THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF FAITH. Hebrews 9-10 Abraham’s faith was based on God's promises, and he obeyed God. He was promised the land of Canaan, which was to be his through the descendants of his and Sarah's son, Isaac. Abraham was promised an eternal city whose Builder and Maker was God. Abraham kept his eyes on this promise and so lived as a stranger and foreigner. He lived in tents with his family and hundreds of servants to protect and serve him, like a tribe of nomads moving from place to place. He believed God would give this land to his descendants, yet he remained a pilgrim. He was waiting for God to take him to the city God built.
He wanted a city that could not be destroyed, and he knew only God could build such a city. Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, has been destroyed eleven times and rebuilt on the ruins of its former glory. Only God can lay a “sure foundation” that nothing can destroy. Abraham was looking for heaven, “the city that was to come,” and he understood that even the promised land of Israel was temporary. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made no attempt to build a city and settle there. They didn’t despise the earthly property God gave them or the future God had in mind for Israel. These things were good and appreciated.
However, they, like us and all people who have put their faith in God, have realized that nothing on earth is permanent. They and we can enjoy what we can, but people of faith have left this temporary earth behind. In our hearts is the eternal city where God dwells, and that is where we are going. That is our goal because that is where our Lord Jesus Christ is. “The things hoped for” are real and last for eternity. Our faith is grounded in the reality that our Gracious God wants us to be with Him forever.
We can enjoy the earthly blessings God has given us now, but they are only temporary. In a short time, all we have will belong to someone else or be destroyed. There is a danger of letting our careers, homes, earthly possessions, ambitions, and even our families control our thinking and lives. Believers in our Lord Jesus Christ are still strangers and pilgrims on the earth, looking for our eternal home and being “forever with the Lord, Amen, so let it be!” Like Abraham, we look beyond death to the time when we will share God’s blessings as “heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus.”
Abraham didn’t settle, as the people of Canaan wanted, “a prince among us.” He saw the unseen and lived in the sure hope of the future that lay far beyond the land of Canaan. His heart’s desire was not in possessing the land of Canaan any more than it was in Ur or Haran. His heart was in heaven, where God dwelt – in the city “whose Builder and Maker is God.”
When a person gives up security to act in faith alone on the promises of God, you will likely be regarded as "old-fashioned," "odd," "out of touch with reality," and too different to be included in the religious and social life around us. Never let being "different" keep you from acting in faith on divine directives. God always gives the needed ability and grace to do what He asks of us.