III. THE GOD OF THE EARTH
God is revealed as the God of the earth, in His second appearing with His third speaking, in promising Abraham that He would give the land of Canaan to his seed (Gen. 12:6-7). In His first appearing, God called Abraham. In His second appearing, He promised Abraham that He would give the land of Canaan to his seed. Abraham’s seed, generally speaking, refers to his earthly descendants, the Jews, Israel. But narrowly speaking, the seed refers to Christ (Gal. 3:16).
Even until today, the Jews have not fully inherited the land. They will not fully inherit it until the time of restoration when Christ returns. Christ will return as the unique seed of Abraham and will inherit the good land from the Great Sea, the Mediterranean, to the Great River, the Euphrates. There have been disputes and conferences about the boundaries of the nation of Israel for years, but when Jesus comes back as the unique seed of Abraham, He will clear up the situation and inherit the good land.
God gave this land to Abraham’s seed because God is the God of the land, the God, the Owner, of the earth. The earthly governments may think that their respective territories belong to them, but actually the entire earth belongs to Jehovah God (Psa. 24:1). The God of Abraham is the God of the land. As the Possessor and Owner of the land, He has the right to give it to His friend’s descendants.
IV. THE GOD OF SECRET CARE FOR HIS ELECT
The God of Abraham is seen as the God of secret care for His elect in saving Abraham from Pharaoh’s insulting of his wife (Gen. 12:10-20). God exercised His hidden care, His secret care, to save His friend Abraham and his wife. He is the God of secret care for His elect to rescue His elect from their troubles.
V. THE GOD OF COMFORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT
God is seen as the God of comfort and encouragement in His fourth speaking to Abraham after Lot left him. In His speaking God promised to give to Abraham and to his seed the land of Canaan as far as he could see in four directions and to make his seed as numerous as the dust of the earth (Gen. 13:14-17). Abraham and Lot both became rich. They had many flocks, herds, and tents, and the land was too small for them to dwell together. Then Abraham asked Lot to choose the part of the land that he desired, and Lot left him.
Abraham was left in a lonely state. His father was dead, and his nephew Lot departed. Then God came to comfort and encourage him in promising to give him and his seed the land of Canaan as far as he could see and to make his seed as numerous as the dust of the earth. No one can count how many descendants God has given to Abraham, because they are innumerable. Many of his descendants were killed by the four kinds of locusts in Joel 1:4, signifying the Gentile governments with their invading armies. These locusts were like the waves from the Mediterranean Sea, which came to scour Israel as the dust. But regardless of how much the water washed away the dust, there was still some sand left. This is why in Genesis 22:17, Abraham’s descendants are not likened to the dust but to the sand on the seashore. Some of Abraham’s descendants are in the heavens as the stars. Some are the dust, but many of them were scoured away. The ones who remain after the scouring are as the sand on the seashore of the Mediterranean. Through our fellowship, I hope we can realize that in God’s eyes and in God’s heart, Abraham was a special person.
(The History of God in His Union With Man, Chapter 7, by Witness Lee)
