Gen. 13-15 Context: In chapter 13, Abram and Lot separated because "The land was not able to bear them, that they might live together: for their substance was great, so that they could not live together. There was a strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock" (13:6-7). Abram allowed Lot to choose the left hand or the right (13:9) with the result that "Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot lived in the cities of the plain, and moved his tent as far as Sodom." (13:12). The narrator states ominously, "Now the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinners against Yahweh. " (13:13).
In chapter 14, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah found themselves on the losing end of a great battle (14:10). "They took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their food, and went their way. They took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who lived in Sodom, and his goods, and departed" (14:11-12). When Abram learned of this, he assembled "his trained men...three hundred and eighteen, and pursued " (14:14). He defeated the enemy and rescued Lot, his goods, and all the people (14:16).
Then Abram received a blessing from the priest Melchizedek (14:17-20) and the king of Sodom gratefully offered to give Abram the booty from his raid if Abram would only return the people to him. Abram refused to keep anything beyond his expenses, lest people say that the king of Sodom had enriched him (14:21-24).
This background is of interest, because the shield in 15:2 is part of a soldier's armament and may be related to Abram's raid in 14:14-16-and the reward in 15:2 may be related to Abram's refusal of booty in 14:21-24. Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 poses a many challenges. There are a number of things, such as the reference to the slave Eliezer of Damascus in verse 2 and the symbolism of the ritual in verses 7-11, that we poorly understand and about which we can only make educated guesses. However, the significance of the major emphases-that Abram "He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness" (v. 6) and that "Yahweh made a covenant with Abram" (v. 18) are clear enough.
GENESIS 15:1-6. ABRAM BELIEVED IN YAHWEH
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." 2 Abram said, "O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir." 4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir." 5 And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 And He said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it."
"After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision," (v. 1a). The phrase, "after these things," connects what follows with the events of chapters 13-14.
"Don't be afraid, Abram, I am your shield" (v. 1b). People are often fearful upon finding themselves in the presence of the Lord. We are reminded in particular of the angels using these words to reassure Zechariah and Mary and the shepherds (Luke 1:13, 30; 2:10). God or God's messenger often uses these words to encourage people facing danger (21:17; 26:24; 46:3). God does not pose a danger to Abram, but is instead Abram's shield. Soldiers use shields to deflect the weapons of their enemies. Abram can surely identify with this "God is my shield" metaphor, having just returned from battle (14:14-16). To use a shield requires skill, but having God as one's shield places the initiative in God's capable hands. The outcome depends on God, and therefore is certain.
"your exceedingly great reward" (v. 1c). Rewards are usually given in recognition of commendable behavior, but God doesn't specify here which of Abram's behaviors he is rewarding. Earlier Abram obeyed the command to leave his country and his kindred and his father's house (12:1) and God promised to make of him a great nation and to bless him (12:2-3). Most recently, Abram declined to take goods from the king of sinful Sodom, saying, "I have lifted up my hand to Yahweh, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread nor a sandal strap nor anything that is yours, lest you should say, 'I have made Abram rich'" (14:22-23). Most likely, God is rewarding both of these behaviors.
"Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless" (v. 2a). No reward can have any meaning for Abram in the absence of a legitimate heir-someone to inherit his wealth and to carry on his name. Abram is already wealthy (13:2), so additional wealth won't change his lifestyle. What he needs is not more sheep or land, but an heir.
"and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" (v. 2b). This has provoked a great deal of scholarly debate. First, there are questions of translation that go beyond the scope of this exegesis (see Hamilton, 420-422; Wenham, 328). Second, we know nothing of Eliezer other than this and the following verse. Third, we are not sure about the custom that would result in Eliezer being Abram's heir. From extra-Biblical sources, we know that the Nuzi tribe from Mesopotamia allowed a childless couple to adopt a slave who would then become responsible for assuming the responsibilities of a son-caring for the couple in their old age, seeing to their proper burial, and mourning them following their death. The adopted slave would then assume the right of inheritance (Hamilton, 420; Wenham, 329). We have no reason to believe that Abram has adopted Eliezer, but he has obviously considered it as a last resort.
"Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir." (v. 3). This is where we learn that Eliezer is Abram's slave and was born in his house. God has promised to make of Abram a great nation (12:2), but has failed even to give him a son. There is a great distance between God's promise and Abram's reality.
