4 Reasons Why God Doesn't Owe Any Land To Israel.

"On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.." – [Genesis 15:18]

I’ve been challenged by several people to explain how this verse could be true if – as I suggest – God has no special plans for ethnic Jews or the secular nation of Israel today or in the future.

In fact, I’ve been told that this verse above is “the unanswerable verse” that cannot be explained any other way than to concede that Jewish people today are still owed something by God – namely to eventually lay claim to the geographic land mentioned here.

But is that the case? I believe the Bible itself gives us four very solid reasons to say, emphatically, “No”.

First, according to Joshua 21:43, God has already given the Jewish people all of the land that was promised to Abraham:

“Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.”

Second, in 1 Kings 4:21 we are told that:

“Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.”

Third, according to Leviticus 25:23, the land wasn’t given to them forever, it was conditionally promised to them for as long as they remained faithful to God:

'The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you reside in my land as foreigners and strangers.” – [Lev. 23:23]

And: Leviticus 20:22 says: 

"'Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out.”

And, finally, when it comes to the question of the Genesis passage above we have to ask, “Was God's promise to a race of people?”

Here's what the Apostle Paul says:

"Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring [seed]. It does not say, “And to offsprings [seeds],” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring [seed],” who is Christ." – [Galatians 3:16]

Paul reveals that the promises that God made to Abraham were not made to every single descendant of Abraham, but it was made to his "seed" (singular)...and who is that?

It’s Jesus.

So, in summary, that verse in Genesis where God promises the land to Abraham and ‘his offspring’ was fulfilled to the Children of Israel during the time of Joshua, and even more so during the reign of Solomon. But prophetically, the verse was actually a reference to the Messiah who was/is the actual “offspring” which God had in mind all along.

So, if we are in Christ, then we Abraham's offspring too, and we're also heirs according to the promise:

"And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise." - [Galatians 3:29]

In short, God does not owe today’s Jewish people any land whatsoever, especially since they deny that Jesus is the Messiah and until they receive Him as their Lord, they are “anti-Christ” according to 1 John 2:22 and 2 John 1:7.

We do pray that they – and all nations – would come to see that Jesus is the Christ and one day place their hope in Him alone.



-kg