‘By faith he became a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own, dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise, for he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.'
Furthermore he continued to exercise that faith in that land, for he lived there as an alien without a home, even though it was the land of promise, and he established no city but dwelt in tents all his life, as did Isaac and Jacob his sons after him, for they too awaited the fulfilment of the promise. Only tiny portions of the land became theirs (Genesis 23:3-20; Genesis 33:19-20) but they trusted God totally that one day the promise would become a reality. They were happy to play their part in God's purposes even though their fulfilment awaited the future. For they knew on the basis of God's promise that that future was certain, and that one day the land would belong to their descendants, and they were willing patiently and trustfully to wait.
‘For he looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.' And this was all because he looked for what God would finally provide. He was confident that one day the land would belong to his seed and that God would build a great city with everlasting, God-established, permanent foundations, which would establish them as God's people for ever, a permanent home with sound foundations, of which God would be the architect and builder.
This was something greater than the literal Jerusalem, which already existed (Genesis 14), and that is never suggested in Scripture to be that visualised by Abraham. Although such a city as visualised by Abraham may be traced in the spiritual expectations of the prophets, an everlasting city with an everlasting sanctuary, which itself was as symbolised by Jerusalem (Psalms 48:2-3; Psalms 48:8; Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 4:3-6; Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 24:23; Isaiah 26:1-4; Isaiah 51:11; Isaiah 66:20-23; Joel 3:20; Ezekiel 37:24-28; Ezekiel 48:30-35).
It was to be something designed and built by God, which to some extent might be compared with the staircase seen by Jacob in his dream. This dream showed that the patriarchs did recognise contact between Heaven and the promised land. That Abraham had some such vision is certain even if not articulated for he knew that kings were to arise from his seed, and he would therefore expect there finally to be a city, but he saw it as no ordinary city because it would be from God, and would connect up to God. Meanwhile he did not try to forestall God. It knew by faith that it would come in God's time. He did not attempt to forestall God. One of the elements of faith is being willing to wait on God's timing.
It is vain to look further into the mind of Abraham, for we must not read our conceptions into him, but the writer certainly has in mind more than that, for he knew what Abraham probably did not know, that that city would finally be founded not on earth but in Heaven, and would finally have its part in the new earth (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21-22). Thus must his readers by faith also have confidence in their part in that city and like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, persevere and not miss out on it as a future potential.
Note the emphasis on Abraham's first call and obedience, followed by the emphasis on his continuing perseverance to the end, something the writer is stressing to his readers.