Genesis 15: Counted Righteous by Faith
God promises Abram countless offspring, and Abram believes Yahweh, who reckons it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15 (WEB)
1 After these things Yahweh’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2 Abram said, “Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 Abram said, “Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
4 Behold, Yahweh’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir.”
5 Yahweh brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So will your seed be.”
6 He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
7 He said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.”
8 He said, “Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?”
9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10 He brought him all of these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn’t divide the birds.
11 The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
13 He said to Abram, “Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.
14 I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth,
15 but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried in a good old age.
16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”
17 It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18 In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Genesis 15 (KJV)
1 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Genesis 15 (ASV)
1 After these things the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
7 And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.
10 And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not.
11 And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14 and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15 But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16 And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces.
18 In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto 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.
Summary
After these things Yahweh's word comes to Abram in a vision, telling him not to fear, for God himself is his shield and exceedingly great reward. Abram, still childless, wonders how the promise can stand when his heir is a servant of his house. God brings him outside, tells him to count the stars, and declares that his offspring will be just as many. Abram believes Yahweh, and it is reckoned to him as righteousness. When Abram asks how he can know he will inherit the land, God instructs him to prepare a covenant sacrifice. As the sun sets, a deep sleep and dread fall on Abram, and God foretells that his descendants will be foreigners and afflicted four hundred years, then come out with great wealth. A smoking furnace and flaming torch pass between the pieces as Yahweh cuts a covenant, granting the land from Egypt to the Euphrates.
Main Characters
- Abram — The childless patriarch who believes God's promise of countless descendants and is counted righteous.
- Yahweh — The God who is Abram's shield and reward, reckons his faith as righteousness, and seals the covenant himself.
Key Verse
Genesis 15:6 (WEB)
He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
Lessons Learned
- God himself, not merely his gifts, is the believer's shield and greatest reward.
- Righteousness comes by believing God's promise, not by our own achievement.
- Faith honestly brings its questions and fears to God rather than hiding them.
- God binds himself by covenant and keeps his word across generations and centuries.
- God is our shield and our reward. Yahweh tells Abram not to fear, for he himself is Abram's shield and exceedingly great reward, the true treasure of faith (Genesis 15:1, WEB).
- Faith may honestly voice its questions. Abram asks the Lord what he will give him while he remains childless, bringing his real struggle openly before God (Genesis 15:2, WEB).
- God answers doubt with his sure promise. God brings Abram outside to count the stars and declares his offspring will be just as numberless, anchoring hope in his word (Genesis 15:5, WEB).
- Righteousness comes through believing God. Abram believed in Yahweh, and he reckoned it to him for righteousness, the heart of how God justifies his people (Genesis 15:6, WEB).
- God reveals his long-term faithfulness. God foretells that Abram's descendants will be afflicted four hundred years, then come out with great wealth, showing his plan spans generations (Genesis 15:13, WEB).
- God himself guarantees his covenant. A smoking furnace and flaming torch pass between the pieces as Yahweh makes covenant with Abram, binding himself to keep it (Genesis 15:17, WEB).
- How does God describe himself to Abram, and why might Abram have needed to hear it (Genesis 15:1)?
- What does God promise Abram about his offspring, and how does Abram respond (Genesis 15:5-6)?
- What does God reveal will happen to Abram's descendants before they inherit the land (Genesis 15:13-16)?
- What does it mean for you that righteousness is credited through faith rather than earned?
- How do you bring your honest questions and fears to God, as Abram did, while still trusting his promises?
- God calls himself Abram's shield and exceedingly great reward. Abram, childless and perhaps anxious after war and unfulfilled promises, needs assurance that God himself, not just his gifts, is his security and treasure.
- God promises offspring as countless as the stars. Abram believes Yahweh, and it is reckoned to him as righteousness, a pivotal moment showing that right standing with God comes through faith in his promise.
- God reveals that Abram's descendants will live as foreigners in a land not their own, be afflicted four hundred years, and then come out with great wealth, while he himself will die in peace at a good old age.
- Personal: encourage members to rest in the gospel truth that we are accepted not by performance but by trusting God's promise, ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Invite them to release striving for acceptance.
- Personal: let members share how they pray honestly. Affirm that God welcomes our questions, as he did Abram's, and encourage a faith that voices doubts while still holding to his trustworthy word.