“For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.” – Proverbs 2:21
Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people, was a man called by God to leave his place of certain dwelling and asked to “go out not knowing where he went.” He did so, trusting in God to lead him to a land of promise, Canaan land.
In the Bible, Canaan land was/is the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. 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 in and possess the land. God gave for us the scriptures on the land of Canaan so that we might understand and experience the spiritual Canaan land. We live in a world of natural things, but God calls us to leave off the pursuit of the natural 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 a modern-day house in the suburbs, with kids, cars, and a healthy portfolio of investments and real estate. 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. This was a step of tremendous faith. Those who live in Canaan land will always be a people of faith. A person who shuns the natural and seeks 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 a people of faith. Canaan is now a spiritual dwelling place, where we can live with God and His Son Jesus. When you are cleansed from all sin, it is a burden lifted, but you must seek the Holy Spirit, to become sanctified, and to be brought into Canaan land. If you are to become 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 you 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. It takes faith to get into Canaan and faith to stay in Canaan. 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 become sanctified, you find the same marvelous truths that Abraham found, which is, serving God is far more wonderful than serving anything else. 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 good land.
