The Land of Kabul

1 Kings 9:11 (Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 12 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him; and they pleased him not. 13 And he said, What cities are these which thou hast given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul unto this day.

Solomon had purposed to do something special for Hiram, King of Tyre, for all the kindness and assistance he had shown him in building the house of the Lord in Jerusalem.

So he gave Hiram these 20 Galilean cities as a gift. However, upon visiting the cities, he was displeased and called the area the land of Cabul, meaning, limitation. In other words, there wasn't a whole lot that could be done with these villages. The ground was no good for crops. There were no trade routes close by. The cities would never amount to much. They were Cabul (Kabul), limited.

I think of all the people I know who dwell in the land of Kabul, the land of limitation. They cannot see past their next paycheck, past the weekend, past their upbringing and education. They are limited in vision and capability because they refuse to pack their bags and move to a better place. It’s a place where rivers of blessing flow, where the soil is rich and fertile, where fruitfulness abounds. The Bible calls this Beulah Land. We reach an area like this by faith and hard work, empowered by the Spirit of God. I am not talking about heaven only, but about a promised land on this side of the river.

I've reached the land of corn and wine
And all its riches freely mine
Here shines undimmed one blissful day
For all my night has passed away

O Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land
As on thy highest mount I stand
I look away across the sea
Where mansions are prepared for me
And view the shining glory shore
My Heav'n, my home forever more!