Four years ago, Egypt was at the top of our list of dream vacations. Scheduling conflicts, however, left Egypt on our wish list as we chose another destination. We still hope to visit Egypt one day.
I especially would like to see the Valley of the Kings, a series of tombs tunneled in the rugged and harsh mountainside. Having held their secrets for more than 3,000 years, the tombs’ discovery in 1881 revealed a wealth of knowledge about Egypt’s earlier dynasties.
While in captivity in Egypt, ancient Israel kept hope alive partly because of a tomb in Canaan (Genesis 50:24-25). Scripture tells us of two covenant transactions Abraham made while living in the land. Securing water for his livestock, Abraham dug a well and gave Abimelech seven lambs “to show [his] agreement” that the well belonged to Abraham (21:30). The second occurred when Abraham bought land for a burial plot after his wife Sarah’s death. In the agreement, a plot of land at Machpelah became Abraham’s possession (23:17-18).
A stranger in the land, Abraham was able to water his flocks and bury his dead as God had promised. Having been told of the captivity of later generations (Genesis 15:13), Abraham possessed by faith what would eventually belong in reality to his descendants. Centuries later, Joshua would lead Israel back to the Promised Land according to what God had spoken: “Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you” (Joshua 1:3).
Beginning with a well and a tomb in Canaan, the promises of God have become manifest in Christ. No visible well is required because the life He provides causes us to “never be thirsty again” (John 4:14-15), and a tomb becomes a promise because “anyone who believes in [Him] will live, even after dying” (John 11:25).
More:
• 2 Corinthians 1:20
• Galatians 3:29
• 1 Peter 1:3-4
Next:
How does the life of Christ in you make your life a spiritual “promised land”? What are the specific promises you are waiting for God to fulfill? What are the manmade “wells” or “tombs” that keep you from seeing God’s promises?
nkeihfidelnk on November 27, 2009 at 1:39 am
God indeed is faithful to His words, To us humans, who are limited by time and space, it sometimes seem as if what God said is taking too long to come to pass but when we remember the time lapse between the covenant with Abraham and the actual possesion of the land and the establishment of the Nation of Israel, we know that He is faithful that promised.
regina franklin on November 29, 2009 at 7:27 pm
How very true. I was just reading today in 2 Peter 3:8-9 which says, “But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”
It’s so easy to become focused on our stories and our lives when it comes to the Lord’s timing. I have to be reminded that the events transpiring around me–although they affect and shape me–are not always about me. While I’m waiting on the Lord, He may be working on someone else. My role is to “not let this one face escape [my notice]”: God’s time frame is far different from mine, but He always does what He says He will do.