"After these things…" With these words Moses gives us the context of this exchange between the LORD and Abram. The recent war to deliver Lot is over. Abram has returned in triumph but has refused to enter into the game of local power politics. He has refused to take any financial benefit from the conflict in which he had taken some great risks. He has nailed his colours to the mast – he has looked and will continue to look to the LORD and the LORD alone for his security and prosperity.

And Moses now tells us that the LORD takes the initiative in coming to Abram and of speaking to him through a vision. The interchange that follows is instructive and should be of help to us as we too have to interact with the Word of God.

The LORD's Message to Abram

It maybe sounds a bit strange to read that the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision but the expression denotes that Abram is being treated as a prophet as he receives a prophetic word from God.

The message itself has three parts to it.

1) "Fear not" – this is the first time in the Bible that these familiar words are used. Many times to come the same expression will be used or some other just like such as "do not be afraid". How we need to hear God's comforting voice like this in our lives.

But we should perhaps stop and ask just why Abram might be troubled by fear at this particular juncture. I want to suggest three possible reasons:

a) The immediate historical context.

Abram had won a striking victory against Chedorlaomer and his allies fully taking advantage of a surprise night-time attack. Now it is probable that Chedorlaomer had not appreciated this and indeed that he might well want to raise a new army and come to avenge himself upon Abram. The advantages of surprise were no longer in Abram's hands.

Having won victories where the local kings had failed could easily lead to envy being generated in the heart of King Bera – especially when Abram had snubbed him by refusing to play ball with him.

The days in which Abram lived were not safe days and now back home maybe Abram was beginning to look over his shoulder a bit.

b) The actual context.

God was speaking to Abram in a vision! Encounters of this kind between God and man were impressive ones for the men on the receiving end and we must never imagine otherwise. Moses experience at the burning bush comes to mind – he drew near drawn by the curious spectacle of the bush burning without being consumed and was told to remove his sandals being on holy ground. Later in the history of the people of God Isaiah had a vision of God in the temple and his immediate reaction was to cry out "Woe is me…I am lost, ruined, undone".

The LORD God then would be speaking to reassure Abram that His appearing to him in this way was no act of hostility or opposition. Abram had no reason to be afraid because the LORD was "promising good" to him. How appropriate are the words of John Newton's Amazing Grace:

The Lord has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

as long as life endures.

c) The future context.

The LORD well knows what it is that is preoccupying Abram. As Abram sits and quietly thinks about the future all looks bleak to him because he has sired no heir to carry on the family line. Whatever may happen to him will be useless if no offspring are produced – and as the days and months go by neither Abram nor Sarai are getting any younger. What will the future hold worries Abram.

And so whether it is one, two or all three of these concerns that are primarily addressed the LORD speaks kindly words to Abram. We can say with God in the equation fear is not an appropriate reaction for His people.

2) The second part of the message that the LORD speaks to Abram explains why fear is out of place.

The LORD says to Abram: "I am your shield". What a lovely picture this is speaking as it does of the protection that the LORD affords to His people. It is a image that is picked up and used pretty extensively elsewhere in the Bible in particular in the Psalms.

Here are a few examples:

Ps.115:9-11 "O Israel, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and their shield.

O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and their shield.

You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD!

He is their help and their shield."

Ps.18:2 "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Ps.144:2 "he is my steadfast love and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield and he in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoples under me."

In the last two examples the psalmist does not limit himself to using just the shield as an image of protection. Indeed the Scriptures use a wide range of such images to help and encourage us.

In addition to shield we have in those two verses references to the LORD as a rock, a fortress, a stronghold, a place of refuge and a deliverer. We can easily add to such a list: He is a High Tower (Pr.18:10); He surrounds His own with chariots of fire (2Ki.6:17; Ps.68:17 – myriads of them and thousands of thousands!). And of course there is the lovely picture of Him as the Shepherd who cares for His flock.

Ps.28:9 "Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!

Be their shepherd and carry them forever."

3) The final thing that the LORD says to Abram is that Abram will be richly rewarded – and there is some suggestion that the LORD Himself is at least part of this very great reward.

Having refused to be enriched (or be seen to be enriched) by Bera, King of Sodom, Abram might have been tempted to feel somewhat out of pocket for all the risks he had taken and the effort he had expended in going to procure the release of his nephew Lot. But the LORD intervenes to quash any such thoughts. The LORD will be no man's debtor and He comes to Abram with strong promises.

Given the context of Abram's anxiety about offspring, which the LORD knows all about already, it is tempting to read this promise of a rich reward with a certain anticipation of what will come next - after all we read later in the Psalms the following sentence which ties the ideas we're considering together:

Ps.127:3 "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,

the fruit of the womb a reward."

