Far From Fulfilled
When Abraham died, God's promises were far from fully realized. Abraham had only that one son to cling to. His only land was a burial plot. He still lived in a tent: his only permanent structures were altars erected to worship the god who had made all those promises.
God, having promised him everything a man of that time could want, apparently wanted Abraham to think even bigger thoughts. He had slipped some words in along with the promises of offspring and land: "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (12:3). God wanted to bless, not just Abraham, but the whole world. Thousands of years later, in the time of Jesus, the full meaning of those words became clear (see Galatians 3:6-9, 16-18).
Life Questions: What kind of promises does God make today? What longings does he fulfill? |