"This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir" (v. 4). God reassures Abram that he will, indeed, have a son who will become his heir. At this point, God could fulfill this promise by having Abram father a child by someone other than Sarai. Not until 17:16 does God specify that the mother of the child will be Sarah.
"Yahweh brought him outside, and said, 'Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' He said to Abram, 'So shall your seed be'" (v. 5). Earlier God promised, "I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth" (13:16). Now he promises to make Abram's descendants like the stars of the sky.
"And he believed the Yahweh" (v. 6a). This is a key moment in the text-in the Bible-in human history. Abram decides to trust the promise rather than the evidence. God has been faithful to him in many ways, so he believes that God will be faithful to him in this way as well.
"and he reckoned (hasab) it to him for righteousness" (sedaqa) (v. 6b). Hasab "means 'to assign...value; in this case the Lord assigns Abram's faith the value of righteousness" (Mathews, 167). It is as if a beneficent creditor has decided to wipe the debtor's slate clean-a matter of pure grace.
In the Old Testament, righteousness (sedaqa) is something most often achieved by compliance with Jewish law. However, God has not yet transmitted the law to Moses, so there is no law for Abram to observe. Yahweh is reckoning Abram as righteous, even though there are not yet any standards by which Abram's conduct could be judged as righteous. The New Testament spells out the implications of Abram's belief:
GENESIS 15:7. I AM YAHWEH
7 And He said to him, "I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it."
"I am Yahweh who brought you of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it" (v. 7). God began this conversation with Abram by identifying himself, "I am your shield" (v. 1). Now God identifies himself, "I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldees." God will use nearly identical words in speaking to Moses, "I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Exodus 20:2).
GENESIS 15:13-16. KNOW THIS FOR SURE
13He said to Abram, "Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years. 14I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth, 15but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried in a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full."
These verses, not included in the lectionary reading, were probably inserted into the text later. They tell of Israel's Egyptian enslavement and the Exodus-events that will take place centuries in the future.
NOTE: Verses 13-14 are a prophecy of the Egyptian bondage and Exodus after 400 years in slavery. Know for certain is the response to Abram's question in verse 8, "How may I know I will possess it?" God answers your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs. God predicts Abram's descendants will dwell in a foreign land, other than the promised land of Israel. God even foretells the time frame, saying they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. Abram's descendants would be slaves of the rulers in a foreign land (Egypt) for four centuries but would be released in "the fourth generation." The bondage in Egypt was certainly a part of God's overall plan. Not even 400 years of bondage could interfere with God's plan to fulfill the covenant.
Gen. 15:1-7, 13-16 - T. CONSTABLE EXPOSITION
The Abrahamic Covenant ch. 15 - CONTEXT: Abram asked God to strengthen his faith. In response Yahweh promised to give the patriarch innumerable descendants. This led Abram to request some further assurance that God would indeed do what He promised. God graciously obliged him by formalizing the promises and making a covenant. In the giving of the covenant God let Abram know symbolically that enslavement would precede the fulfillment of the promise.
From chapters 12 through 14 issues involving God's promise to Abram concerning land have predominated. However from chapter 15 on tensions arising from the promise of descendants become central in the narrative.
Abram was legitimately concerned about God's provision of the Promised Land as well as his need for an heir. He had declined the gifts of the king of Sodom and had placed himself in danger of retaliation from four powerful Mesopotamian kings. God had proven Himself to be Abram's "shield" (defender) in the battle just passed. Now He promised to be the same in the future and to give Abram great "reward." This was God's fourth revelation to Abram.
Genesis 15 not only stands at the center of the external structure of the Abraham narratives, but also is regarded in the history of exegesis right down to the present as the very heart of the Abraham story. Scene 5 [ch. 15] consists of two divine encounters (Genesis 15:1-21) involving dialogue between the Lord and Abraham and powerful images symbolizing God's presence and promises. The first occurs at night (Genesis 15:5) as a vision (Genesis 15:1) and pertains to the promised seed. The second occurs at sundown (Genesis 15:12), partially in a deep sleep (Genesis 15:12), and pertains to the promised land." [Note: Waltke, Genesis, p. 238.]
