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Old Testament Overview - CANAAN: What Can It Teach Us?
What does it symbolize?
1. It is not a symbol of heaven:
a. Then, the wilderness is a symbol of the Christian life. But, Jesus came to give us an abundant life, not a wilderness life. " . . . I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
b. Then, we would need to conquer heaven as Israel conquered Canaan. This is the very opposite of how heaven is described. "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." (Revelation 21:4)
2. It is a symbol of New Testament Christianity:
a. In the Christian life, we must still battle with the enemy. (James 4:7; Eph. 6:12)
b. In the Christian life, we are urged to possess more of what we have inherited in Christ. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." (Philippians 3:12) See also Ephesians 4:25-5:20; II Peter 1:3-8)
What can we learn from Israel's conquest of Canaan?
1. As Canaan was a place of resting in what God had given to them, so the Christian life is a place of resting in what Jesus Christ has won for us. (Josh. 21:44-45; Heb. 4:1-11; Matt. 11:28-30)
2. The Christian life is meant to be a life of abundance—just as Israel found abundance in Canaan. (Numbers 13:27; John 10:10).
3. The Christian life is meant to be a life of victory—Israel's victories in Canaan point to our victories in Christ over the evil one. (Josh. 21:44-45; II Cor. 2:14)
4. We must also remove all enemy territory from our lives—just as Israel needed to completely defeat the enemy in the land of Canaan. Leaving some of the territory in our lives occupied by the enemy is like leaving some of our garden occupied by weeds—it will not be long before more territory is taken over by the enemy (like more area in our garden taken over by weeds).
5. We can also learn from the book of Joshua about what we are to do so that we will experience this restful, abundant, and victorious life.
