POST 6 – THE LAND AND THE PEOPLE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Genesis 12:2 I will make you a great nation I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
We now know that it was God who called Abram to a specific block of land.
What is on the Lord’s mind when He calls Abram to leave all behind and come into the specific land of Canaan?
“I will make you a great nation”.
What is a nation?
Global Policy Forum defines it:
A nation is a large group of people with strong bonds of identity – an “imagined community,” a tribe on a grand scale. The nation may have a claim to statehood or self-rule, but it does not necessarily enjoy a state of its own. National identity is typically based on shared culture, religion, history, language or ethnicity.
National identity gives rise to such extremely strong feelings and a glue that binds states together. People are ready to “die for the nation” in time of war.
Ernest Renan in 1882 said that nations share “a soul” and memories of “endeavours, sacrifice, and devotion.”
The Lord had in His heart to build a group of people, with a common identity; a community that would share a common heritage, language and culture and eventually a land.
But most of all this nation would share ONE CRITICAL DISTINCTIVE that would separate it from every other nation – it would have GOD as their God.
He would become the God of this nation – He would be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He would become the God of Israel. He would be known as the husband of the nation.
And as a people, they would be the devoted carriers of the Kingdom of God – custodians of His ways, His ancient paths, His laws and precepts and His Word.
They would live in a very special piece of land that He had set aside for them – set apart (holy), and one day, ultimately become the ‘womb’ that would give birth to the Messiah, and the nation that will receive Him when He returns to rule and reign from the centre piece of that land – Jerusalem.
“I will make you a great nation Abram”.
Do you think the Lord kept His promise and succeeded in making Abram a great nation?
Do you think anything can stop the Lord building His nation in the land that He called them to?
What do you think of all the opposition to His nation and their promised land?