Moses' declaration that "Abram believed the LORD . . ." (Genesis 15:6) links the two sections.
v. 1: After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." - "'The word of the LORD came.' This is a phrase typically introducing revelation to a prophet, e.g., 1 Samuel 15:10; Hosea 1:1; but in Genesis it is found only here and in Genesis 15:4 of this chapter. Abraham is actually called a prophet in Genesis 20:7. It prepares the way for the prophecy of the Egyptian bondage in Genesis 15:13-16." [Note: Wenham, Genesis 1-15, p. 32]
v. 2-3: 2 But Abram said, "Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 Abram also said, "Since You have given me no son, one who has been born in my house is my heir." - Abram used a new title for God calling Him Master (Adonai) Yahweh (i.e., Sovereign LORD). Abram had willingly placed himself under the sovereign leadership of God.
v. 4: Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." - Abram assumed that since he was old and childless, and since Lot had not returned to him, the heir God had promised him would be his chief servant, Eliezer (cf. Proverbs 17:2).
v. 5: And He took him outside and said, "Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." - To the promise of descendants as innumerable as the dust (physical descendants from the land? cf. Genesis 13:16) God added another promise that Abram's seed would be as countless as the stars. This is perhaps a promise of Abram's spiritual children, those who would have faith in God as he did. Abram may not have caught this distinction since he would have more naturally taken the promise as a reference to physical children.
vv. 6-7: 6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness. 7 And He said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it." - Moses did not reveal exactly what Abram believed (confidently trusted, relied upon) for which God reckoned him righteous. In Hebrew the conjunction waw with the imperfect tense verb following indicates consecutive action and best translates as "Then." When waw occurs with the perfect tense verb following, as we have here, it indicates disjunctive action and could read, "Now Abram had believed . . ." (cf. Genesis 1:2). God justified Abram (i.e., declared him righteous) because of his faith. Abram's normal response to God's words to him was to believe them. Abram had trusted the person of God previously, but he evidently had not realized that God would give him an heir from his own body (Genesis 15:4). Now he accepted this promise of God also (cf. Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). Perhaps he believed the "counting" promises of Genesis 13:16 and Genesis 15:4-5 regarding numerous descendants, and the result was that the Lord "counted" his faith as righteousness. [Note: Mathews, Genesis 11:27-50:26, p. 167.]
vv. 13-14: 13 Then God said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. 14 But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. - Moses gave more detail regarding the history of the seed here than he had revealed previously (cf. Genesis 15:14; Genesis 15:16). The 400 years of enslavement were evidently from 1845 B.C. to 1446 B.C., the date of the Exodus.
v. 15: As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. - The ancients conceived of death as a time when they would rejoin their departed ancestors (cf. 2 Samuel 12:23). There was evidently little understanding of what lay beyond the grave at this time in history. [Note: For a synopsis of Israel's view of life after death, see Bernhard Lang, "Afterlife: Ancient Israel's Changing Vision of the World Beyond," Bible Review 4:1 (February 1988):12-23.]
v. 16: Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the wrongdoing of the Amorite is not yet complete. - The Hebrew word translated "generation" really refers to a lifetime, which at this period in history was about 100 years. [Note: See W. F. Albright, The Biblical Period from Abraham to Ezra, p. 9; and Theological Workbook of the Old Testament, s.v., "dor," by Robert D. Culver, 1:186-87.] This seems a better explanation than that four literal generations are in view. The writer mentioned four literal generations in Exodus 6:16-20 and Numbers 26:58-59, but there were quite evidently gaps in those genealogies. [Note: Kitchen, Ancient Orient . . ., p. 54.] "The Amorite" serves as a synecdoche for the ten Canaanite nations listed in Genesis 15:19-20. A synecdoche is a figure of speech in which one part of a whole represents the whole, as here, or the whole represents a part.
Gen. 15:1-7, 13-16 Bible Ref
CONTEXT: Genesis 15:1-21 falls between Abram's heroic rescue of Lot in Genesis 14 and his less-than-heroic choice to have a child with his wife's servant in chapter 16. Chapter 15 features Abram's hard questions to the Lord about how the lofty promises of uncountable descendants and possession of the land will be kept. God responds, in part, by formalizing His covenant promises to Abram with an elaborate ritual. He also reveals to Abram details about the difficult circumstances his descendants will face before they come back to take possession of the land ''in the fourth generation.''
v. 1: After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." - Sometime after the dramatic events of the previous chapter, the Lord came and spoke to Abram again. Specifically, we're told that the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. This language is sometimes used in the Bible to describe God's relationship with a prophet. As with other prophetic visions, this encounter will involve dramatic imagery.
