Genesis 12:6-92. The Second Manifestation of God to Abraham (Genesis 12:7-9) This vision of God was necessary, probably, because of what is said in verse six-“ The Canaanite was then in the land.” Courage was needed in the face of danger, if Abraham was to possess the land. The message of God is short: “ Unto thee will I give this land.” There were difficulties involved in the fulfillment of this promise: giants were in possession of the land. Abraham’ s response to the call of God was manifested in building an altar and in pitching his tent. The “ altar” indicated his dependence upon God, and the “ tent” his surrender to a pilgrim life. His tent was pitched with Bethel, the house of God, in front of him, and with Hai, a heap of ruins, behind him. Like Moses, he looked to that city that had foundations (Hebrews 11:15-16; Philippians 3:13). There are practical lessons here for us. We, too, have enemies who contest the possession of our spiritual inheritance. These are the “ wicked principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12-18). Our strength, too, must come through means. We have need to build an altar of prayer (Luke 18:1-8; Isaiah 40:28-31). When tempted to be dazzled by the glory of the world and thus hindered in our pilgrim journey, we, as Abraham, must look away to the glories of our eternal home, and pitch our tents towards that city “ not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1).