Leslie Koh

Many years ago, feeling burnt out after working at the same job for nearly 10 years, I began to liken it to a place of slavery. (To be fair, it wasn’t; it was just my own perception.)

Like many others, perhaps, I was plagued by questions like:

Then, a job opportunity in a somewhat different industry came along, and in my burnt-out state, I began to see it as my personal “promised land”. 

Several rounds of interviews and a tentative job offer later, that feeling strengthened. I found myself in a metaphorical wilderness—dying to flee my current job, a place of slavery, but afraid to move to the new job, which looked challenging.

But, anxious to get out of the wilderness and into what seemed to be a place of milk and honey, I made the switch.

Within six months, however, I realised that it wasn’t the promised land, after all. (Again, it wasn’t the fault of the job or the organisation; it just wasn’t a good fit for me.)

Now, my former job seemed to look more attractive, in retrospect. “I want to go back to Egypt,” I joked with my friends. 

After much deliberation, I did go back—and had no regrets. And I discovered that I could once again grow in this new-old job.

But it got me thinking: Which job represented the “real” promised land? And: Does God have a promised land for me, in my career? If He did, what might it look like?

What was the promised land? To the Israelites, it was the place God had promised to Abraham. This specific place was Canaan, and it was where God would make him a great nation, bless him, and multiply his family (Genesis 12:1–3).

As I reflected on my own job-switch experience, I began to wonder: in seeking to understand what the “promised land” meant for me personally, had I got it all wrong?

In my mind, the “right job” that God had planned for me was Canaan, the “wrong job” was Egypt, and my challenge was to find out which was which.

But, as many of us have discovered, trying to apply biblical concepts to personal situations is always tricky. Many parts of God’s Word are specific and contextual, and cannot be simply transposed to modern-day or personal contexts.

It was then that I considered this idea: the promised land, in the context of career fulfilment, was not necessarily a specific place or situation, but a state of mind and heart.

In this definition, any job could be a promised land, Egypt, or the wilderness. The difference would come from how I was adapting to the job, what I was learning through the process, and whether I was growing as a person and as a Christian there.

At the same time, I also realised that the promised land was not a utopia. In fact, as I meditated on how God led the Israelites into their promised land, some thoughts and lessons occurred to me:

To get from Egypt to Canaan, the Israelites had to cross the wilderness. Because of their own faithlessness, they ended up roaming around it for 40 years. Yet, their time there was well used by God. 

It was in the wilderness that the Israelites were toughened up physically, mentally, and spiritually. Apart from learning to cope with the challenges of their environment, they also received many lessons about trusting God, living by His holy standards, and obeying His commands.

God used their experiences to sift their hearts, showing them their weaknesses and sinfulness, then teaching them to look to Him and rely on Him completely.

Where is our “wilderness”? It can be tough if we’re languishing in a job that we’re unhappy with, jobless, or facing difficulty finding a new job. But that might also be a time of toughening and learning. What is God teaching us in our personal wilderness?

The promised land was no cakewalk; the Israelites had to fight many enemies and battles to get in and to acquire territory, which took them many years. There was an abundance of milk and honey to be had, but they had to work for it. But, they knew, it would be worth it.

In a similar way, that dream job may not come on a silver platter. There may be many obstacles and challenges. But, God has also given us skills, talents, and abilities. As we work diligently and obediently, and trust in Him to do the rest, I believe we will be able to enjoy the fruits of labour that He blesses us with.

Perhaps that’s what King Solomon realised when he tried to figure out where one could find true joy and satisfaction:

Throughout the entire journey, from slavery in Egypt and through the wilderness, to entering the promised land and occupying it, one key lesson that the Israelites had to learn and re-learn was this:

There were all sorts of obstacles along the way, from a powerful Pharaoh and inhospitable desert conditions to fearsome enemies in Canaan. Yet, through countless miracles, God showed the Israelites that He would lead them through, if only they would rely on Him completely. Their challenges became insurmountable only when they doubted God and thought they were better off back in Egypt.

In Deuteronomy 1:30–31, therefore, Moses reminded them as they prepared to step foot into Canaan:

Will we trust God to take us through the wilderness and into the place He has prepared for us? Or will we doubt His faithfulness and try to rely on ourselves?

After moving into the promised land, it was not all play. The Israelites had various responsibilities to fulfil, which included tilling the ground, working on the crops, and taking care of the land itself. 

Leviticus 25:1–7, for example, talks about sowing their fields for six years and leaving the land fallow every seventh year. The promised land was flowing with milk and honey, to be sure, but it was not meant to be a holiday camp. The Israelites had to cherish and look after their gift from God.

What are we expecting when we reach our “promised land”? What do we think God is calling us to do, and how can we serve Him and His purpose for us in the place that He has put us in?

The promised land was ultimately meant to be a place for the Israelites to walk in close relationship with the Lord, who would bless them as they worshipped Him and lived in His ways.

Deuteronomy 7:12 makes it clear what He expected of them: “If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your ancestors.”

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they failed to do. Along with doubting and distrusting God, they were unfaithful. They lost sight of their destiny as God’s people, and broke their covenant with Him. And that’s what eventually caused them to lose their possession of the promised land.

The promised land was clearly no holiday. The Israelites had to undergo training to get there, fight to enter and occupy it, and work hard to keep it. 

Yet, it was the place where the people felt like they belonged. It was where they could relate to God freely and joyfully. It was where, if they remained faithful, they could be sure of God’s provision and presence.

There is no perfect job. Even if a particular job is better than most others, it will come with its own unique challenges.

But, if we are in a place (or if we move to one) where we can grow spiritually, then that could be our promised land—at least for the season.

At the same time, even if we are in a good place, we need to remember: it is not our final place. There is one more we can look forward to. 

As significant as the physical promised land was to the nation of Israel, they were reminded that it was not the be-all and end-all. In fact, Hebrews 4:6–10 reminds them—and us—that there is another promised land. 

“It still remains for some to enter that rest,” notes this passage. “For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.” 

This “another day” points to an ultimate rest—a spiritual rest that is yet to come. One day, we will find true rest from our labours, from our exhaustion and worries, and from all our earthly responsibilities. But not yet.