Inheritance
By Hillel ben David (Greg Killian)
This study will examine "what" Jews inherit as a result of being the people who covenanted with HaShem. In this study we shall see that the Jews will inherit three major things: The land of Israel, the Torah, and the Gentiles.
Lets start by examining what Paul says about our inheritance:
Galatians 3:15-18 Brothers, let me take an example from
everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in
this case. The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed.
The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but
"and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Mashiach.
What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside
the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For
if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer
depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to
Abraham through a promise.
Paul emphasizes that our inheritance is related to the promise he made to Abraham. So, we need to examine "what" was promised to Abraham:
Genesis 12:7 And HaShem appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give
this land: and there builded he an altar unto HaShem, who appeared unto him.
From the above passage, we can see that what was promised to
Abraham was LAND. So, in our Galatians
passage we can see that what WE inherit is the land promised to Abraham. The
land promised was greater
The writer to the Hebrews reiterates that the land is what was promised as an inheritance to Abraham and to the rest of HaShem's people:
Hebrews 11:8-16 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive
as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was
going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a
foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For
he was looking forward to the city with foundations,
whose architect and builder is God. By faith Abraham, even though he was past
age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he
considered him faithful who had made the promise. And so from this one man, and
he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as
countless as the sand on the seashore. All these people were still living by
faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw
them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such
things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been
thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to
return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city
for them.
Paul does not stop with Galatians. He emphasizes our inheritance in:
Ephesians 1:11-16 In him we were also chosen, having been
predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity
with the purpose of his will, In order that we, who were the first to hope in Mashiach,
might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Mashiach
when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him
with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our
inheritance until the redemption of those who are
God's possession--to the praise of his glory. For this reason, ever since I
heard about your faith in the Lord Yeshua and your
love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering
you in my prayers.
Here, Paul indicates that the purpose of the sending of the Holy Spirit is to guarantee that we will receive our portion of the land. This is the primary purpose of the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:1-7 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children And live a
life of love, just as Mashiach loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you
there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity,
or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there
be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather
thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy
person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the
Now Paul is emphasizing that our inheritance in the land of Israel is also an inheritance in the
Colossians 1:1-12 Paul, an apostle of Mashiach Yeshua by the
will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the holy and faithful brothers in Mashiach
at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our
Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Yeshua Mashiach, when we
pray for you, Because we have heard of your faith in Mashiach Yeshua and of the
love you have for all the saints-- The faith and love that spring from the hope
that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in
the word of truth, the gospel That has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has
been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in
all its truth. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a
faithful minister of Mashiach on our behalf, And who also told us of your love
in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we
heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you
and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of
his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in
order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every
way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, Being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may
have great endurance and patience, and joyfully Giving thanks to the Father,
who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom
of light.
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, Since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Mashiach you
are serving.
Hebrews 9:11-15 When Mashiach came as high priest of the good
things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect
tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats
and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood,
having obtained eternal redemption.
The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who
are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How
much more, then, will the blood of Mashiach, who through the eternal Spirit
offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead
to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Mashiach is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the
promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died
as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed
under the first covenant.
Our inheritance in the land is eternal.
I Peter 1:1-5 Peter, an apostle of Yeshua Mashiach, To
God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,
Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the
sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Yeshua Mashiach and sprinkling
by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua Mashiach! In his great mercy he has
given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection
of Yeshua Mashiach from the dead, And into an inheritance that can never
perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, Who
through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming
of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in
the last time.
In the above passage we learn that this promised land is currently stored in heaven for us.
Acts 20:32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can
build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Acts 13:16-19 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who
worship God, listen to me! The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of
that country, He endured their conduct for about forty
years in the desert, He overthrew seven nations in
Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance.
Acts 6:15 - 7:5 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and
they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges
true?" To this he replied: "Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The
God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia,
before he lived in
Matthew 25:31-34 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one
from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the
sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to
those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your
inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation
of the world.
We will receive our inheritance when the Son of Man comes in His glory.
Zechariah 8:7-13 This is what HaShem Almighty says: "I
will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful
and righteous to them as their God." This is what HaShem Almighty says:
"You who now hear these words spoken by the prophets who were there when
the foundation was laid for the house of HaShem Almighty,
let your hands be strong so that the temple may be
built. Before that time there were no wages for man or
beast. No one could go about his business safely because of his enemy, for I
had turned every man against his neighbor. But now I will not deal with the
remnant of this people as I did in the past," declares HaShem Almighty. "The seed
will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its
crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will
give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. As you
have been an object of cursing among the nations, O
If you look at the above passage, you will noticed that all of the things promised, as an inheritance, are related to our promised land!
