Genesis 15:1-21 Making truth and justice the foundation for an enduring legacy
Genesis 15:1-21
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.
7 And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” 8 He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11 The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14 But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
17 It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”
Background
Abram returns having crushed the aggression of the Eastern alliance. God approves of Abram’s righteous and selfless intervention for the sake of truth and justice. God takes Abram to the next level by making a covenant with him. In doing so, God binds Himself to see to the fulfilment of Abram’s descendants and their settlement in the Promised Land. In today’s devotion, we see the importance to making truth and justice the foundation for an enduring legacy in our family and nation.
Observation
Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.
“These things…” refers to Abram’s victorious military intervention against the Eastern confederacy that inevitably raises Abram’s repute in the region. Having crossed swords with Cherdorlaoma, Abram is faced with a vindictive tyrant. God, in a timely manner assures Abram of His protection against the Eastern alliance: I am a shield to you, and approves of his chivalry: Your reward shall be very great.
Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless…
Abram, in seizing the occasion raises the question for a much needed heir, a seed to the fulfilment of God’s promise. By introducing a potential candidate to the heir, Abram invites God to device a possible solution to Sarai’s barrenness. God swiftly rejects the suggestion of Eliezer of Damascus as heir apparent and promises one who will “come forth from your own body.” In the same breath, God opens Abram’s mind to the unfathomable magnitude of his descendants as innumerable as the stars of heaven.
Abram responded to God’s word in faith believing that it will surely come to pass. God, having witnessed Abram’s resolve to share His vision considers him righteous. The word righteousness denotes godliness as having God’s vision and likeness. Abram shares God’s vision and in giving his life to accomplish it is declared righteous. It is important to note that Abram’s unreserved participation of God’s Kingdom vision has contributed to God’s decision; Abram’s departure from Haran (Genesis 12:4), his return to Canaan from Egypt (Genesis 13:1), his willingness to let Lot take the first pick of land (Genesis 13:8) and his timely intervention against the aggressors from the east (Genesis 14:15), all contributes to God’s decision to consider him righteous.
O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?
The road to the fulfilment of God’s Kingdom vision is not without problems. Heir and land are two humanly unsolvable problems that threatens to kill the vision. Abram’s lack of an heir will leave no one to possess the land or to carry the vision forward. Moreover, even with heir, being an alien makes the acquisition of land almost impossible. With the couple’s rapidly aging body, time is not on their side. However, God’s self-confession: “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans…” serves up an appropriate occasion to ratify the covenant. Abram’s seeming request for a sign (how may I know that I will possess it?) is in fact an invitation to ratify the covenant. As any agreement involves at least two parties, and in view of the fact that the covenant must extend beyond Abram’s lifetime, a promissory oath made by God alone is required.
As commanded by God, Abram immediately sets out to make arrangement for the covenantal ritual. Because this covenant concerns the salvation of Abram’s descendants, animal sacrifices are used in the ritual to undergird the gravity of it. Blood from the animals which is the equivalent of life (see Leviticus 17:11) is shed to complement the severity of the covenant.
Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him.
As dust approaches, God causes a deep sleep to come upon Abram so that he may vividly see in a vision the circumstances surrounding his descendants and be assured of their eventual settlement in the promised land. The appearance of the smoking oven and flaming torch is none other than God Himself passing through the sacrifices in a covenant ritual. By passing between the dismembered animals, the Lord cut a covenant with Abram to fulfil what is promised.
Truth
God is a rewarder and defender to those who stand up for the innocent.
On accomplishing his daring rescue of Lot and the Western confederacy, Abram has also made enemies of the Eastern alliance. However, God’s timely assurance and affirmation towards Abram communicates an important truth: God rewards and defends those who stand up for the helpless. Therefore, the righteous must not fear the backlash of evil but walk in wisdom, integrity and justice. For God will surely preserve the way of His godly ones (see Proverbs 2:7-8). It is important to note that God considers Abram as righteous only after he has proven himself as a defender of justice by protecting the rights of the innocent. God’s Kingdom is not about Abram, or about land or descendants, it is about truth and justice in the world. In any community or nation, truth and justice must precede prosperity. Therefore, if God’s people do not stand up for truth and justice, every kind of evil and poverty will fester until God mops it up by destruction.
