To Gain the Good Land (1)

Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. Psalm 68.1

A pattern?
The Christian lives in pursuit of the exceedingly great and precious promises of God, promises which lead us increasingly to realize the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus (Phil. 3.14; 2 Cor. 1.20). We have been called to His Kingdom and glory (1 Thess. 2.12), and in Him we are blessed with the knowledge of God, so that through us His blessings might flow to the world.

We cannot emphasize enough how precious and important are these promises which lead to our partaking of the very essence of God (2 Pet. 1.4). It behooves us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to devote our souls and bodies to the pursuit of these promises in every aspect of our lives.

But what does this look like in our daily lives? In our individual callings from the Lord, and all we undertake in His Name? Is there a pattern for Christian endeavor, a way to live toward the promises and pursue our work in the Kingdom of God, by which we may gain a greater measure of the fruit of that Kingdom? And if so, where can we discern that pattern, and how can we adapt it to our daily walk with and work for the Lord?

Laying hold on the promises and seeking the Kingdom of God involve a variety of practices and disciplines familiar to every Christian: reading, study, and meditation in Scripture; prayer; communion, and worship with fellow believers; walking in the Spirit; bearing witness for Christ; growing in grace and love; loving God and our neighbors; and so forth. God has shown us that, within His Kingdom, these are the disciplines and practices which, faithfully applied, can help us realize His promises.

We all need to improve in these, both qualitatively and quantitatively.

These disciplines and practices are the fuel for and energy issuing from the spiritual engine which is our lives. The fuel is not an end in itself, and the energy must be expended toward particular ends, or it will be wasted in things that do not last. The fuel of disciplines is what the Spirit of God uses to activate and move us toward the promises and Kingdom of God. If a more specific pattern for these operations exists, we do well to discern and observe it.
It seems to me there should be some aspects, components, or guidelines, common to any Christian endeavor, which, fueled by spiritual vision and disciplines, will generate and channel spiritual energy for realizing the promises of God in Kingdom outcomes through all our endeavors.

Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan provides a template for gaining the promises of God and realizing more of His Kingdom, especially as David relates this story in Psalm 68. David’s purpose in rehearsing Israel’s effort to gain the promised land was to rally the people of Israel toward the promise of a temple and the glory that temple would bring to God. The exodus, wilderness journey, and conquest of Canaan were the defining events of Israel’s history. They unfold for us in dramatic detail over six books (Exodus-Judges) and are recalled, reviewed, and rehearsed numerous times in other places in the Old Testament. Israel lived toward the Promised Land, just as we, living toward the promises of God, hope to gain the good land of His Kingdom, both here and now, and there and then.

We can discern in this story a pattern, template, or paradigm to guide us in any endeavor by which we seek the exceedingly great and precious promises of the Lord. Whatever things were written aforetime, Paul tells, were meant to instruct and comfort us (Rom. 15.4). Perhaps there is more in this ancient story than what we have previously observed?

“Magic Eye”
I think this is likely so. Thinking about Israel’s conquest of Canaan as a template for Christian endeavor is a bit like studying one of those “Magic Eye” pictures. Here’s this intricately drawn or painted background – in our case, an historical narrative – replete with recognizable figures, repeated over and over. Interesting, but not the whole picture. Within that familiar background is a more compelling figure, a 3-D image waiting to announce itself to your seeking, contemplative eye. That’s the real focus of the picture; it’s just harder to discern than what we can observe on the surface.

I believe there is a pattern for Christian endeavor embedded in the story of Israel’s deliverance and settlement in the land of promise. The people of Israel reverted to this story as they returned from exile in Babylon, reminding themselves thereby of where they’d come from, who they were, and what lay ahead for them in rebuilding the city of Jerusalem (cf. Neh. 9.19-38). In His own life and ministry, Jesus recapitulated that story in certain ways, as if to center our thoughts on it, and to encourage us to see in Him the focus and fulfillment of the pattern (cf. Matt. 2.13-15).

An understanding of the pattern embedded in Israel’s conquest of the good land of Canaan can likewise help us live toward the promises of God, so that we might gain more of the good land of His Kingdom in our everyday lives.

Resolved in Jesus
And whatever components or guidelines for a lifestyle of living toward the promises may be discerned in Israel’s story, they will all come up, around, and back to Jesus in one way or another. And, since the upward prize of the high calling God has for us is only fully realized in Jesus Christ, then whatever these components are, they must have a Christo-centric commonality about them and contribute to our embodying and proclaiming the reality of the risen and reigning Christ, no matter the endeavor in which we are involved.

So let us look to David in Psalm 68, that we might discover from his analysis and application of Israel’s conquest of Canaan, principles and guidelines to help us as we live toward the promises of God.

For reflection
1.  Read through Psalm 68 quickly. Do you see a pattern there outlining Israel’s conquest of the land of Canaan?

2.  Is there a “pattern” to your own Christian life? How you grow? How you seek the Kingdom? How God uses you in ministry? How you pursue the promises of God?

3. As you reflect on Psalm 68, do any aspects of a pattern for gaining the good land of God’s Kingdom suggest themselves?

Next steps – Preparation: In what kinds of Christian endeavor are you currently involved? Are you active in your church? Do you serve with a parachurch ministry? Are you faithfully working your Personal Mission Field? What patterns of life and work can you discern in your own walk with the Lord? Share your thoughts with a Christian friend.

T. M. Moore

This is part 3 of a 5-part series, Living toward the Promises. You can download this week’s study as a free PDF, suitable for personal or group use, by clicking here. You can learn more about living toward the promises of God by ordering a copy of the book, I Will Be Your God, from our online store (click here).

We invite you to register for the free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview. In this course T. M. Moore provides a sweeping panorama of how life in the Kingdom of God unfolds in an age in flight from God such as ours. Set your own schedule and study at your own pace. Learn more, and register for One in Twelve, by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.