208. Heritage and Land
Jeremiah 12:15 And it shall come to pass, after that I have plucked them out I will return, and have compassion on them, and will bring them again, every man to his heritage, and every man to his land.
The Lord promised Abraham land: the land came with Jesus Christ; it is the kingdom of God. This land is within the believer. The Lord promised through Moses land: the land came through Jesus Christ, who perfectly kept the stipulations of the covenant promise, the Ten Commandments and the Law of Moses. Jesus kept the Law in our place and gave us His obedience; Jesus replaced the Law of Moses concerning the temple and its rituals and sacrifices. Ultimately, everything God promised His people is in Jesus. Our faith in Jesus receives all these promises from God.
But first God says He will pluck the people out (of the land): this was the Exile. The Exile was a devastating loss to the people of God: Where was God? Where was God’s promise? Why did God allow this to happen? The people of God had to learn that their sins and idolatry took them out of the land, out of the kingdom, out of the Promise, and away from God. This punishment and judgment was necessary, so that evil would be crushed, and so that people would be ready for the Return of God: the return of the Lord was the coming of Jesus Christ to the people. The Judgment and Curse of the Law (pluck them out) was essential to make the people ready for the return of God and the salvation in Christ.
The Lord will return because He will have compassion on His people and bring them again to the inheritance and to the land. God did this in Jesus, the Son. The Son of God had compassion by dying for them, and His resurrection brought them to the land, which is their promised inheritance from the Father. Our Sin has caused God’s judgment and separation from God; Sin caused loss of God and loss of life (God plucks out). God in Christ has reunited us with God and with life. Eternal Life = The Land. Jesus gave us The Land; believe in Jesus and have eternal life.
If you are in a difficult situation it is because of only one reason: your sin. But the Lord loves you and brings you to His Life once again. Believe Jesus; Believe the Promise. The land is within you.