What is the meaning of Acts 7:5? He gave him no inheritance here • Stephen reminds us that when God called Abraham to Canaan, Abraham lived as a stranger. Genesis 12:1 says, “Go from your country… to the land I will show you,” yet Genesis 12:7 only offers a promise, not ownership. • Hebrews 11:8-9 notes that Abraham “lived in tents,” highlighting his pilgrim status. • The point: God’s call can place us in the very area of blessing long before we possess the visible results. not even a foot of ground • Scripture underscores the total absence of property: “not even a foot.” Even the burial plot at Machpelah was bought later (Genesis 23:17-20). • Deuteronomy 2:5 shows the same phrase used of Esau’s heirs—“not so much as a footstep”—to stress absolute non-ownership. • God sometimes withholds immediate, tangible proof so that faith, not sight, governs the walk (2 Corinthians 5:7). But God promised to give possession of the land to Abraham and his descendants • The covenant is unmistakable and unconditional: – Genesis 13:15: “All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.” – Genesis 15:18: “To your descendants I have given this land.” – Genesis 17:8: “I will give to you and your descendants… all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” • Centuries later, Joshua 21:43-45 affirms fulfillment to Israel, and Nehemiah 9:7-8 praises God for keeping the oath. • Galatians 3:29 extends the spiritual dimension to all who belong to Christ while never cancelling the literal land promise to Israel. even though he did not yet have a child • The promise came when Abraham and Sarah were childless and beyond natural hope. Romans 4:18-21 says Abraham “believed, hoping against hope.” • Genesis 15:5-6 records God’s starry-sky illustration: “‘So shall your offspring be.’ And Abram believed the LORD.” • Hebrews 11:11-12 reminds us that from “one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars.” • Takeaway: God’s word is not constrained by present circumstances; His promises create the future they announce. summary Acts 7:5 emphasizes that God’s promises are certain even when present evidence is absent. Abraham received no land and had no child when the covenant was spoken, yet he trusted. The verse calls believers to the same confidence: what God pledges, He performs—in His time and for His glory. |
    |