†. Gen 15:1a . . Some time later, the word of the Lord came to Abram
in a vision.
This is the very first record of a vision in the Bible. The Hebrew word is
machazeh (makh-az-eh') and it appears in only four places in the entire Old
Testament; which is pretty amazing considering the volume of prophecy the
Old Testament contains. A far more common word is chalowm (khal-ome')
which means: a dream.
Another word for "vision" is mar'eh (mar-eh') which appears in ten places in
the Old Testament but only once in Genesis where it apparently has
reference to the contents of a dream (Gen 46:2). Mar'eh is somewhat
ambiguous as it can also draw one's attention to how something looks; viz:
it's appearance.
One of Webster's definitions of a vision is: a manifestation to the senses of
something immaterial. For example: Elisha prayed to Yhvh and requested
that He would "open" his servant's eyes so he could see a nearby army of
flaming spirit beings. (2Kgs 6:17). A modern way of talking about things like
that is to label them apparitions; for example the Lord's transfiguration. (Mtt
17:1-9, Mrk 9:1-9, Luke 9:27-36)
Exactly what Abraham saw that represented God I don't know. And to tell
the truth, I'm not all that sure I want to know; especially if it resembled
anything as unnerving as what Moses and the elders of Israel saw up on Mt.
Sinai. (Ex 24:9-11)
†. Gen 15:1b . . Fear not, Abram,
Daniel was told the same thing during his close encounter of a third kind
with a very unusual celestial being. (Dan 10:4-12)
†. Gen 15:1c . . I am a shield to you;
Instead of being a threat to Abram's safety, the vision was favorably
disposed to protect him; which was a good thing because quite possibly
Abram at this time was feeling a bit anxious that a counterattack might be
organized up in Shinar and return to Canaan for revenge with a much larger
force than the one recently defeated.
†. Gen 15:1d . .Your reward shall be very great.
In other words; his reward would be much greater than the one he just
recently forfeited. In those days, it was winner takes all; but Abram had not
exercised that option.
Below is an ancient take on the event.
T. Thereupon was the word of the Lord with Abram in a vision, saying: Fear
not; for if these men should gather together in legions and come against
thee, My Word will be thy shield: and also if these fall before thee in this
world, the reward of thy good works shall be kept, and be prepared before
Me in the world to come, great exceedingly. (Targum Jonathan)
†. Gen 15:2a . . But Abram said: O Lord God, what can You give me,
seeing that I shall die childless,
Apparently Abram misunderstood God back in Gen 12:2 when He promised
to make of Abram a great nation; even though God restated the promise at
Gen 12:7 and Gen 13:15 and clearly meant Abram would engender biological
progeny. However, I think the man had grown so accustomed to Sarah's
sterility that it just never occurred to him that God's promise might actually
be literal.
†. Gen 15:2b . . and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of
Damascus?
Eliezer wasn't Abram's blood kin; however, by common law in Canaan, he
was Abram's default heir apparent in the absence of natural progeny.
†. Gen 15:3 . . Abram said further: Since You have granted me no
offspring, my steward will be my heir.
When a man without children died in that day, common law stipulated that
his chief steward got it all and had a legal right to pass it all on to his own
son. Abram had no real estate, but if he did, then Eliezer would get that too
in the event Abram died with no blood heir. Sarah? Well, she'd probably stay
on as Eliezer's concubine.
But the real danger at this point wasn't to Abram's gold, silver, slaves,
herds, and women; but to the promises that God made to Abram concerning
his heir. Those would pass to Eliezer too.
†. Gen 15:4-5 . .The word of The Lord came to him in reply: That one
shall not be your heir; none but your very own issue shall be your
heir. He took him outside and said: Look toward heaven and count
the stars, if you are able to count them. And He added : So shall your
offspring be.
On a good clear night, it's possible to see roughly 6,000 stars with the naked
eye; but don't bother to try and count them because you will certainly lose
track before you're done; especially if the Milky Way is overhead. Well . . it
finally sank in that God's promise was literal and that's when one of the
most significant events in history took place.
†. Gen 15:6 . . And he believed in Yhvh; and He counted it to him for
righteousness.
That is the very first time anything "righteous" has been said about Abram in
Genesis; and it resulted not from piety, but rather, from belief; which
consists of the elements of trust, reliance, anticipation, dependence, and
confidence.
