This quote comes from A.T. Willis, Jr., The Biblical Basis of Missions, chap. 2 (p. 13 in the document I have):
The Old Testament sketches God’s efforts to form a holy people. Holy means to be separated unto God. God called Abraham to leave home and family and live a life of loneliness. His descendants became a pilgrim people. Israel’s history is a saga of God’s efforts to keep her true to her distinctive calling instead of her drifting in the direction of other peoples. She was to represent God’s holiness to the other nations of the world. She soon learned that the righteousness of God demanded a disciplined, obedient people. Since God’s righteousness brings his wrath upon sinners, Israel was to be a parable and a proclaimer of God’s holiness.
How should we understand the author's statement that “God called Abraham to ... live a life of loneliness”? Does this apply in any sense to saints today?