of God to leave Ur of the Chaldees and entered the land of promise, he could

now reasonably expect to settle down.  But the reverse is true.

'These all died in faith, Not having received the promises, but Having

Seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and

confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth' (Heb.

So with a faith like that, Abraham could be a sojourner in the land of

promise as in a strange country, and this attitude was manifested by the fact

that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob became 'tent dwellers'.  Words in process of

time, and by the influence of certain insistent associations, change their

meanings, and today, whenever a 'tabernacle' is mentioned in connection with

Scripture, the Tabernacle in the wilderness, sober without, but all glorious

within, comes into the mind, and we lose the intention of Hebrews 11:9 by

such a view.  The English word tabernacle itself is of humble origin.  The

Latin word from which it is derived occurs in Acts 28:15, 'The Three Taverns'

(Trion Tabernon), which could just as easily be translated 'The Three

Tabernacles' (Skenas Treis) as is done in Luke 9:33.  The word 'tavern' has

gone down in the scale, being now chiefly associated with licensed premises,

whereas the word 'tabernacle' has risen in the scale, and is looked

upon as either the Tabernacle in the wilderness, or a meeting-place of

Christian folk, like for example 'Spurgeon's Tabernacle'.  The word simply

means a tent, a temporary structure, a booth, a place for rest and

refreshment for pilgrims, but not a permanent solidly built edifice.

Returning to Hebrews 11, we discover that the reason why Abraham, Isaac

and Jacob were content to be 'tent dwellers' is:

'For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and

maker is God ... for He hath prepared for them a city' (Heb. 11:10,16).

A somewhat similar line of argument is found in Hebrews 13:13,14:

'Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His

reproach.  For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to

Those who act like this 'confess' something, 'declare plainly' something, and

'desire' something.  They confess that they are strangers and pilgrims on the

earth.  They declare plainly that they seek a country.  They desire a better

country, that is an heavenly.  Something of the attitude of mind suggested

here is set forth in graphic style in the second chapter of Deuteronomy.

Israel were at last about to leave the wilderness, and enter into the land of

promise.  Their way was barred by several nations, Esau, Moab and Ammon who

were blood relations and Sihon king of Heshbon, who was a Canaanite.  It is

illuminating to read Israel's request for a passage through Sihon's territory

and to compare Israel's attitude to Sihon as over against their relation with

Esau, Moab and Ammon.

'Meddle not with them', 'Distress them not' (Deut. 2:5,9 and 19).

Israel were told that they must pay for the meat and the water they needed,

and simply seek permission 'as pilgrims and strangers' to pass through

the intervening territory (Deut. 2:6).  This attitude is elaborated when the

crossing of Sihon's territory is in view: