Genesis 15:1-6

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Life can be a roller coaster of ups and downs. The ‘ups’ can include a health scare that passes, a rocky relationship that is mended, a debt that gets paid. When you get through those things, you start to think, “Now, I can breathe. I got through that hard stretch, so things will settle down.” And, for a while, they do. But then, the next trouble shows up, and the ‘downs’ return.

The test results come back with a new anomaly. The mechanic lets you know about an expensive repair, and your finances are already tight. Your reputation gets thrown into question by a nasty rumor. Those are the moments when the doubt creeps in again. You are delivered from one battle only to find yourself in another. In those moments, it’s easy to forget all the times God has rescued you. So, you start to wonder, “How will I get myself out of this mess?” Completely removing God from the equation.

This pattern of ups and downs is repeated throughout Scripture. Today, we see it in the life of Abraham. Now, I know he’s called ‘Abram’ here in Gen. 15 and that God doesn’t change his name to ‘Abraham’ until Gen. 17:5. But just for the sake of ease, I’m calling him ‘Abraham’ through this sermon.

Our text opens with, “after these things…” assuming you know the context of what’s happened in Abraham’s life up to this point. Those words, “after these things,” point us back to Abraham’s ‘before’ so we can understand the ‘after’ that follows. Let me summarize: God called Abraham to leave his homeland and go to a land God would show him. God promised that He would make Abraham into a great nation and bless all the families of the earth through him (Gen. 12:1-3). Abraham brought his nephew, Lot with him. Abraham and Lot were so prosperous that the land couldn’t support them both (Gen. 13:6), so they decided to split up. Abraham let Lot pick where he would settle, and Lot preferred the valley near Sodom because it was “like the garden of the Lord” (Gen. 13:10). But after a while, Lot found himself in some serious trouble.

Four kings, who ruled over a massive area that extended from modern day Iran all the way to Egypt decided to fight against five kings in Canaan (including the king of Sodom) who were rebelling against them (Gen. 14:1-4). Those four kings defeated them and took Lot, his family, and all his possessions away (Gen. 14:11-12). When Abraham heard that Lot had been taken captive, he went out with a small company of 318 men and defeated those four kings and pursued them all the way to Damascus (Gen. 14:14-15). Based on numbers alone, it wasn’t a battle Abraham should have won, but God blessed him and his men with the victory.

Abraham brought everything back—Lot, the people, the goods (Gen. 14:16-20). Then, Abraham returned home and settled back into his land. You can almost hear him thinking, “Now I can rest. The battle is over, and I’ve won. God has been faithful.”

Now comes the ‘after.’ After these things the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision. Notice, God speaks first. He doesn’t wait for Abraham to say anything. God makes two promises. The first is, “Fear not, Abram, I am your Shield.” (Gen. 15:1). God says this after He had already proven that promise. It’s as though we should understand that Shield promise as God saying, “Don’t think for one minute that you defeated those four kings because you suddenly turned into a skillful general, Abraham. You won that battle because I am your Shield.”

Then comes the second promise, “Your reward shall be very great.” Different translations handle this differently. This can be understood as God recalling all His previous promises. Or, it can be understood as God Himself being Abraham’s great Reward. Either way, we can tell that Abraham was struggling with doubt. “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless?” (Gen. 15:2). Abraham is struggling to believe the promise of a reward. Even after this great deliverance, even after seeing God work in a mighty way, unbelief began to creep into Abraham’s heart. God had given Abraham the promise of a son, but nothing had happened. No child. No pregnancy. No heir. Eliezer from Damascus was the best option. Back then, couples that didn’t have children would adopt a household servant to become their heir. That servant would take care of the couple as they aged and would inherit their property as payment for that care.

Eliezer could have been a member of Abraham’s household for a long time. But it is possible that Eliezer had been acquired by Abraham when Abraham rescued Lot up at Damascus. Either way, in Abraham’s mind, God was a long way from fulfilling His promise of giving Abraham a son, and Abraham is very open and honest with his doubt. “What are you waiting for, God? It looks like this guy from Damascus is going to inherit everything.”

God doesn’t rebuke his honesty. Instead, He answers with a promise that is even more specific. “This man shall not be your heir. Your very own Son shall be your heir” (Gen. 15:4). Then, He takes Abraham outside to do some counting. “Number the stars if you can. So shall your offspring (lit. ‘seed’) be” (Gen. 15:5). God turns astronomy into theology. The same God who made each and every one of those uncountable stars was promising uncountable descendants.

Yes, God was promising that Abraham would be the patriarch of numerous descendants. But even more than that God was also promising Abraham a descendant, a particular Offspring—the Messiah, Jesus (Gal. 3:16). That Seed who would come from Abraham’s own body would be the one who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15) and bless all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:3).

Then comes that beautiful verse, “[Abraham] believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Abraham didn’t create this faith in himself. God spoke. God promised. And by that Word, the Holy Spirit created faith in Abraham’s heart. That faith received what God gave. And God declared Abraham righteous—not because of anything Abraham had done, but because of the promise he believed.

After this night filled with God’s promise, I wonder how the rest of Abraham’s nights went until Isaac was finally born. How often was he kept awake with his doubts until he’d finally go back outside to count the stars again? How often did Abraham look up at the starry sky and pray, “That’s a big promise, God!”?

Dear saints, you also know this pattern of the ‘after’ that Abraham found himself in too. The crisis passes. The burden lifts. You think the struggle is over. But then, comes the ‘after.’ A new trouble arrives. Anxiety returns. Doubt whispers. And we ask, “Lord, what are You going to do for me now?” Like Abraham, you are saved but still struggling.

Remember that Abraham’s Lord is also your Lord. He is your Shield and your great Reward too. He doesn’t point you to the stars, but He does point you to the waters of your Baptism, where He gave you the new birth (Jn. 3:5), joined you to (Ro. 6:3-5) and clothed you with Christ (Gal. 3:27). He points you to the Bread and Wine of Communion and says, “Take; eat and drink this for the forgiveness of your sins” (Mt. 26:27-28).

You have those promises because the Seed of Abraham has come. Jesus is your Shield from God’s wrath against your sin. He is your great Reward who gives Himself to you. 

Struggles will come after deliverances. Trials will come after rescues. But God remains the same in the ‘after.’ His promises still hold. Your Shield still protects. Your Reward continually gives Himself.

Dear saints, it can be easy to forget about all God’s blessings in the ‘before.’ Worry and anxiety can quickly fill your heart in the ‘after.’ Don’t hold either of them too tightly. The past—the ‘before’—is for thankfulness. The future—the ‘after’—is for hope. In the ‘now,’ fix your eyes on Christ where true joys are found because the faith that looks to Jesus is still credited to you as righteousness. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Php. 4:7). Amen.