Do you ever find yourself looking around,
maybe at things in your life,
maybe at the world we live in and just wondering in your heart,
God, where are you in all of this?
Maybe it's a prayer that you've been praying,
you've been asking God for something
and the answer hasn't seemed to come yet.
Where are you, God?
Why have you not answered my prayer?
Maybe it's with a big decision that you've been asking for wisdom for
and yet there doesn't seem to be a clear direction.
Maybe it's with some of the situations in your family
or some of the things that we see in our world today.
We know that the Lord has promised to return
and yet it's been 2,000 years since that promise was made.
Where are you, Lord?
How long will it be?
I think we've all felt that at one time or another.
This is the kind of feeling that we find Abraham with this morning
as we continue his story.
If you have your Bible with you,
please open it to Genesis chapter 15.
Genesis chapter 15.
Last Sunday we heard about how Abraham and his nephew Lot
went their separate ways.
Abraham stayed in the promised land.
Lot went to pitch his tent near Sodom.
And not long after he did,
war broke out.
Five regional kings against four.
And unfortunately for Lot,
he was on the losing side.
He was actually captured
and his possessions,
all of it and him,
were taken away as plunder.
Abraham being the wonderful uncle that he is,
when he hears about this,
he goes after Lot.
He rallies the troops, so to speak.
He gets the 318 trained men in his household,
servants,
ready for battle.
And they go out on this rescue mission.
And in the middle of the night,
they strike hard
from two different directions.
They route the enemy.
They rescue Lot.
They bring back all the people
that had been captured
and their possessions
and return them to
the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah
and that area.
It seems like everything's going well.
Abraham ends up playing the role of hero.
And it's after this
that we come to this chapter this morning
where we find Abraham
perhaps wrestling,
wondering where God is
in all of this.
verse 1.
After this,
the word of the Lord
came to Abraham in a vision.
Do not be afraid, Abraham.
I am your shield.
Your reward will be very great.
We'll get to Abraham in a moment
and how he's feeling,
but let's just take a second
to look at what the Lord has said here.
Again, the Lord appears to Abraham
and this is a wonderful moment
whenever it happens
to have the creator
of the universe
appear to you
and speak to you.
And what does he say?
He says,
Do not be afraid, Abraham.
We don't know why he's afraid.
Is it because of the awesome presence
of the Lord in this moment?
Or is it maybe because
he might have made some new enemies
in this recent rescue mission?
We're not sure,
but either way,
the Lord comforts him.
He knows how Abraham is feeling
and he gives him assurance.
You don't need to be afraid.
I am your shield.
I will protect you.
If they want to touch you, Abraham,
they're going to have to come through me first.
Don't be afraid.
I am your shield.
Your reward will be very great.
It's at this last phrase.
Now there's some translation question here.
Is it I am your very great reward
or is it your reward will be very great?
But I think the next verse
kind of tips the balance towards one.
Let's just read it in verse two.
But Abraham said,
Sovereign Lord,
what can you give me
since I remain childless
and the one who will inherit my estate
is Eliezer of Damascus?
And Abraham said,
You have given me no children.
So a servant in my household
will be my heir.
The Lord says,
Your reward will be very great.
And Abraham says,
in response to reward,
What can you give me?
I'm childless.
Literally,
I am ongoing childless.
I remain childless.
The first thing that we notice here
is that Abraham is respectful
in how he expresses this.
He says,
Sovereign Lord
or Lord Yahweh.
A term of great reverence.
We also notice that he's very honest
about what his situation is
and what he sees.
This isn't the first time
that the Lord has made
big promises to Abraham.
And here the Lord is again
making another big promise.
Your reward will be very great.
And Abraham is honest.
What can you give me?
I don't have.
You've said in the past
the sense we get.
I'll give this land
to your offspring
and yet I have no offspring.
Even today,
I remain childless.
You have given me no children.
A servant in my household
is lined up to be my heir.
As Abraham asked these questions,
we're kind of wondering,
what's his attitude here?
Is he bitter?
Is he disappointed?
Is he angry?
Is he expressing doubt
and unbelief in God?
It may be difficult
for some of us to go there
because we so often see Abraham
as this,
he is the man of faith.
The guy who always believed.
