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"By faith he dwelt in the land of promise..."

Text: Hebrews 11:9

THE PROMISED LAND

God gave more than one promise to Abraham! But one definite promise concerned the inheritance of “the promised land” (Cf. Genesis 12-25). However the author of Hebrews offers a very significant insight as to how Abraham understood God’s promise.

“By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of
the same promise.”
Hebrews 11:9

1. By faith he dwelt

a) The faith of Abraham was first exhibited in his obedience to God. He left all to go to the land of Canaan.

b) He never looked back at what he had left behind; he continued to exercise faith in God in the new land (Canaan).

2. Dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country

a) This is an astonishing and revelatory perspective.

b) Abraham lived in the land of promise as if he lived “in a foreign country”.

3. Dwelling in tents

a) There were tent dwellers (tents represent “temporary dwelling”).

b) There were also people who built permanent cities (but Abraham was not one of those).

c) They could well afford to live in better abodes than mere tents.

d) They could have built a city for their descendants to dwell in.

e) But all chose to dwell in tents- for good reason!

4. Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise

a) This deep faith understanding was something that was passed down from one generation to the next (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob represent three generations).

b) They were all heirs of the same promise- but their faith helped them to see beyond the physical land of promise!