Deu 11:10-21 | KingComments | STEP | Keeping the Word of God gives spiritual strength ( ). If we take to heart the lessons of , the Word of God is given the opportunity to give us strength to take possession of the land: “Strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light” ( ). The inheritance speaks of the realm of peace that encompasses both earth and heaven and over which, according to God’s counsel, we will reign together with the Lord Jesus. Of this Paul says: “Which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, [that is,] the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” ( ). There is also an inheritance in the light that is already our part and can be enjoyed by us. That is the kingdom of the Son of the love of the Father, Who “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” ( ). That is where we are already. The fruits of the land of Canaan are a picture of the blessings of that inheritance. In addition to the characteristic “flowing with milk and honey”, a special land feature is added, namely that the land will drink water “from the rain of heaven” ( ). The rain of heaven makes the fruit grow well in the land ( ). This characteristic is the big difference with the way Egypt is supplied with water. Egypt has practically no rain. Fertility is obtained in Egypt by an annual overflowing of the river Nile and harnessing manmade irrigation systems. This means that fertility in Egypt mainly results of men’s efforts and is not exclusively caused by the rain of heaven as in Israel. Egypt says that the Nile is his ( ). He does not think about its origin. Egypt represents the man of the world who believes that he derives all his blessing from natural sources. The natural man hogs this blessing without thinking of God. He believes he is entitled to it and sees it as the result of his own efforts. The blessing of the promised land just comes from the heaven of God. The land is under His constant care. His eyes are always on it, all year round ( ). Wouldn’t these eyes notice all the needs of His children? And are not His love and His power great enough to meet these needs? The rain has to do with doctrine, teaching. The teaching of Moses is also a rain ( ). It represents the blessing we receive through the preaching that emanates from the glorious Head in heaven, and through His gifts comes to us to perfect us as saints. The rain is here in connection with the land. This blessing is also present but obvious. It requires the coming down of the heaven, without natural resources. In all ecclesiastical systems where ‘the water’ is conducted through human regulations and statutes, very little can be heard about the heavenly blessings. That is not for nothing. Providing or obtaining blessing from the Lord does not involve theological instruction and diplomas, but obedience of the heart.

‏ Deuteronomy 11:10-21

Difference Between Egypt and Canaan

Keeping the Word of God gives spiritual strength (1Jn 2:14b). If we take to heart the lessons of Deu 11:1-7, the Word of God is given the opportunity to give us strength to take possession of the land: “Strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light” (Col 1:11-12).

The inheritance speaks of the realm of peace that encompasses both earth and heaven and over which, according to God’s counsel, we will reign together with the Lord Jesus. Of this Paul says: “Which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, [that is,] the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:9b-11).

There is also an inheritance in the light that is already our part and can be enjoyed by us. That is the kingdom of the Son of the love of the Father, Who “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13). That is where we are already. The fruits of the land of Canaan are a picture of the blessings of that inheritance.

In addition to the characteristic “flowing with milk and honey”, a special land feature is added, namely that the land will drink water “from the rain of heaven” (Deu 11:11). The rain of heaven makes the fruit grow well in the land (Deu 11:14 ; 17). This characteristic is the big difference with the way Egypt is supplied with water. Egypt has practically no rain. Fertility is obtained in Egypt by an annual overflowing of the river Nile and harnessing manmade irrigation systems. This means that fertility in Egypt mainly results of men’s efforts and is not exclusively caused by the rain of heaven as in Israel.

Egypt says that the Nile is his (Eze 29:3). He does not think about its origin. Egypt represents the man of the world who believes that he derives all his blessing from natural sources. The natural man hogs this blessing without thinking of God. He believes he is entitled to it and sees it as the result of his own efforts.

The blessing of the promised land just comes from the heaven of God. The land is under His constant care. His eyes are always on it, all year round (Psa 65:9-13). Wouldn’t these eyes notice all the needs of His children? And are not His love and His power great enough to meet these needs?

The rain has to do with doctrine, teaching. The teaching of Moses is also a rain (Deu 32:2). It represents the blessing we receive through the preaching that emanates from the glorious Head in heaven, and through His gifts comes to us to perfect us as saints.

The rain is here in connection with the land. This blessing is also present but obvious. It requires the coming down of the heaven, without natural resources. In all ecclesiastical systems where ‘the water’ is conducted through human regulations and statutes, very little can be heard about the heavenly blessings. That is not for nothing. Providing or obtaining blessing from the Lord does not involve theological instruction and diplomas, but obedience of the heart.

Promise of Blessing

The rain does not come on demand, but on God’s time, when He gives it. He connects the rain to obedience. The early rain is the time for us to see for the first time something that goes beyond the forgiveness of sins. We live in the time of late rain, since the Lord in His goodness at the beginning of the nineteenth century again gave sight to the blessings of the land. Have we drunk and tasted of it?

The rain of the heaven is needed to collect “your grain and your new wine and your oil”. In Psalm 104 we see that grain is meant for food, wine is linked to joy, and oil gives a glistening face (Psa 104:14-15).

For us this means that we may constantly feed on the food of the land, which for us is the Lord Jesus as the bread from heaven (Jn 6:47-58). Feeding on Him as eternal life means that we realize inwardly that He is our life and that thereby we have fellowship with the Father and the Son. The Father and the Son are of eternity in that land. With this we may strengthen ourselves, we may share in a practical way with the Father of the things His heart is full of.

The new wine represents the complete joy we may know consequential to fellowship with the Father and the Son. That too is a blessing of the eternal life (1Jn 1:1-4). The oil represents yet another aspect of eternal life. Something of it we see in Psalm 133:

“A Song of Ascents, of David.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brothers to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,

Coming down upon the beard,

[Even] Aaron’s beard,

Coming down upon the edge of his robes.

It is like the dew of Hermon

Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;

For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever” (Psa 103:1-3)

In this psalm eternal life is enjoyed by brothers and sisters who dwell together. It is a place where the LORD commands the blessing. That place is the heavenly places. Here, it is enjoyed in a place where brothers dwell together. In the beginning of 1 John 1 there is not only fellowship with the Father and the Son, but also with our brothers and sisters (1Jn 1:3). Things that could separate us on earth has disappeared there.

What unites us gives us an intense love for each other. That is because of the possession of the same eternal life. It is precisely where we are together that we can most intensely experience that fellowship with the Father and the Son. Our unity is incorporated into the closed unity of the Father and the Son. As a result of our divisions we often do not experience this, but in principle it is there and can therefore also be enjoyed. There the oil comes down.

Warning of Idolatry

The blessing comes when the people are obedient. But if the people turn away from the LORD to serve other gods, then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against them. If they think that other gods will give them the blessing, the LORD will withhold from them the blessing.

Impressing and Making Visible

The warning words of Deu 11:16-17 should be an extra incentive for God’s people to imprint God’s words on themselves and their children. They must be visible in the houses in which they live, in the families they form, and they must be taught by the children they have.

It takes a lot of energy to keep all this alive. It should permeate the whole of life. We can only talk about it fruitfully with our children when we show it ourselves. Eternal life is not only a delight in the meetings, but can be there every day of our lives in all circumstances. Then we already experience the days of heaven on earth. “As long as the heavens [remain] above the earth” not only means the quality of life, but also its duration. This is a life lived for as long as the heavens remain above the earth, that is, always, as long as the earth exists.