Drew Boswell

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“The Way of Healing” 2 Kings 5:1-13

The Gospel B.C.

“Discovering God’s Redemptive Plan”

Naaman Part 1 of 2

“The Way of Healing”

2 Kings 5:1-13

 Introduction

About four times a year, when I kids were infants, would have to get various shots for various reasons.  They go to the doctor about twenty times a year. So, on the days when we take them to the doctor, and they are scheduled to get a shot – we don’t tell them until as close to the time that the shots come out as possible. No amount of discussion, bribing, or planning is going to change the fact that I was going to have to physically restrain Joshua by tucking his head into my chest, wrapping my legs around his feet, and hugging him tightly for about 10 seconds. And when it’s all over, he usually is still screaming, “I don’t want to get a shot!” Joshua, it’s over, — “it is – well that wasn’t that bad.” The shot never hurts that bad, but he never remembers.

Many times, the answer to life’s problems, are rather simple, but we want to make life so difficult.  We have a preconceived notion of how our world operates, how God should do things, and even how we should be or live. These preconceived notions, often times get in the way of experiencing healing in our lives.

Prayer – Lord, thank you for sending Jesus to be our example. He showed us how to properly understand your Word. And in your Word, he described himself as the Great Physician. Jesus, you have healed us of our sin problem, and I pray that you may do that for another here today. Amen.

A Hopeless Disease (vv. 1)

“Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.”

Naaman is introduced to us a man who was a very successful and courageous soldier.  He did his work faithfully and achieved the rank of commander of the army.  But he had one problem, he had leprosy.

Leprosy is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae.  Prior to the discovery that the disease was caused by bacteria, people had thought that it was hereditary or even caused by sin. Leprosy multiplies very slowly and the incubation period. Leprosy is not highly infectious.  So, it was hard to determine how it was transferred. Leprosy is often referred to as “the living death”, since it can ravage the body and leave its victims deformed. It is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, allowing it to impact nearly all areas of the body indirectly. Once the bacterium enters the body, it begins destroying the nerve endings, leading to a loss of feeling and pain. This loss of sensation causes the victim to endure injuries since they have no way of knowing that their tissues or bones are being damaged until it is too late.

The victims of this disease also, were forced to wear specific clothing, to yell out when they came near the non-infected, to ring bells, and to live in separate leper colonies.

Naaman’s condition would have been in the early stages because he was still able to perform his duties, and perhaps even able to hide his condition from others.  Naaman knew that his time was limited, and he knew what was in his future.  It was not more successful military campaigns, or leading men.

He knew that he would eventually become disfigured and handicapped, numb to the world around him, and pushed to isolation from the fear of others.  This disease would take everything he held dear away from him.

But what if there were a cure?  What if he didn’t have to live this way?  What would you give to be healed of this disease?  Can you imagine taking a bath one day, and discovering a spot?  You say, no it can’t be that.  For Naaman, there was no cure – you simply went away to die.

Sin, as described in the Bible, is exactly like this.  It corrupts us completely.  Every day, if not dealt with rots away at our soul, and causes us to lose parts of ourselves.  Our sin drives us into isolation, and so we wait for the inevitable end.  But what if there were a way to change that?

A Hapless People (vv. 2-5)

“Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.”

During this time, there was no distinction between Israel (i.e. God’s People) and the nations that surrounded them. They worshipped the same gods, they performed the same ceremonies, they even abandoned worship of the One True God. The nation of Israel had forgotten it’s calling and purpose for existence.

Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the Lord said1 to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Abraham, was given a promise that he would be the father of a great nation, as countless as the stars and sand on the sea shore.  The blessing was the gift of faith and knowing the one true God – this blessing would spread over the entire world.

It would be through the nation of Israel that the Messiah would come, Jesus Christ.  The Savior who would take away the sin of the world.  This blessing of salvation would be for all people – The people had forgotten all that.

So God sent in raiding parties, to carry off missionaries.  If they were not going to go themselves, then He would pick them up and send them to people that He desired to hear the truth.

We are all called to be missionaries; did you know that you are on a mission to share the best blessing of all, the good news of Jesus with other people?  Those verses were written for us “and in you all peoples on earth shall be blessed.” It was this hapless missionary who knew how Naaman could be healed.  She knew of somebody who could heal him.  There are people all around us who need healing, and we know the person who can heal them.

A High Price Expected (vv. 6-9)

“And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” 8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.”

“So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing” and “With this letter [from the king], and as “commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man” in the sight of others – Naaman was bringing all he had at his disposal to fix this problem in his life.  How much would the cure cost?

