DIGGING DEEP NO. 987 – MAY 30, 2023 ABRAHAM – A STUDY OF FAITH IN GOD (PART 7)                             Gen.15: 1 – 21

Sometimes, one who truly fears God, and is obedient to Him, maybe in a condition of darkness and may walk many days and many years in that condition Is.50: 10. At times the most dedicated Christians can feel as if they are in the dark and wonder why God seems to be far away. Abraham had three great concerns during that “Dark night experience”, God met all three of them.  

1. His safety – Gen.15: 1 Abraham just won a great battle, why would he be afraid? For one thing, he was human; and our emotions can fall apart after a time of great danger and difficulty. Elijah was discouraged after the victory over Baal on Mount Carmel. After the mountaintop comes the valley. “The Word of the Lord came to Abraham”. The faith that conquers fear is faith in the Word, not faith in feelings. God called Abraham by name Jh.10: 3, Ps.147: 3- 4. This is also the first time you find the assuring words “fear not” in the Bible. God repeated them to Isaac Gen.26: 24; Jacob Gen.46: 3 and often to the people of Israel Ex.14: 13; 20: 20; Numb.14: 9; Deut.1: 21. The “fear not” promises in the book of Isaiah are good when you find yourself dealing with fear Is.41: 10- 14; 43: 1- 2; 44: 2 & 8. God’s remedy for Abraham’s fear was to remind him of who He is “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” God’s I AM is perfectly adequate for man’s I am not. Ps.46: 10, your life is only as big as your faith, and your faith is only as big as your God. Protection and provision are blessings that the world is seeking; the Almighty God is the only one who can offer you both Ps.84: 11.
2. His heir – Gen.15: 2- 6 God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the earth Gen.13: 16, and that they would bring blessing to the whole world Gen.12: 1- 3. But Abraham and Sarah were still childless; and if Abraham died, the only heir he had was his “chief of staff” Eliezer. One basic lesson to learn from this is that God’s plan would be fulfilled in God’s way and in God’s time.  What Abraham and Sarah did not realize was that God was waiting for them to be as “good as dead” so that God alone would receive the power and glory. God did not rebuke Abraham; instead, He gave him the assurances that he needed 1Pet.5: 7.

Gen.15: 4- 5 – God made it clear that Abraham would be the father of the future heir. Then God assured Abraham that this one heir would be the father of so many descendants that nobody would be able to count them. Even when life is dark, you can still see the stars. It is estimated that there are about 100 billion stars, though 30,000 of them are listed in the General Catalog used by astronomers. God did not say that Abraham would have that many descendants but that, like the stars, there would be too many to count. Whether he looked down at the dust Gen.13; 14 or up at the stars Gen.15: 5 he would recall God’s promise and have confidence.

Gen.15: 6 – promises do us no good unless we believe them and act on them. Abraham had already trusted God’s promise in Gen.12: 1- 3 and proved it by leaving home and going to Canaan, but Gen.15: 6 is the first reference to Abraham’s faith. It is Jh.3: 16 of the Old Testament. The verse is quoted three times in the New Testament Gal.3: 6, Rom.4: 3, Jam.2: 23. The Hebrew word translated “believed” means “to lean your whole weight upon”. Abraham leaned wholly on the promise of God and the God of the promise. We are not saved by making promises to God but by believing the promises of God Jh.20: 31. Salvation is the gracious gift of God and it is received by faith Ephe.2: 8- 9.

3. His Land – Gen.15: 7- 21 God had told Abraham that He would give the land of Canaan to him and his descendants Gen.12: 7; 13: 15- 17, and now He reaffirmed that promise. At the beginning of Abraham’s pilgrimage, God said to him “I will show you the land” Gen.12: 1. Later, He said “I give you” Gen.13: 15- 17. But now His word is “to your descendants, I have given this land” Gen.15: 18. God’s covenant is a settled matter: the land belongs to Abraham’s descendants through Isaac.  

In Conclusion – When Abraham was concerned about himself, God assured him by saying “I AM!” When he was concerned about his heir, he heard God say “I will!” When he was concerned about the land, God says “I have given!” In Jesus Christ God gives those same assurances to His people today. Abraham believed in God. Do you believe?