By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. Hebrews 11:9
When the Roman general Pompey conquered Jerusalem in BC 64, he is reported to have entered into the temple to evaluate the unusual religious worship of the Jewish people. Most people in the ancient world believed in many different gods but when Pompey entered into the sacred parts of the temple he didn’t see any statues or pictures of their deity. After pulling aside the veil of the temple and stalking inside to see the God of these Jews, he came out and said, ‘Why, it’s empty; there’s nothing in it.’ All he saw was a scroll with writing, and that made no sense to him. Like most people in ancient times, Pompey just couldn’t understand how these people could worship one God that they couldn’t even see. He then ordered the city and the Temple to be destroyed. Perhaps Pompey thought he was destroying the God of the Jews. But no Pompey or anyone else can ever destroy God or His promises to His saints of the Old and New Testaments.
The people in Canaan must have wondered at Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob during the many years that they lived in that land. Although rich in possessions, they never once founded a city or village, or even laid the footing course for a new house. Their homes were never anything but tents, and these they moved frequently. As their neighbours bowed down to idols of wood and stone, they often wondered at the God of those nomadic wanderers, a God Who obviously blessed them but Who never seemed to give them a permanent home. That’s because those ancient patriarchs were living in the good of a promise. The land would be theirs, but in God’s time. They could wait. And so can we.
By faith Abraham disdained to put down roots because God promised Him that the best was yet to come. The best is yet to come for you and me, too. So why have we sunk roots down so deeply? Yes, we must live and work in this passing world. Yes, we must rub shoulders with many different people and participate in many different types of activities and organizations. Yes, we must live up to our responsibilities as children, parents, grandparents, neighbours, employees, employers, and citizens. But when the Lord comes to call us away to a better land and more glorious future, will it be as simple for us as folding up a tent and moving on? -Jim MacIntosh