His Promise Is Enough

Genesis 15

Abraham responds to a word from God, observing before God that he remains childless. This is experienced as an especially significant gap in the fulfillment of promise since the promise is specifically tied to land. Such a promise has little significance to him and his culture if there is no heir. In response, the Lord reiterates the promise, pointing to the sky and comparing the descendents Abraham will have to the stars. Abraham believes the promise and in a phrase that echoes prominently in the New Testament, we read that this was credited to him as righteousness.

This a key point in the reputation of Abraham as a father of faith. He believed the promise in spite of all appearance. His affirmation did not come from any sign of fulfillment in his circumstances, but simply from a further word from the Lord. In other words, he trusted the one who made the promise also to provide the means of its fulfillment.

What follows is a kind of sacrament giving outward expression of the promise. It is a sign of the covenant God establishes with Abraham. When the fulfillment of the promise is nowhere to be seen, the covenant will be in place and Abraham will rely on that. We can do little more than guess at the original meaning of the symbols and actions, but the significance is seems clear enough: the Lord is committed to Abraham, and that will be enough for him while he still experiences barrenness in his circumstances.

Prayer:
Thank you for hope that is not tied to circumstances, God. Thank you for power to give shape to things according to your purposes. Help those who have received your promise to be instruments of hope to those who are blown wherever circumstances take them. Through Christ. Amen.