So Naaman arrives in his general’s regalia, chariots, servants, soldiers, wagons full of money and clothes to purchase his cure.  To pay the prophet for the remedy. Do you know how much Elisha demands?  What is Elisha’s price for healing of leprosy for this foreign man, whose people had stolen his people and carried them away in raiding parties?  What amount would be required to satisfy Elisha’s God?  Elisha would heal this man for free.

God recognized that we had or have a sin disease that was inoperable, and we were destined to die in our sin and eternally be separated in isolation from God.  So God made a plan – Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” He provided a way for us to be saved, the cure to our sin disease, and gave it as a gift – free.

A Helpful Patient (vv. 10-13)

And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

Naaman really needed to be healed of something far deeper than surface level leprosy.  His problem went much deeper.  He had a prideful heart.  The leprosy and the dipping, were the means to get him to admit and see some things about himself.

Go through the events of the day with me; He hears word from a servant girl in his household.  Then Naaman went higher to his master, then we find him talking and corresponding with a king, then to peak the day off Naaman would appear before the Prophet Elisha himself.  But when he arrives what is there to meet him – a messenger.

There is a building up of expectation; at the end of all these very exciting things God had done in his life on that day, surly there would be an even greater “sign and wonder.”  But the solution was simple, and the cure for his disease was delivered by simple means.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” John 4:48 “So Jesus said to him, “Unless you3 see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

 “I thought that he would surely come out to me” (I am Naaman, the commander of an army, a great man) – When we approach God, we are simply a sinner who is in need of forgiveness and healing.  It doesn’t matter who you think you are, before God you are simply a sinner. But a sinner who God loved enough to send His one and only son as a means to heal you of your sin disease.

“and stand” (I am going to stand here, and you are going to stand there) – in other words we are equals. When I stand before God, I am not going to bow, if anything he should bow to me. When we approach God, we must do it with a humble heart.

James 4:7-10 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” To be forgiven of our sin, we must humble ourselves before God, broken over our sin, and to experience peace with Him we must submit to His ways.

“and call on the name of the LORD his God,” – by calling upon the name of the LORD, it seems that Naaman wanted this to be a grand affair. He was all decked out with his entourage – “Come and see the healing of the great and valiant Naaman, the commander of the Army.” Come and watch the magic show, as this prophet of whatever god, takes the leprosy away.

This is Elisha’s God, one of many gods that could be found in the land. What Naaman did not know, is that there is but one true God, and every person either chooses to believe and have faith in the one true God, or to reject Him.  Is he mom’s, God, or dad’s God – Is he your God this morning?

“wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.” – This is how I think it would work better.  God you have said to do this and I will be healed, but “I’ve been thinking, why don’t we do it this way . . .”  “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?”

Pride really is the root of all sin. “I know how to do things better then God.” This is the first temptation man failed, and whenever we sin we make the same decision as Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,2 she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

In order to have faith in the one true God, a person has to lay down his expectations of how God should be, and receive Him and His forgiveness and healing as outlined by His word.

Conclusion

How is a person cured of His Sin Disease?  Call on the name of Jesus, and ask him to forgive you of your sin.  Repent or turn from your sin, and follow Him as a disciple and obey His teachings. You can say a prayer something like this, “ . . .”

“In the Heart of the Earth” Jonah 1:17-2:10

The Gospel B.C.

“Discovering God’s Redemptive Plan”

“In the Heart of the Earth”

Jonah 1:17-2:10

A young American engineer was sent to Ireland by his company to work in a new electronics plant. It was a two-year assignment that he had accepted because it would enable him to earn enough to marry his long-time girlfriend. She had a job near her home in Tennessee, and their plan was to pool their resources and put a down payment on a house when he returned. They corresponded often, but as the lonely weeks went by, she began expressing doubts that he was being true to her, exposed as he was to comely Irish lasses. The young engineer wrote back, declaring with some passion that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. “I admit,” he wrote, “that sometimes I’m tempted. But I fight it. I’m keeping myself for you.”

In the next mail, the engineer received a package. It contained a note from his girl and a harmonica. “I’m sending this to you,” she wrote, “so you can learn to play it and have something to take your mind off those girls.” The engineer replied, “Thanks for the harmonica. I’m practicing on it every night and thinking of you.” At the end of his two-year stint, the engineer was transferred back to company headquarters. He took the first plane to Tennessee to be reunited with his girl. Her whole family was with her, but as he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up a restraining hand and said sternly, “Just hold on there a minute, Billy Bob. Before any serious kissin’ and huggin’ gets started here, let me hear you play that harmonica!”[1]

She wanted evidence of his being true to her. Today we will see that Jesus points to the book of Jonah as evidence that He is the Messiah. Jonah being in the belly of the giant fish points to and further explains God’s plan of redemption.

