God said it.
I believe it.
That settles it.
That is a bold statement. You can order a bumper sticker that has this declaration of faith. However, are there times we need reassurance from God?
Abraham might have ordered a bumper sticker for his camel that said:
God, you said it.
I heard it.
I don’t see any evidence of what you said happening.
I think I am having an anxiety attack.
Genesis 15 starts off with Abraham being told to not be afraid.
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.” (Genesis 15:1)
So far there is no mention that Abraham was afraid. But God knew. Abraham goes directly into his response about why he has anxiety.
But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit[a] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” (Genesis 15:2)
God promised him descendants at 75 years of age. But years and years have passed, and he is still childless. He is concerned that his servant is going to inherit everything if he does not have any children.
Here is the promise God made Abraham:
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[a]
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you. (Genesis 12:2-3)
Since God made that promise Abraham travelled to the promise land. He left the promised land because of a famine and went to Egypt. He separated from Lot and then rescued lot.
Then God expanded the promise and became more specific:
I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” (Genesis 13:16-17)
Abraham had build alters, had these great experiences with God. Now he had some anxiety about how long it was taking to fulfill the promise and needed reassurance.
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
What we find in verse 6 is considered Abraham’s salvation experience. If Abraham had never waivered or doubted after this, he would not have made the plan to have a son by Hagar his maidservant. Yes, Abraham is known for his great faith, but we see he waivered during the 25 years he waited for the promise to have offspring is miraculously fulfilled.
John the Baptist is the greatest man ever born of a woman. That means he is the greatest who ever lived. He wavered in his faith and needed reassurance too. He was in prison and asked for confirmation that Jesus was really the Messiah. “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?’” (Luke 17:20) This was after John faced down the Pharisees at the Jordan River and said of Jesus, behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
As John was sitting in prison, he reached a low point in his faith. Jesus sent word back to give reassurance and confirmed that he was really the expected Messiah. John would soon die a martyr’s death for preaching repentance to Herod’s family. He was beheaded but he needed reassurance in the prison cell before his death.
There are more examples of those who wavered and needed reassurance, like Elijah and Peter. If Abraham needed reassurance, if John the Baptist needed reassurance where does that leave us? Probably we are needing reassurance. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.
Abraham had some tremendous high points, but he had low points too. Knowing that will help us when you are not experiencing victory after victory. Sometimes you do not see everything you are trusting God for, and it is hard to have faith.
We are children of Abraham. We are like Father Abraham. Lord, I have been waiting on your promise and I still do not see it. You know God called you, but Lord what you were planning fell through twice. Lord did I hear you right? Tell me Lord not to be afraid. Tell me you are my shield and my great reward.
It was the custom in those days for a servant to inherit everything if you had no children. This was what Abraham was facing unless something miraculous happened. Abraham just plain worried.
The Lord gave Abraham reassurance:
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.” (Genesis 15:4)
As part of his reassurance Abraham is told to count the stars of the sky:
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.” (Genesis 15:5)
This made the difference for Abraham to believe God for the impossible. This is the moment Abraham became the father of faith.
Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6)
Here is the technical and theological term for what just happened here in this passage, imputed righteousness. Imputed righteousness in Christian theology tells us that the righteousness of Christ is treated as if it were our own through faith."
Abraham was credited with righteousness not because he worked hard enough for it. It was through faith. The New Testament parallels Abraham’s faith here to our faith in Christ when we are saved.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Abraham asks, How can I really know Lord?
But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” (Genesis 15:8)
The Lord cut a covenant with Abraham. It was the custom of the day, where animals were cut in half, and you were to walk in between them. The birds came when the animals were cut. This may represent obstacles that would arise as the covenant is carried out.
Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. (Genesis 15:11)
There is a prophecy given here about bondage and the difficulties Abraham’s descendants will have with Egyptian slavery.
Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. (Genesis 15:13-14)
When thinks are darkest God often gives reassurance. God is in control. Through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua…….. God is orchestrating his messianic masterplan.
The Abrahamic covenant is made.
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—
(Genesis 15:17-18)
This is for us as believers in Jesus.
The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone (Romans 4:23).
Faith in God is the response to his amazing grace. When we put our faith in Jesus the Christ, the messianic fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham it is credited to us as righteousness.
