![By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a foreign [land,] making his home in tents...Heb. 11:9](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/By-faith-he-dwelt-as-a-foreigner-in-the-land-of-promise-as-in-a-foreign-land.jpg?resize=800%2C450&ssl=1 "By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a foreign [land,] making his home in tents...Heb. 11:9")
As believers in Christ, we are sojourners on earth living the tent life in the church life as the reality of the Tent of Meeting, and we’re waiting for its ultimate consummation, the New Jerusalem.
If we fail and forsake the altar and the tent, we can simply return to the Lord, have His appearing, and consecrate ourselves, living the tent life.
If we read the book of Genesis, Abraham built three altars in three places: one at Shechem, the other at Bethel, and the third at Hebron.
All these three places represent the good land, which typifies the all-inclusive Christ as the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit.
In Gen. 12:6-7 we see that Abram passed through Shechem, and there God appeared to him and promised him the land and the seed.
As a reaction to God’s appearing and promise, Abraham built a tent. Abraham journeyed to a land where he could receive God as his power (Shechem means the place of strength) and where God taught him (Moreh means teacher or teaching).
The second altar Abraham built was at Bethel, where he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east.
There he built an altar to Jehovah and called upon the name of Jehovah. Bethel typifies the house of God and Ai is a heap of ruins.
Only Bethel, the church life, is worthwhile; everything else is a heap of ruins to is.
The third altar Abraham built was in Hebron, where God revealed Himself to Abraham as the God in His human friendship; there Abraham was the friend of God.
God came to Abraham in a human form and sought an intercessor for his nephew Lot, who was of the people of God.
Also, it is here that God revealed to Abraham that he will have a son with Sarah. We believers in Christ are the sons of Abraham, and we are walking in the same steps of faith as he did.
Our Christian life is a life of the altar and the tent, for the Lord appears to us, calls us, and changes our life, and we simply consecrate ourselves to Him and put everything we have and are on the altar.
Day by day we seek to have God’s appearing. His appearance is everything to us, and His presence is the living map for our Christian journey.
Our reaction to the Lord’s appearing is that we put all we have and are on the altar. He wants us, the person, so we give ourselves to Him, for the God of glory is the most immense magnet, drawing us to Himself.
If we have God’s appearing even once, our life will be radically changed.
We need to seek to have God’s appearance again and again so that our consecration may be fresh and new and our daily life would be in a tent, the tent life in the church life, a life for the fulfilment of God’s eternal purpose.
As Sojourners on earth, we live the Tent Life in the Church Life Eagerly Waiting for the New Jerusalem
What does it mean for us as Christians to walk in the same steps of that faith of our father Abraham? It means that we have a life of the altar and the tent.
The altar is a spontaneous reaction to God’s appearance. And then the tent follows.
Building an altar means that we consecrate ourselves to the Lord and we live a life on earth for the fulfilment of God’s purpose.
Erecting a tent is an expression of the fact that we don’t belong to this world but to another country, which is not here (Heb. 11:13-16; 10).
Our real country is a better country, a heavenly one, the heavenly New Jerusalem; here, we live in a tent, but our expectation is to be in our real country, the New Jerusalem (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 21:2).
By living a tent life in the church life today we make a declaration to all those around us that we are wanderers and sojourners on this earth looking for a better country.
Abraham’s tent was a miniature of the New Jerusalem, which is the eternal tabernacle.
The New Jerusalem is the ultimate tent, the ultimate tabernacle, in the universe, and the Bible ends with a tent (Rev. 21:2-3).
The tent life of Abraham continued later in the tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting, among the children of Israel while they wandered through the wilderness, and eventually, it consummates in the New Jerusalem, the tabernacle of God with man.
For eternity we will dwell in God and God will dwell in us, for we as His chosen, redeemed, and regenerated people will be glorified to be the dwelling place of God even as He is our dwelling place.
