#DailyDevotion The LORD Counts Faith As Righteousness
Genesis 15:1-6 After this the LORD spoke to Abram in a vision. “Don’t be afraid, Abram,” He said. “I am your Shield. Your reward is very great.” 2“Lord GOD,” Abram asked, “what will You give me? I’m leaving no children, and Eliezer of Damascus will get the property of my household. 3You have given me no children,” Abram added, “so a member of my household will get my property.” 4“He will not get it,” the LORD told him, “but your own child will get your property.” 5Then He took him outside. “Now look at the sky,” He said, “and count the stars if you can.” Then He told him, “That is how many descendants you will have.” 6Abram believed the LORD, and so the LORD counted it to him as righteousness.
Just before this, Abraham defeated the kings who had kidnapped Lot and his family along with the other captives the kings of the north had taken. Melchizedek blessed Abraham and Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils to Melchizedek the priest of the most high God. It is as this point the LORD appears to Abram in a vision.
The LORD encourages Abram, “I am your Shield. Your reward is very great.” Certainly Abram believed this as he went after Lot to save him. He believed it as he would take no spoils for himself from rescuing Lot, lest any of the kings who helped him could say they made Abram rich. He depended on the LORD to make him rich and prosper him. Yet, the LORD had not given Abram any offspring. What is wealth if you have no children of your own to pass it down to? I guess there was some custom at the time of someone in the household, a servant inheriting his master’s wealth if he had no heir.
The LORD makes Abram a promise. He would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky if he could count them. I don’t know how many stars a person can count with the naked eye but that is a lot. In Deut. 1:10 it is written, “The LORD your God has made you grow so much you are now as many as the stars in the sky.” Moses says again in Deut. 10:22, “Your fathers were 70 persons when they went down to Egypt, and now the LORD your God has made you as many as the stars in the sky.” Promise made. Promise fulfilled. But a promise is all Abram had. He believed God and it, Abram’s faith in the promise, was counted by the LORD as righteousness. It’s a good thing the LORD counted Abram’s faith as righteousness because Abram was a mess—like the rest of us.
In the same way, God, the LORD, has made you a promise. He has promised you by the death of Jesus your sins are forgiven you. He has promised is you trust Jesus you have eternal life. He has promised if you repent of your sins, believe in Jesus Christ and are baptized into Christ, you will enter the kingdom of heaven. He has promised through Christ he cares for you, he will hear your prayers and will provide for you. Like Abram, if you believe the LORD, He counts this faith as righteousness, the righteousness of God that can stand before God. Do you want to live forever? Do you want to never taste death? Do you want to stand boldly and confidently before God on Judgment Day? Trust God’s promises in Christ Jesus and you will have the righteousness of God.
Gracious God and Father, grant us faith in Christ so we may have your righteousness and receive the fulfillment of all your promises. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.