Abram's Response

I wonder what you make of Abram's response. Surely he should have been grateful to the LORD for the kind and generous words that he has just heard! But when we read what he actually said it seems more of an accusation that a paean of praise.

It is clear that Abram is preoccupied and it is the question of a lack of a child that is bothering him. The unspoken question that lies behind Abram's words is "Why?"

You see Abram has already received promises from the LORD before and that concerning offspring has not yet been honoured. Indeed with each passing week and month the likelihood of that promise being fulfilled seems to be less and less probable from a human point of view.

As Abram looks at things no blessing or promise of blessing means anything if he has no child to follow him.

We must take note that Abram is struggling with faith issues here. He is not indifferent to the word of God indeed he is the very opposite of this. He is so passionately concerned that he really is in earnest as he declares that his predicament is as it is precisely because the LORD has not blessed him!

Now there is a very important lesson for us to learn here. There is a world of difference between indifference and ignorance, between rank disbelief and weak faith.

When we read the Bible and hear promises that seem to be way beyond our current experience I wonder just how we react? It is possible simply to smile and shrug our shoulders and to think nothing more of it. In that way we are mere spectators of the word rather than being touched by it – Abram would not approve! Abram's way would be to challenge and to question: if this is true then why am I not experiencing it? What is the problem? Help me to understand and if this is what should be then make it so in the reality of my experience.

May the LORD preserve us from being passive readers and hearers of His word! The Bible is not remote and distant from our daily lives and we must not read it as though it were no more relevant to us than Grimm's Fairy tales!

God approves of Abram's reaction

There is not the slightest hint in this passage that God dislikes Abram's reaction and we are certainly not to read it as though it was sin. Abram's problems come from his desperate concern that the word that has promised him so much might indeed be kept!! Now there is an attitude that God will approve of as you read your Bible and hear His Word proclaimed.

Abram's problem is not that he is uninterested in God's word but that he simply cannot see how what he hears can possibly be true given his current circumstances. These circumstances he can do nothing about the LORD God must act. But as you'll readily appreciate Abram doesn't just sit back and twiddle his thumbs with some smug "whatever will be will be attitude. The issue is too important for that and so he responds to this new intervention of the LORD in his life.

We should bear in mind that it is the LORD Himself who has initiated this new encounter and He has done so fully understanding the preoccupations in Abram's mind. Indeed we could read this section as a deliberate move on the LORD's part to deal with these concerns that Abram has!

There is no rebuke given to a man who longs for God's word to be honoured. No rebuke given to a man who can't see how things will work out but who comes to the LORD with his questions and hesitations.

Abram can't father children and there is nothing he can do about it. We have a proverb that says that man's extremity is God's opportunity. But Abram situation was beyond extremity it was impossibility.

So the LORD takes steps to strengthen Abram's faith and to encourage him to not lose heart. The NT teaches us plainly that "nothing will be impossible for God" Lk.1:37.

The LORD leads Abram out of his tent and shows him the night skies full of stars. With this as a visual aid the LORD confirms to Abram His promises concerning his own yet to be born offspring.

And Abram believes!!

Isn't that wonderful? The stars in the sky are not proof – they are merely an illustration of what the LORD promises to do. What has convinced Abram is the serious word from the LORD. Rom.10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." This is what Abram has heard – the word of God and that word has brought faith.

And how pleased God is!!

Abram, helpless Abram, at an end of himself, hears God's word and believes it. He doesn't do anything he simply trusts God to do what He has promised He will do. And the LORD is pleased. He is so pleased that he counts this to Abram as righteousness.

Up to this point the earth has been characterized by growing wickedness ever since the Fall. The flood had stemmed the flow of wickedness for a time but quickly afterwards sin spread and developed throughout the human race all over again. Abram was no better than the others – remember his shoddy behaviour as he put Sarai in danger to protect his own skin as he travelled down into Egypt? Abram was short of righteousness and yet here we read that he has righteousness credited to his account.

This verse is taken up in the NT being quoted in four different places (Rom.4:3, 22; Gal.3:6 & Jas.2:23). Paul in particular saw this as a key verse. And the reason for that is that quite simply we too have a problem with righteousness – we just don't have the necessary righteousness in ourselves to match up to God's standards. It would be no use exhorting us to work away at producing some special efforts of our own because even our best efforts would be contaminated by sin. As Isaiah stated it:

Is.64:6 "and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags"

No amount of effort on our part could ever secure us the righteousness of which we stand in need. But this example in the life of Abram shows us that there is another way! And it is a way that is completely successful!!

Abram trusted God to do what He had promised and for that righteousness was credited to his account. Likewise you are called upon to trust Christ to all in your salvation. As you take God at His word putting your faith and trust in Christ alone to save you then He will crediting His righteousness to your account.

Praise God for such a salvation! May each of us indeed place our trust firmly in Christ!