14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; 15 for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever. 16 I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can number the dust of the earth, then your descendants can also be numbered. 17 Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.”

18 Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.

Genesis 13:14-18 (NASB) 

Re-affirmation

It seems God waited for Abram to resolve the issue with Lot before He spoke with Abram again. Was this to allow Abram to re-evaluate the Lord’s promise to bless him in the land He gave him? Then, after that was settled, the Lord reaffirmed the promise.

The Promise

So what again was this promise? To give Abram land and bless Abram with many descendants. And what was the reason, as we saw in Genesis 12:1-3? So Abram could be a blessing to others, even all peoples. Enduringword.com notes, “This was a promise made to Abram, not to Abram’s nephew.” And Abram, now about 75 (Gen 12:4) and still without a child, let alone a son.

The extent

What is the extent of this promise? God asks Abram to look from his vantage point in every direction; everything he can see will belong to his descendents. Then the Lord told Abram his descendents would be more than anyone could count as the dust of the earth – the same thing God created Adam from (Genesis 2:7). The Lord tells him to explore the land to get a sense of the immensity of it. 

Another altar

How does Abram respond? In immediate obedience he picks up his tent and starts exploring. He chose the oaks of Mamre in Hebron as his first stop. When he arrived, he built another altar to the Lord. The purpose of the altar was to make a sacrifice of course, but also to continue the relationship with the Lord and acknowledge Him as the provider of all things.

RЯeflection

• Has God promised you something that hasn’t come to pass yet? You will gain encouragement from Abram. It was many years before he had a child and much longer before his descendents occupied the Promised Land.
• Follow Abram’s example and keep the relationship with the Lord, keep looking to Him as provider. Continue in obedience to sacrifice yourself to Him. (Romans 12:1-2)