Episode 265 - "God's promise to Abram" - Genesis 15:1-6

Gen. 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

If there are sections of Scripture that are more significant or important than others, Genesis 15, I believe, would have to be included in that list. The reason is that the New Testament authors cite this to support their argument for the nature of faith and imputed righteousness.

In our last episode, the LORD had given Abram victory over the kings that had taken Lot and his possessions. Melchizedek, the king of Salem, blessed Abram, and Abram gave a tithe to him. The LORD was ready to take Abram to the next step in his plan to make Abram a great nation. This is just my personal observation and not necessarily a theological point of the text. But I think the LORD often works like this within our lives. People often want God to “zap” them and fix all their struggles and problems right away. Perhaps the LORD does not do that because he wants us to learn to trust him always. Notice how this section opens.

The LORD spoke to Abram in a vision. He told him not to fear. His promise to Abram that could allay his fear was, “I am your shield” (Gen. 15:1). God is telling Abram that He will protect Abram from harm. God had already demonstrated his protection of Abram when he led Abram out of his home country to the land of Canaan, down into Egypt, where Abram attempted to protect himself at the risk of forfeiting God’s promise to make him a great nation by allowing his wife Sarai to be taken into Pharoah’s household. God demonstrates his patience and care for Abram by reassuring him that he is always with Abram, will protect him, and will reward him greatly.

Abram and Sarai weren’t getting any younger, and in verses 2-3, Abram effectively recalls God’s promise to make his name great and to make him a great nation. Abram is rightly expecting Sarai to have children. But the LORD had not yet given them a child. We don’t know who Eliezer of Damascus is to Abram other than he is not his own child. It seems as though Abram is seeking clarity from God. In other words, he’s saying, “Since you haven’t given us any children, is this one going to be my heir?”

The LORD’s response leaves no question as to his plan. Abram will have a biological child. It will not be someone who is adopted or has some other legal status as a potential heir. But he doesn’t leave it there. The LORD had Abram look into the sky and told him that his descendants would be numerous like the stars in the sky.

We just witnessed the limits of Abram’s understanding and faith in the LORD when he reminded the LORD that He had not given him one child. But in the LORD’s fantastic revelation concerning the number of descendants he would provide Abram, Abram believed and trusted him. The LORD assessed Abram’s trust as righteousness. We saw this same thing with Noah, didn’t we? Noah trusted the LORD. He responded rightly to the LORD’s revelation and was obedient to the LORD’s revelation.

It is inappropriate to read this and think that the LORD is making the same promise to us. We cannot assume that if we just trust the LORD, he will make us wealthy. Yet, it is appropriate and proper to understand that this passage reveals that the LORD is trustworthy. He does make promises to us that seem so impossible. The promise of the resurrection and eternal life, for example, is not something we can prove through scientific observation. Stories like this reveal that God cares for his people. He protects them. He provides for them. He wants what is best for them. He is trustworthy, and we need to respond to God’s revelation by believing him and receiving the righteousness counted toward us in Christ.

Episode 255 - God's covenant with all living things - Genesis 9:8-17

Gen. 9:8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Many Bible scholars hold that the first covenant God made was with Adam. In Genesis 2:15-17 the LORD commanded the man to take care of the garden and enjoy it. However, the one prohibitive command to not eat from the one tree was the stipulation to continue receiving these blessings the LORD had provided. Disobedience would lead to certain death. The only problem with understanding this instruction as a covenant is that nowhere is it called a covenant. It has characteristics of a covenant. So, it may be a covenant. However, I cannot imagine why the LORD didn’t call it a covenant or why Moses didn’t explain that it was a covenant. Whether it is or isn’t, the covenant that God makes with Noah and all living creatures is the first time it’s recorded in the Bible that what God is promising is, in fact, a covenant.

A covenant is commonly defined in our language today as a solemn promise that may be conditional or unconditional. Some covenants offer promises to the recipients if they keep their part of the deal. That’s a conditional covenant. On other occasions, God makes an absolute covenant promise regardless of how the people respond. If God’s words to Adam in Genesis 2 constitute a covenant, then the covenant is conditioned upon Adam’s obedience to God’s command. What God promises Noah and his sons in this text, however, is an unconditional covenant. This fact alone is a significant thing to consider in our study today because it provides important truth about the character of the LORD.

First, notice that God included Noah’s sons in his audience. He didn’t just speak to Noah. I don’t recall the LORD including Noah’s sons in his message concerning the flood and the building of the ark. It was upon Noah to share God’s message and for Noah’s sons to follow him by faith. One can only imagine what that must have been like for Noah’s sons. “God’s going to do what?” “Water is going to come down from the heavens?” “You’re going to build a large boat and we are going to live on it with a bunch of animals?” I would think they believed their dad was a bit crazy. However, concerning this covenant promise, they each hear the same message. It seems to me that God is drawing them into a closer relationship, wanting to mitigate any fears that the God who brought about the flood might do it all again each time it started raining. It’s God’s way of helping them understand that he will not get angry and resort to annihilation at the drop of a hat. There are people today who live under this kind of fear that God is just looking for an excuse to smack them down. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

What’s more, is that God explained to Noah and his sons that this covenant promise extends to all living creatures. It reveals that God values animals to the extent that he makes an unconditional covenant promise to the animals and birds as well as to all humanity. What’s the promise? “Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” (Gen 9:11)

The text continues to explain that God’s sign of this covenant is the rainbow. I love rainbows. Whenever it rains, and the sun comes out, I often run or look outside to see if there’s a rainbow. They’re beautiful! It’s something visible that many people can see from different locations. Think about it. God made a sign for his covenant that he knew would bring joy and pleasure to look at and could be viewed by many at once. What a gift and encouraging message from the LORD. All these generations later, we get to enjoy its beauty and rest in its promise.

But the sign of the covenant is not just for us. Notice in verse 16 that God also sees it and remembers the “everlasting covenant” he has made with all living beings. I like to think about that. God doesn’t forget anything. I don’t think he has to be reminded that he made this covenant. When God “remembers” something, it’s that his promise is before him, and he acts in accordance with that promise. It’s like he’s saying, “When I see the rainbow, I will fulfill the promise I made in accordance with that sign. You can rely on it.” It communicates that God is trustworthy.

The rainbow is just one little sign of the LORD’s care for all living things, of his peace, beauty, and trustworthiness. Reflect on that this week.