Abraham was promised that his descendants would receive the land of Canaan. From then on, it became known as “the Promised Land.” It was described as a place flowing with milk and honey. That is not a literal statement but a metaphor for a place with excellent natural resources and where livestock would flourish.

The only problem is that people already live there. The Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites dwell there. These tribes have been living in total rebellion against the God of creation, and Abraham’s descendants, the Israelites, will have to defeat them in battle and drive them out of the land. They will serve as an instrument of God’s judgment on the evil people who live there.

Here is the tension: for the people of God to receive the blessings he had promised, they are going to have to trust God as they fight evil and drive it out of the land.

This imagery is symbolic for the followers of Jesus. We, too, are seeking out the blessings of the Lord, but to find them, we have a battle on our hands. We will have to fight the evil in our own lives and push back all the sins that have taken possession of our hearts.

God’s blessings are beyond imagination, but it always takes strenuous effort to receive them.