Exodus: Why the Promised Land?

There are three possible reasons why God is so determined that Israel will have Canaan: that the Canaanites need to be kicked out; that God promised Abram, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would have Canaan; that and a nation must have land to be stable.

The Canaanites are desperately wicked, and God, being a just god, has decided to destroy them. This is the region that Sodom and Gomorrah were in before they were destroyed. God has promised to give this land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s descendants, however, and if the land is abandoned, it will not be a lush and prosperous land anymore. God wants the Israelites to come and be his implements of justice on the Canaanites so that then the Israelites can take possession of the land.

As was mentioned above, God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their descendants would eventually own Canaan. Israel is the nation that is descended from them, so it makes sense that Israel should get Canaan.

However, while these reasons seem logically sound, they are not adequate to fully explain why God promised a land in the first place when he promised a nation from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why was it so important that the nation to come was to have a land, and why that particular land? Perhaps the answer is that having a land is one of the prerequisites to having a stable nation, and Canaan is particularly suited for starting a nation.

In order to have a stable nation, there are several things that are necessary. First, one needs people. This seems rather obvious. Second, one needs a code of laws that are agreed upon by the people and a means of enforcing them. This is necessary to prevent anarchy and the self destruction of the nation. Third, the people need a land to live on that can support them that is moderately defensible. Without a land, a nation will necessarily splinter. It is not practical to have a nation sized group of people wandering around. The land would be incapable of supporting them. Once a nation splits into traveling groups, they will grow separate, and after a few generations will cease to adhere to a single identity or God. Also, a nomadic nation is at risk of being destroyed because they have no cities in which to hide the noncombatant members when attacked.

God is creating a nation out of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He provided the people, the Israelites. He also provides the laws, and the method of enforcement. All that is left is the land. He has promised them Canaan, and Canaan is ripe for the taking. It is a prosperous country in the middle of the desert. It is also a place that is the crossroads of several trade routs. Because of the terrain, it is quite defensible. Canaan is the best land that there is in that area, and God is not a god who gives shoddy gifts, so Canaan is the land that he chose to give them.