Let's remember, one of the chief mistakes of Israel, was looking for an Earthy fulfillment of Messiah. They missed Messiah because of this.
Think we may also make the same mistake when we look at the land promises.
How does the NT portray fulfillment of these?
Check this out.
In Hosea 11, Israel is called God's son.
11 “When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
2 As they called them,[a]
So they went from them;
They sacrificed to the Baals,
And burned incense to carved images.
Then in the NT, inspired by the Holy Spirit, this prophecy is fulfilled. And the Israel/son aspect is applied to Jesus.
Matthew 2
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
So it looks like the Holy Spirit inspired writer of Matthew is correlating the nation of Israel to being fulfilled in Jesus.
Because of this, some say Jesus IS Israel.
I'm still pondering this in my mind. It's an interesting take on it to me.
Anyways here is some more...
The Holy Spirit inspired writer of Hebrews said
12
22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
So it sounds like the writer of Hebrews is spiritualizing the land promises. He seems to be saying to the Christians that they find those fulfilled right now. They've already come to them.
Further in Hebrews it seems to indicate that the things in the OT were shadows of a greater reality spiritually.
Hebrews 8
4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, “See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
Hebrews 10
10 For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.
I'm still bouncing this theory around in my head. Namely that Jesus is Israel, and the land promises are fulfilled by us coming to the heavenly Jerusalem and such.