I am not a legal expert, but even I understand the concept of an “inheritance.” When someone dies, the next in line is responsible for the physical possessions of their predecessor. What was theirs now becomes yours — assets, liabilities, and everything in between.
As far back as Genesis 48:6, the land of Canaan has been described as an inheritance. It’s a gift, given by God to the children of Israel.
But think about that concept from a legal perspective. An inheritance isn’t usually bestowed (at least in our culture) until someone dies. God isn’t dead, so that idea doesn’t translate to a Biblical community.
That forces us to think of this idea a bit differently. In ancient Israel, families lived together under the same roof. Multiple generations were in close proximity together, with the patriarch acting as the de facto leader amongst his mini-tribe.
Often, those people would give of what they’ve earned to their children, whether that’s land, or, in the case of the prodigal son, the “share of the estate that falls to [him]” (Luke 15:2). And if you were the firstborn, you got double.
This is the backdrop for the inheritance of Canaan. The land is God’s, but he’s giving it to the people that are in His family.
In case the question of ownership wasn’t clear, God Himself enunciates this in Leviticus 25:23: “The land is Mine; for you are but aliens and sojourners with Me.” With that in mind, the people of Israel would never actually “own” the land; instead, they were just tenants and/or sons operating in the possession of their Father.
The reason that’s significant is because their possession comes with terms and conditions (you know, the thing at the bottom of contracts that everyone clicks that they read but never actually read?).
In the context of Numbers 34, one of the conditions is not to “pollute” the land with innocent blood (Numbers 35:33). Homicide and accidental murder need to be rectified. Where death occurs, it needs to be handled.
Outside of the immediate context, strict righteousness and obedience needs to be maintained. Leviticus 18:27 argues that the land will “spew them out” if they defile it by not keeping the commandments of God.
And that’s exactly what happened several hundred years later when the people decided to forsake God. The land laid barren while Judah and Israel languished in captivity.
Since the land is given as an inheritance by an almighty God, the thought then is that the same God that established the borders of His people would also protect those borders. As long as they obeyed the will of their Father, there wasn’t ever really a threat from the outside.
They were safe, because an Almighty God watched over them.
The idea of an inheritance reframes what Heaven means for us. We’re conditioned to think that an eternity with God is some sort of velvet roped, VIP section that only the most exclusive Christians get access to.
In reality, it’s humanity’s birthright. God created it for everyone (2 Peter 3:9), but dwelling in His spiritual “land” is contingent upon us obeying Him as our Spiritual Landlord. He’s our Father, but just like a father could throw the son out of the house for acting against his will, so our Father can do the same to us.
We know, because He’s already done it to Israel. That’s Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, by saying that “all passed through the Red Sea” but “not all made it to Canaan.” Just because we’re a part of His family now doesn’t mean we will all stay a part of His family forever.
That choice depends on us.