Genesis 15.
This is an absolutely tremendous Chapter we have read this morning. It is brimful of wonderful things. It makes the heart lift and voice ready to burst out in praise of God. The love of God and the plan of God are revealed so wonderfully in this Chapter. If you didn't quite grasp it all this morning as it was read let me encourage you to go home and soak it up and let it into your soul.... there is tremendous encouragement here.
Let me begin though by quoting from Matthew Henry who all those years ago summarised it this way.
"In this Chapter we have a solemn treaty between God and Abraham concerning a covenant that was to be established between them. in the former Chapter we had Abraham in the field with kings; here we find hum in the mount with God; and though there he looked great, yet, methinks, here he looks much greater. The covenant is settled between God and Abraham as covenant of promises. There is 1. a general assurance of God's kindness and good will to Abraham. 2. a particular declaration of the purposes of his love concerning him, in two things 1. that he would give him a numerous issue. & 2. that he would give him Canaan for an inheritance. The promised seed and the promised land, comforts indeed to this great believer, were typical of those two invaluable blessings, Christ and heaven."
Now as we turn to this in more detail there are two things in verse one I want to draw your attention to. The first is the promise to Abraham of a great reward. Do you see how that contrasts with he earthly reward he had turned down in Chapter 14. In Chapter 14 as you recall he gave it all back to the king of Sodom even though as spoils of war he was more than entitled to keep it all. But the really wonderful phrase is in the promise made to Abraham, "I will shield you from danger......" I will shield you. Have you ever felt that? it is something I am conscious of a great deal.... the shield of God. I remember once not so very long ago having to go into a very difficult situation, it required all my courage and strength. It was at that time that the Lord reminded me that he was a shield. And as I walked out of the Manse it was though a steel shield had descended around me. I felt absolutely safe. Absolutely secure. Absolutely protected. Some of us here may just have that memory of the old advert, you remember the one. The castle surrounded a family like a shield and the man leant over the top and gave it a resounding knock to the words "get the strength of the insurance companies around you..." or something of that ilk. Far, far better, to get the shield of God around you.
But Abraham then issues a heartfelt plea. What's the use of all this reward and wealth if I have no children? After all how can the promise be fulfilled? How is it to take place? And although Abraham has faith he nevertheless asks the question that is troubling him. That's something we can all do. We can complain to God, We can ask him to explain. And blessed be the Lord for he usually does make it quite clear to us. And here he does it for Abraham.
Abraham is explicitly promised a son. To reinforce it he is taken outside and shown stars. Countless will be the descendants of Abraham says the Lord. Countless. For of course they include not just the natural heirs the jews but all the millions and millions who have given their lives to Christ and asked him into their hearts. Indeed for those of you attending the evening services it will be quite obvious that this promise made here is seen to be fulfilled so beautifully in Revelation in the vision of the heaven as we read in verse 9 of Chapter 17 "there was an enormous crowd - no one could count all the people!".
Now look at verse 6. "Abraham put his trust in the Lord and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him." I hope that rings a bell. It should do for we came up against this in our study in Romans and is fundamental to our understanding of reformed thinking and theology. "Abraham put his trust in the Lord and because of this the Lord was pleased with him and accepted him." Listen to Paul:
"Abraham is the spiritual father of us all..... the promise was based on faith, in order that the promise should be guaranteed as God's free gift to all Abraham's descendants. He was absolutely sure that God would be able to do what he had promised. That is why Abraham through faith was accepted as righteous by God. The words he was accepted as righteous were not written for him alone. They were written also for us who are to be accepted as righteous, who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from death. Because of or sins he was handed over to die and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God."
It was faith that made Abraham acceptable to God. Not works. Not actions. But faith. It was faith that justified Abraham. It is from here we begin to draw out that great reformed and biblical doctrine of justification by faith.
And in turning to verse 7....we find hard on the heels of "I believe" almost the prayer , "help thou my unbelief". How can I know asks Abraham? How can I know? He believes but he seeks reassurance ... a very human trait!
Abraham then follows the instructions of God and has to wait for the proof he seeks. You see I hope hoe seldom the Lord behaves as we would expect him to behave. How frequently we have to wait and waiting isn't something we are good at. Often we seek instant answers. And we often we don't seek them where they are to be found -- that is in the ordinary ordinances of our religion. In public worship, in bible study and in prayer. It is through these mediums that the Lord speaks to us.
Now there is much more that we might dwell on this morning, but perhaps by now we have sufficient to feed out souls on this Sabbath morning. However some of you wish to know the significance of the "smoking fire-pot and the flaming torch". According to Henry it is quite straightforward and I know of no reason to disagree with him when he says that, "The smoking fire-pot signified the coming tribulation of slavery in Egypt and the flaming torch denotes the comfort in this affliction. And then he goes on to say: "Light denotes deliverance out of the furnace (he says furnace here for that is what the smoking fire-pot is called in the older translations of the bible.) - light denotes deliverance out of the furnace and secondly the lamp denotes direction in the smoke. God's word was their lamp. This word to Abraham a light shining in a dark place. And thirdly the burning lamp denotes the destruction of their enemies who kept them so long in the furnace. That is in Egypt.
And so the covenant with Abraham is confirmed. The promises of God are revealed. What promises, what faith, what graciousness are revealed to us today in God's Holy Word.