March 29 - Canaan versus Egypt

The student of geography would agree with the assessment of the Lord: agriculture in Canaan would be very different than that in Egypt. In the land of Egypt, the farmers got their water through their lifeblood, the Nile. People relied on water of the river that they also idolized. There they sowed the seed and irrigated it, like a vegetable garden. The land of Canaan would be a land of hills and valleys that drank water by the rain from heaven, a land that the Lord cared for. The Israelites were not to depend on the mighty flowing Nile but to rely totally on God for the autumn and spring rains.

To be a farmer in the Promised Land, one has to look to the heavens for rain, to God for provision. The condition for continual supply of rain is not the weather pattern but is spiritual in nature. If they obey God’s commandments and serve Him, God will give rain in its season, that they may harvest their grain, wine and oil. Grass will spring up to feed the cattle and sheep and they shall eat and be full. Translate into today’s terms: our livelihood does not depend on our abilities or other natural resources but on the grace and mercy of God. It is a spiritual issue and if we are in a right relationship with God, He will provide for all our needs.

Most people have a dichotomy of what is spiritual and what is natural. We seldom make the link between our spiritual life and our physical life. We depend on something called the River Nile, great and mighty with all the water that we ever need. The plan seems to be able to channel such abundance into our lives. When we are successful, we sing praises to the river but we seldom look up to heaven where God is. We become people of the river rather than people of heaven.

The Lord warned the Israelites about Jehovah worship in the Promised Land. They were not to reuse their pagan worship instruments or recycle their pagan beliefs and put a new name on it. In the incident of the golden calf, they used the form of paganism but called the gold calf Jehovah. All idols are from the ground, from created things. Only the Lord is in heaven and invisible to human eyes. The Israelites were to demolish every pagan worship forms and idols. They were not even going to reuse the places for pagan sacrifices but to go to a place the Lord had allotted to them. All their prosperity and wellness were related to their spiritual condition and their relationship with the Lord.

Are you a river person or a heaven person? Do you rely on the created things for your well-being? Do you worship the river that gives you your sustenance? Reject Egypt, reject the Nile! Look to heaven for all your provisions. The only way to get enough is to seek the face of the Lord. Are you seeking Him today?