At the end of Jonah 1, the sailors did not want to harm Jonah so they tried to row to shore, but the storm on the sea was too great. The sailors, these lost men, are doing all they can to save Jonah. Jonah does nothing. The sailors prayed for a second time, “they called out to the LORD.” Jonah, still has shown no remorse or repentance for his actions that has put the sailor’s lives in jeopardy.

The sailors made vows, had a sacrifice – they are doing all that they can think of to be right with God, while Jonah won’t even throw himself into the sea, he tries to pull them into trouble with him. Jonah won’t go where is supposed to go, he won’t act when he needs to act, instead he sleeps. He won’t pray when asked to pray, and he won’t even jump into the sea to save the ships and it’s crew – Jonah’s rebellion is one of inaction.

So today we find Jonah, having been thrown overboard, floating on the water and the ship headed to Tarshish disappearing into the horizon.

Prayer –

The Sign of Jonah (Matthew 12:39-41)

Jesus says in Matthew 12:39-41 “Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

What is the sign of Jonah? This comparison is not meant to be exact. Jesus never sinned, whereas Jonah is far from the presence of the Lord until he repents. Jesus died and was buried, Jonah never died, but was thrown up after three days and nights. Jonah was a prophet, Jesus was the Son of God.

Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection was the only sign that will be given for people to place their trust in Him as their Savior. Jonah would be a picture of what to come in Christ. As we will see, when Jonah marches into Nineveh, the people respond to his message from the Lord with repentance. The sign of Jonah is him miraculous emerging from a giant fish, after three days, with a message for the people of Nineveh.

Imagine you are on the seashore picking up seashells, and a giant fish appears in the water. Then throws up a man, who then says, “I have a message from the Lord for you.” Would you listen to his message? What does God have to do to get your attention?

“the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign . . .”

 Is it wrong to want proof that Jesus is who he says he is, or that if you were Nineveh to want proof that Jonah’s message was from the Lord? Why does Jesus call the generation “evil” and “adulterous” for wanting a sign?

There are many miracles surrounding Jesus’ birth, and fulfilled prophecies. The star that led the wise men, God the Father audibly speaking at Jesus’ baptism, miraculous healings, the calming of the storm, casting out of demons, raising of the dead, healing the blind, . . .

Jesus had already given them sign after sign, but here they want more. They simply are choosing not to believe, in light of many given proofs. But, there would be one ultimate sign that would be given for all generations that Jesus was God, the resurrection from the dead.

Luke 16:27 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ 29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” If you choose not to believe God’s message, then it’s not because there is not enough evidence.

The Appointed Fish (Jonah 1:17)

1:17 And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Another word for “appointed” is “ordained”, “called” or set aside.” God prepared a giant fish. It was able to house Jonah, and provide him with enough air to survive for three days. It’s really not important for us to identify the species of animal, or know it’s anatomy to see if this is a true story or not. But think about two things:

1) “Scientists were startled in 1980 by the discovery of a tremendous diversity of insects in tropical forests. In one study of just 19 trees in Panama, 80% of the 1,200 beetle species discovered were previously unknown to science… Surprisingly, scientists have a better understanding of how many stars there are in the galaxy than how many species there are on Earth.” –  World Resources Institute (WRI). We are constantly discovering new animals on our planet that we had no idea even existed.

2) “These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year. If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true – i.e. that there are around 2 million different species on our planet** –  then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year.”[2] There are many animals going extinct every year.

 The Prayer of Jonah (vv. 2-6)

“2 Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

 Jonah’s Distress vv. 2-6

On two other occasions Jonah was asked to pray, so that perhaps the ship and its’ crew would be saved. Jonah wouldn’t do it, so facing the choice of total destruction of the ship and death of the entire crew or throwing Jonah over board – over Jonah went.

“Then Jonah prayed . . .” from the belly of the giant fish. God did what was needed to guide Jonah to repentance and to get Nineveh’s attention. We don’t know how far along into the three days that he prayed. Was it immediately? Was it day two, day three? But at some point, Jonah, cried out to the Lord. T. Kendall has said, “The belly of the fish is not a happy place to live, but it is a good place to learn.”[3]

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me;” From the following verses we see what kind of distress that Jonah would have endured. It would have been disorienting darkness, water would have surrounded him, seaweed wrapped itself around his body, pressure caused by the digestive process and the depths of the ocean.

