257. Dwell in the Land
Jeremiah 35:15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doing, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.
The promise of dwelling in the land is a conditional promise: if you return from your evil way and amend your doing, then you will dwell in the land that God has given. The cause is repentance; the effect is dwelling. This is Biblically true and always has been true since Adam in the garden and Moses on the mountain. The consequences of keeping the Law are blessings; the consequences of disobedience are curses. But the prophet says that if you do listen (keep) you will not dwell. The call to repent and turn to God, or return, motivates with the blessing of dwelling in the land.
The promise of land was first given to Abraham, and then filled under Moses and Joshua. The “land” was taken away because they did not believe in the Lord God alone above all things, in other words, repent of idolatry. The prophets gave the promise of return to the land after captivity and exile, if they return and amend. The Jews in Exile did repent, return to God, and return to dwell in the land, mostly at the urging of a rereading of Moses and the Prophets.The historical promise of “Land” comes out in the New Testament as the Kingdom of God, or heaven, or eternal life with God. Those who repent and believe in the Gospel enter into the Kingdom of God, or have eternal life. This Land, this Kingdom, and this Life is in the heart of the believers now spiritually, and we will be in it physically forever after death. This is what Jesus earns and gives to us. Repentance and faith receives it. Returning and amending is repenting and believing. “He who believes in Me has eternal life.” This is “dwelling in the land.” Returning to God is returning to the Land. This happens every time we hear the Gospel. Because of Christ we may and we can live in this promise: we shall dwell in the land, we shall have eternal life, we shall enter into the Kingdom, we shall enter into the joy of the Lord, we shall return to the Paradise we lost. Enjoy it today and enjoy it forever.