Waiting for God's Promise

Genesis 15:1-7 (ESV):

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I amyour shield; your reward shall be very great.” 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?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 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.” 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.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

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.”

“Do you pinky promise?” “Cross your heart and hope to die?” Perhaps you have heard children use thee phrases or something like them when they want to be sure a promise is taken seriously. Even at a young age we come to realize that not all promises are kept and some people are more faithful in keeping their promises than others. We know we are not perfect at keeping our own promises. We might wonder if anyone keeps their promises anymore.

We might even wonder if God keeps His promises. Genesis 15 deals with the promise God makes. God promised Abram earlier in Genesis 12:7, “I will give this land to your offspring.” In the intervening time, however, Abram and his wife, Sarai, still had no child. Perhaps Abram wondered if God was going to keep His Word. Perhaps he wondered if he could trust God completely. God calls us to trust Him with our lives and future. He asks us to trust Him because He is trustworthy. Even when we face trials or difficulties, we can trust God to keep His Word. He is a promise keeper, and He will keep His promises to us no matter how long it takes.

This passage, Genesis 15:7-21, is considered by many Bible scholars to be a type of covenant renewal ceremony. The main covenant promise in focus was the land (15:7, 18-21). Abram had believed God concerning his offspring (15:6). However, he sought assurance that “this land” would be his and his descendants' to possess (15:7-8).

Though the term “covenant” appears just once in this passage, the ceremony wherein the smoking fire pot and flaming torch passed through the divided animals was tied directly to the agreement God made with Abram to give him “this land” (15:17-21). As for the ceremony itself, the exact meaning is not explained, yet sacrifices did become a part of Israel's later religious expression. Moreover, the 400 years of sojourn and slavery in Egypt were foretold to Abram as a precursor to the exodus and enrichment of God's people. Abram himself would live a full and blessed life and die in the Promised Land (15:13-16).

I. Abram's Frustration (Gen. 15:1-3).

Perhaps the course of Abram's life journey thus far had unnerved him somewhat. In Egypt, he felt the need to protect himself by claiming Sarai was his sister instead of his wife (12:10-20). Though God worked the situation in Abram's favor, Abram later experienced the capture of Lot and his possessions by marauding kings (14:1-6). Did these events weaken Abram's trust in the Lord? God's treatment of Abram suggests these events did unsettle him. However, Abram was not in the covenant enterprise alone. When his faith needed reinforcement, the Lord appeared.

The phrase, “after these events” ties the vision of 15:1 to the events described in Genesis 12:10-14:24. The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. Giving visions was one way the Lord spoke to people. For example, He used visions to communicate with Abram, with Balaam (Num. 24:4, 16), and with Ezekiel (Ezek. 8:4). In this verse, the content of the vision was the “word of the Lord,” meaning a specific instruction for Abram for his particular situation. Through this vision, God spoke a message of comfort to Abram.

God's message was brief and clear: “Do not be afraid, Abram.” This terse command revealed both Abram's frailty and God's comfort toward His covenant partner. Though most English translations reflect the imperative tone (“Fear not,” KJV, ESV), the Hebrew grammar allows for a bit softer admonition, something like, “Stop being afraid, Abram.”

God gave the reason Abram should not fear with the statement, “I am your shield.” The word shield referred to a defensive piece of armor used to safeguard the bearer. In Ur and Haran, Abram had his relatives to be his shield, his security. In the Promised Land, far removed from his extended family, he had to rely on the Lord. The effect of God's statement was to remind Abram that the Lord was reliable.

The Lord also encouraged Abram by reiterating to him, “Your reward will be very great.” This promise was intended to refocus Abram on the covenant enterprise before Him. As promised, God would be with Abram, show him the land, protect him, and make him a great nation. After trouble in Egypt and a skirmish with foreign kings, Abram was shaken by not destroyed. The Lord stepped in to direct his attention away from the immediate, troubling circumstances and back to the covenant He was establishing with Abram.

The term reward referred commonly to payment for work done. During Abram's life, his work was to have faith in God. Jesus taught the same truth (John 6:29). Abram's reward would come in the form of God fulfilling His promises to the aging patriarch.

Abram's response to God's vision revealed his focus on the lack of a child. The transitional word but indicates the contrast between the brightness of God's promise and the bleakness of Abram's attitude at the time. Abram felt it necessary to point out to God, “I am childless.” The literal Hebrew would be something like, “I am going childless.” The lack of a son persistently plagued Abram's thought process. Already, Abram had waited about 10 years since God first promised him a son (Gen. 16:3).

Before stating “I am childless,” Abram asked, “Lord God, what can You give me?” Rather than hear this as a statement of skepticism regarding God's ability, it seems preferable to understand Abram's question as a confession of melancholy. Time was marching on, Abram had aged another 10 years, yet he had no son.

As Abram contemplated his dismal state, he sought alternative ways of understanding how God could fulfill His promise. Did God intend for Eliezar of Damascus, a foreign-born house servant, to be the channel of divine blessings? Was he to be Abram's heir? The term heir renders the literal Hebrew for the “son of acquisition.” Was Abram to pass on his growing wealth of cattle and sheep, of land and influence, to his servant from Damascus? Is that what God meant by promising to make of Abram a great nation (Gen. 12:2)?

In verse 3 Abram became more direct. The word look (“Behold,” KJV, ESV) brought heightened attention to what he wanted to say. You have given me no offspring. Abram might have been telling God, “It's fine for You to say, 'I will make you into a great nation' or 'I am your shield,' but what good are those assurances if I have no offspring?” His melancholy was deep.

Abram once again reminded God, “A slave born in my house will be my heir.” This final statement of the verse is introduced with a Hebrew particle similar to the one rendered look at the beginning of Abram's statement. To grasp the impact of this particle the word so (“lo,” KJV) could be rendered “and behold!” This particle was utilized to call special attention to Abram's claim regarding Eliezer. While baseless, his statement placed in sharp relief the difference between God's promise and Abram's perception of reality.

In summary, after receiving a vision from God, Abram expressed frustration over not having a son who could be his heir. Abram wondered if his servant was to be his heir.

Applying the Scriptures:

How does God's timing differ from ours? What challenges arise to our faith as a result? What benefits might there be to a delay in the fulfillment of God's promises?