v. 2: But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" - Up to this point in Abram's relationship with God, we have seen him silently receive the promise that his descendants would become a great nation. Now, after receiving another assurance, Abram speaks back to God. His current heir is a servant, not a son. He boldly-but respectfully-says to the Lord, "What will you give me?" Though it sounds like a complaint, Abram's question is built on his faith in God's power and promises. Abram believes God, but he cannot yet see a path to the things God has promised. Instead of ceasing to believe, Abram takes the opportunity to ask his hard question to the source of his hope.
v. 3: And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." - The word of the Lord has come to Abram in a vision, offering reassurance that He would continue to protect Abram and reward Him. Beginning in the previous verse and continuing here, Abram responds with his heartfelt concern: God has given him no children. If Abram died at that very moment, all that he owned would be passed on to one of his servants. Being well over seventy-five years old, this is not an unreasonable fear on Abram's part (Genesis 12:4). So far, Abram has responded in faith to the promises of God. All the same, he cannot help but wonder what they could mean to a man who is aging and childless.
v. 4: And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." - In the previous verses, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Abram took the opportunity to ask God-who had promised to make of him a great nation-some hard questions. As things stand now, Abram's questions point out, his heir will be a servant, not a son. If God is not going to give him children, how is God going to fulfill these promises?
v. 5: And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." - The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, reassuring Abram of God's protection and reward. Abram responded with heartfelt concerns, pointing out that the Promise-maker still had not given to him any children. God assured Abram once more that his heir would be his own flesh and blood, not a servant. The Hebrew phrasing used in the prior verse explicitly referred to a biological child-a literal, natural "son" for Abram.
v. 6: And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. - For Christians, this is one of the key verses in all the Old Testament. Abram responded to God's latest promises with doubts, asking how God's promises could be true if he still did not have a son. And yet, Abram also willingly received the reassurance of God's Word. After God showed him the stars and promised once more that Abram's descendants would be uncountable, Abram chose to continue to believe God.
v. 7: And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." - This verse continues the coming of the word of the Lord to Abram in a vision. Previously, Abram has questioned God about not yet having a son, yet continued to believe God's renewed promise to give him an uncountable number of descendants. Prior verses have shown that God's promise is that of a literal, natural, biological son (Genesis 15:4). The Hebrew terms used also make it clear that the faith expressed in this encounter is not new-this is a continuation of the faith Abram has already placed in God (Genesis 15:6).
v. 13: Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. - The Lord will soon complete a covenant ritual between Himself and Abram, a ritual that will specify, in part, the boundaries of future Israel to be occupied and possessed by Abram's descendants.
v. 14: But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. - Here, God continues to deliver His prophecy about Abram's future family. In the previous verse, God revealed that Abram's descendants will spend 400 years as strangers and servants in another land. Here, He continues by saying there will be an end to their captivity, and the nation that mistreated them will be judged. In fact, Abram's future family, then a nation, will leave that country with great possessions. Soon after this passage, Abram will be renamed Abraham, and his grandson Jacob will be renamed Israel: the father of the promised nation.
v. 15: As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. - After revealing to Abram, perhaps in a dream, the affliction his future family will face in captivity, serving another nation, God informs Abram he will not live to see any of this. Instead, Abram will "go to his fathers"-a common reference to death-in a time of peace and at a good, old age. Of course, at this point in time, Abram is already somewhere between 75 and 85 years old (Genesis 12:4; Genesis 16:16). God's words about Abram's immediate future are a comfort, but they also let Abram know not to expect to possess the land of Canaan in his own lifetime. Instead, it will one day belong to him through his descendants.
v. 16: And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." - Finally, God concludes his prophecy about Abram's future family. In the previous verses, God revealed that they would be captives, serving another nation for around 400 years, before leaving that country with great possessions. Then, and not before, Abram's descendants would return to the land of Canaan "in the fourth generation." Later passages of Scripture will give a more specific number than this round figure: Israel will be in Egypt for 430 years, all told (Exodus 12:40).
Gen. 15:1-7, 13-16 - Extra Commentary
Genesis 15:1 "After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I [am] thy shield, [and] thy exceeding great reward."
"After these things": The battle of the kings, the captivity of Lot, the rescue of him and his goods, and of those of Sodom and Gomorrah by Abram, and the conversation that passed between him, and the kings of Sodom and Salem.
