“For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.” – Proverbs 2:21
Abraham is called the father of many nations. He is the patriarch of the Jewish people. He is in the lineage of Jesus Christ. A man of great faith, a friend of God. Abraham was called out of his homeland and asked to “go out” not knowing where he was going. He did so, trusting in God to lead him to a promise land called Canaan land.
In the Bible, Canaan land was/is the land that Abraham and his seed was promised after he left his home. In Genesis we find the beginning of God’s people and in the book of Exodus we find the story of God taking the Jews out of bondage and into the promise land, Canaan land. Skip over to the New Testament and you begin to understand that God gave us the example of Canaan so that we might understand and experience a spiritual Canaan land. A land that we can live in, spiritually, because of His Son Jesus. When you are forgiven of your sins you are brought out of bondage, and when you receive the Holy Spirit, you are sanctified, and brought into Canaan. You can be living in Canaan land, no matter where you are on this earth. Canaan was prepared for Abraham, and in a way, Abraham was prepared for Canaan. The man of faith, the man of righteousness, the upright and perfect man; that was the man who could dwell in Canaan. It was his people who would one day enter and possess the land. It is no small thing for people to “go out” on faith. We live in a world of natural, and we are called by God to leave it (spiritually) and dwell in the spiritual. The natural man looks, touches, reasons, and uses logic to govern his life. He lives for himself, and the things that he cares about. When God called Abraham, he was living in a city of commerce, he had a family and extended family. His situation was one of comfort and stability. It was everything that the natural man aspires after. It was the equivalent of the modern day: house in the suburbs, with two kids, two car garage, and white picket fence. God called Abraham and told him to “go out;” to leave all that he had and trust that God would bring him into a better land. Those who live in Canaan land will always be people of faith. A people who shuns the natural and seeks the spiritual. A people who “go out;” following the will of God over and above everything else. It takes faith to get into Canaan land, and faith to stay in Canaan land; faith to follow the will of God and remain in the will of God. The people of Abraham, the people of Canaan, the people of Jesus Christ; are and always will be, a people of faith. If you are to be sanctified and remain sanctified, then you must “go out.” You must leave your old life, old ways, and old wishes; you must die to your idea of everything and trust in God completely. God will bless this sacrifice and give his Spirit; not by measure, no, rather by promise. The Holy Ghost will come and dwell within your heart bringing you into the land of Canaan. This is why the upright shall dwell in the land and the perfect shall remain in it. Faith becomes your new operating principle, forsaking your own way and following His way. This is living in Canaan.
It is a good land, the land of Canaan. When you are sanctified, you find the same marvelous truths that Abraham found. That serving God is far more wonderful than serving anything else. That the way of faith is far better than the way of sight. The spiritual, better than the natural, and the land of Canaan is and always will be the land of promise. God’s promises never fail; if you trust him, he will comfort and keep you. For the upright dwell in the land, and it is a good land.
