Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for unto you, and unto your descendants, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I swore unto Abraham your father;
Read Chapter 26
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Lest the good man think it was out of a wish for him to experience the hardship of famine that God gave this direction not allowing him to go into Egypt, God said, Don’t be distressed; don’t be concerned— stay here: “I will be with you.” You have the supplier of all good things, so entertain no concern. After all, I the Lord of all will be with you—and not only that, but “I will bless you.” That is to say, I will make you prosperous and provide you with blessing from myself. What could be more blessed than this good man in receiving such a wonderful promise from God, “I will be with you and bless you?” … But how will I bless you? “To you and your descendants I will give this land.” You think you are visiting these parts as a stranger and nomad; know that to you and your descendants all this land will be given. That you may have confidence, realize that “the oath I swore to your father Abraham” I will fulfill in you. Observe God’s considerateness; he did not simply say, “The covenant I made with your father, nor the promises I made”; instead, what? “The oath I swore.” “I assured him with an oath,” he is saying, “and I must put my oath into effect and bring it to fulfillment.” Do you see God’s loving kindness? His words are uttered not with a view to his own dignity but out of considerateness of our limitations.