There is a good possibility there would be acid from the stomach of the giant fish that would have corroded his skin. The constant taking in of water, sea animals, and air would have been exhausting because you don’t know when you will run out of air, and the giant fish will take its next bite from the ocean.

“I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; you of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 3 For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all your waves and your billows passed over me. 4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away from your sight; yet I shall again look upon your holy temple.’ 5 The waters closed in over me to take my life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God. 7 When my life was fainting away, I remembered the LORD, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. 8 Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. 9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!”

Jonah’s Relationship With God (vv. 7-9)

Why not just get another prophet to do this? I think the answer to this question is found in the description of Jonah’s prayer. Jonah prayed “to the LORD his God” In this distress he called out to the Lord, and his God hears him. Jonah says in verse 8, that if you place your trust in “vain idols” then you forsake a hope of steadfast love.

Those that call the Lord their God, have a hope of steadfast love. The Bible uses the word Hesed to describe this type of love – this is a word that combines love with commitment. This is where one person in the relationship has determined or committed to love the other person (regardless of the other person’s actions or choices).

 God loves us with a hesed love because He has chosen to do so. Committed, promised to love us (regardless of our sinful actions). Hebrews 13:5 “. . . I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When we as Christians choose hesed love toward the world – to love them regardless of how they show love toward us, if at all, then we grow in our relationship toward God. Jonah should have a hesed love toward Nineveh as a prophet – but he hates them. How many churches have an us-verse-them toward the world?

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

The book of John discusses how we a followers must remain in Christ, stay close to Him in our relationship. Jesus is talking about his followers, and those that do not bear fruit. A better translation for those that do not bear fruit, instead of “takes away” is to “lift up.”

There is a tendency for new vines to grow toward and along the ground. Down there they get covered in dirt, dust, mildew, and don’t produce much fruit if any at all. But the vinedresser will take some water and a rag, and wash those vines and move them up higher with the other vines, and then tie them off.

Then they begin to produce much fruit. When the vine falls into the dirt, the vinedresser doesn’t throw it away (it’s much too valuable), he lifts it up.[4] God doesn’t want to throw Jonah away because of his rebellion of hardheartedness – He is taking an action that will “lift him up” and get him back where he can begin producing fruit for the Lord.

The belly of the giant fish was a place of discipline not judgement. If you are not producing any spiritual fruit in your life, God will step in a discipline you.

Deuteronomy 8:5 “Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. 6 So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.”

God set aside a giant fish for Jonah. If we run away from God and His presence, isn’t it scary to imagine a God who we know loves us, and is the Creator of the universe and can do whatever and make what He wishes has prepared and set aside for you in your time of rebellion?

Many would see their time of discipline as being awful – it must have been horrible inside the belly of the giant fish. But Jonah sees it as wonderful. He understands that the belly of the whale, being swallowed, and held there for days was the means of him being saved from the depths of the ocean – an ocean grave. The giant fish is not seen as an act of judgment, but how God saved him from himself. He says” But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD.”

“Salvation belongs to the LORD” – being saved is found all throughout the book of Jonah. The sailors and captain are saved in chapter one, Jonah is saved in chapter 2, Nineveh is saved in chapter 3, and chapter 4 focuses on Jonah and God discussing salvation.[5] And in every situation that salvation comes from the Lord alone.

10 And the LORD spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.” The word “vomit” was intentionally used to induce revulsion – it was supposed to gross us out. It is a graphic image of Jonah emerging, along with other undigested sea animals, seaweed, and land upon the sand upon the shore, “dry land.”

Some scholars believe that because the sailors tried to row back to shore when they were fighting the storm, and that Jonah was later thrown up on dry land that it probably is Joppa – the place where he started. He has a chance to reset, a do over, a second chance.

God of second chances – When you come clean with God, you open up and seek forgiveness from your Creator, he is ready, with arms wide open to forgive you. Don’t let discouragement wrap around you like that seaweed around Jonah, and take you down. God is with you, and wants you to get back on track.

_____________________________

Thomas A. Edison was working on a crazy contraption called a “light bulb” and it took a whole team of men 24 straight hours to put just one together. The story goes that when Edison was finished with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You’ve probably guessed what happened by now; the poor young fellow dropped the bulb at the top of the stairs. It took the entire team of men twenty-four more hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb carried up the stairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first one. That’s true forgiveness.

