotten ahead of God’s time, but your past does not dictate the present; a difficult journey does not negate His promises. Instead, look at what is before you. Yes, it may have been a long and tiring journey, but God was preparing you for this moment. All you have to do is go in and possess what He has promised.
I deeply sense as I write this that someone who will read this is tired and ready to give up on what has been a hope for a long time. You are even wondering if it was really a promise from God. Look! The fulfillment may be right in front of your eyes. Go in and possess His promises.
Sustaining Word for the Week:
Stop, remember, and look. Then fill in the blank: See I have placed ________?___________before you. Now, go in and possess.