Drash
Deuteronomy 11:24-25

Blaine Robison, M.A.

Delivered 16 August 2025

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From the River to the Sea

24 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours; from the wilderness to the Lebanon, from the River, the River Euphrates, as far as the the western Sea, your territory shall be. 25 No man will be able to stand against you; ADONAI your God will put the dread of you and the fear of you on the face of all the land in which you tread, just as He has spoken to you." (Deut 11:24-25 BR)

For detailed commentary on this passage see my notes here.

This is an incredible passage. I'm sure you are aware that when Abraham entered the land of Canaan in Genesis 12, God promised him "to your descendants I will give this land." What we don't usually consider is that God promised to give Abraham and his descendants "the land of his sojournings," an immense territory the boundaries of which are mentioned four times in the Torah.

As the southern boundary the "wilderness" stretched from Kadesh Barnea to the Nile River in Egypt. The north boundary of Lebanon refers either to the mountain range or specifically the 10,000 foot Mt. Lebanon. The land between the north and south borders was surveyed by the twelve spies and then in the time of Joshua allocated to the twelve tribes, commonly referred to by the expression, "from Dan to Beersheva."

The western sea is the Mediterranean and the Euphrates is the 1700 mile river that begins in Turkey near Mt. Ararat and flows generally southeast until it reaches the Persian Gulf. Consider this. Abraham had journeyed on foot from Ur of the Chaldeans (close to the Euphrates River) to Haran in Syria situated on a tributary of the Euphrates, then to Canaan, and also into Egypt and back to Canaan. So the "land of Abraham's sojournings" stretched from the Euphrates River to the Nile River. In modern times these four boundaries would include the countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq.

Even though there were no tribal allotments beyond Canaan, God intended for Israel to be a blessing to the peoples inhabiting lands beyond Canaan and to be a light of the knowledge of the true God. As noted in verses 22-23 fulfillment of the promised territory was contingent on two conditions: First, the compliance of Israel to obey God's commandments, and Second, God's direct intervention to give victory to Israel over more powerful nations. These two conditions depict a partnership between Israel and God to accomplish His will. This promise was eventually fulfilled in the time of Solomon, for "he reigned over all the kings from the River [Euphrates] even to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt" (1Kgs 4:21).

You have no doubt heard news reports about the chant "from the river to the sea," by supporters of Hamas on American university campuses. By "river" they mean the Jordan River and this statement essentially calls for the elimination of Israel and the genocide of Jews and claims rights for Muslims that God never granted. Jews in America are rightly concerned about the threat posed by Muslim politicians who refuse to denounce the advocates of jihad.

However, the prophecy of verse 25 is a very far-reaching promise. God alludes to the fact that in biblical history many kings or prominent political figures sought to destroy the Jewish people, from Pharaoh to Haman, and since then, such as Hitler, Stalin and the Iranian Ayatolla. Many ancient peoples have disappeared from the earth, but God has preserved His people, even in spite of Israel's failures.

Contrary to the teaching of historic Christianity, the misconduct of Israelites did not cause God to reject Israel and revoke His promises. Indeed God specifically declared to Abraham, Jacob and Moses that the promise of the land is an everlasting promise (Gen 13:15; 17:8; 48:4; Ex 32:13). Moreover Sha'ul asserts that the promises God made to Abraham for his blood descendants are irrevocable (Rom 11:29). Again, the disobedience of Israel DID NOT cancel God's covenantal promises!

Sha'ul also affirmed that all the covenantal promises are "Yes" in Yeshua (2Cor 1:20). In other words the covenantal promises remain in force by the authority of the Son of God. God told Abraham "To your Seed [which is a singular noun] I have given this land from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates" (Gen 15:18). Therefore, as the Seed of Abraham Yeshua possesses the title-deed to the promised territory as it says in the prophecy of Zechariah:

9 "Rejoice greatly, daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 10 … and His dominion will be from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth." (Zech 9:9-10 NASB) HALLELUJAH!

Just as Israel was exhorted to "walk the land," so Yeshua walked the land, from the Lebanon mountains in the north to the wilderness in the south, and both sides of the Jordan River. (Oh, and his parents took him to Egypt.) By walking the land he claimed it for his Kingdom. God's covenantal promise to Israel stands forever and already the Messiah is calling souls and building His kingdom throughout the lands between the Nile and the Euphrates.

Barukh Hashem!

Copyright © 2025 by Blaine Robison. All rights reserved.