Genesis 15 and verse 18

1. Genesis 15: 18
The Promised Land

2. Genesis 15:18
On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying:
“To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to
the great river, the River Euphrates.
Genesis 17:8
Also, I give to you and your descendants after you the land in[a] which
you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession;
and I will be their God.”

3. Recap from Last Week
Text Genesis 15: 18-21
God made a Covenant
with Abram
The parties to the
Covenant were God,
Abram and Abram’s
descendants
The promises of this
covenant were:
(1)A land to live in, (2) A
nation under God, (3)
Blessing to the Earth.
NO conditions were given
to Abram. He was
unconditionally elected.
Only one condition to the
Covenant: must believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ
(Galatians 3:9).

4. Introduction
Some interesting observations arise from this
Covenant.
1. God gives the land of Canaan to Abram's
descendants (Genesis 15:18).
2. He gives the land as an everlasting
possession (Genesis 17:8).
3. He promises to be their God (Genesis 17:8

5. The promised Land
Genesis 15:18 defines the boundaries of the promised land as
the Land:
1. From the River of Egypt
2. To the Great River, the Euphrates.
Abram’s descendants would only inherit the land after a 400-
year exile in Egypt (Genesis 15:16).
God in Numbers 34: 1-12 Spoke to Moses and clearly defined
the boundaries of the land of inheritance:
1. It was bounded on the north by the Euphrates River,
2. on the west by the Mediterranean Sea,
3. on the east by the River Jordan, and
4. on the south by the “river of Egypt” (apparently the Nile
River).
The Promised Land includes not only ancient Canaan, modern
Israel, Gaza and other Palestinian lands, but also parts of modern-
day Turkey, Syria, and Jordan and possibly some of Egypt.

6. History of the promised Land
1. First promised to Abram in Genesis 12:7.
2. Promise included in the Covenant in Genesis 15:18.
3. Promised as an eternal inheritance in Genesis 17:8.
4. Joshua led the Children of Israel into the promised
land in Joshua 3
5. King David conquered and ruled over the entire
territory as promised and so did King Solomon (2
Samuel 8; 1 Chronicles 18; 1 Kings 4:1; 1 Kings
4:21).
6. After the death of King Solomon, the Kingdom of
Israel was split in two, Israel in the north and Judah
in the south (1 Kings 12)

7. History of the promised Land
7. The kingdom of Israel was more populous and
powerful, but it fell some 135 years before Judah did. In
about 721 B.C., Israel was captured by the Assyrians,
and carried away, and subsequently, became lost to the
knowledge of men.
8. King, Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquered
Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple and exiled the people
(2 Kings 24: 8-12)
• This was a divine punishment for the trespasses of Judah, its
leaders as well as its people
9. After nearly 70 years, Persia's king Cyrus subdued
Babylon and permitted Judah to return to Jerusalem but
Judah never regained its former power.
10. By the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, Jerusalem had
become a tributary of Rome.

8. Modern Day Israel
On 14 May 1948, the nation of Israel was
created from the former British Colony of
Palestine
• Less than 24 hours later, the armies of
Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq
invaded the country, forcing it to defend
the sovereignty it had regained in its
ancestral homeland.
• The war lasted 15 months and in 1949 a
UN brokered armistice agreement was
signed.
• The area continues to spark conflicts.

9. Discussion Questions
Is the nation of Israel the promised land?
1. Hebrews 11: 8-16 shows that even Abraham understood that the
promised land was not the ultimate inheritance
Hebrews 11: 9 -10 “By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a
foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has
foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”
Hebrews 11: 13 “These all died in faith, not having received the
promises, but having seen them afar off [a]were assured of them,
embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims
on the earth.”

10. Discussion Questions
Does Israel still have a stake in the promised land?
2. Our forefathers listed in Hebrews 11 may have received the physical land,
but they still looked forward to something better.
Hebrews 11: 39-40 “And all these, having obtained a good testimony
through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided
something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart
from us.”
3. The physical Israel was rejected by God for rejecting the Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 9:6-8 “But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect.
For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children
because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall
be called.” That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are
not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted
as the seed”.

11. How then shall we relate to the Nation of Israel
• Realize that it is a nation like any other.
• Pray that the Israelites would come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Look to the eternal inheritance which is in the Lord Jesus Christ which is
the fulfilment of the promise.
2 Corinthians 1:19-20 “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was
preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not
Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him
are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us”.

12. Questions?
The End