The Land of Canaan

"They stood on the verge of entering the land of Canaan, which God had promised to their ancestors".  This line is full of breath holding anticipation. There are many promises in the Bible, this is one of them.  From 70 family members, a group of people grew into a nation~this is Joseph's family, one of the Bibles main characters, not to be confused with Joseph, Jesus' earthly father.  This thriving group became enslaved when the reigning Egyptian King realized that they were accumulating wealth and he feared that they would become too powerful~he could not tolerate their numbers and found their behaviours repugnant, he despised them.  The people cried out to God, God promised them deliverance and that's what they got...as they gazed across the land, looking out over Canaan or the biblical Palestine, their eyes saw the promised land, a land of their own, they had been delivered to this place of Gods choosing and they had hope, visions of a new life, freedom~they had believed in the God of their ancestors, the God of promises, and their eyes drank in the beauty of their soon to be new home.  Believing before seeing, this is faith.  The rich heritage of trusting ancestors for the truth based on Gods promises is not lost...the promises wait to be read, believed, and drunk in for their stunning beauty.  Until next time in the Bible.