Genesis15_5-6

Genesis 15:5-6

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.

And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

And God strengthened Abram’s faith by bringing him outside to show him a sign. God promised that Abram’s seed would be as numerous as the stars, which cannot be counted. God compared Abram’s descendants to the stars, meaning that Abram would become a new beginning, just as Noah once was. A star belongs to the heavens, and it is often connected with heavenly matters. Therefore, the great reward God promised far exceeded Abram’s imagination. Abram only hoped for one child—or perhaps a few—but God promised him countless descendants.

It was a true comfort to Abram after experiencing a fierce war. After such brutality, Abram may have longed even more for a child. When he received God’s promise, he believed God immediately.

This was Abram’s most important characteristic: he believed God’s word. Adam fell because he did not believe God’s word, even though God told him he would die if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve also failed in the same way. In a sense, the entire Bible expresses one central truth: to believe God’s word. Yet human beings do not truly believe what God has spoken.

Because of humanity’s rebellious nature, there is a tendency not to believe what God has said. Although the Bible exists in the world, few people believe it. Therefore, Abram was counted righteous because he believed.

In fact, what God requires is simple. He desires that people believe His word and receive eternal life from Him.