abram

A Promise Written In The Stars – Genesis 15

/ taethne

Imagine you’re under a starlit desert sky, feeling the weight of unanswered prayers and unfulfilled dreams. That’s where we find Abram in Genesis 15, a man chosen by God but wrestling with doubts. For new Christians, this chapter is like a beacon, illuminating God’s unshakable promises, the power of faith, and the beauty of His grace.

Genesis 15 unfolds in the life of Abram faces big problems: he is old, his wife Sarai can’t have children, and the land God promised is filled with other tribes. It’s a moment of tension — God’s promises seem impossible. For many of us, this is relatable. Maybe you’ve been wondering if God will come through for you in a tough situation, like a broken relationship, a job loss, or a health struggle. Genesis 15 shows us how- God meets us in those moments.

The chapter begins with God’s voice cutting through Abram’s fears: “Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”(v.1) Picture this like a coach pulling you aside before a big game, saying, “I’ve got your back, a great game plan and victory is already assured.” God is promising to protect and provide for Abram in ways far beyond material wealth.

But Abram’s heart is heavy. He blurts out, “What can You give me since I remain childless?” (vv.2-3) He is thinking practically — without a son, his legacy will pass to his servant Eliezar. It’s like you praying for a new job after months or years of rejections and wondering if God is really listening. Abram is saying “I’ve prayed for years for a son and I still don’t have a family of my own.”

God’s response is stunning. He takes Abram outside, points to the starry sky and says, “So shall your offspring be” (v.5) Imagine, in our example above, God saying to you, “That job? I’ve got something bigger planned. Your future is as vast as these stars.” Then comes the gamechanger, “Abram believed the Lord and He credited it to him as righteousness” (v.6) Abram trusts God’s wild promise and God declares him righteous — not because of good deeds, but because of faith.

Think of a new Christian, struggling with anxiety about their future. Maybe they are jobless and they feel as if God’s plans for the are stalled. By reading Genesis 15 we can become inspired by Abram’s faith. Instead of spiraling down into depression over circumstances, that person turns to God in their own “Abram moment”, praying to God saying: “I trust You even though I can’t see how You are going to turn this around.”

God reaffirms His promise to give Abram the land (v.7) and when Abram asks, “How can I know?” (v.8) God does not scold him. Instead, He instructs Abram to prepare a covenant ceremony with animals cut in half (vv.9-10) In ancient times, this was like signing a contract in blood, a serious commitment. In effect you were saying, may what happened to these animals happen to me if I break the covenant. God is saying, “I am putting my reputation on the line for you.” We can know God keeps His promises because Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross.

As night falls, Abram sleeps, a God reveals a sobering vision (vv.12-16) He predicts that Abrams descendants will be enslaved for 400 years (in Egypt) but will be freed and return to Canaan. God adds that the “sin of the Amorites” isn’t yet full, showing His patience before judging the Canaanites. This is like God showing you a movie trailer of your life. It includes tough scenes but promises a happy ending. It teaches that God’s plans unfold over time, often beyond our understanding. For Christians, its a reminder that hardships do not mean that God has forgotten you.

I a jaw-dropping moment, a smoking firepot and blazing torch, symbols of God’s presence, pass between the animal pieces (v.17) In ancient covenants, both parties walked through, vowing to keep the deal or die. Here, only God passes through, showing the promise depends on Him alone. He then details the land’s boundaries, a promise pointing to the ultimate inheritance in Christ.

It is like God signing a contract with His own blood, saying “This is on Me.” That is grace. God’s promises don’t depend on our perfection but on His faithfulness. We can find freedom in knowing our salvation rests on Jesus’ finished work on the cross not on our ability to be “good enough”. Just like with Abram, God walked through death alone to seal the covenant.

Abram’s story shows God keeping impossible promises. Whether you are praying for a healing, a restored relationship, guidance or something else seemingly impossible to come about, Genesis 15 tells us God’s promises are as sure as the stars.

The prophecy of Israels slavery shows that God orchestrates history. You struggle is not random. God is weaving it into the tapestry of your life into His perfect plan. The next time doubt creeps in, picture the stars and choose to believe God and trust that He is our shield and reward, and He alone can do the impossible. Like Israels 400 years in Egypt, trust God to be sure about His timing when you are going through a difficult season in life and seemingly, or literally, has gone on for years. He has not forgotten or abandoned you.

One of my favorite pieces of art is “The Starry Night” by van Gogh. It speaks to me of the wonder and majesty of God’s creation. Seemingly simple, the more one gazes at it the more mesmerizing it becomes. It moves me to contemplate just how great our God is and how much He loves us. Step out under your own “starry night” of faith. Trust God, believe His Word and watch how He writes your story for His glory.

