Genesis 15 Commentary
As we observed, the LORD God interacted with Abraham in many different ways. Yesterday, we held a strong opinion that Abram’s encounter with Melchizedek was God’s special visitation. Today, the LORD speaks to Abram in a vision.
Now we understand how Abram defeated a combined force of 4 strong kings. God was his shield! Verse 1. But the LORD God is also his very great reward. Verse 1. No wonder he scorned the gifts from the rescued kings! If you have this kind of backing, can you be polite!
The LORD God used all sorts of teaching aids. Chapter 13 used sand or dust. Chapter 15 uses the stars of the sky. You cannot count both! So shall Abram’s offspring be! Uncountable! The blessing of multiplication in full swing!
Verse 6 is one simple line but wait until Paul makes a mountain out of it! Righteousness is reduced to believing God’s word. See how Jesus reduced work to believing God’s word! And God’s word is Jesus! Romans 4 and John 6 verse 29.
Wait a minute. What was all the victory for if Abram still looked forward to possessing the land? What was his understanding? Regardless, he needed evidence that he would possess the land.
Verse 1 contained a vision. Verse 12 can be called a special dream because it involves a deep sleep and heavy communication – yet another meeting venue, and another attire!
The message is difficult to decipher but we can try.
The evidence is that Abram worships. Possession of land may be reduced to a place of worship – the worship of the one true God of Abram. This thought could be supported by the fact that Eden is the final land in question – the place where mankind was scattered for lack of worship (obedience).
Moses would have the same question four generations after this conversation.
And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Exodus 3 verse 12. Worship would be the sign of liberation! You only know you are saved when you are at a place of worship, a place of obedience!
But Abram needed to know more. Egypt lay in waiting. Slavery would be part of the equation. But the promise of “possession” remained. Interestingly, Hebrews mentions “possession/rest” as a pending task on every believer’s task list. Hebrews 4.
The mention of the Amorite’s sin as part of the equation is interesting. The LORD God negotiates events, times, and spaces with everything else in mind.
The word “possession” may lack something; the word “dispossess” could add the missing understanding to the operation. The land in question was occupied already!
How to read a message that traverses times, spaces, generations, and applications can always be difficult! But it shall be clearer as we navigate the pages of scripture. Importantly, all shall be clear as we stand before the God of Abram in gloryland – the real land!
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