____________________

[1] https://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/e/evidence.htm

[2]https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/biodiversity/biodiversity/#:~:text=These%20experts%20calculate%20that%20between,2%2C000%20extinctions%20occur%20every%20year.

[3] Billy K. Smith, The New American Commentary; Amos, Obadiah, Jonah  (Broadman and Holman; Nashville, Tennessee, 1995) 241.

[4] Bruce Wilkerson, Secrets of the Vine (Multnomah Publishers; Sisters, Oregon, 2001) 34.

[5] New American Commentary, 252.

“God’s Covenant and Abraham’s Response” Genesis 15:1-21

 

The Gospel B.C.

“Discovering God’s Redemptive Plan”

“God’s Covenant and Abraham’s Response”

Genesis 15:1-21

Introduction

The sermon illustration I will never use again – the injured eagle in the chicken coop.

In Genesis 15 we find a man named Abram, who has just finished rescuing his nephew Lot from being kidnapped by several local kings that had war with eachother. And earlier in Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” If you go and follow the Lord, He will use you to bless the world.

So now since Genesis chapter 12 and chapter 15 some time has passed, and God has approached Abram multiple times. “There were nine successive manifestations of God to Abram, of which this is the fifth.”[1] This is the first time Abram responds back.

God Promises Abram an Heir (vv. 1-6)

(After these things) the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision[2]: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

God has already promised to make him into a great nation, and now God tells Abram that God is his shield and his reward (which will be great). God is Abram’s protection, and his reward for following Him would be great. The word for reward is the payment to the victor for winning the war (the divided spoils of war).[3] In the battle God will protect him, and when it’s all over there will be a great reward. They would fight together.

The promise is a relationship with God,

the great reward is a continued relationship with God.

And with an heir this relationship could pass from one generation to the next.

The fear, to which God responds, “Fear not,” is that Abram will not have an offspring to inherit the reward from the Lord. How will he be a great nation, and how will his reward be great if it all stops with him? Abraham and Sarai don’t have any children.

In ancient times when a couple don’t have children, they would typically adopt a person to serve as their child to make sure they are taken care of in their old age, the see that they have a proper burial, and that person would then inherit their estate. It would seem that this adopted person was named Eliezer of Damascus.

4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

God says to Abram, very forcefully, “This man shall not be your heir,” – no, he was going to have a child from his and his wife’s own body. To impress upon him how many children he would have, and to what a great nation his offspring would become, he took him outside and had him look up at the stars, “So shall your offspring be.”

In God’s trying to show how vast the influence Abram’s offspring would be, and how wide of a sweep of God’s purpose for him, he gives Abram three visuals; 1) “The dust of the earth,” Genesis 13:16 2) “stars in the sky,” Gen. 15:4 & 3) “the sand of the seashore,” Gen. 22:17. All three can not be counted – the impact of those who are Abram’s offspring is so vast and so important that it cannot be measured.

(v. 6) “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” – In response to these promises, Abram puts his faith in God. “This is the first time that this word – aman – appears in the Bible, and it will be used only two more times in Genesis (42:20; 45:26).[4] Abram has already taken actions of faith but here it is highlighted.

In v. 1 and v. 4 both say, “the word of the Lord” came to Abram. This is the first time when this phrase is used, and it’s the first time that faith is defined as believing. Faith is believing the word of the Lord.

If God is talking about having many people be a great nation, why is there a mention of Abram’s righteousness? Abram up to this point has seemingly done nothing wrong. He was told to leave his homeland, so he left. He showed hospitality when God visits with him, and he fought bravely to rescue his nephew. He shows us that the best of men are still sinners – they still need to be made right before God (and they are not made right by their actions) if they are to have a relationship with Him.

Here we are introduced to the theological idea of justification – “the act of God by which he credits the righteousness of Christ to the believer and declares him just.”[5] How is Abram made righteous? God counted righteousness to him because he believed what God told him. Justification by faith alone. The plan of redemption for the world begins with a person being made right with God by faith alone.

Abram would go on to have a people that would come from his son Isaac, and there would also be many who would be considered children because they also had faith in God. Romans 4:13 “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” Galatians 3:7 “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”

If justification (being made right with God) is by faith alone,

why was there a need for a bloodline?

Why the need for an eventual separate nation?

As part of the serpent’s curse in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:15 says “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” There are two races of people mentioned, the serpent’s offspring, and Adam & Eve’s offspring. These races would fight and ultimately Adam and Eve’s offspring will strike a death blow to the serpent’s offspring. There would be the race of people who live by faith in God, and the race of people who do not. Those that have faith in God will inherit a promised place where God is present with them.

