Meeting God

Introduction

When difficult times come, expect to discover what kind of God you have. Notice Genesis 15. After Abram’s defeat of the king of Edom. After rescuing his nephew from a life of slavery. After waiting for many years for the fulfillment of a promise which seems a lifetime ago. After being assured that numerous descendants would come from him, Abram is not only childless, he is getting old. His wife is old. Life has been good, but he wants, no, he needs someone to take his name and carry on.

From time to time, life gives us a little knock so that we know we aren’t dead. Some of you have been through more in your life than five people put together. Others seem to go through life fairly unscathed but still have dilemmas that must be solved. We may not want to admit it, but it is during those times that we find out about faith and trust. During those times of uncertainty we find out what makes us tick and who is in control of our lives. What we find most often is that we resort to complaining and whining about our situation. Abram was no different. What we are going to discover is that we are a lot like Abram. We are people of faith, but uncertain about the future. We want some assurance about the future. We want to know that we aren’t wasting our time or our faith.

God’s Promise and Abram’s Faith

“Do not be afraid.” Afraid of what? Was God greeting Abram in this vision and reassuring him that he didn’t have to be afraid of this encounter? Was God saying not to be afraid of the future? Was Abram afraid of his past decisions? Perhaps Abram was afraid of the brevity of life. Having fought in a battle, perhaps he saw how quickly life could be taken away. Whatever was Abram’s fear, God doesn’t want him to be afraid any longer. Why is Abram not to be afraid? Because God is his shield.

There has been some discussion about the word “shield.” The ancient Hebrews did not use vowels. They knew the words they were trying to write, but for us removed from that language it becomes difficult at times to know the exact words which were being used. Such is the case here. Depending on which vowels are supplied, God could be saying he is Abram’s shield or protector. He could be saying that he is Abram’s benefactor who will provide a great reward. Either one can be understood. Perhaps the author wants us to understand both meanings. God will protect and he will provide.

Abram’s response in verse 2 is telling. It tells us that he is getting discouraged. He is tired. He has been trying to follow God since Ur and so far he doesn’t have child one. In essence, Abram is complaining. The only thing he knows to do is turn over his wealth to Eliezer, a trusted servant, and that possibility doesn’t excite him too much. Read verses 2 and 3 with the emotion intended. “A servant is going to be my heir.” “Where are the children you promised. No children—no real heir.”

You understand what Abram is saying. “Haven’t I been trying to follow you. How could you let this happen? Without some type of intervention, then I will have to do something I really don’t want to do.” We’ve been there. We wonder where God is. We love God. We want to honor him, but things aren’t working out the way we thought they would. So we complain. It isn’t meant to be harsh. But the words come from a heart which is tired and frustrated and discouraged. Maybe that is why God tells Abram not to be afraid. There is a fear in his heart. A fear that he has been wrong or played the role of a fool. A fear that what he based his hope on will not happen. The ground is no longer firm. It is like trying to stand on the deck of a boat being tossed about by waves. So Abram does the only thing he knows to do. He pleads his case.

God in verse 4 assures him that what he promised will happen. The promise made in chapter 12 is given again. A son will be born and he will be the first of many offspring. So many no one can count. God makes a promise. A promise made which as he assures Abram looking into the night sky is as certain as the unnumbered stars in the sky. And the text says that Abram believed God. What a trusting relationship they had. Sure, there were times when Abram didn’t understand or comprehend God’s direction, but he wanted to honor God.

The Faith of Abram

What we find is that Abram is a man of great faith. He isn’t perfect, but he trusts God to do what needs to be done. What he is searching for is a way of knowing what is going to happen. He wants to know what the future holds and he wants to know how things are going to work out. In verse 2, he asks the question “what are you going to give me?” and in verse 8, he asks how God will make sure that the land is his. Questions which demonstrate a need to know the future. We aren’t any different. We would like to know the future and we begin to think in terms of when God will deal with situations. The truth is that God works in ways we don’t understand but he is completely reliable. He gives us what we need.

What we also see about Abraham’s faith is action. We should understand the word “believe” in verse 6 to mean active trust. In other words, promised a son, Abram and Sarah spent time trying to have a baby. The promise that God gives to us deals with eternity. You belong to me, God says. To trust him means we actively live as if heaven is already ours. That means that we would honor God with our lives and our attitudes.

In addition to Abram’s faith we see God’s faithfulness. In verses 9—18 we have a description of God making a covenant with Abram. It is a graphic picture of animals being cut in half and Abram standing among the blood trying to keep the vultures away. He spends the day waving his arms and running around. Not bad for an 80 plus year old man. But at night he is exhausted. God appears again while Abram in a dream state and with a blazing torch passes between the carcasses of the animals. From other documents and Jeremiah 34 this is a way of describing a covenant being made. But in this case Abram cuts the animals, but only God passes through them.

The point is that God is binding himself to Abram. He is eliminating any other course of action. God by his own testimony and his own nature makes a covenant with Abram that will bind him until completion. The land will be his. The son will come. Numerous descendants will be seen. We have heard of the phrase where there is a will there is a way. In this text there is a divine will and God will see to it that his way will happen. God binds himself not because of Abram’s goodness but because God is God and he wants to be in covenant relationship with Abram.

You see, God did the same thing with us. He made a promise. He would make it possible for all to come to him and be his children. He kept that promise by his own hand. Because of his own will, Jesus died on the cross. Such a sacrifice demonstrates the intense love of God. God binds himself to us not because of our goodness but because he is God and he wants to be in covenant relationship with him. Are you God’s child?

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