Obadiah 1:15-21 "The day of HaShem is near for all nations. As you have done, it
will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. Just as you
drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will
drink and drink and be as if they had never been. But on
Daniel 12:9-13 He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up
and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be
purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked
will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who
are wise will understand. "From the time that the daily sacrifice is
abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be
1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335
days. "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at
the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
This next passage details the specifics of the location of each tribe's inheritance:
Ezekiel 48:1-29 "These are the tribes, listed by name: At the northern frontier,
Dan will have one portion; it will follow the Hethlon road to Lebo Hamath;
Hazar Enan and the northern border of Damascus next to Hamath will be part of
its border from the east side to the west side. "Asher
will have one portion; it will border the
This next passage emphasizes that the inheritance in the land is NOT limited to just native born Israelites, but also to the righteous aliens:
Ezekiel 47:13-23 This is what the Sovereign HaShem says: "These are the boundaries
by which you are to divide the land for an inheritance among the twelve tribes of
Ezekiel 45:1-2 "'When you allot the land as an inheritance, you are to present
to HaShem a portion of the land as a sacred district, 25,000 cubits long and 20,000
cubits wide; the entire area will be holy. Of this, a section 500 cubits square
is to be for the sanctuary, with 50 cubits around it
for open land.
Ezekiel 36:7-12 Therefore this is what the Sovereign HaShem says: I swear with
uplifted hand that the nations around you will also suffer scorn. "'But
you, O mountains of
Ezekiel 35:14-15 This is what the Sovereign HaShem says: While the whole earth
rejoices, I will make you desolate. Because you rejoiced when the inheritance
of the house of
The land was given to the Jews for an inheritance. However, there is more to this story then meets the eye. It seems there is an additional inheritance:
Tehillim
(Psalms) 2:7-9 I will declare the decree: HaShem hath said
unto me, Thou art my Son; this
day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me,
and I shall give thee the heathen for
thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron;
thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Thus we see that the Gentiles were given to Israel as an inheritance. The sons of Qorach also confirmed that the Gentiles were the inheritance of the Jews.
Tehillim
(Psalms) 47:2 For HaShem most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth. 3 He shall subdue the people under us, and the
nations under our feet. 4 He shall
choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob
whom he loved. Selah.
Finally we see that the Gentile inheritance was given by HaShem in the Torah:
Vayikra
(Leviticus) 25:44-46 Both
thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall
ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. 45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that
do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in
your land: and they shall be your possession. 46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance
for your children after you, to inherit them
for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your
brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with
rigour.
King David also tells us that HaShem is the portion of his inheritance. Since David is the king of the body called Israel, then we know that HaShem is the portion of our inheritance:
Tehillim
(Psalms) 16:5 HaShem is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou
maintainest my lot.
Now we know that the Children of Israel have three things called inheritance: The land of Israel, the Gentiles, and HaShem. These are the inheritance of the Jews.
Finally, we come to what may be the most important inheritance of the Jews. Its importance is due to its provision of life:
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 33:4 Moses commanded us Torah, even the
inheritance of the congregation of Jacob.
Just because my father had the Torah does not mean that I will have the Torah. Sometimes a person only has the Torah as a 'morasha'. This means that if a person sweats over Torah and makes the effort to understand Torah and puts in the hours required to master Torah, then Torah actually becomes his. But there is no guarantee. Torah is not a no-strings-attached inheritance (yerusha). Without the sweat and the hours, Torah will only be something that the person can potentially pass on to the next generation (morasha).
The land, as an inheritance, has a similar work requirement. Even though the land was given as an inheritance to the Children of Israel who left Egypt, only a small percentage of that generation actually received their inheritance. Further, that inheritance is useless unless one puts in a great deal of effort to improve it.
We have a similar requrement with the Gentiles. Those Gentiles which are turning to HaShem will be our inheritance only when we put the time to teach them Torah. Without Torah, there will be no inheritance among the Gentiles.
As my beloved teacher has said on many occasions: There ain’t no free lunches.
* * *
This study was written by Hillel ben David
(Greg Killian).
Comments may be submitted to:
Greg Killian
227 Millset Chase
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