Excerpt From “Consequences” – a resource coming in summer 2013

/ taethne

Abraham, the great patriarch, stands as an example of what it means to follow God by faith. He was a person who experienced God’s grace repeatedly. As wonderful as Abraham was, though, he was not perfect. There were some major sins in his life, which created repercussions that lasted for a long time.
God called Abram to leave his home and go to a place that God would show him and he did (Genesis 12:1). He left behind the idol worship of his family and followed the directions of the true God. When he arrived in Canaan, the first thing Abram did was build an altar to God. He journeyed further into the land and built another altar to the Lord. He has followed the call of God, been blessed, and in return offered thanks.
While Abram was obedient to God in leaving Ur and traveling to Canaan, it would seem from the biblical records that he was not completely obedient. Abram did not leave the pagan influences of his family behind. His father, Terah, traveled with him as far as Haran, where Abram lingered for awhile. After his father’s death, Abram continued on his journey but allowed his nephew, Lot, to tag along. These decisions would lead to trouble later on.
Abram is to be greatly commended for his faith in following God on a journey across the Arabian Peninsula. It is even more impressive when you realize that he was apparently the first person in his family to believe in Yahweh. It is easy, then, for us to excuse his lingering in Haran, or his failure to distance himself from his family’s influences. To do this, though, would be to make a mistake. While Abram did many great things for God, he compromised his beliefs more than once, developed a pattern of partial obedience, and through selfish actions caused others to suffer. The Bible is quick to write of its hero’s strengths and weaknesses, their victories and their defeats. By taking an honest look at Abram, we will see that even the greatest of men are flawed and in need of God’s forgiveness, power and grace.
After Abram has spent some time establishing himself in Canaan, a famine came and Abram left the Land of Promise and journeyed to Egypt. There is no record that he consulted God about the move. The events that follow seem to show that his lack of asking God for advice was a failure on Abram’s part. He shows a lack of trust in God by making the move. Surely, the God who had led and sustained him on the journey from Ur through Haran to Canaan could have sustained him there. Why would God lead him to a place without having a plan to bless him in spite of the circumstances?
Wouldn’t it have greatly strengthened Abram’s faith to see God blessing him with food in the midst of a famine? Wouldn’t it have confirmed that this is, indeed, where he was supposed to be? However, Abram goes to Egypt. He stops walking by faith and begins to walk by sight. He knows that there is food in Egypt so he picks up and moves on. By doing so, he places himself and his family in a life-threatening situation.
It seems Abram has married a very attractive woman in his wife Sarai. Since the Bible rarely comments on a person’s physical features, Sarai must have been a strikingly beautiful woman. She is so beautiful, Abram is afraid that she will catch the attention of Pharaoh when they go to buy food. He reasons that if Pharaoh sees her and desires her for his harem that he will kill Abram to get her. Therefore, Abram lies about his relationship to Sarai.
Sarai was Abram’s half-sister , but she was also his wife. That relationship should have taken priority in his mind. It also would not be the last time Abram used this deception, as we will see later on. Can you imagine how this must have made his wife feel? He was willing to subjugate her to a humiliating experience, just to save his own skin. Can you see her face, read her emotions, as she realizes that he is not the protector she has grown to depend on? One of a woman’s greatest needs is to see her husband as her champion – a lot of her security is tied up in this. Abram’s treatment of Sarai will have repercussions later on, in how his son Isaac treats his wife Rebekah, as we will see in a later chapter. It would seem that some lessons are passed on, albeit unintentionally.
Abram intended to deceive the Egyptians so he is guilty of lying. Is it ever right to lie? Even a “white” lie? God gives His opinion on the subject in many places, including Exodus 20:16. How many times do we try to justify our actions by rationalizing them away like Abram did? If we are called to be holy people, representing the character of God to a watching world, then we need to make sure we are not guilty of speaking with lying lips.
Because of Abram’s lie, Sarai was taken to the harem of Pharaoh to become one of his wives. This would of placed Sarai in the position of becoming an adulteress. God intervened, and Pharaoh and his household were afflicted, by the Lord, with severe diseases before he could bed Sarai. This begs the question, based on this account, how does sin affect others?
Pharaoh and his house are being punished. He does not know Sarai is anyone’s wife. He has been lied to. Certainly, his household is not guilty of anything. Yet because of Abram’s cowardice and lying, they are being afflicted. Abram is displaying an incredible lack of faith or trust in the Lord. Lack of faith in God’s being able to provide food in Canaan. He is showing a lack of trusting that God will protect him and Sarai in Egypt. Abram is not acting like the father of the faithful right now.
What do you believe would have been Pharaoh’s response, if, after Abram had been caught in his lie, he then would have tried to witness to Pharaoh concerning the goodness, protection and value in worshipping Abram’s God? Could it be that unbelievers may choose to remain unbelievers because of the lack of truthfulness among God’s people? How do we remedy a situation like that of Abram, so that unbelievers will receive our testimony?
Abram did not completely obey and his bringing Lot with him to Egypt would lead to no end of problems. Lot would see Abram’s cowardice on display. Is it any wonder that Lot grows up willing to sacrifice his daughters to save his own skin?
In leaving the land of Canaan and going to find security in the land of Pharaoh, instead of in the Lord God, Abram makes a colossal mistake. Called on the carpet by a pagan ruler, Abram has no defense. He has traded his wife for wealth, his helpmate for possessions, and has been chastised severely. Only by the grace of God is he not put to death by Pharaoh. In addition, he is allowed to keep all that he had received in trading Sarai to Pharaoh.
Abram is kicked out of Egypt and wanders back to Bethel. It is there that problems between Lot and him come to a head. Abram has journeyed a long way but has been unwilling to completely obey God. It will not be until years later that Abram comes to the point where he is willing to be completely devoted to God. His story is lot like ours. We wander for years, sometimes decades, on our spiritual journey before we completely turn our lives over to God’s leadership.
Many people, unfortunately, never reach the point of complete obedience. In fact, if we were brutally honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that none of us is completely obedient to our God.