Walk In Newness of Life Pt. 14 Abraham's Steps of Faith are Rewarded!

Examining the life of Abraham is teaching us much about how to walk in newness of life with God. He took many steps of faith and Genesis 15 is the great exposition of the Abrahamic covenant that all born again believers are part of today. 

However, we have also seen that Abraham made some serious missteps in his walk with God and  he was very much a man of like passions like each one of us. Therefore, these studies are very relevant to our own lives in this day.

After these things, looking back.

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. 

Genesis 15 begins with a powerful proclamation of Jehovah to Abraham. The phrase "after these things" refers to the events in Genesis 14 that we looked at in our last post. 

"These things" included war, rebellion, an attack to put down the rebellion and Abraham's nephew being captured. "These things" included Abraham rescuing Lot with a much smaller force, by trusting that God would deliver victory over his foes. "These things" included Bera king of Sodom, tempting Abraham with wealth, fame and prestige.  Bera's offer was rejected when Abraham forcefully swore his allegiance to the most high God. 

"The word of the LORD came" is used for the first time!

This is the very first time we read the phrase  "and the word of the LORD came." This is an important phrase that is found 258 times in the Bible with all but 13 being in the Old Testament. It means that there came a word from Jehovah to Abraham and it left no doubt in anyone's mind that God was speaking to man. 

1 Samuel 9:9  (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) 

2 Samuel 24:11-12  For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 12) Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 

This word from Jehovah came in the form of a vision, referring to that which is seen with the eyes. The phrase is very much connected to Old Testament prophets who spoke for Jehovah. 

The two texts above tell us about the office of a "seer" that became the office of a "prophet." This word of Jehovah came to Abraham in a vision, as did much prophecy (See Revelation 1:1-3; 1:11; 1:19 for examples). 

The first time God tells us to "Fear not." 

This is the very first time that we read the words from God telling us to "Fear not." 

"Fear not, Abram" are words meant to bring comfort, that demonstrated Jehovah's care and concern for Abraham in a tangible way. He may have been startled when he received a vision from Jehovah. Truthfully, most of us would be shaken to some degree if we experienced this. 

Abraham may also have been concerned about the coalition of kings that he routed, regrouping and coming back to exact revenge. Thus, the Lord said "fear not." 

Jehovah spoke by using Abram's name which reminds us that He knows each one of us in an intimate way. 

Luke 12:6-7 6  Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? 7) But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. 

Remember that the name "Jesus" means "Jehovah saves."  When Jesus speaks, it is Jehovah speaking. When Jesus acts, it is Jehovah acting. When Jesus died on the cross it was Jehovah dying on a cross to save us from our sins. When Jesus arose from the dead it was Jehovah rising from the dead as the final proof that sin, death, hell and Satan were defeated. 

The Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples about how the Father in heaven sees each child of God. He knows the fate of all sparrows, how many sparrows there are and He even notices when one dies. 

He loves us enough to know how many hairs we have on our heads! Christ was teaching us that we are of far more worth to the Father than the sparrows that He cares for. Thus, if He exercises such care for sparrows, then how much more does He love and care for each of us?

Psalm 139:1-4 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. 2) Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. 3) Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. 4) For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. 

King David spoke of Jehovah knowing when we stand up, when we sit down and He understands our thoughts. He guards our path and knows all of our actions. He knows what we are going to say before we speak it. 

Psalm 103:13-14  Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. 14) For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. 

"Fear not" the Lord says to all those who trust Him. He pities us like a father pities his children who need constant correction, until they willingly submit to their parents. Our Father knows that we are the dust from Adam and prone to failure. 

Jehovah is our shield and great reward. 

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. 

The phrase "I am thy shield" means that Jehovah promised to protect Abraham from his enemies and to guard him each day. No doubt, Abraham found great comfort in Jehovah's promise. However, He also promised that He would be the exceeding great reward for Abraham's faith. The idea is that Abraham would be richly rewarded for his faith in Jehovah. 

Abraham rejected the command of Bera to take all the goods and spoils of war. Therefore, Jehovah is rewarding Abraham's faith by being his reward that is far above anything imaginable. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

It is always good to look back and remember what God has done for us. We can think back to the moment of our conversion to Christ and the impact of the gospel upon our lives. We can look back to times our prayers were answered, to tough times that God carried us safely through, to recall the many blessings He has granted us over the years of our walk with Him.

It is always good to remember that "the word of the LORD came" to us. God loved us enough to speak to us, to communicate to His creatures. This means that we are blessed when we anchor ourselves to his word and believe what God has said.

It is always good to keep in mind that God tells us not to fear. Romans 8:31-39 tells us about the love of God that we cannot be separated from. This brings us great comfort to our souls. If God is for us (and He is!) who can be against us?

It is also good to remember that Jehovah promised to protect each child of God. He guards our path and delivers us from the evil one who seeks to destroy us. He has promised the riches of rewards to all who place their faith in Him (Ephesians 1:1-3). 

It is always good to respond to trials, troubles and tribulation by leaning on and expressing our faith in Jehovah. He will always go through every hardship and difficulty with us. He will always stay with us and never abandon us. He will always remain faithful to care for us and to keep His Word. 

May these humble thoughts help us to keep our bearings set toward heaven, even as our world collapses into chaos, confusion and depravity. Fear not, believer!

Bob