One other thing before we move to v. 7. Abraham was 75 years old when God first made the promise that Abraham would be made into “a great nation.” Genesis 21:5 tells us that Abraham was 100 years old when Sarah gave birth to Isaac, which means Abraham had to wait 25 years! “Those who believe the promise and hope against barrenness nevertheless must live with the barrenness.”[6] We must wait for God to keep His promise.

God Seals the Covenant with Abram (vv. 7-21)

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said[7], “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

 Here is another promise from God to Abram, that he will give him the land where he was standing (a promised land). He tells him the reason why he commanded him to leave his homeland of Ur was to give him this land to possess. Abram responds by asking for a guarantee that these things would take place. In ancient times this form of agreement, a guarantee, would often take the form of a covenant. So . . .

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 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

God commanded Abram to get a three-year-old heifer, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle dove, and pigeon. Everything except for the birds were cut in half – and each half was laid so that a path of carnage was made. And the detail was given that as the day was going on, birds of prey would come and pick at the carcasses, and Abram would drive them away.

A promise has been made by God, Abram is waiting for God’s timing and while he is waiting the birds of prey are trying to drag off the carcasses to eat them. He has to stand guard and be ready for when God appears.

Typically, both parties would make a promise, invoking their individual gods, that if we don’t keep part of the agreement, then may this (carnage) happen to me and then they would walk through the middle of the bodies as part of the covenant ceremony.[8]

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

(v. 12) “a deep sleep fell on Abram,” – a deep sleep and the darkness thrown upon Abram, in other words God caused him to go to sleep. The covenant ceremony had begun, and Abram couldn’t move, he was asleep.

God then outlines for the father of this coming nation what was going to happen. God tells Abram of the eventual Egyptian slavery, how judgement would come upon Egypt, and when they leave this servitude, they will have great wealth. But he would not have to go through this time, “you shall go to your fathers in peace,”

Abram and Sarai had to wait 25 years for a child, His children would have to wait 400 years to receive the promised land. Faith involves waiting for God to do what He has promised.

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

The covenant ceremony continues as the sun had gone and it was dark. In this type of ceremony each side would say what role they will play, rules they will follow, boundary lines they would agree to keep, etc. Promises have been made from God to Abram (a relationship where he would be a shield for him, a child from his and his wife’s own body, offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, a promised land) – Abram has faith in what God has promised.

Now it is time for the two people making the covenant to walk through the carnage, agreeing that if I don’t keep my part, my promise, then may this happen to me. But God has caused Abram to sleep- he can’t walk through the path of blood.

(v. 17) “a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.” – Later God will lead his people in a pillar of smoke during the day, and pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:17-14:29). Some commentators say the fire pot represents a purifying furnace, and the torch light, etc. It is difficult to say exactly what each means – but it clearly means that God went through the animals, that He was making a promise to Abram, and then following through the ceremony alone.

But why did God make Abram go to sleep, why not make him walk through the animals? Because God’s plan of redemption involves Him doing all the work, and ultimately salvation comes from Him alone. Our part is to have faith, God provides everything else for us to be made right before Him.

God’s plan for redemption is divinely one-sided.

God promises, God gives, God assures, Man receives.

Later God will gather His people at Mt. Siani and Moses would go up and receive the ten commandments. But as much as God’s people wanted to keep the commandments they could not. Humanity is not capable to keeping the law – we cannot do, in our own effort, what is required. God made Abram go to sleep because he could not keep a promise to God. So God in His grace, said “I will do what is needed to have a relationship with you.” His only requirement of His people is that they trust Him to keep His promises.

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[1] W.H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis, A Devotional Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971) 136.

[2] The word for vision (mahazeh) is only used here and in reference to Balaam (Num. 24:4,16).

[3] John E. Hartley, New International Biblical Commentary, Genesis (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 2000) 155.

[4] Victor P. Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990) 423.

[5] Daniel L. Akin, General Editor, A Theology for the Church (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman and Holman, 207) 746.

[6] Hartley, 157.

[7] In v. 2 and in v. 8 Abram responds back to God with a question, “But Abram said,” is not a sign of doubting God, but similar to the father in Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” He believes what God is saying, and is asking for more clarification.

[8] “This idea of self-imprecation is reflected in the prospective witness who swears under oath: ‘I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.’ If I prevaricate on the witness stand, then I will have to contend with God.” Hamilton, 430.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8

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