Instruct the Israelites and say to them: When you come
to the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as your
hereditary portion—the land of Canaan with its borders.
—Numbers 34:2
Jonathan worked for many years in a distant country,
earning money for his family. When he saw he had saved enough, he began the
long journey home.
But during one of his overnight stays, Jonathan didn’t
keep a close enough eye on his possessions. By morning, his savings—every penny
he had worked for, every bit of security he’d built for his family—was gone.
Stolen.
This wasn’t just a mishap; it was a catastrophe. A
disaster of the highest order. All those years of toil, gone in the blink of an
eye. And to make matters worse, Jonathan had no legal recourse. His employer
had paid him in full, and once the money was in Jonathan’s hands, it was his
responsibility.
Yet, as Jonathan sat there, hands in his hair,
contemplating the gaping hole in his life’s work, he wasn’t entirely defeated.
Over the years, he and his employer had become very close. And before Jonathan
left, his employer had said something that stayed with him:
“Jonathan,” he had said, after handing over the full sum
of money, “if something should happen to you on the way home, don’t worry.
You’ve worked hard for this. If you lose it, just come back to me, and I’ll
give it all back to you. I guarantee it.”
God’s Guarantee
At the edge of the Promised Land, God laid out the
boundaries of their inheritance: “This is the land that shall fall to you as
your hereditary portion—the land of Canaan with its borders.”
According to the Midrash, Moses wasn’t just given a map
and coordinates. He was shown the future: the full sweep of Jewish history.
Victories, exiles, rebirths. The whole parade.
Why? Because Abraham once asked the hard question: “How do
I know my descendants will inherit it?” (Gen. 15:8). It was a fair concern. He
feared his descendants might fail to uphold their part of the covenant and thus
lose the Land.
God’s answer was unequivocal: “I will not forsake you
until I have done what I promised” (Gen. 28:15). Even if the people falter,
even if they are exiled from the Land, God’s word will stand.
It wasn’t a prediction. It was a guarantee.
This is the heart of the covenant: the assurance that God
will always be with His people, through every challenge. Like the generous
employer in the story, God promised to restore what was lost. Even if they lose
their inheritance, “I will not forsake you.” I will give it to them once again.
