To Whom does the Promised Land Belong?
A theology of the land from a Lebanese scholar
A few weeks ago I shared a sermon on the Holy Land from a dispensational perspective. The argument was that while God still has a plan for the ethnic people of Israel, the current conflict is political in nature only, and the current residents of the land are living in disobedience and not producing the fruit God requires.
My aim in sharing these various perspectives is not to promote a particular doctrinal stance, but to advocate for a posture of listening to understand, mercy and peacemaking towards those living in the Middle East.
In the sermon above entitled “Whose Promised Land,” Rev. Dr. Hikmat Kashouh, takes a deep dive into a theology of the land through the prophets and the words of Jesus. Keep in mind the audience of this sermon is a Lebanese/Syrian/Iraqi/Palestinian Arab congregation.
This video was subtitled and translated by the Institute for Middle East Studies at ABTS. As Research Professor with a focus on the New Testament and Biblical Interpretation at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary (ABTS) and Senior Pastor at Resurrection Church Beirut (RCB), there are few more qualified in the Arab world to speak on this important topic.
You can find the full transcript of the sermon, along with bible references at the Acts 2:11 Project. It is a timely read given the weight and importance and important to listen to this Middle Eastern perspective.
To summarize Dr. Kashouh’s main points:
The land belongs to the one who keeps and walks according to the covenant of God.
Christ took no interest in talking about the land. His primary concern was the Kingdom of God. His concern was not the kingdom of Israel, but the Kingdom of God and its expansion.
In Luke 3 John the Baptist spoke to the Jews in the first century:
“You brood…! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’. For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.”
Essentially, this means that not everyone who claims to be a descendant of Abraham, as a result of DNA, is truly a son of Abraham. For God is able to raise up children for Abraham from the stones who will inherit the promises.
Through Jesus all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Through Jesus, we will inherit the promises. Through Jesus, we enter into the land. Jesus, who walked on our land, has become the Promised Land. God’s glory falls not on a geographical location, but on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ: “The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen His glory.” Jesus turns our eyes from a geographical place to a person.
Whether Gentile or Jew, no matter who you are, once you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the promises and the blessings are yours. Rom 4:13: “It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith.” He is no longer heir of a certain piece of land, but heir to the world!
Christ says, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Blessed are those who live by the ethics of the Kingdom, for they will inherit the earth. This means that if you want to be first, you will not inherit it. If you want to rule over it, you will not inherit the land.
With our human minds, we ask about an earthly kingdom, a political kingdom, a geographical and national kingdom. But, the Lord Jesus Christ lifted the eyes of the disciples in Acts 1:8 up to a heavenly and spiritual Kingdom – a global Kingdom, for all nations.
when the prophets spoke against the people of God in the past, they were not anti-Semitic. They were taking a stand for truth, against injustice. So every people, every nation, in Lebanon, in our Middle East, every group, every institution, every party, every organization, every individual, every head of household, everyone who treats his or her human brother or sister with injustice, regardless of race or color – and we are all guilty of that, none of us has not treated someone else unjustly – God raises up prophets to speak the truth and hold the offender to account.
So, in the end we should pray. And, there are many other things that we can do. But I will only mention two verses from Proverbs 31:8-9: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” What shall I do, as a Christian? “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Sometimes, our silence is a sin. Sometimes, our cowardice is a sin when we fail to make a decision. But:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.“
Yes! “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” The one who wants to live on this earth peacefully must walk in the path of the Prince of Peace, the Lord Jesus Christ.