Deuteronomy 11 contains a wonderful promise from God. In verses 18-25 (KJV), God says,
...lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul ... that your days may be multiplied ... in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them... For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you ... then will the Lord drive out all these nations from before you ... every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread shall be yours ... There shall no man be able to stand before you...
As with many parts of the bible, those words appear to contain dual meanings, one immediate and the other more shadowy and distant.
As for the immediate, God was promising the Israelites that they would soon come into possession of the land promised to Abraham. And, of course, the subsequent historical books of the bible bear record of that.
But those historical books also record many trials and tribulations for the Israelites even after they come into possession of the land. So it would seem that God's promises were never fully fulfilled. That brings us to the more distance meaning behind those promises. The "Promised Land" appears also to apply to the end point of our earthly journey, and to that end, God's promises apply to all of us, even today.
Most pertinent to us: We should view our earthly journey as analogous to the Israelites roaming through the desert for 40 years. We seek our "Promised Land" that has been promised.
