THE LAND BEYOND THE SKY

All scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

Abraham, in the land of Ur of the Chaldeans, was serving idols with his family (Joshua 24:2) . According to history, not only was his father, Terah, an idol worshipper, he was also into the business of selling idols. And according to the religion and culture of those ancient times, Terah would have been prosperous because of his business. Thus, Abraham, who was still then Abram, was living, as any one can live now, in prosperity with his family. 

Despite Abraham’s background and occupation, the call of the Lord came unto him, according to the mercy of God. The Bible says in Genesis 12:1;

“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father's house, TO THE LAND WHICH I WILL SHOW YOU.’”

(Emphasis added). 

Abraham received the call of God to leave his country, where he had probably been established; to leave his relatives with whom he was having business; and also leave his father’s house, where he was receiving covering, to a land where God would show him. It could not have been an easy thing for Abraham. First, he was not so familiar with God, since he only had been serving idols with his family. Second, he did not know where God was taking him; the terrain of the land, the people there, etc. Third, God did not, initially, even promise to give him the land but only to SHOW him the land. 

But by God’s mercy and sovereignty, Abraham obeyed God, leaving behind his life and establishment, to go to a place he did not know. The Bible clearly says in Hebrews 11:8;

“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

So it was by faith Abraham obeyed God. Now, true faith obeys. The fruit of a true faith is obedience. The way to measure your level of faith in God is to check how obedient you are to Him. The God kind of faith causes you to obey God. Because this faith is imparted to you by the Spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13), which is the Spirit of God, it will make you do what God desires. And it is necessary to add that, you cannot obey God without faith. And you cannot have faith except by God breathing it into you. 

Now because God in His mercy encountered Abraham, faith was formed in him, so he could obey God. The Bible says in Acts 7:2 that “the God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran.” It was this encounter that caused Abraham to follow the God he never knew to go receive a land he did not know. You cannot obey God without faith. And you cannot have faith without God. Your being successful in your walk with God is completely tied to God. 

But surprisingly, the Bible says that when Abraham got to the land which God promised to give him, he refused to permanently settle down there. We read in Hebrews 11:9;

“By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.”

In the land of promise, Abraham was living like a stranger in a foreign land. This was the land that God promised him and God had finally given to him as an inheritance. But Abraham refused to settle there permanently. In fact, he also taught his children, who were also to inherit the land with him, not to build anything permanent on the land of promise. Why did Abraham do this? The Bible says in Hebrews 11:10;

“For he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

Abraham had come to realize that the physical land that was promised him by God was only a type of the land beyond this world. And when he finally got the physical land, he could not settle there. But looked forward to inheriting a better land, not a physical one, that will perish when the world comes to an end but a land beyond this realm that has a city and true foundations which builder and maker is God. 

Are you currently establishing yourself on earth? Are you building your life permanently here on earth? Do you have a glimpse of a land that is beyond this world? 2 Peter 3:10 says;

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, AND THE EARTH AND ITS WORKS WILL BE BURNED UP.”

(Emphasis added). 

If you do not see beyond this present world, this physical land, but establish yourself only on earth, the Bible says since such a land has no city with true foundations, it will be burned up with everything in it and you will suffer loss. The only way to prevent this is to live like Abraham lived. He was supposed, having received the land of promise, to build himself permanently on it, but he instead built removable tents because he was looking for the land beyond the sky. Whatever God has given you here on earth should not make you lose sight of their reality existing beyond this realm. He has only given you those things here to show you that their reality exists beyond here and you are therefore to set your heart and mind on the real things. In John 6, Jesus miraculously fed the multitude with bread. And this miracle was supposed to be a sign to the people that a true Bread exists, which is Jesus, but they lost sight of what the miraculous bread was pointing at and were entangled only with the physical bread. And in John 6:27, Jesus told them;

“John 6:27

“Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 

Go beyond this world that will soon perish and labour for a land that remains forever.