"The word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision": Christ, the essential Word, appeared to Abram in a human form, visible to him, and with an articulate voice spoke unto him: saying, "fear not, Abram", calling him by his name.
Not only to encourage him, but to dissipate his fears to which might be, the nations that belonged to the four kings he had conquered and slain should recruit their armies, and come against him with greater force; and the brethren and relations of those he had slain should avenge themselves on him.
"I am thy shield" to protect him against all his enemies, be they ever so strong and numerous; as Christ is the shield of his people against all their spiritual enemies, sin, Satan, and the world. Which being held up in the hand of faith, called therefore the shield of faith, is a security against them. "I am thy shield": God served Abram as his divine protector (Psalms 7:10; 84:9).
"And thy exceeding great reward"; though he had generously refused taking any reward for the service he had done in pursuing the kings, and slaughtering them, and bringing back the persons and goods they had took away. Yet he should be no loser by it, the Lord would reward him in a way of grace with greater and better things.
God himself would be his reward, and which must be a great one, an exceeding great one; as Christ is to his people in his person, offices, and grace.
God came and spoke to Abram in this vision, because Abram had about given up on having a family and the promises of God coming true. God's first statement to Abram, as it is to us today, is "fear not." Fear is not faith. It is the opposite of faith.
He told Abram, here, (I didn't say that you could do this by yourself). God said, I am your protector, and this thing that I will give you is not of your own doing. It is a reward to you, because you believe me, for no other reason.
Genesis 15:2 "And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house [is] this Eliezer of Damascus?"
"I go Childless": In response to God's encouragement and admonition (verse 1), Abram showed what nagged
at him. How could God's promise of many descendants (13:16), and of being a great nation (12:2), come about
when he had no children?
"Eliezer of Damascus": To Abram, God's promise had stalled; so adoption of a servant as the male heir, a well-known contemporary Mesopotamian custom, was the best officially recognizable arrangement to make it come to pass, humanly speaking.
Ten years have passed and Abram is still without an heir. Following the custom of the day, he suggests that perhaps he ought to adopt his "Steward ... Eliezer of Damascus" as his legal "heir."
However, God refuses this offer and clearly promises that Abram will have a child "out of thine own bowels" (i.e., physically procreated).
Verses 3-5: The question, "What will You give me?" (Verse 2) became an accusation, "You have given no offspring to me!" (verse 3). The Lord's rejection of Abram's solution (verse 4), preceded God's reiterated promise of innumerable descendants (verse 5; Romans 4:18).
Genesis 15:3 "And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir."
Notwithstanding the unbounded grandeur and preciousness of the promise, or rather assurance, now given, Abram is still childless and landless; and the Lord has made as yet no sign of action in regard to these objects of special promise.
"To me thou hast given no seed." This was the present shield mentioned also in former words of promise. There is something strikingly human in all this. Abram is no enthusiast or fanatic. He fastens on the substantive blessings which the Lord had expressly named.
Abram was telling God: I don't have any children for these promises to be carried out through, what good will it do to give me anything? It will die with me, and this servant will inherit my goods for lack of a son to leave it to. Abram was really feeling sorry for himself.
Genesis 15:4 "And, behold, the word of the LORD [came] unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir."
Though we must never complain of God, yet we have leave to complain to him; and to state all our grievances. It is ease to a burdened spirit, to open its case to a faithful and compassionate friend. Abram's complaint is that he had no child; that he was never likely to have any; that the want of a son was so great a trouble to him, that it took away all his comfort.
If we suppose that Abram looked no further than outward comfort, this complaint was to be blamed. But if we suppose that Abram herein had reference to the promised Seed, his desire was very commendable.
Till we have evidence of our interest in Christ, we should not rest satisfied; what will all avail me, if I go Christless? If we continue instant in prayer, yet pray with humble submission to the Divine will, we shall not seek in vain. God gave Abram an express promise of a son.
God sees our broken hearts and encourages us. He corrected this gloominess in Abram. He re-issued His promises to Abram.
Genesis 15:5 "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if
thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."
The Lord reiterates the promise concerning the seed. As he had commanded him to view the land, and see in its dust the emblem of the multitude that would spring from him, so now, with a sublime simplicity of practical illustration, he brings him forth to contemplate the stars, and challenges him to tell their number, if he can; adding, "So shall thy seed be."
