Please read the passage before reading the comments.
The Lord spoke to Abram, whom we know as Abraham, and Abram went forth. He left his home country for an unknown land, and as a visitor. The area visited by Abram is the area of the northern kingdom of Israel, not the area of Jerusalem and its environs.
This could have political implications. The southern kingdom was the realm of King David and his descendants. They could claim the land by virtue of Abram’s passing through that land. On the other hand, the northerners could claim the land because God and Abram had visited it and not the land of Judah.
The two lands were united for about eighty years under Kings David and Solomon. Perhaps the union would have lasted longer if human greed and pride had not taken root.
We have done the same thing, letting greed guide us. We came up with Manifest Destiny as a key for conquering all the lands between the two oceans. It was “God’s will” that propelled many nations to build vast empires and colonize peoples.
Abram, however, went into the land as a visitor, not as a conqueror or emperor. In doing this, Abram became a source of blessing for “all the communities of the earth.”
We bless people when we bless them with God’s word of welcome, not our word of pride. We are called to be like Abram, to be a visitor, not a conqueror