Like The Stars, Genesis 15:1-6
Introduction
The Bible: It has often been reviled; but it has never been refuted. Its foundations have been examined by the most searching eyes. In Hume, and Gibbon, and Voltaire, and La Place, not to mention a multitude of vulgar assailants, the Bible has had to sustain the assaults of the greatest talent, the sharpest wit, and the acutest intellects. To make it appear a cunningly devised fable, philosophers have sought arguments amid the mysteries of science, and travelers amid the remains of antiquity; for that purpose, geologists have ransacked the bowels of the earth, and astronomers the stars of heaven; and yet after having sustained the most cunningly devised and ably executed assaults of 2,000 years, it still exists—a glorious fulfillment of the words of its Founder—“On this rock have I built my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). (Dr. Guthrie, Heartwarming Bible Illustrations, Accessed, QuickVerse 2010 Platinum)
Transition
Within the pages of God’s sacred word are found promises. Some of these promises are made to men and women, while others are made to nations. Some of these promises contain the decree of the Lord’s wrath upon sin, while others tell us of the ultimate victory over sin which was secured at the Cross.
God has preserved for us a record of His dealing with humanity. This record is primarily the account of God’s covenant with mankind. It details the way in which God saves us in the ultimate sense in Christ and, along the path of that redemptive narrative, we are given much to cling to in this life; the Bible is chalked full of the messages of eternal salvation and present hope.
This morning we will examine one such presently hopeful, eternally inspiring account of God’s faithfulness. Today we will examine the faith of Abraham. We will look at the promise that God made to him, his attitude and response, and faithfulness of God’s fulfillment of His promise.
Along the way, I will invite you see yourself in Abraham, who is, in a very real sense, our spiritual father. As we look at the faith of Abraham, we will look at the faith of every man. My method will be rather straightforward; we will simply examine the text, opening our hearts to God’s primary means of grace; His word.
Exposition
(v.1) I find it compelling that this passage, which is such an important passage theologically, overall, in understanding the unfolding of God’s plan of redemption for humanity, begins with the admonishment to Abraham, the great man of faith, “Do not be afraid, I am your shield and your great reward.”
God says to Abraham, as He says to us, “I am your strength (protector) and I am your provision (provider).” I am reminded of the New Testament words of Christ found in John 16:33 where Jesus says, “I have told you these things so that in me you will have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Trouble, pain, trial, are promised to us. Those who sow the lie into the hearts of believers that it is possible to escape trouble in this life through the proper implementation of faith are themselves ignorant of the true nature of faith.
Faith is not a key to unlock the gates of this great trouble laden world that we find ourselves in. Faith is the gift of God which enables us to see beyond that gate into, through its rusty falsity, into the beauty and wonder of the loving eyes of the one who created us for more than peace in this life.
He is the one who created us to find peace in His life, indeed, in Him. It is our Heavenly Father who is our divine protector and sustainer. If we harvest food from the field, He is the owner and cultivator of the field. In times of drought, it is to Him that we should flee.
(v.2-3) Abraham’s response, I suspect, is not so unlike the response which lurks in the hearts of many whom now hear my voice. “Thanks God, I appreciate the nice sentiment, the poetry and symmetry of your voice and words, but that means very little since you have not fulfilled your promises to me, I remain childless. But don’t worry God; I know you’ve been busy so I’ve made alternate plans. I will give my inheritance to my servant Eliezer of Damascus. I’m not thrilled about it and I sure wish I had an heir of my own but Eliezer will do Lord. I don’t want to take you away from your celestial golf schedule. I know you are a busy deity.”
How easy is it to question God’s plan when the days turn into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months into years. Our impatience is a problem.
However, there is more at work her in the text and in the here and now of our lives. There is a biblical motif of God’s activity in this world almost always happening in such a way as to confound the wisdom of this world.
The world moves quickly and clings to every new philosophy or idea, just as a worldly church grasps and is grasped by every new wind of doctrine. The Lord, on the other hand, works through His covenant in the lives of His people.
His promises are as lasting as they are inclined to elicit faith. God is delighted in us when we exercise trust in Him! The Father’s heart is filled with joy as His children reach up for His hand in trust! He calls us by faith to respond to Him.
Yet, so often, in spite of the glory He has put on display in creation, in the Bible, in the testimony of other believers, in the past experiences of our own life, we, like Abraham, make other plans. God is not calling us to perfection.
God is calling us to abandonment to His sovereign will and divine provision. What is faith? It is not a tool for “calling down” blessing or a latter for ascending to the storehouse of God. Faith is human abandonment to divine provision.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Romans 12:3 NIV)
If you, like me, desire an increased measure of faith to be given to you, increase the degree to which you are abandoned to His will. How? Become a fool for Christ, given over to prayer, good works, and, primarily, given over to His word.
(v.4-5) God’s response is so unlike our own. Abraham’s “plan B” to make an heir of his servant was as worthy as a sock puppet in Broadway theatre. Our plans are always cheap imitations of God’s covenant.