He that made all these out of nothing, by the word of his power, is able to fulfill his promise, and multiply the seed of Abram and Sarai. Here, we perceive, the vision does not interfere with the notice of the sensible world, so far as is necessary (Daniel 10:7; John 12:29).
"Tell" means "count."
He had already promised Abram about the numerous seed, but now He showed him visually the promise. Abram spiritually saw all the stars of heaven, and truly they are innumerable.
Genesis 15:6 "And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
"Believed ... counted ... for righteousness": The Apostle Paul quoted these words as an illustration of faith over and against works (Rom. 4:3, 9, 22; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23). Abram was justified by faith! (see notes on Rom. 4 and Gal. 3), for a fuller discussion of justification by faith.
"He believed in the Lord": This was not his original act of faith, but a further evidence of his confidence in God. In light of (Hebrews 11:8-10), clearly Abram had already experienced saving faith at the time of his original call.
(Romans 4:6 and 22), cite instances of God imputing righteousness to the account of those who were already believers. (Romans 4:18), refers to Abram's believing God's promise that he would have a posterity. Thus, the doctrine of imputation is based upon man's faith.
The fact that Abram was justified by God 14 years before he was circumcised is the basis for Paul's argument (in Romans 4:9-12), that faith, not works (e.g., circumcision), is the means of our justification. Therefore, the Old Testament as well as the New Testament teaches salvation by faith, not works.
Isn't this an interesting statement? The Scripture above did not say that Abram believed what God said, it says Abram believed in the LORD. LORD is capitalized meaning Lord Jesus Christ.
To be the father of the believers in Christ, Abraham had to believe also. I believe the encounter of Abram with Melchizedec was recognition of the Lord Jesus Christ. His belief in the Lord made him righteous.
Genesis 15:7 "And he said unto him, I [am] the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it."
"To give thee this land to inherit it": That a specifically identifiable land (see verses 18-21), was intimately linked with Abram's having many descendants in God's purpose and in the Abrahamic Covenant was clearly revealed and, in a formal ceremony (verses 9-21), would be placed irrevocably beyond dispute.
He said to Abram here, you didn't leave Ur just to find a better place to make a living. I brought you out so that I might give you this land as an inheritance.
Genesis 15:13 "And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;"
"Thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs": This is a prophecy of Israel's sojourn in Egypt, predicted to take place some three hundred years later and lasting about "four hundred years" (Exodus 12:40; and 430 to be exact).
Genesis 15:14 "And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance."
Then God would judge "that nation" (Egypt in Exodus 15), and bring Israel out "with great substance" (Exodus 12:34-36), and use them as a means of judgment upon the inhabitants of Canaan, when "the iniquity of the Amorites" would be "full".
God was telling Abram, here, what God's foreknowledge told Him about the descendants of Abram in Egypt. They would be servants of the Pharaoh for 400 years.
God told Abram, but there would come a day when He would punish Egypt for mistreating His people, and they would spoil the Egyptians, and bring out great wealth. We will learn in a later lesson that 70 go into Egypt, and nearly 3 million came out of Egypt.
Genesis 15:15 "And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age."
"Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace": This verse strongly implies the immortality of the soul, and a state of separate existence. He was gathered to his fathers, introduced into the place where separate spirits are kept, waiting for the general resurrection. Two things seem to be distinctly marked here:
(1) The soul of Abram should be introduced among the assembly of the first-born; Thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace;
(2) His body should be buried after a long life, one hundred and seventy-five years (Genesis 25:7). The body was buried; the soul went to the spiritual world, to dwell among the fathers, the patriarchs, who had lived and died in the Lord (see note on Genesis 25:8).
This Scripture, above, pretty well defines what happens when we die. There is a separation between the spirit and the body, here. He first said you will be at peace with your ancestors. The spirit leaves the body and goes to heaven, if you are a Christian. God told him that his body would rest in the grave, until it is resurrected and reunited with the spirit.
Genesis 15:16 "But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites [is] not yet full."
"The iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full": A delay in judgment occasioned the delay in covenant fulfillment. Judgment on Egypt (verse 14), would mark the departure of Abram's descendants for their Land, and judgment on the Canaanites (broadly defined ethnically as Amorites), would mark their entrance to the Land.
God gave these Amorites an opportunity to repent (they did not). A generation here, was 100 years.
