8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 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; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
Commentary
Vs. 8 "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going."
From Noah, through whom God preserved a posterity of original humanity, we move to Abraham, a man through whom God presented the foundation of salvation. And so by faith Abraham obeyed God when God called Abraham to leave his family and friends and all that he had known and go to the place which God would show him. And so Abraham believing God went out from his place not knowing where He was going, but believing God he obeyed Him and God brought him to the land of Canaan with all that he had (Gen. 12:1-6). Then later after Lot departed from him, God promised Abraham that he and his descendants would have the entire land as an inheritance from Him forever (Genesis 13:14-17).
Vs. 9-10 "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; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
And so it was that Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan, (but not as the heir of it, or even as a resident of it). Instead Abraham dwelt in tents as if he were living in a foreign country. For Abraham did not adopt the idolatrous cultural practices, nor degenerate moral norms of the land (see Lev. 18, vs. 24-30). And so all the time that Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan he dwelt as sojourner along with his sons Issac and Jacob who were also heirs of the same promises that God spoke to Abraham. For Abraham did not build himself a city to establish himself in the land as would've been the norm when he settled in Canaan, rather he was living in anticipation of the city which has everlasting foundations, whose builder and maker is God (vs. 10). Now for us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ this same principal is also at work in our hearts and lives. For though we live in whatever nations and places where we dwell, truly we do not have deep roots in them, for like Abraham, and all of God's people down through the ages, we truly are strangers and sojourners in this world and too this world (Psalm 39:12), as we await the city whose Builder and Maker is God (see Rev. 21:9-27).
Vs. 11 "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised."
Now if Abraham's faith is exemplary, so too is Sara's, and not because she initially believed when the angel of the Lord Spoke to Abraham saying that he would have child in his old age, (for initially she laughed), rather because when that time came and she became aware that she was now pregnant in her old age, she did not seek to abandon or abort her child. Rather she believing God received strength from God to bring forth the promised child, even when she was well past age of child bearing, for she counted God faithful to His Word and to His Promises.
Vs. 12 "Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore."
And so from Abraham a man the Scripture says was as good as dead, God brought forth decedents as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore, just as He promised He would do through Abraham (Genesis 13:16; 15:5; 22:15-18). Therefore both Abraham and Sara his wife are listed as being people of faith, not extraordinary faith, but genuine faith that does not need to have all of the answers in order to believe God and take Him at His Word. The question then of where we stand with God begs us all to answer honestly. For unless one repents and believes the Gospel one will not see the Kingdom of heaven. Now what is repentance it is essentially a change of mind, it is to see oneself as one truly is apart from Christ, and that is dead in ones own sins and transgressions, and thus alienated from the life of God that only comes to us all through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore it is to see ones own need for the Gospel, and thus seeing ones own need for salvation from one's own sins and death, to turn to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ crucified for ones sins and transgressions, and then 3 days later risen from the dead for our justification to new and everlasting life (Rom 10:9-10, 13). Repentance then puts ones person and life into a eternal perspective in relation to God the Father and to Jesus Christ His Son. Now repentance does not save you, though when genuine it will cause you to rethink your persons current course of life, yet it does not save you, as if by ones own efforts salvation comes to them. No only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ saves us which is believing God, believing His Word spoken to us and thus receiving His salvation for ourselves, something which each of us individually must do, believe God's Word (John 3:16) and receive His Son into our own hearts and lives (John 1:12; Rev. 3:20). For when ones does God then sends His Spirit into us who then brings us to life and unites us with the Lord Jesus Christ who then transforms our persons and lives. First by the regeneration our hearts minds and souls which is essentially transforming our persons from the inside out by His Spirit which then effects every aspect of our person, bringing hope where hope was once dead, bring joy where once sadness reigned, bringing satisfaction where once emptiness and meaningless reigned, bringing Spirit life and empowerment to our mortal bodies where once lethargy and tiredness reigned, and thus bringing all of His life and love and all the fruits of His Spirit into us (Gal 5:22-23) by making His home in us which always plays itself out in our lives down here as we are being transformed from one glory to another, we are Christ's lights of not only the life and love and grace of God, but also of His dignity and beauty, which is only born in us and brought to life through us by the Spirit of God.
Scriptural Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
Vs. 8 "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going."