The Lord showed Abraham the stars and said, “So shall your offspring be.”
And so they are. Abraham is the father of many nations, not the least of which is His chief spiritual descendant, the Church. Through Abraham God created a light to the nations through Israel, through their messiah, in Jesus Christ who is the light of the world.
The light of the promise which God illustrated to Abraham in those grand stars of Heaven flicker inside the heart of every follower of Jesus Christ!
(v.6) Abraham believed God and his belief, his faith, was the basis for his righteousness, that is, right standing with God. Here, in Genesis are the seeds of the Pauline doctrine (teaching of the Apostle Paul) that through faith alone righteousness is imputed to believers.
“Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring--not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. As it is written: "I have made you a father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed--the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old--and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness – for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
(Romans 4:16-25 NIV)
Right standing with God is the result of His grace alone, working through faith alone. Righteousness, right standing with God, that is His holiness covering our unrighteousness, is imparted by faith but more than that, it is imputed by faith.
The difference being that Christ righteousness is not simply given, handed over, it is woven into us.
II Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV) Our text says that Abraham trusted God, had faith and it was credited, counted, or reckoned to him as righteousness. (Depending on which translation)
All of these are good translations. However, the Hebrew word in the original text is much more dynamic than any of these English translations. The Hebrew word is “Haw-Shaab” and in this context all of these translations are accurate but the word can also be used to speak of something being woven in.
Likely, to an original audience, the ancient Hebrew mind, would have not viewed this in strictly a legal sense, that righteousness was credited to Abraham because of His faith, as though God were merely a celestial bookkeeper.
Rather than being credited to His account in a surface way, it was woven into His person in a more covenantal way. Righteousness becomes part of whom and what we are according to the new birth, as faith becomes the vehicle for alteration of our entire being.
It is not only our account which receives the credit of righteousness, but our hearts which, in Christ, are made new. Praise God!
Conclusion
Presbyterian minister of the 19th century, J. R. Miller, once wrote that “We need Christ just as much in our bright, prosperous, exalted hours as in the days of darkness, adversity, and depression. We are quite in danger of thinking that religion is only for sickrooms and funerals, and for times of great sorrow and trial—a lamp to shine at night, a staff to help when the road is rough, a friendly hand to hold us up when we are stumbling. This is not true. Jesus went to the marriage-feast as well as to the home of sorrow. His religion is just as much for our hours of joy as for our days of grief. There are just as many stars in the sky at noon as at midnight, although we cannot see them in the sun’s glare. And there are just as many comforts, promises, divine encouragements, and blessings above us when we are in the noons of our human gladness and earthly success, as when we are in our nights of pain and shadow. We may not see them in the brightness about us, but they are there, and their benedictions fall upon us as perpetually, in a gentle rain of grace.” (Heartwarming Bible Illustrations, QuickVerse 2010)
God’s provision for eternity is inclusive of eternity past as He covers our sins with the blood of Christ, eternity future as He makes a home for us in the glories of Heaven, and eternity present as He beckons us to cast our cares upon His grace.
He is calling us to a life of faith, now, today! If we will but cast aside the restraints of unbelief which presently bridle our hearts; if we will but allow His radical all consuming love to unloosen the chords of disbelief which strangle our faith; precious saints of God, if we will but abandon our substitute plans in favor of His, then we would know the power of God in our present reality.
The greatest spiritual virtue is humility and the greatest obstacle to faith is pride. “The first necessity for any soul’s progress is to see how far it is from where God wants it to go… the only thing that can block God’s purpose in redemption [in our lives] is the stubbornness of pride.” (Interpreter’s Bible, Genesis 15:6, p.600)
If we are to be people of growing faith we must be people of diminishing pride. If we are to be people of great faith, we must become people of diminutive self-importance. This is not a matter of seeing ourselves as less than we are. Indeed, humility is not a low view of self. It is a right view of the magnitude of God!
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:7-10 NIV)
Even a mountain pales in comparison to the height of moon. The sunflowers in my garden are reaching heights of nearly 9 feet and their stalks are thick and strong, but their strength ends where even the sapling of the mighty oak begins.
Our strength comes from the Lord, whose strength knows no boundaries. “Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” (Psalms 28:6-7 NIV)
There are spiritual battles raging in our times, in the world, in the Church, in our lives, and if we are to stand strong we must be first equipped with faith and through faith, filled with the empowerment of God.
Abraham believed that he needed to make an alternate plan to fulfill God’s promise. How foolish he was. Are we any different?
Our help comes from the Lord and when we cast our cares upon His most able of shoulders, when we seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, God, who is the author and finisher of our faith, will prove true to His word, His promise, to likewise be the beginning and end of our need.
He has made Abraham’s descendants like the stars in ways that Abraham could not possibly have fathomed in his own life. He will do the same for us. He calls us simply, earnestly, to place our trust, our faith, in Him, and Him alone. Amen.