It is sin when we see injustice and partiality without doing anything about it. Fearing certain backlash, many look the other way. Consequently, evil men become emboldened in their senseless exploitations. The psalmist speaks of God’s impending judgment when people do not stand for the truth,
How long will you judge unjustly
And show partiality to the wicked?
Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked…
Nevertheless you will die like men
And fall like any one of the princes. Psalms 82:2-4,7
How can we help to uphold justice and defend the innocent?
a. By teaching them to walk in the truth.
People must be taught that despite the seeming prosperity of the wicked, they will eventually be cut off. Hence, we must not emulate them but stand firm in the ways of the Lord. The psalmist says,
For the Lord loves justice
And does not forsake His godly ones;
They are preserved forever,
But the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.
The righteous will inherit the land
And dwell in it forever. Psalm 37:28-29
b. By speaking up for the rights of the helpless.
There are many who have no ability to defend themselves. They cringe under the threats and oppressions of unscrupulous men. The righteous must take it upon themselves to defend the helpless by speaking up for them.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:8-9
c. By teaching them not to have any dealings with the wicked.
People must learn to distant themselves from those of evil influence. They must resist the lure of ill-gotten wealth and cunning ways. The psalmist says,
Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers. Psalms 1:1
d. By teaching them not to take revenge.
The devil’s strategy is to cause people to burn with hatred resulting in a vicious cycle of vengeance and destruction. When one takes justice into his own hands, God can no longer execute justice on his behalf. The apostle Paul teaches the way to combat evil,
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-21
God will reward and vindicate those who do all to establish truth and justice in their community and country. Jesus, in standing for the truth gives up His life on the cross but is vindicated by God who raises Him from the dead. Likewise, God will stand for us and see to our vindication. Abram intervenes in defence for the innocent. He calculates his move with only 318 men, manages to spring a surprise element cutting off the enemies’ flight route by night. As we know it, Abram is declared righteous by God and the threat of the Eastern confederacy becomes non-existent and is never mentioned again.
Because God desires the best for the righteous, we must be wise and not settle for anything less.
Abram, in the wake of a rapidly aging body settles for one Eliezer of Damascus. However, God, who does not settle but in desiring the best for Abram promises one that will come from him and his wife Sarai. The righteous must not be rash, but understand the will of God and be patient. However, many in the thick of dire circumstances, and fearing for the worst settle for a less than ideal alternative. And such live to regret their decisions. Single men and women for fear of being branded as unwanted and inferior marry out of fear and convenience. In matters pertaining to financial investments, career and academic pursuits, migration and marital relationships, the righteous must resist acting out of compulsion, but understand what the will of God is!
God’s covenant with the righteous extends beyond their lifetime.
God makes a covenant not just with Abram but with Abram’s descendants. He guarantees the success of Abram’s ministry well beyond his lifetime. God walks between the dismembered animals by Himself without Abram as a party because this covenant hinges on God’s faithfulness alone, not Abram’s. Therefore, in this unilateral covenant, God personally guarantees Abram’s descendants and their settlement in the Promised Land.
Likewise, God alone guarantees the perpetuation of our ministry work and legacies in the world. The righteous must be confident that their work will continue to contribute towards the revival of the community and nations not only in their lifetime but beyond. Therefore, believers must not be distracted by the glamour of this world but focus on the call of teaching and living the truth among the people. In doing so, the memories of our deeds done in righteousness will continue to live on in the minds of people. Many suppose they by their grand institutions and wealth may be immortalised. They erect buildings and monuments after themselves on earth only to be forgotten in heaven.
Application
You, as a leader in your family, church and workplace, how do you carry out your leadership? Do you reward those who pander to you and to your personal agenda? The righteous must treat all people without bias, being principled in all your decisions. In doing so, you build your institution on the foundation of righteousness that will continue to prosper for a very long time.
Are you prone to making rash decisions, being overwhelmed by anxieties and fleshly passion? Be still and let God be the Lord of your life. In resolving to understand His will, He will in time reveal to you His perfect plans.
Dear Lord, I resolve to establish truth and justice in my workplace. Imbue me with divine wisdom, righteousness and courage. Use me to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Use me as a guide to the blind by showing them the way of the truth. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.