“By faith, he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.”

This is a very interesting verse when coupled with the one following it. It is interesting because it suggests that the land of promise was, in fact, a foreign land in which Abraham and his descendants lived as though they were there only temporarily. This seems out of context with the fact that their descendants made it their permanent residence. Why did Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob live in tents rather than permanent dwelling places? Why did they consider the land of promise a temporary home when it was the land of promise? Why didn’t Abraham and his son and grandson view this land as their home sweet home?

Could it be that they understood the promise in a different way? Could they have seen the so-called promise land as an intermediate stop on the way to the real promise land? Did these early nomads consider the entire concept of the earth as a temporary home? If so, doesn’t that suggest that if we are to be like those men of faith, we too might need to reshape our view of where home is?

Task for Today: Which home are you looking for? Are you satisfied with a house below rather than seeking a mansion above? Do you consider yourself a house dweller or a tent dweller? Is your physical body your house or your tent? By faith, are you a tent dweller?