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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
After this, the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can You give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the Word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:1-6
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Early on in the book of Genesis, we have examined people living in ways that were and weren’t in accordance with God’s will and way. From Adam, Eve, and Cain’s sinfulness to Abel, Noah, and Abram’s faithfulness, we have seen plenty examples of what to do...and what not to do.
As we look at our scripture passage today, we see the first use of the term “righteousness” in the Bible and it’s important that we understand it as it applied to Abram so we can strive to gain it from God as well. Look again at these opening verses in Genesis, chapter 15:
After this, the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can You give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
Then the Word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. Vv.1-6
As our scripture opens, Abram has just rescued Lot from the clutches of five kings and their forces who had routed and plundered the city of Sodom, taking his nephew and his possessions. You’ll recall that per the high priest Melchizedek, Abram was able to do this with just 318 men because the Lord had brought him the victory.
As chapter 15 opens, we find the Lord coming to Abram “in a vision" and seeking to comfort him saying with the following words:
“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
What strikes me as amazing about this is that we don’t have any indication that Abram is afraid about anything but God knows that he is indeed feeling anxiety and stress within. It’s a reminder that our Lord knows exactly what we’re feeling at any given time whether we outwardly express our emotions or not.
With this, if God feels He should intervene through using His perfect judgment then He can and will. It’s a truth that should be of great comfort to us as we deal with the daily challenges of the world. This also serve as a reaffirmation that we serve such a loving, caring God who is ever willing to step in and remind us to "not be afraid" for "I am your shield, your great reward."
Going back to our passage for today, we learn about what is upsetting Abram after God grants the vision to Abram. We read where his concern is centered on the truth that he and Sarai had not bore a child and therefore there was no one to inherit his household. With no son, Abram worried about who would carry on his name and keep the family tree growing.
We see where the Lord immediately addressed Abram’s concern:
“This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.”
Then, God took Abram outside and added to His promise:
“Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.”
After this, the scriptures tell us that Abram simply “believed the Lord." He didn’t question what God had told him or express any doubt from his mind. Rather, Abram held onto the truth that the Lord was always true to His promises and could make a way where there seemed to be no way.
Ultimately, it was this kind of resolute faith that led God to credit righteousness to Abram. And because Abram lived in accordance to the Lord’s will and way, he was considered righteous in the eyes of the Lord.
The bottom line is that if we’re going to live right in God’s sight, we need to live as He wants. No one that lives separate from Him can achieve righteousness.
In closing, there are three important points we need to learn from this passage:
1. God knows about everything we think and feel.
We can try to conceal our feelings all we want and we may be very skilled at keeping our fears, stresses, and anxieties from others but we can’t hide what goes on inside from God. He knows and sees our innermost emotions.
2. When God sees the need, He will enter in and bring comfort.
Abram didn’t have to call out to God before receiving His comfort and peace. The Lord knew his servant’s heart and intervened at just the perfect time and with just the perfect words.
3. A rock solid, unwavering faithfulness in God and what He can do in any and all situations draws us closer to living righteously in accordance with His will and way.
There is nothing impossible with God. Absolutely nothing.
So why do we worry and stress over things that are out of our control but completely in His?
God made it clear to Abram that he didn’t need to force the issue about who would be his heir. God assured Abram that He had it all under control and Abram believed him through faith, being credited with righteousness as a result.
We all need to realize that the Lord wants to credit us with righteousness just as He did Abram. All we need to do is trust in Him, live for Him, and draw close to Him as you live each and every day. For if we do, we will be in a place where our lives are pleasing to Him as we remain in His favor.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
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