Like his father Abraham, Isaac continues to be a “stranger” in the land of Canaan.
“1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.”
(Ge 26:1-3)
When Isaac lives as a stranger in Gerar, God blesses him so much that he becomes so rich that the Philistines become jealous and force him out.[i]
After Isaac’s death, it is his son Jacob’s turn to live as a stranger in the land of Canaan. But first Jacob is forced to flee his brother Esau[ii] and live as a guest and stranger with his relative Laban. After some time there, Jacob eventually wants to return to his “own home and country”[iii] and heads to the land of Canaan, where both his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham had lived as strangers.[iv]
Throughout their lives, the three great patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived as strangers in their own future land. What spiritual truths can we learn from this?
Well, in Hebrews we read that Abraham lived as a stranger in the land of promise “by faith“:
“8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9By 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.10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.”
(Heb 11:8-10)
When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are saved[v] and born again into the kingdom of God[vi] . We receive our citizenship in heaven,[vii] but at the same time live in the world as “sojourners and exiles“[viii] .
Just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob wandered in the land of promise and tasted the good of the land long before the promise was fully fulfilled, so we today can taste the good gifts of God’s kingdom long before the kingdom of heaven has been fully established.
We know, for example, that in heaven there is no longer any death, mourning, crying, or pain.[ix] But already here and now we can taste this when we walk by the Spirit[x] , forgive one another and pray for the sick.
Just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob longed for the Promised Land, we long for heaven. Just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had to live as strangers in the land of Canaan, we must live as strangers in the world. Although Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived in the land of Canaan, they never became Canaanites. Just as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived as men of God side by side with idolatrous pagans, we too are to live holy lives despite being in a fallen and sinful world. Just as the promise was eventually fulfilled and Israel received its promised land, so God’s promise to us will be fulfilled when God fully establishes his Kingdom of Heaven. Until then, we Christians are strangers in the world with an urgent mission to invite as many as possible to the heavenly feast of the Kingdom of God.
You have read a free chapter of my book Friend of Strangers. If you like this book, please consider purchasing the ebook through Amazon. Since English is not my native language, there may be some linguistic inaccuracies. Please contact me if you find any.
Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[i] Ge 26:12–17
[ii] Ge 27:43
[iii] Ge 30:25
[iv] Ge 37:1
[v] Ro 10:9–10
[vi] Jn 3:3–8
[vii] Php 3:20
[viii] 1Pe 2:11
[ix] Re 21:4
[x] Ga 5:16