- Subdue and Choose Inheritance
Psalm 47:3, 4
He shall subdue the people under us,
And the nations under our feet.
He shall choose our inheritance for us,
The excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah.
The promise of the Lord to conquer the Promised Land by subduing the nations living there is a time and place bound promise fulfilled in the Conquest of Joshua. The promise that the Lord would choose their inheritance has also been fulfilled in the conquest and ruling of the Land of Canaan by Joshua and mostly secured by David.
But the final spiritual fulfillment of the promise of subduing the nations and granting the inheritance has only been fulfilled in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Cross defeats the Enemy and the Resurrection takes over the Kingdom previously controlled by the Enemy and given to his Church. Although the Final and Absolute Destruction of Sin, Death and Satan will still take place on the Last Day, the Death and Resurrection of Christ have finished the effective and definitive conquest of the enemies and the kingdom of God.
If we walk by sight we do not yet see all things subject to Christ, but if we walk by faith we “see” that the Victory and Kingdom promise is fulfilled. By faith we conquer and take possession of the Land given freely to us by God, guaranteed by Christ, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Christian is called a “believer” because he lives by faith and walks by faith.
The interesting part of the promise includes the words, “under our feet.” The Church, the people who believe, subdues the previous usurpers of the kingdom under their feet. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20). When we believe His promises we give Jesus control of our lives and we are no longer under Satan’s control, but he is under ours.
Death is destroyed; the Kingdom is ours.