Genesis 15

As Abram reflects on the promise God gave him in chapter twelve, he cannot help but wonder how exactly does God plan to give him a son.  Sarai is already well past the age of child birth and Abram can only look to a servant who was born in his house to inherit all that he has. “Lord God, What wilt thou give me?”  Remember Abram’s faith persists in spite of not having the completed Scripture, but the foundation for his faith remains the same the modern day Christian:  the Word of God.

Again this is what God offers by way of the stars as an illustration. “Tell the stars, if you though be able to..So shall thy seed be.” And here comes a marvelous verse, in verse six, “And believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”  Up until this point in the Bible story we have seen God’s mercy and forbearance of sinners.  But now we see God’s imputed righteousness.   Abram himself or course is not righteous, chapter 12 has already proven that. But the righteousness we now see him possess was “counted” to him.

We must take a  moment to consider the value of righteousness in the Bible’s story.  Before there was knowledge of sin (unrighteousness) and righteousness, there was innocence.   But innocence was lost in a despicable rebellion against God who made things perfect and it was replaced with death and corruption.  The irony is trying to establish their own righteousness independently of God’s righteousness.   It was rebellion of the highest order and the natural outcome was death.  But God’s plan of salvation was not slack in coming.  His mercy postponed justice to allow sinners a chance to believe God and have Him count it to them for righteousness.