Even after Sarah died, Abraham was still waiting on God’s promise. God had made a covenant with Abraham and given him the promise of many descendants, land, and to be a blessing that would bless the world. Time and time again, God repeated these promises.
Abraham had seen the promise of a son who would inherit the covenant come true. God had personally come and promised a son to Abraham and Sarah in their old age. Abraham was 100, and Sarah was 90 when Isaac was born. Isaac was a miracle baby who would be a patriarch of the Jewish nation.
Promise of Land
After separating from Lot, God renewed His promise of the land and even had Abram walk on what was to become his inheritance. Genesis 13: 14 After Lot had gone, the Lord said to Abram, “Look as far as you can see in every direction—north and south, east and west. 15 I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. 16 And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! 17 Go and walk through the land in every direction, for I am giving it to you.” [1]
Abraham wasn’t sure he really would get the land. Genesis 15: 7 Then the Lord told him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.” 8 But Abram replied, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” [2] To show Abram that He really meant it, God participated in a formal covenant ceremony while Abram slept (Gen.15:9-19).
Now, perhaps over thirty years later, Abraham didn’t own any land and had to buy a plot on which to bury Sarah. Ironically, God had promised the land but had not yet fulfilled this promise.
When Promises Seem Delayed
We live in a culture that doesn’t like to wait. We want our microwaves because they are fast, but God often is in a slow-cooker mode. His timing may puzzle us. Be assured that God is good and will fulfill His promises at just the right time. The writer of Hebrews comments on how Abraham and Sarah did not see all the promises fulfilled in their lifetimes.
Hebrews 11: 13 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 14 Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own.
15 If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them… 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.[3]
God’s promises to people are not only for this life but extend to our resurrection. To learn more about waiting on God’s promise, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/a-journey-through-grief-and-hope
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.