Looking for an easy way to accumulate righteousness credits to your
account? Well, there it is.
†. Rom 3:21-22 . . God has shown us a different way of being right in his
sight-- not by obeying the commandments, but by the way promised in the
Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus
Christ to take away our sins. And we all can obtain righteousness in this
same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.
†. Rom 4:1-5 . . If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had
something to boast about-- but not before God. What does the Scripture
say? It says: Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness. Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as
a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but
trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
†. Rom 4:18-25 . . But it was not for [Abraham's] sake alone that it was
written that [righteousness] was credited to him-- it was written also for us,
to whom righteousness will be credited, who believe in the one who raised
Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification.
I think the average man would readily agree that it's far more normal to fear
God than to trust Him. In point of fact, when Christ returns to set up shop,
the world won't cheer; no, it'll grieve.
†. Rev 1:7 . . Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him.
Wailing is what people do at funerals; for example Luke 8:52. But God is
extending His hand in friendship via His son's crucifixion in order that men
stop recoiling from Him in nervous anxiety and begin trusting Him instead.
†. Rom 5:8-11 . . But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now
been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through
Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by
his life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
It's really a tough job to convince people that God is sincere in His wishes to
break down the wall of mistrust separating Himself from mankind's
friendship; but Christ's crucifixion is the ultimate ice-breaker-- the reason
being that it wasn't the Romans and the Jews who instigated the Lord's
crucifixion; no, it was his own father.
†. Isa 53:10 . .Yet it pleased Yhvh to bruise him; He hath put him to grief
†. Rom 4:25 . . He was delivered over to death for our sins
†. Rom 8:32 . . He that spared not His own son, but delivered him up for us
all: how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Trust in God has its benefits.
†. Rom 5:1 . .Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Note : justification in this respect is a legal term translated from the koiné
Greek word dikaioo (dik-ah-yo'-o) which means: to render (i.e. show or
regard as) just or innocent; viz: acquit.
†. John 5:24 . . I assure you: those who listen to my message, and believe
in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for
their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
Cont.
/
in a vision.
This is the very first record of a vision in the Bible. The Hebrew word is
machazeh (makh-az-eh') and it appears in only four places in the entire Old
Testament; which is pretty amazing considering the volume of prophecy the
Old Testament contains. A far more common word is chalowm (khal-ome')
which means: a dream.
Another word for "vision" is mar'eh (mar-eh') which appears in ten places in
the Old Testament but only once in Genesis where it apparently has
reference to the contents of a dream (Gen 46:2). Mar'eh is somewhat
ambiguous as it can also draw one's attention to how something looks; viz:
it's appearance.
One of Webster's definitions of a vision is: a manifestation to the senses of
something immaterial. For example: Elisha prayed to Yhvh and requested
that He would "open" his servant's eyes so he could see a nearby army of
flaming spirit beings. (2Kgs 6:17). A modern way of talking about things like
that is to label them apparitions; for example the Lord's transfiguration. (Mtt
17:1-9, Mrk 9:1-9, Luke 9:27-36)
Exactly what Abraham saw that represented God I don't know. And to tell
the truth, I'm not all that sure I want to know; especially if it resembled
anything as unnerving as what Moses and the elders of Israel saw up on Mt.
Sinai. (Ex 24:9-11)
†. Gen 15:1b . . Fear not, Abram,
Daniel was told the same thing during his close encounter of a third kind
with a very unusual celestial being. (Dan 10:4-12)
†. Gen 15:1c . . I am a shield to you;
Instead of being a threat to Abram's safety, the vision was favorably
disposed to protect him; which was a good thing because quite possibly
Abram at this time was feeling a bit anxious that a counterattack might be
organized up in Shinar and return to Canaan for revenge with a much larger
force than the one recently defeated.
†. Gen 15:1d . .Your reward shall be very great.
In other words; his reward would be much greater than the one he just
recently forfeited. In those days, it was winner takes all; but Abram had not
exercised that option.
Below is an ancient take on the event.
