Is the physical world bad? Are spirit, soul, and energy the pure good we seek on our life journey? Will we only be truly spiritual and happy when we are free from our earthly bodies?
The Bible answers these and similar questions with an emphatic "No!" The universe, including earth and all living creatures, came from the skilled hand of a loving creator. He considered it "very good" (Genesis 1:31). Because of human sin, this physical world needs redemption. By God's grace, it will share in God's redemption at the end of time (see Romans 8:19–21).
Scripture shows the goodness and importance of the world with a focus on what God says about land. All land belongs to God. God removed the Canaanite people from the promised land because of their evil. He brought Israel into that land because of his promises to the Israelite patriarchs. He also wants humans to care for the earth in harmony with its creator.
In ancient Israel, each household received a portion on which to live. God's assignment of the land, not the land itself, was what he entrusted for them to manage. Fathers passed this land assignment to their sons as the main part of family inheritances.
Following these principles and God's instructions, Joshua divided the land among the tribes. The tribes then divided it among clans, families, and individual households. God's gift of management over a specific land portion was essentially a gift of life to each household.
Passages for Further Study
Genesis 1:31; 12:7; 13:14–17; 15:12–21; 17:7–8; 35:11–13; 50:24; Joshua 13:1–21:45; Psalm 37:9–34; Luke 12:22–34; 16:9–11