Gen 15:1-21 After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" Abram said, "Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir." Behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."
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." He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
He said to him, "I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it." He said, "Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?" He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." He brought him all of these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn't divide the birds. The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him. He 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. I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth, but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried in a good old age. In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full."
It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the
Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgacrapes, and the Jebusites."
It is very easy to read over this account and miss something important, something which speaks to the reason Abraham believed God. If you are like me, you probably think that when God tells Abraham to go out and count the stars, that Abraham went out, looked up at the night sky, and upon seeing so many stars in the sky, believed God. Look at any Bible story book and you will see just such a picture. We think Abraham believed God based upon what he could see (based upon the stars in a night sky). Upon reading the text more carefully, I no longer believe that is what happened. There is another scenerio that could be true.
Notice that Abraham centered his "complaint" around what he could see. He even invited the Lord into this realm, by saying 'behold' twice. In other words, he was appealing to what he could see as his reason to question God.
Now, before we get into the very next part, let's skip over that and look at what happens right after, when God cuts his covenant with him. There are 2 time statements that shed light on something we would not otherwise
have known about the time of day it was when Abraham was told to go out and look at the stars.
Those 2 time statements are 'When the sun was going down', and then shortly after that, 'when the sun went down, and it was dark'. This is at the time of the covenant being cut between God and Abraham.
Now with those time statements in mind, go back and reread God telling Abraham to go out and count the stars, if he is able. What time of day would this have been? You guessed it, daytime! And how many stars can you see during the day? NONE! If you are wondering, 'ok, that's interesting. So what's the big deal about that?'
Abraham was taught an object lesson in faith, which resulted in his belief. You see, while he was appealing to God based on what could be SEEN, God was appealing to Abraham based on what was true, but NOT SEEN!
When Abraham went out during broad daylight he could see there were no stars to count, yet he knew that even though he could not see stars, they were there. That is faith. It is evidence based on what is not seen. He could therefore 'SEE' that God could be believed, despite him not 'BEHOLDING' it yet. Just as those stars would surely appear when it became night, he could see that somehow, someway, God would do what he promised. And thus the lesson of faith was taught. If this is true...
May we never allow what we 'behold' to get in the way of what God promises us, for truly it is that we live by faith and not by sight.
Ron
"This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."
The son by the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and the son by the free woman through
the promise [of the Spirit] (Galatians 4:23)
:cloud9: I LOVED both your posts, guys......awesome...... :boogie: Blessings....
Abraham believed God because he had faith and he had faith because he had Christ.
Galatians 3:16
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.