Who entered the Promised Land?

from the old testament

• The Promised Land refers to the land that God promised to Abraham’s descendants many hundreds of years later (Genesis 12:1–7; 15:18–21). When God sent Moses to Egypt to rescue His people, He did so to finally bring them to that land (Exodus 3:7–8, 17).
• However, the people regularly grumbled and doubted God (Exodus 16:2–3). It was no surprise, then, that when they reached the land, after sending spies in, they listened to the bad spies and doubted that God could overthrow the enemies in the land (Numbers 13:25–33).
• This final act of doubt angered God, and He barred them from entering the land, setting them in the wilderness to wander and die there (Numbers 14:26–35). However, God exempted Joshua and Caleb from that judgment, as they were the only spies who trusted in God to capture the land (Numbers 14:6–9).
• Later, as they wandered, Moses became angry with the Israelites for constantly complaining. He struck a rock twice to bring forth water (Numbers 20:10–11). In doing so, he did not trust God to supply what the people needed and, as a leader, did not uphold God as holy before the people. As a result, God punished him by not letting him enter the land (Numbers 20:12–13). He later allowed Moses to see the land before he died (Deuteronomy 34:1–5).
• After the first generation of Israelites died, those who replaced them were those who had been children when God pronounced the judgment or were born afterward. They, along with Joshua and Caleb, entered the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1–2).

from the new testament

• Hebrews says the Israelites who came out of Egypt were unable to enter God’s rest because they “did not enter because of unbelief” (Hebrews 3:16–19). This confirms that their exclusion ultimately stemmed from their refusal to trust God.
  
• Hebrews 4:8 refers to Joshua giving Israel rest, pointing back to the conquest and entry into the Promised Land. Yet Hebrews explains that Joshua’s rest was not the ultimate rest God intended to provide (Hebrews 4:8–9).
• Hebrews uses Israel’s experience to urge believers not to repeat their example: “Let us strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11). The issue is therefore bigger than who physically entered Canaan—it illustrates the importance of persevering faith in God.

implications for today

When the second generation of Israelites entered the Promised Land, they weren't perfect. They weren’t (e.g., Joshua 7:1). However, they were more faithful than the first generation, and through them God kept His promise. But even as He led them in, He warned them that if they began rebelling, He would remove them (Deuteronomy 28:63–64).

Unfortunately, after many generations, Israel had become as wicked as the surrounding nations (2 Kings 17:7–17), and God expelled them from the land (e.g., 2 Kings 17:18–23). God’s promises did not fail (Romans 9:6), but rebellion must be punished. However, God’s promise remains. One day, all Israel will be saved (Romans 11:26) and restored to the land (Ezekiel 36:24–28).

Most of us reading this, however, are not Jews and therefore not recipients of God’s land promises to Israel. However, God worked through the Jews to bring us the message of salvation (Romans 9:4–5), with Israel’s rejection being God’s plan to bring salvation to the world (Romans 11:11–12). But Paul warned the Gentiles of his day not to become arrogant just because God had grafted them into his salvation promises (Romans 11:17–20). Just as God punished the Jews for faithlessness, He can do the same with everyone (Romans 11:21–22).

Therefore, the lesson for us today, as believers, is to look at Israel’s example as a reminder to be faithful. Let Israel’s example remind us to continue trusting God, confident that He will faithfully bring His people through this wilderness and into His promised kingdom (Hebrews 3:16–19; 4:11).