And yet,
it kind of seems here
from these questions
that he didn't.
Or that he was,
at the very least,
wrestling with it.
I want to suggest
that perhaps it's both.
In the words,
and I can't help but think
of these words
when I read this,
in the words of the man
who spoke to Jesus
about his child
who was possessed
with a demon.
I believe, Lord,
but help me in my unbelief.
There's evidence of both here
from Abraham.
First of all,
we notice that he's respectful.
We notice that
he's even raised the issue
of the heir,
of this inheritance,
probably because he took
the Lord's word seriously
the first time
and the other times
it's come.
And now,
we also see evidence,
though,
that there's a wrestling
to believe
and to trust.
I believe, Lord,
but I still don't have a child.
You said you would give me
offspring,
and yet,
I don't have any.
You have not given me children.
I think there's a little of both.
I believe, Lord,
but help me in my unbelief.
Now, I want to be clear here.
When we trust the Lord
and take him out his word,
it honors him.
And when we don't,
it doesn't honor him.
Nevertheless,
I think that we find ourself
in this place
that we see Abraham
ourselves,
where we kind of have both.
I hear what you say
in your word, Lord,
and I look at my life,
I look at the things around me,
I look at it all,
and I believe,
but help me
in my unbelief.
Where are you
in this situation?
Where are you?
Where's your answer
to this prayer
that I've been praying?
Where's this return
that you've promised?
It's getting to be
a long time
since you made the promise.
I don't want to say
that it's okay
to doubt
because I don't think
that's what Abraham
is showing us here.
But I do want to say
that it's,
I think we see
from Abraham
that it's okay
to be honest
with the Lord
about what we see,
what we feel.
and even to
ever so respectfully
and humbly
say to the Lord,
this is what you've promised
and yet this is what I see,
this is what I feel.
Would you help me
with my unbelief?
I'm trying to take your word
for what you said,
but it's not easy.
How does the Lord
respond to this?
Verse four,
then the word of the Lord
came to him.
This man
will not be your heir,
but a son
who is your own
flesh and blood
will be your heir.
The Lord took him outside
and said,
look up at the sky
and count the stars.
If indeed
you can count them,
so
shall your offspring
be.
The first thing
that we notice
is that the Lord
doesn't rebuke him
or
give him a slap
on the wrist
for doubting.
In fact,
he seems to do
just the opposite.
Abraham expresses
this mixture
of faith
and yet
wrestling
to believe
and have faith
and the Lord
helps him.
He gives him
assurance.
He gives him
the promise
yet again
and he even
gives it
with more
clarity
and detail.
He says,
no,
Eliezer of Damascus,
this servant
that's next in line
to be your heir,
he's not
the one.
You will
have a son,
your own
flesh and blood,
a son,
a child.
That's where
it's going to start,
Abraham.
That's where
I'm going to start
with keeping
my promise
to you
and this
is where
it's going to end.
He takes him
outside.
Look up at the sky.
Count the stars.
I love the way
the Lord says,
if indeed
you can
count them.
There's so many,
there's so,
it's so vast,
it's beyond numbering
to us
as human beings.
This is where
it's going to start,
Abraham,
with a son
of your own
flesh and blood
and this is where
it's going to end
with your descendants
beyond numbering.
How does Abraham
respond to this?
What does he say
in response?
We've kind of seen
this little
back and forth thing.
The Lord speaks,
Abraham speaks,
then the Lord speaks
and now what does
Abraham have to say?
In verse 6,
the narrator
of the story,
Moses,
kind of interjects
and tells us
what the response is.
You almost get
this picture
that Abraham
is left speechless
just staring up
at the sky.
If we end
the story there,
we wouldn't know
what happened.
And so,
Moses kind of
jumps in
and says,
now Abraham
believed.
And the Lord
credited it
to him
as righteousness.
So here,
Abraham is
looking up
at the sky.
He's heard
the promise again.
Even though
he's wrestled
with believing
these things
because of
what he sees,
in that moment,
he believed.
He embraced
that,
yes,
Lord,
you will do this.
this will
come true.
And the Lord
credited it
to him
as righteousness
and we'll come
back to that.
There's a sense
too,
in this particular
verse,
that it's not
just describing
how he responds
in this moment
as he stares up
at the stars.
