What kind of promises did Israel have?
Israel's promises were earthly, not heavenly. From the promise to Abraham onward, Israel was taught they were a special, called-out, separated, covenant people of God, and all their promises pertained to the earth. Even in resurrection as believers, they will be an earthly people, not a heavenly people, with earthly reward and blessing.
Les explains that when God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, He separated him from the mainstream of humanity and promised that from that one man would come a distinctive race and nation, Israel. From the onset of the promise to Abraham until Israel was dispersed after rejecting their king, they had it constantly drummed into their mindset that they were a special, called-out, separated, covenant people of God, and all their promises are earthly. Les therefore calls them God's earthly people. He clarifies that this does not deny that an Old Testament saint went to paradise or that a believer goes to a place of reward; his point concerns their eternal abode and resurrected state. When Jews experience resurrection as believers, they will not be a heavenly people but an earthly people. Even in life in the flesh, all of Israel's promises were earthly, which explains why many had tremendous wealth, such as Abraham.