Living in the Promised Land

Studying in Hebrews now in my Bible study. . . in the Faith chapter (11) today. Reading about Abraham, how he trusted God—he “obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (11:8); how even though he was past age and Sarah was barren, “was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise” (11:11).

What intrigues me so much about this passage today is the part about how Abraham “made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country . . . looking forward to the city with foundations [in Greek “seed”], whose architect and builder is God” (11:9-10). I am overwhelmed by the depth of meaning in this passage for those of us who know Christ—it is so clearly a picture of our lives with Christ—or at least how our lives should be.

The power of God draws us (calls us) to Christ and the gift of faith (also from Him) enables us to see and to accept the truth of Jesus Christ, to receive the free gift of salvation. Once we accept Christ and decide to follow Him (even though we don’t know where we are going), we move to the “promised land,” which is a place—not a physical place, but a spiritual place, where we live by faith in the promises of God, who is faithful.

--Promises of His unfailing love for us, promises of freedom from the burden of guilt, forgiveness of our sins, and (to come) freedom from sorrow, pain, and the cares and desires of this world. Most of all, I think, freedom from the fear of death. Even though we will experience death in this life, we need not fear it. We can know freedom from the fear of death, we can have inner joy and peace, even in the midst of trouble. To me, these are evidences of the power of God in our lives, evidences of His faithfulness, of His nearness.
And we look forward to, anticipate the fulfillment of promises that are yet to be, just as Abraham and other godly men waited. We wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises of eternal life, of living in the presence of God where all is light and good, no dark and evil. Jesus says in this world we will have tribulation, but in Him we may have peace. By the power of the Holy Spirit, in our hearts and spirits, we know all God’s promises are true and will come to pass—and we wait for them, living now in a land where we are strangers. Faith: waiting and believing.

From Hebrews 11:13-15 . . .

¹³These all died in faith,
         not having received the things promised,
      but having seen them and greeted them from afar,
    and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
¹⁴For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
¹⁵If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out,
         they would have had opportunity to return.

When I think about how Abraham lived like a stranger in a foreign country, I think about how I live in this world. What does it mean to “live like a stranger”?

Maybe it means not being so caught up with and focused on the things of this world, but becoming increasingly connected to the things of the spirit. Perhaps it means not to be so comfortable with—and attached to—the things of this world, whether a lifestyle, material things, or cultural norms and values.  And, too, it means (to me) not to be so caught up in seeking the approval of others, but to seek the approval of God. Maybe it means realizing that sometimes I will not (should not?) “fit” in this world, that I will seem strange to others.

But I have been thinking this morning about how well I fit in this world. I want the same things as others—comfort, security, health, enough money, and I want people to like me. Is it implausible to think that Abraham and Sarah desired the same things, struggled with many of the same issues we do now?

I think about the problems and sorrows Abraham experienced. By no means did Abraham live a life free from care and trouble. Traveling to a country he did not know, living with the serious consequences of his involvement with Hagar and his son by her, Ishmael; lying about who Sarah was (twice, I think) because he was more afraid of men than of God; watching as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, while his family was affected (Lot and his family); and of course, being commanded by God to sacrifice his only son, Isaac (serves as sign of Jesus to come). Abraham surely knew pain, sorrow, fear, anxiety in his earthly life. But he kept his eyes on the promises of God, being “sure of what he hoped for and certain of what he did not see” (11:1).

And God used an imperfect human (Abraham) and miraculous means (the conception and birth of Isaac) to give us His promises through His chosen people, through which he revealed Himself by His covenant with Abraham, the Law, the sacrificial system--all of which point to Christ and God's plan redemption for man. He used a perfect human, who was also perfectly God (Jesus) and miraculous means (the conception and birth of Jesus) to fulfill His promises for a new covenant. In the fullness of time, Jesus was born, lived, and died on the cross. In the fullness of time, Jesus will return for His people.

Just as the sacrificial system described in the Old Testament and the old covenant are copies or shadows of Christ’s sacrifice and the new covenant, the “promised land” is symbolic of the true promised land, the place where we will spend eternity with Christ. Hebrews is so rich...difficult, but rich. Anyone who wants to learn how Jesus is connected to the Old Testament should read Hebrews--it's fascinating.

Praise Him!