Established firmly in the land under David and Solomon, God's people ultimately began to neglect the terms of the covenant and were warned by the prophets of the consequent judgment and exile.
Israel's failure to take full possession of the promised land under the judges
Judges 1:19 See also Judges 1:27–35, Judges 2:1–3, Judges 18:1
The LORD was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the plains because they had chariots of iron.
Israel was finally established in the promised land under David and Solomon
1 Chronicles 22:18 See also 2 Samuel 7:10–11 parallel 1 Chronicles 17:9–10; 1 Kings 4:21, 1 Kings 4:25
“Is not the LORD your God with you, and has He not granted you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land has been subdued before the LORD and His people.
The promised land and the prophets
The prophetic condemnation of the life of God's people in the promised land
Jeremiah 2:7 See also Jeremiah 3:1–3; Ezekiel 22:23–29; Hosea 4:1–3
I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and bounty, but you came and defiled My land and made My inheritance detestable.
Prophetic warning of coming judgment on the land and exile from it
Isaiah 13:9 See also Isaiah 8:6–8; Jeremiah 10:17–18, Jeremiah 16:10–13; Ezekiel 7:2–4; Amos 7:17
Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming— cruel, with fury and burning anger— to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.
Prophetic assurance of ultimate deliverance and restoration to the promised land
Jeremiah 30:3 See also Isaiah 14:1–2, Isaiah 60:15–22; Jeremiah 24:5–7; Ezekiel 11:17, Ezekiel 37:11–14; Amos 9:14–15; Zechariah 2:10–12
For behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will restore from captivity My people Israel and Judah, declares the LORD. I will restore them to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they will possess it.’”
The desolation of the promised land
By Antiochus Epiphanes
Daniel 8:9–14 The growing horn is Antiochus Epiphanes who tried to wipe out the Jewish faith in 168 B.C., forbidding Jewish practices and defiling the temple with pagan sacrifices and prostitution. See also Daniel 11:29–35 The help that would be received by God's people probably refers to the Maccabean revolt and the cleansing of the temple in 165 B.C., although by NT times the land would be occupied by Rome.
From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth and trampled them. It magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; it removed His daily sacrifice and overthrew the place of His sanctuary. And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?” He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be properly restored.”
By Rome
Luke 21:20–24 parallels Matthew 24:15–21, Mark 13:14–19 Jesus Christ prophesies the desolation of the nation by Rome in A.D. 70.
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. How miserable those days will be for pregnant and nursing mothers! For there will be great distress upon the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
The promised land in the NT
Referred to by Stephen
See also Acts 7:3–7, Acts 7:45–47
Referred to by Paul
Referred to by Hebrews
Hebrews 11:8–10 Abraham was looking for a more permanent city than the promised land could ever provide; Hebrews 11:13–16
The concept of spiritual rest
The church looks beyond the promised land
Acts 1:6–8 The apostles' concern was for the deliverance of the promised land from Roman domination, but Jesus Christ shows God's concern to be far wider, to all nations. See also Revelation 5:9–10, Revelation 7:9–17, Revelation 21:9–27
So when they came together, they asked Him, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.