The faith of Abraham
Abraham, like Noah, displayed actions of faith when he received the call from God (Genesis 12:1-3). This was despite the fact that God instructed him to leave the safety of his homeland and go to a place unknown to him.
He moved by faith and was promised the land as an inheritance (Genesis 12:7). Fudge noted that Abraham’s faith is mentioned in other Bible references (see Genesis 15:6; Nehemiah 9:8; Romans 4; and Galatians 3:6-9). He acted by faith as he lived in a land that was not truly to become his people’s homeland for generations (Genesis 15:12-21; Acts 7:5). Isaac, his son, and Jacob, his grandson, also lived in tents, which were not permanent dwellings. They accepted life without a permanent home so that they could receive a better one. They chose not to live in the cities of their day and chose to be a semi-nomadic people (Genesis 16:11; 33:17). The motivation for this is found in their looking forward to a better city (Hebrews 11:8-9; Genesis 16:11; 33:17).
Abraham left his own home and was willing to live in tents because he looked forward to a heavenly home, not an earthly one. Since Isaac and Jacob also lived in tents, it seems they too had this goal in mind. Remember, Abraham and Sarah lacked the needed faith to believe they would have a child. Despite God’s promise to make of him a great nation in Genesis 12:1-3, Abraham questioned whether a servant would be his heir (Genesis 15:1-4). Abraham and Sarah tried to help God out by using Sarah’s handmaid Hagar in Genesis 16. In Genesis 18:12-15, Sarah laughed to herself at the thought of bearing a child. However, the writer of Hebrews indicates that Sarah’s doubts were overcome by her faith. These references to Sarah all occurred when she was barren. She was also past child-bearing age (Hebrews 11:10-11; Genesis 17:15-21).
Because of Abraham and Sarah’s faith (Romans 4:18-21), they, though dead in the reproductive sense, were able to bear that son of promise. His descendants were to be many and would obtain the land of promise (Hebrews 11:12; Genesis 12:1-3; 15:5; 22:17; Isaiah 51:1-2; Ezekiel 33:24).
Milligan points out the meaning of the expression "these all died in faith.” He said, "they died as they had lived, in faith." He goes on to say that the all referred to includes Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob. God had made several promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3), but he only saw their fulfillment in the future, through the eye of faith. Through their actions, these said that they were seeking a country of their own. Every man desires a place to call home and these were no exception. There was nothing to prevent them from returning to their earthly home, but they never exhibited that desire. In fact, they did not seek an earthly home, but a better place than any earthly home, heaven. Because of their faith and the things they sacrificed through that faith, God prepared a home for them. God was not ashamed of them, as he identified himself with them (Hebrews 11:13-16; Exodus 3:15; Matthew 22:32; Revelation 21:3).
The faith of Abraham and his descendants should challenge us to live with our sights set on heaven. Paul described himself as doing just that. He declared, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).
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