King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: The Promised Land
Date: Monday December 12, 2011
Chapters: Hebrews 1-4
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All Scripture quoted comes from the King James Version, words in red are quoted by Jesus.

Hello My Friend,

“And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, Get you up this way southward, and go up into the mountain: And see the land, what it is; and the people that dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few or many;..And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs...And they returned from searching of the land after forty days. And they went and came to Moses, and to Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran, to Kadesh; and brought back word unto them, and unto all the congregation, and shewed them the fruit of the land. And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there...And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it. But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.” - Numbers 13:17,18,23,25-28,30,31.

We are taken back in time, before Jesus came to earth as a man, before the prophecies were told of Him by Isaiah and Jeremiah, even before David was told that he would be the lineage that Jesus would descend from. It was a time when the Jews were freed from slavery to Egypt and were headed for the land promised to them by God Himself. They reached the path that lead to the promised land , they were almost there, before they entered Moses sent twelve men to scope it out. Twelve men spent forty days dwelling in the promised land and all it's beauty, twelve men returned to the wilderness to report their findings. Two men were eager to return, two men, ready and willing to do what it took to receive God's gift. Two men believed they could overcome their obstacles to receive God's gift. Ten men were not so eager to return to the promised land, ten men were not willing to do anything to receive God's gift. Ten men did not believe they could overcome their obstacles and rejected God's gift. So many people get a taste of the promised land, yet thousands reject God's gift every day unwilling to do what it takes to receive it, the sad part is all they have to do to receive it is believe.

The Book of Hebrews is the nineteenth book of the New Testament, the fifty-eighth book of the Bible, and contains thirteen chapters. The author of this epistle (letter) was Paul and it was written to the Hebrew (Jewish) believers, he wrote the letter around 65BC. The purpose of the letter was to present Jesus Christ as superior over all. What we are to learn from it is that Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant established on better promises. “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.” - Hebrews 8:6,7.

Many Jews had a superstitious or idolatrous respect for angels, because they had received the law and other tidings of the Divine will by their ministry. They looked upon them as mediators between God and man, and some went so far as to pay them a kind of religious homage or worship. Therefore, it was necessary that Paul begin his letter to the converted Jews reminding them that Jesus was not only the Creator of all things, but is also the risen and exalted Messiah in human nature, to whom angels, authorities, and powers are made subject.

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” -Hebrews 1:1-6.

Jesus Christ, who is God in the flesh, is equal with the Father, but as the Son of God lives in subjection to the Father and became the Mediator between God and man. He is appointed heir of all things, sovereign Lord, absolute disposer and director both of all persons and all things. He is above every other messenger ever sent into the world and has a name preeminent above all heavenly beings. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty...I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”- Revelation 1:8,18.

As Paul continues he reminds them that why it was important for God to send Himself as a man, “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?..But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” - Hebrews 2:1-4,9,10.

Christ became man that He might die for man, for as God He could not die, therefore, He assumed another nature and state. To be a perfect Savior of mankind, He must in every way take man’s place being proven perfect under all conditions, and then, as the perfect One, bear our sins. Because of His sufferings as a perfect, sinless man He is in every way qualified to be the Savior of His people. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” - II Corinthians 5:21.

It was necessary for Paul to remind the Jews who held Moses in such esteem and were set on mixing law with grace, that Christ as the Son of God was above Moses, therefore, His Word is final and His sacrifice was sufficient enough to save them. He also reminded them that their fathers spent forty years wandering in the wilderness for their disbelief. “For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” -Hebrews 3:4-12.

Those ten unbelieving Jews who rejected God's gift never made it back to the promised land, they were cursed as well as thousand of others who did not believe, to wander the wilderness for forty years (one year for each day they were in the promised land) until they all died. Two men willing to do what ever it took to receive God's gift had to wander in the wilderness for forty years also, but after they endured were able to enter the promised land. “Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:..Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.” -Numbers 14:22,23,29,30.

Without Christ we cannot enter the promised land, He is the path we need to take to get to God and receive His gift, the gift of eternal life in the Kingdom of God. “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” - John 14:6. Believing and accepting God's gift of eternal life does not exempt us from having to endure some grief and pain until He comes to take us to the promised land, but it does give us hope. It gives us the hope of everlasting life with the one who gave His life for us. It gives us hope for redemption, peace, His mercy and grace. “Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:14-16.

Today's Prayer:
Dear God,
I will probably not be the first person to tell You that I do not understand how I can be saved from death and hell simply by believing in Your Son. But I do understand that I am saved and I am trusting only in Him to take me to Your promised land. Thank You for saving me, for getting me around strong, godly men and women who keep me encouraged to keep going. Lord, it's not always easy to follow the path that seems to have so many obstacles to get to You, but with Jesus guiding me I know I can endure all things through Him. Lead me and guide me, keep me in the love of Christ, when I start to doubt or feel like things are hopeless keep me looking to my Savior, Who endured the most pain of all for me. I can do all things through Him, Who gives me strength. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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