Abraham, Part 7 - Faith and Righteousness
Genesis 15v1-6
22nd October 2010
So were things going well for Abraham, or were they going badly?
One the one hand, he was living where God wanted him to be, he'd achieved a great military victory (despite not being a military man), he'd rescued his nephew, he'd been blessed by the priest of the Most High God and he'd done the right thing by refusing to make deal with the king of Sodom. One the other hand, he was a stranger in a foreign land, he's already experienced famine in that land, he'd alienated a local king and really annoyed four foreign kings. Humanly speaking, his life was in danger. He needed God's encouragement:
Genesis 15:1
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."
If any of the kings were to attack him, Abraham wouldn't be able to defend himself. God promised to be his shield.
If famine were to return, Abraham wouldn't even be able to provide for himself. God promised to be his very great reward.
And God didn't just promise to reward Abraham; he promised to be his reward. Our reward for following Jesus is Jesus Himelf. We get to know the King of Kings as our Lord, our Saviour and our Friend. That's better than all the miracles and money and health we can ever receive.
We reach the point where we realise that we truly need God. It can be a scary place, unless we truly trust him.
Genesis 15:2-3
But Abram said, "O 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."
Abraham's deepest human desire was for a heir - someone to carry on when he was gone. And for true Christians, our greatest desire is to share the Good News with others, so that the work of the Kingdom of God will continue we we're gone. What is the point of God's blessing on us, if we're going to be the last of the line?
Genesis 15:4-5
Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own
body will be your heir."
He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them."
Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
What a promise! Abraham and Sarah had been unable to have children, and now he was an old man and Sarah was past child-bearing age. But God promised that Abraham would have as many descendants as there were stars in the sky! How could that possibly happen? Only through the power of God! Abraham had seen how God had helped in battle against overwhelming odds. He was beginning to understand that God could do anything, so:
Genesis 15:6
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
Abraham believed that his worn-out body, and his wife's, would produce an heir after all. He didn't know how this would happen, but he trusted God to do the impossible! He believed the Lord.
How can my sin be forgiven? How can I experience genuine relationship with God Almighty? How can the rubbish in my life get sorted out? How can I make a real difference in this world? Without God, this would not happen. But all things are possible with God! We can receive all that God promises in the Bible if we will believe God.
And when we put our trust in God to forgive us, heal us and make us fruitful, he does far more than answer our prayers - he credits our faith to us as righteousness!
God declares that we are acceptable in His sight, not because we deserve it but because we put our faith in Him.
The best commentary ever written on this passage is Romans 3:28 - 5:2. Why not take time to study it?