"And he
believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness." Gen.
15:6
The battle for Lot's
restoration is won; and after receiving honor from both the king of Sodom and
from Melchisidec, the otherwise unknown priest-prophet-king of Salem, he
returns to his quiet life beneath the oaks of Mamre.
At least, he hopes
his life is quiet.
Fear stirs in his
heart. Fear that now that he has won such a great victory that the nations
surrounding him will rise up against him and his quiet life with the Creator
God would be consumed in battles and strategies.
This fear tormented
the patriarch so greatly that the Lord spoke to him, reassuring that "I am
thy shield and thy exceeding great reward": "Fear not". (Gen.
15:1)
Abram questions:
"Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless,...and lo, one
born in my house is mine heir" (Gen. 15:2, 3).
The Lord replies:
"This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine
own bowels shall be thine heir" (vs. 4).
Then the Creator
summons Abram out of his tent and bids him "consider the heavens": to
"tell the stars". Obviously, Abram cannot.
The application?
"So shall thy seed be"(vs. 5).
Abram is not getting
younger. And Sarai is barren.
But instead of
asking, "How?" or even "When?", Abram "believed in the
Lord; and it was counted to him for
righteousness" (vs. 6).
Believing. Counted
for righteousness.
Our own
righteousness is as filthy rags.
But, "believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved."
This believing is
believing God says what He means and means what He says...without questions asked. Without the
additional, "I believe, but…"
No questions asked.
I believe.
And it is counted me
for righteousness.
Lord, my God, help me to truly believe.
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