Reinforcing Your View of Paradise

15. Why was Moses not able to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, but what did he see?

¹⁵ Consider another foregleam of Paradise. After Israel wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, Moses led them to the Plains of Moab, east of the Jordan River. Because of a past failing on Moses’ part, Jehovah determined that Moses would not lead Israel across the Jordan. (Numbers 20:7-12; 27:12, 13) Moses implored God: “Let me pass over, please, and see the good land that is across the Jordan.” Even if he would not enter it, after ascending Mount Pisgah and seeing various parts of that land, Moses must have realized that it was a “good land.” What do you think that land was like?​—Deuteronomy 3:25-27.

16, 17. (a) How did the Promised Land in ancient times differ from the land in more recent times? (b) Why can we believe that the Promised Land was once like a paradise?

¹⁶ If you base your view on what much of that region has been like recently, you might imagine an arid land of sand, rocky deserts, and parching heat. However, there is reason to believe that overall the region was quite different in Biblical times. In the journal Scientific American, water-and-soil expert Dr. Walter C. Lowdermilk explained that the land in this region has been “damaged by a millennium of abuse.” This agronomist wrote: “The ‘desert’ that took over the once-flourishing land was the work of man, not of nature.” In fact, his studies indicated that “this land was once a pastoral paradise.” It becomes evident that human abuse has damaged what was “a pastoral paradise.”a

¹⁷ Reflecting on what you have read in the Bible, you may see how logical that conclusion is. Recall what Jehovah assured the people through Moses: “The land to which you are crossing to take possession of it is a land of mountains and valley plains. Of the rain of the heavens it drinks water; a land that Jehovah your God is caring for.”​—Deuteronomy 11:8-12.

18. How must Isaiah 35:2 have given exiled Israelites an idea of what the Promised Land would be like?

¹⁸ The Promised Land’s verdant beauty and fruitfulness was such that merely mentioning certain locales brought to mind paradiselike conditions. That is clear from the prophecy in Isaiah chapter 35, which had an initial fulfillment when the Israelites returned from Babylon. Isaiah foretold: “Without fail it will blossom, and it will really be joyful with joyousness and with glad crying out. The glory of Lebanon itself must be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and of Sharon. There will be those who will see the glory of Jehovah, the splendor of our God.” (Isaiah 35:2) The references to Lebanon, Carmel, and Sharon must have evoked a satisfying and lovely image to the Israelites.

19, 20. (a) Describe the area of ancient Sharon. (b) What is one way to strengthen our hope for Paradise?

¹⁹ Consider Sharon, a maritime plain between the hills of Samaria and the Great Sea, or the Mediterranean. (See photo on page 10.) It was noted for its beauty and productivity. Being well watered, it was fine for grazing, but it had forests of oak trees in the northern sections. (1 Chronicles 27:29; Song of Solomon 2:1, footnote; Isaiah 65:10) Thus Isaiah 35:2 was foretelling a restoration and a land blossoming with splendor, becoming like a paradise. That prophecy was also pointing to a delightful spiritual paradise, in line with what Paul later saw in vision. Finally, this prophecy, along with others, strengthens our hope for an earthly paradise for mankind.