As we are living in the tent of the church life as the reality of the Tent of Meeting, we are waiting for its ultimate consummation, that is, the ultimate Tent of Meeting, the New Jerusalem (1 Tim. 3:15; Lev. 1:1; Heb. 11:9-10; Rev. 21:2-3).
In the church life today we live the tent life as an anti-testimony to what we see in the world.
Others may stretch their arms like seas and grasp in all the shore, having big houses, many things, and lots of riches, but we have God’s presence, and He is enough to us.
We need to have a tent where we always have the Lord’s presence, and His presence is everything to us.
![By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a foreign [land,] making his home in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise; For he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God. Heb. 11:9-10 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them [and be] their God. Rev. 21:2-3](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/By-faith-he-dwelt-as-a-foreigner-in-the-land-of-promise-as-in-a-foreign-land-making-his-home-in-tents.jpg?resize=450%2C675&ssl=1 "By faith he dwelt as a foreigner in the land of promise as in a foreign [land,] making his home in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the fellow heirs of the same promise; For he eagerly waited for the city which has the foundations, whose Architect and Builder is God. Heb. 11:9-10 And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will tabernacle with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them [and be] their God. Rev. 21:2-3")
The people in the world build a great city and dwell in big houses, but we only have a tent. They ask us to look at their achievements, their education, their attainments, and their big house.
But all we have and treasure on this earth is God’s presence.
We have a tent with God’s presence and we live the church life in the church life, having a deep sensation within that nothing here on earth is lasting.
Everything around us is temporary, and we are just sojourners on this earth; we are looking to eternity.
The technology may advance, the entertainment around us may increase, and the money may be more available, but we are not here for this: we are here living the tent life in the church life looking forward to the New Jerusalem, the real tabernacle.
We may not have as much as others have, but we have God’s presence.
What we really treasure is not the physical things or worldly attainments but the presence of God, for we have an altar with a tent.
What we have and do may not be worthwhile in the eyes of the people in the world, but to God, it means a great deal.
May we have such an attitude and prayer before the Lord, telling Him in all honesty,
Lord Jesus, we declare to the whole universe that we do not belong to this world and our country is not here. We are sons of Abraham living the life of the altar and the tent, and our country is a heavenly one, the heavenly New Jerusalem. Amen, Lord, we belong to You, we love You, and we are here living for You on earth. We want to live the tent life in the church life as the reality of the Tent of Meeting. We are looking for the ultimate consummation – the ultimate Tent of Meeting, the New Jerusalem! Hallelujah! Lord, Your presence is everything to us! We don’t want the riches, attainments, or entertainment of this world: we only want Your presence, and we want to live a life for the fulfilment of Your purpose!
Having a Recovery by Returning to the Altar and the Tent with Calling on the Name of the Lord
Though many consider Abraham as a giant of faith, he was not such a one; only God is the giant of the faith.
Abraham had failures, and though he clearly saw and received God’s call, he backslid to Egypt and forsook the good land.
In his history, there was a forsaking of the altar and the tent, for he went to Egypt. However, there was a recovery; he simply returned to the altar and the tent with calling on the name of the Lord.
In Egypt, he experienced a failure, but the result was that he returned to the altar and the tent.
Recovery is a matter of returning to the altar and the tent. We all have failures, and we all slipped and betrayed our cause.
We may not have denied the Lord as Peter did, but we had experiences of backsliding in the world and having our own desires, demands, interest, dreams, hopes, and aspirations in the world.
We need the Lord’s appearing again and again; His appearing enables us to return to a life of the altar and the tent.
The Lord arranges things, situations, and persons around us to remind us to return to Him; He even allows failures and mistakes to expose us and cause us to return and be recovered.
When we answer God’s calling and He reappears to us, we will build an altar for God and put everything on the altar, and we will immediately erect a tent.
May we keep coming to the Lord in our daily life to contact Him, enjoy Him, and be with Him in His word.
May we have His appearing again and again until we are fully recovered out of pursuing things in the world to living for Him, living the tent life in the church life with an altar.