T. Thereupon was the word of the Lord with Abram in a vision, saying: Fear
not; for if these men should gather together in legions and come against
thee, My Word will be thy shield: and also if these fall before thee in this
world, the reward of thy good works shall be kept, and be prepared before
Me in the world to come, great exceedingly. (Targum Jonathan)
†. Gen 15:2a . . But Abram said: O Lord God, what can You give me,
seeing that I shall die childless,
Apparently Abram misunderstood God back in Gen 12:2 when He promised
to make of Abram a great nation; even though God restated the promise at
Gen 12:7 and Gen 13:15 and clearly meant Abram would engender biological
progeny. However, I think the man had grown so accustomed to Sarah's
sterility that it just never occurred to him that God's promise might actually
be literal.
†. Gen 15:2b . . and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of
Damascus?
Eliezer wasn't Abram's blood kin; however, by common law in Canaan, he
was Abram's default heir apparent in the absence of natural progeny.
†. Gen 15:3 . . Abram said further: Since You have granted me no
offspring, my steward will be my heir.
When a man without children died in that day, common law stipulated that
his chief steward got it all and had a legal right to pass it all on to his own
son. Abram had no real estate, but if he did, then Eliezer would get that too
in the event Abram died with no blood heir. Sarah? Well, she'd probably stay
on as Eliezer's concubine.
But the real danger at this point wasn't to Abram's gold, silver, slaves,
herds, and women; but to the promises that God made to Abram concerning
his heir. Those would pass to Eliezer too.
†. Gen 15:4-5 . .The word of The Lord came to him in reply: That one
shall not be your heir; none but your very own issue shall be your
heir. He took him outside and said: Look toward heaven and count
the stars, if you are able to count them. And He added : So shall your
offspring be.
On a good clear night, it's possible to see roughly 6,000 stars with the naked
eye; but don't bother to try and count them because you will certainly lose
track before you're done; especially if the Milky Way is overhead. Well . . it
finally sank in that God's promise was literal and that's when one of the
most significant events in history took place.
†. Gen 15:6 . . And he believed in Yhvh; and He counted it to him for
righteousness.
That is the very first time anything "righteous" has been said about Abram in
Genesis; and it resulted not from piety, but rather, from belief; which
consists of the elements of trust, reliance, anticipation, dependence, and
confidence.
Looking for an easy way to accumulate righteousness credits to your
account? Well, there it is.
†. Rom 3:21-22 . . God has shown us a different way of being right in his
sight-- not by obeying the commandments, but by the way promised in the
Scriptures long ago. We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus
Christ to take away our sins. And we all can obtain righteousness in this
same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.
†. Rom 4:1-5 . . If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had
something to boast about-- but not before God. What does the Scripture
say? It says: Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as
righteousness. Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as
a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but
trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
†. Rom 4:18-25 . . But it was not for [Abraham's] sake alone that it was
written that [righteousness] was credited to him-- it was written also for us,
to whom righteousness will be credited, who believe in the one who raised
Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification.
I think the average man would readily agree that it's far more normal to fear
God than to trust Him. In point of fact, when Christ returns to set up shop,
the world won't cheer; no, it'll grieve.
†. Rev 1:7 . . Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail
because of him.
Wailing is what people do at funerals; for example Luke 8:52. But God is
extending His hand in friendship via His son's crucifixion in order that men
stop recoiling from Him in nervous anxiety and begin trusting Him instead.
†. Rom 5:8-11 . . But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that
while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now
been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through
Him. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the
death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by
his life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
It's really a tough job to convince people that God is sincere in His wishes to
break down the wall of mistrust separating Himself from mankind's
friendship; but Christ's crucifixion is the ultimate ice-breaker-- the reason
being that it wasn't the Romans and the Jews who instigated the Lord's
crucifixion; no, it was his own father.
†. Isa 53:10 . .Yet it pleased Yhvh to bruise him; He hath put him to grief
†. Rom 4:25 . . He was delivered over to death for our sins
†. Rom 8:32 . . He that spared not His own son, but delivered him up for us
all: how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Trust in God has its benefits.
†. Rom 5:1 . .Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Note : justification in this respect is a legal term translated from the koiné
Greek word dikaioo (dik-ah-yo'-o) which means: to render (i.e. show or
regard as) just or innocent; viz: acquit.
†. John 5:24 . . I assure you: those who listen to my message, and believe
in God who sent me, have eternal life. They will never be condemned for
their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.
Cont.
/
