DAILY TEXT, Today, Tuesday, October 4. He looked forward to the city that has true foundations, of which God is the designer and builder (Heb. 11:10).

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Tuesday, October 4

He looked forward to the city that has true foundations, of which God is the designer and builder (Heb. 11:10).

Abraham was willing to leave all the comforts that the city of Ur offered him. Why? Because he looked forward to “the city that has true foundations” (Heb. 11:8-10, 16). The city that Abraham looked forward to is the Kingdom of God, which is made up of Jesus Christ and the 144,000 anointed Christians. Paul calls this Kingdom the “city of the living God—the heavenly Jerusalem—” (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:8-10; 14:1). Jesus taught his disciples to ask for this Kingdom to come so that God's will be done, “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Abraham did not know exactly how the Kingdom of God would be organized. For centuries, that was a “sacred secret” (Eph. 1:8-10; Col. 1:26, 27). But he did know that some of his descendants would become kings, as Jehovah had promised him (Gen. 17: 1, 2, 6). w20.08 2, 3.

Why do we know that Abraham was waiting for the city founded by God?

How did Abraham show that he expected the city—or Kingdom—founded by God? First, he did not become a citizen of any earthly kingdom. He decided not to settle down or give his support to a human king. Also, he didn't try to create his own kingdom. Rather, he always obeyed Jehovah and waited for him to fulfill his promise. Thus he demonstrated extraordinary faith in God. Let's look at some difficulties he faced and what we learn from his example.

What was the city of Ur like?

The city that Abraham left was relatively safe, modern, and comfortable. It had a huge wall and a moat that protected it on three sides. The people of Ur were proficient in writing and arithmetic. Apparently, the city was a business center, as archaeologists have found commercial documents. The houses were made of brick and their walls were plastered and whitewashed. Some had 13 or 14 rooms around a stone-paved courtyard.

Why did Abraham have to trust Jehovah to take care of him and his family?

Abraham had to trust that Jehovah would take care of him and his family. Why? Let us remember that he and his wife, Sarah, left the safety and comfort of his home in Ur to live in tents in the open country in Canaan. They no longer had the protection of a wall and deep moats. They were now defenseless against the attack of their enemies.

What situations did Abraham face at a certain time?

Although Abraham did the will of God, he did not have enough to feed his family at one time. He had to face a terrible famine that hit the land where Jehovah had sent him. The situation was so difficult that he decided to take his family to Egypt for a while. But, when he was in Egypt, the ruler of the country, Pharaoh, took Sarah away from him. We can imagine how distressed Abraham was until Jehovah had Pharaoh return his wife to him (Gen. 12:10-19).

What family complications did Abraham have to deal with?

Abraham's family went through difficult times. His dear wife, Sara, was barren. They lived with that bitter sorrow for many years. In time, she gave Abraham to her servant Hagar as her wife. Thus Sarah and Abraham could have children through Hagar. But, when she became pregnant with Ishmael, she began to despise Sara. Things got so bad that Sarah had Hagar run away from her house (Gen. 16:1-6).