From Noah, through whom God preserved a posterity of original humanity, we move to Abraham, a man through whom God presented the foundation of salvation. And so by faith Abraham obeyed God when God called Abraham to leave his family and friends and all that he had known and go to the place which God would show him. And so Abraham believing God went out from his place not knowing where He was going, but believing God he obeyed Him and God brought him to the land of Canaan with all that he had (Gen. 12:1-6). Then later after Lot departed from him, God promised Abraham that he and his descendants would have the entire land as an inheritance from Him forever (Genesis 13:14-17).
Vs. 9-10 "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; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
And so it was that Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan, (but not as the heir of it, or even as a resident of it). Instead Abraham dwelt in tents as if he were living in a foreign country. For Abraham did not adopt the idolatrous cultural practices, nor degenerate moral norms of the land (see Lev. 18, vs. 24-30). And so all the time that Abraham dwelt in the land of Canaan he dwelt as sojourner along with his sons Issac and Jacob who were also heirs of the same promises that God spoke to Abraham. For Abraham did not build himself a city to establish himself in the land as would've been the norm when he settled in Canaan, rather he was living in anticipation of the city which has everlasting foundations, whose builder and maker is God (vs. 10). Now for us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ this same principal is also at work in our hearts and lives. For though we live in whatever nations and places where we dwell, truly we do not have deep roots in them, for like Abraham, and all of God's people down through the ages, we truly are strangers and sojourners in this world and too this world (Psalm 39:12), as we await the city whose Builder and Maker is God (see Rev. 21:9-27).
Vs. 11 "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised."
Now if Abraham's faith is exemplary, so too is Sara's, and not because she initially believed when the angel of the Lord Spoke to Abraham saying that he would have child in his old age, (for initially she laughed), rather because when that time came and she became aware that she was now pregnant in her old age, she did not seek to abandon or abort her child. Rather she believing God received strength from God to bring forth the promised child, even when she was well past age of child bearing, for she counted God faithful to His Word and to His Promises.
Vs. 12 "Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore."
And so from Abraham a man the Scripture says was as good as dead, God brought forth decedents as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore, just as He promised He would do through Abraham (Genesis 13:16; 15:5; 22:15-18). Therefore both Abraham and Sara his wife are listed as being people of faith, not extraordinary faith, but genuine faith that does not need to have all of the answers in order to believe God and take Him at His Word. The question then of where we stand with God begs us all to answer honestly. For unless one repents and believes the Gospel one will not see the Kingdom of heaven. Now what is repentance it is essentially a change of mind, it is to see oneself as one truly is apart from Christ, and that is dead in ones own sins and transgressions, and thus alienated from the life of God that only comes to us all through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore it is to see ones own need for the Gospel, and thus seeing ones own need for salvation from one's own sins and death, to turn to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ crucified for ones sins and transgressions, and then 3 days later risen from the dead for our justification to new and everlasting life (Rom 10:9-10, 13). Repentance then puts ones person and life into a eternal perspective in relation to God the Father and to Jesus Christ His Son. Now repentance does not save you, though when genuine it will cause you to rethink your persons current course of life, yet it does not save you, as if by ones own efforts salvation comes to them. No only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ saves us which is believing God, believing His Word spoken to us and thus receiving His salvation for ourselves, something which each of us individually must do, believe God's Word (John 3:16) and receive His Son into our own hearts and lives (John 1:12; Rev. 3:20). For when ones does God then sends His Spirit into us who then brings us to life and unites us with the Lord Jesus Christ who then transforms our persons and lives. First by the regeneration our hearts minds and souls which is essentially transforming our persons from the inside out by His Spirit which then effects every aspect of our person, bringing hope where hope was once dead, bring joy where once sadness reigned, bringing satisfaction where once emptiness and meaningless reigned, bringing Spirit life and empowerment to our mortal bodies where once lethargy and tiredness reigned, and thus bringing all of His life and love and all the fruits of His Spirit into us (Gal 5:22-23) by making His home in us which always plays itself out in our lives down here as we are being transformed from one glory to another, we are Christ's lights of not only the life and love and grace of God, but also of His dignity and beauty, which is only born in us and brought to life through us by the Spirit of God.
Scriptural Quotations
The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.
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