Whenever the Lord touches us and appears to us again, we repent and forsake the world, and we return to the life of the altar and the tent with the calling on the name of the Lord.
In Abraham’s case, there was a famine in the whole land, and he went down to Egypt.
It may sound logical to go to where the food is, otherwise you and your family die, but from God’s point of view, Abraham backslid and forsook His calling.
Many times we think that we need to do this and that, be involved in this and that project, and work more or do something to make sure we have food during the “famine”.
But in doing this, we should not forsake the life of the altar and the tent; rather, we should live the tent life in the church life looking forward to the New Jerusalem, our real country.
This doesn’t mean that we should be poor by choice, and we should not have things in this world, especially things that we need for our existence.
Rather, we need to put all on the altar as a result of the Lord’s appearing, and we should use in the tent the things that He allows us to have and the things that He gives us for our existence.
May we all have the realization that we are not here in this world for this world; we do not belong to this world but to another country, a better country.
We are sojourning by faith as in a strange country (Heb. 11:9), and the church life is a foretaste of our real country, the New Jerusalem.
And may we be recovered by the Lord again and again to the life of the altar and he tent whenever we backslide or fail.
How we thank the Lord for His recovery; though we may fail, backslide, and forsake Him and the life of the altar and the tent, He is faithful to come and appear to us to bring us back to Himself.
It is He who initiated our journey of faith, and it is He who keeps appearing to us to infuse us with faith so that we may advance, go on with Him, and live the Christian life eagerly expecting the better country, the New Jerusalem.
Lord Jesus, keep us enjoying You with the saints in the church life today, living as sojourners on earth and waiting for a better country. Save us from backsliding into the world and from forsaking the life of the altar and the tent. Keep appearing to us, dear Lord. Appear to us again and again and infuse us with faith to go on with You. We need Your fresh appearing every day. We call on Your name, Lord Jesus, and we put everything we are and have on the altar. We are not here for ourselves or for our benefit, our interest, and our purpose; we are here for God, for God’s interest, and for God’s purpose. Amen, Lord, we give ourselves to You to live the tent life in the church life as sojourners on this earth, eagerly waiting for the better country, the New Jerusalem!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Sources of inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by the brothers, and portions from, Life-study of Genesis, msgs. 41-44 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, God’s Economy in Faith (2022 spring ITERO), week 8, entitled, Walking in the Steps of that Faith of Our Father Abraham.
- Hymns on this topic:
– He looked for a city and lived in a tent, / A pilgrim to glory right onward he went; / God’s promise his solace, so royal his birth, / No wonder he sought not the glories of earth. / City! O city fair! / God’s dwelling with man to eternity is there. (Hymns #974)
– Then Abraham was called apart, / For God to take a stand; / So through the river he was led / Into a new, good land. / Step by step he was led / From Chaldee / Through the river into Canaan, / That good land, there to be / The servant of his God. (Hymns #1270)
– And there he built an altar to Jehovah / Who had appeared to him, / And called upon the name of Jehovah / And built an altar to Him. / Rise up, go to Bethel, make an altar there to God / Who appears to you and is always with you. / Rise up, go to Bethel, make an altar there to God / Who appears to you and is always with you. (Scripture song)
About aGodMan
Abraham had his failures. In his history there was a forsaking of the altar and the tent; he went down to Egypt. But there was recovery. How did that recovery come about? Genesis 13:3-4 says, “He went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord.” Recovery is a matter of returning to the altar and the tent. Have any of you failed? Have any of you slipped or betrayed your cause? Have any of you gone down into Egypt, so that now you have your own demands, your own hopes, your own interests, and your own aspirations? If you are seeking the way of recovery, you have to come back to the altar and the tent. Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 37, “The Life of the Altar and the Tent,” p. 95
Whenever we answer God’s calling and God reappears to us and we build an altar for God, telling Him that everything we are and have is for Him, we shall immediately erect a tent… By pitching a tent we declare that we belong to another country. We do not belong to this country; we are looking for a better one. We do not like this country, this earth, this world. We expect to come into another country. We are sojourning by faith as in a strange country (Heb. 11:9). Life-study of Genesis, pp. 561-563, by Witness Lee
Though we may fail and backslide, the Lord keeps appearing to us to recover us back to the life of the altar and the tent.
