“The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.”

[Study Aired March 1, 2021]

God is exalted in our earth [“the land“] through judgment (Jer 22:29) which is how we will learn to trust Him (Eph 1:12, 2Co 1:9) and understand that He creates light and darkness and uses them both to demonstrate “his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering” (Rom 2:4) through a process that is being worked within our heavens where He brings us through the fiery trials of this life (1Pe 4:12, Act 14:22). He does this so that “after that ye have suffered a while” God can “make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1Pe 5:10, Psa 107:27-31). In this study we will look at what occurs in “the land” [our “earth, earth, earth“], and, Lord willing, we’ll see and continue to be convinced as we pass “through to search it” that it “is an exceeding good land” for what it can ultimately produce (Gen 3:6).

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. 

Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

2Co 1:9  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: 

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

1Pe 5:10  But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end. 
Psa 107:28  Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 
Psa 107:29 He maketh the storm a calm, [make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you”] so that the waves thereof are still.
Psa 107:30  Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. 
Psa 107:31  Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness,[Rom 2:4] and for his wonderful works to the children of men! [Eph 2:10]

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 

It is after the storm has passed that we will learn how to “be still, and know that I am God”. This is the same one God who is being “exalted among the heathen” and who is being “exalted in the earth” among the gentile within us (Col 1:27). We must be brought to our wits’ end in order to learn of His faithfulness and that He is “the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus.” That is the process we are not to despise (Rom 11:22, Rom 2:4-11), and it is the only way by which we can come to learn how to patiently possess our souls which are being fashioned by God so that we can one day show the same mercy which He has shown to us to rest of His creation (Psa 46:10, Luk 21:19, Rom 11:30-31).

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory [Rom 2:4] of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 

Rom 11:22  Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue [Act 14:22] in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. 

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God [2Co 12:9].

2Co 12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 
Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 
Rom 2:6  Who will render to every man according to his deeds: 
Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: 
Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, 
Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; 
Rom 2:10  But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: 
Rom 2:11  For there is no respect of persons with God. 

Psa 46:10  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls. 

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God [equals “Tribulation and anguish” and God’s wrath abiding on us (Joh 3:36)], yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 

Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy [obtained by the “glory, honour, and peace” that is given as a gift from God] they also may obtain mercy.

The initial making known of this mystery that is among the gentile world is within me (Col 1:27, 1Jn 2:16), and that world is being destroyed daily and overcome by the brightness of His coming (2Th 2:8) to the end that, through the destruction that comes about by chastening and scourging or judgment in a life that has been admonished to be armed with the mind of Christ (Heb 12:6-7, 1Pe 4:1), I can learn to discern good and evil and come to be able to rightly divide the strong meat which will continue to nourish us (Heb 5:14) on our journey through the wilderness where the LORD goes before us and fights for us. He divides the Red Sea (Exo 14:14-19) and overcomes all the enemies within us which He has set there to be bread for us which will strengthen our hearts to do battle (Eph 6:12). 

[“The Red Sea represents the world within and without, the powers and principalities that we war against and overcome through Christ”]

Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 
Exo 14:15  And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:[Php 3:14] 
Exo 14:16  But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: [Heb 5:14] and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 
Exo 14:17  And I, behold, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them: and I will get me honour upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen. 

[This hardening of our hearts causes anguish that our old man must endure, represented by Pharaoh, and it leads to “glory, honour, and peace” within once the Lord overcomes those powers and principalities we wrestle against within (Rom 2:9-10)]

Exo 14:18  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots, and upon his horsemen [Rom 9:17] .
Exo 14:19  And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them [Isa 45:7]:

Heb 12:6  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 
Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

1Pe 4:1  Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 

Receiving Bread is critical to the overcoming process, and is the reason we are told not to despise this process of judging the giants in our land that God put there for our benefit. We despise God’s goodness by saying we can’t overcome those giants (Num 13:33), when in fact it is those very  struggles and battles which will produce the bread we need to continue to strengthen our hearts (Psa 104:14-15) so that His love will not fail or wax cold. It will in many when the iniquity of the world abounds more and more and people begin to rebel against the Lord in unbelief, not recognizing His sovereignty over all the conditions of the earth that He is working according to the counsel of His own will (Rom 2:4, Heb 13:10, Mat 24:12-13, Num 14:6-9, Eph 1:11-12).

Num 13:33  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight [2Co 4:18].

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: [Joh 20:29] for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 

Psa 104:14  He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; 
Psa 104:15  And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

Rom 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 

[This is akin to saying we despise the “bread whichstrengtheneth man’s heart“, the giants that we must acknowledge our in our land, and then confidently declare that we can overcome through Christ so they can be bread for us (2Co 7:11)]

Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle [The bread God freely gives to those who have been given eyes to see (Rev 1:3)].

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold [Num 14:10].
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Num 14:6  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes: 
Num 14:7  And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 
Num 14:8  If the LORD delight in us [If we are bound to the altar where we receive the bread of life (Psa 118:27)], then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 
Num 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not [Rom 2:4). 
Num 14:10  But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel [‘just as in this rebellion with Korah and all the congregation’ (Num 16:2, Num 16:19)] 

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 
Eph 1:12  That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Being the first to trust in Christ is a tremendous honour that comes at a great cost that we are told to count (Luk 14:27-28), meaning we must know that it involves our fulfilling His will throughout our life (Mat 12:50) which is our reasonable service (Rom 12:1-2), being made possible through Christ through whom we can endure all things even until the end (Mat 19:27-29, Mat 24:13). If we are bound to the altar nothing can separate us from this process that requires that we go through so much training that is often administered through afflictions, or persecutions or tribulations. All of those things — the afflictions, persecutions and much tribulation — bear witness and make it evident to us in our heavens that we are being worked with as a bride of Christ being prepared to rule under Him (Rev 19:7-9). That preparation is being accomplished by continually bearing about in our bodies the scars of Christ that show that we belong to Him (Gal 6:17).

Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 
Luk 14:28  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 

Mat 12:50  For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 
Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 
Rev 19:9  And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Gal 6:17  From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

The land which the Israelites of old were passing through to obtain was “an exceeding good land” that Joshua, who represents Christ, told the people they could inherit (Num 14:7). Christ has called and chosen us to be faithful until the end of this life and given us “exceeding great and precious promises” (2Pe 1:1-4), which confirms that, through our Lord, overcoming is exactly what is going to happen (Joh 8:36, Rom 8:35-37).

Num 14:7  And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.

2Pe 1:1  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 
2Pe 1:2  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 
2Pe 1:3  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 
2Pe 1:4  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. 

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword [2Sa 12:10]?
Rom 8:36  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 
Rom 8:37  Nay, in all these things [2Pe 1:3]we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.