Hebrews 11:8-12 (WEB) By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went. 9 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.
V8 “By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went.” Why Abraham? Why did God choose him? The Bible does not say, but I wonder if God wanted to establish a nation, a people, and a nation that would birth the Messiah, who would He choose? At that time, perhaps, God searches and finds Abraham and knows that he will accomplish what God wants. He is the man that meets the qualifications presented in God’s overall plan, His blueprint. This is what any king does when looking for the correct person to do something. God did the same kind of search during Israel’s time in Egypt. He wanted a man who was evil, really evil, and that Pharaoh of the Exodus was that man. Just my opinion for the Scriptures do not reveal why.
Abraham was called and obeyed. This is faith manifesting itself by actions.
V9 “By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” The only thing that Abraham knew was to obey. He did not know where to go. He traveled understanding that God would reveal that place to him. When he reached Canaan, he was a stranger for he was not related to any of the nations. He owned nothing. He lived as a nomad in tents with Isaac and Jacob who inherited God’s blessings. The ways God leads us is sometimes mysterious, but we must wait until the time is right for God to bless. We have to learn things to prepare us for service for the King. Job found this out, so did Joseph (13 years in slavery and prison), King David needed to wait, etc.
V10 “For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” The best Abraham knew was to look for a city that God wanted for him to live near. He knew that city would be God’s city. Later, he understood that city is a heavenly city. Nevertheless, he looked for and waited for a city that God built from scratch. When the Lord Jesus comes (Zechariah 14), Jerusalem will be rubble. Jesus changes the landscape, builds the Temple and the city.
V11 “By faith, even Sarah herself received power to conceive, and she bore a child when she was past age, since she counted him faithful who had promised.” In Sarah’s time having children was the greatest need to their heart. Sarah had to wait until she was very old and according to God’s promises gave birth to a son. She was faithful. We learn that God’s promises always come true. We do not know when, but they do. Many times prayers are not answered as we pray but God works in our lives to change them from ungodly to godly. The mistakes, foolishnesses, and weaknesses we face are discouraging, but God is able to work around them in such ways that we become stronger in faith and the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
V12 “Therefore as many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as innumerable as the sand which is by the sea shore, were fathered by one man, and him as good as dead.” This is the promise that God gave to Abraham. Abraham had Isaac from his wife Sarah. Then Hagar (Genesis 16:1 and following) gave birth to Ishmael. After Sarah died, Abraham married Keturah and had 6 sons (Genesis 25:1-2). But only Isaac had the blessings of God to build a nation and be an ancestor of the Messiah–Jesus.
We learn
• God makes promises
• God keeps promises
• God often promises long before the promise is fulfilled