We are not here for the things in this world, we are here for God, and we live the tent life in the church life, eagerly waiting for our real country, the New Jerusalem!
We need to remember that Abraham’s history is our history.
By faith he lived as a sojourner in a foreign land, eagerly awaiting the New Jerusalem – the ultimate tent and eternal Tabernacle.
Even when he went down to Egypt, having many failures, he experienced a recovery when he built an altar, pitched a tent and called on the Lord.
Similarly we need a recovery of the life of the altar and the tent to see that there is nothing constant in this world – everything is temporary.
Our work, education and attainments, with our hopes and aspirations mean nothing. We are foreigners in a foreign land seeking a better country – the New Jerusalem!
Our power to live for God is based on our vision of God. Everything we have should be placed on the altar before the Lord.
God will leave some things for our own use, for our life in the world. However, we should apply the principle of the tent to all the things God permits us to retain.
We must not forget that all the things God grants us for our living still belong to God. We must not be touched by these physical things. This is to live a life of the altar & the tent.
The altar comes first. If we are willing to worship God by offering all that we are & have for His purpose, we will not be for the world and will be empowered to live a life of faith, sojourning as in a foreign land and living for the heavenly New Jerusalem.
Amen. Thank you for sharing brother.
That is really encouraging… just what I need this morning.
Lord thank you for your appearing .. just love you lord Jesus. Keep shining your beauty infusing us. We are here for you Lord!
Brother life in the tent ! Wow
There more I touch this this week there more the lord just strips and reminds me how precious he is and how much of his life keeps infusing enabling us to love him and hold faith! The lords appearing is like the spirit is leading . Always leading always appearing.
But we must take the initiative to be led by Him – the more we take initiative there more we see the lord appear to us! Romans 8:14
Lord, infuse us with your appearing again and again! Give us your divine dispensing in ordinary days!
amen Brother we are today Abraham we may fail and backsilide but we may have something that the worldly people don’t have we have our tent where God’s presence is and we need to live in our tent, which is to live in God’s presence and we have today in the Church and we need to live until this age consummated and we will have the new Jerusalem which will God’s tabernacle with man
Praise the Lord brother,
Amen Lord keep us on this way!
Oh yes Lord thank you for you faithfulness of always appearing to us! Make us reach your goal!
Lord we are here for You! Appear to us again and again!
Amen. Dear Lord thank you for appearing to us and recovering us back to you from Egypt. We have Your presence, we are rich. Amen
AMEN ! TESTIFYING (Acts 11:2-53)
AND, he said, “Men, brothers, and fathers, listen!The “GOD of GLORY” appeared to our father Abraham while he was in cMesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran,
AND SAID to him, “Come out from your land, and from your relatives, and Come into the land, which I will show you.”
THEN, he came forth from the land of the bChaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there, after his father died, He 1removed him into this land, in which you now dwell.
YET HE, (JEHOVAH), did not give him an inheritance in it, not even a place to set his foot on; and HE promised to give it to him for a possession and to his “seed” after him, while he had no child.
And GOD spoke in this way, that his seed would be a sojourner in a foreign land, and they would enslave them, and mistreat them four hundred years.
AND WHATEVER, Nation they will serve as slaves, “I will judge, said GOD”, And after these things they will come forth and serve ME (Jehovah) as Priests in this place.”
AND HE gave to him a Covenant of circumcision; and thus, Abraham begot Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac, Jacob; and Jacob, the twelve patriarchs.
AND the patriarchs; became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt; yet, GOD was with him,
AND, “…rescued him out of all his afflictions and granted him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he appointed him governor over Egypt and over all his house”.
Amin Doamne Isuse!