1. The Earthly Promised Land Deut. 6:10-15

2. Promise Given Long Before  First made to Abram – Gen. 12:1-7  Renewed to his descendants – Gen. 28:12-15  Yet even after Joseph’s death the inheritance had not come  They believed, without seeing the result firsthand – Heb. 11:8-9

3. Reached Only After Strife  Israel became a nation under bondage  Until God delivered them – Acts 7:30-34  After which came the hard road through the wilderness – Num. 21:4-6  An entire generation had passed before they entered in!

4. Ultimately Disappointing  The bounty of the land was plain to see  Yet Israel failed to enjoy it to its fullest – Judges 2:1-5  Problems continued to plague them – 2 Kings 25:5-7  All because of their disobedience!  But even if all had gone smoothly, just how wonderful would life in that land be for them?

5. Conclusion God kept His promise of giving the nation of Israel the land. But we see clearly how through their actions they squandered what they had been given. So to this day there is unending turmoil in that land. Looking at the Scriptures, we understand that the physical land was merely an echo of things to come.