People who know
more about
the original language,
they all see it here.
maybe a better
translation is
now,
Abraham had
believed
and the Lord
had credited
it to him
as righteousness.
The sense of that
is not just that
this is how it is
in this moment,
but this is kind
of how it's been
right back
to the beginning
since the Lord
first spoke
to Abraham.
Abraham had
believed.
He took God
at his word
and trusted it.
By and large,
on the whole,
doesn't mean
that he never
had wrestlings
or doubts,
but on the whole
he believed
and on the whole
the Lord
had credited
it to him
as righteousness.
We'll come back
to that
in a moment,
but let's go on
to verse 7
and see how
this story
continues to unfold.
Verse 7,
he also said
to him,
that is,
the Lord
also said
to Abraham,
I am the Lord
who brought you
out of Ur
of the Chaldeans
to give you
this land
to take possession
of it.
But Abraham
said,
Sovereign Lord,
how can I know
that I will gain
possession of it?
Here again,
we see kind of
a similar thing
happening
in verse 7.
He also said
to him,
there's this sense
at which all of this
kind of happened
in one event.
It was kind of
mixed together
and yet Moses
is kind of
separating out
the different parts
of the conversation.
Let's talk about
the promise
of the Son first
and then let's talk
about the promise
of the land next.
But it's all
kind of together
in one.
And it's,
again,
it's similar
to what's happened
before.
The Lord said,
I am the Lord.
I brought you
out of Ur
of the Chaldeans
and the reason
I brought you
out of there.
My intention
right from the start
was to give you
this land
so that you
could possess it.
And again,
Abraham
responds with this,
I'm going to call it
a mixture of
faith and
wrestling to have
faith.
He speaks
respectfully,
sovereign Lord,
but then there's
that question.
how can I know
that I will
gain possession
of it?
I hear what
you say,
Lord,
and I believe,
but help me
in my unbelief
because when I look
at the land
right now,
what do I see?
It's full of people.
It belongs
to other people.
They've laid
claim to it.
How will this
happen?
Give me assurance
that you will
do what you
have promised.
And the Lord,
instead of
saying,
you shouldn't
doubt me,
just believe,
what does the
Lord do?
He gives him
assurance.
Verse 9,
so the Lord
said to him,
bring me a
heifer,
a goat,
and a ram,
each three years
old,
along with a
dove and a
young pigeon.
Abram brought
all these to
him,
cut them in
two,
and arranged
the halves
opposite each
other.
The birds,
however,
he did not
cut in half.
Then birds of
prey came down
on the carcasses,
but Abram
drove them
away.
We're going
to skip down
to verse 17.
We'll come
back to 12
in a minute.
Verse 17,
when the sun
had set and
darkness had
fallen,
a smoking
fire pot
with a blazing
torch appeared
and passed
between the
pieces of
the animals.
And then
Moses tells
us what's
happening here
in verse 18.
He says,
on that day
the Lord
made a
covenant
with Abram.
Now as we
read that,
it probably
seems very
strange to
us.
We don't
do anything
like that
in our
day.
Kind of
disgusting,
taking these
animals,
cutting them
up,
and then
walking through
the pieces.
I mean,
what is that
all about?
Well,
Abram
asked for
assurance.
And so
God is
giving him
assurance,
but he's
giving it to
him according
to the
custom of
the day.
This is how
they made
covenants
back in
ancient times.
animals.
They would
take some
animals,
maybe one
or more,
cut them
in half,
they put the
pieces on
either side,
and then they
would walk
through the
pieces.
Back then,
they wanted to
have a way
to say,
you can trust
that I will
keep my
word.
And this
was how
they did
it.
And essentially
what they were
saying as they
did that was,
if I don't
keep my
word to
you,
then may
what happened
to these
animals happen
to me.
It was
essentially
invoking a
curse upon
yourself,
conditionally,
if you fail
to keep
your word.
If I don't
keep my
promise to
you,
may this
happen to
me.
And this
kind of
interpretation
of it is
best seen
in Jeremiah,
and apparently
it was still
being practiced
as late as
then.
If I don't
do what
I've said
that I
will do,
may God
bring the
curse of
death upon
me.
There's not
really a
nicer way
to say
it.
It's a
very grotesque
kind of
thing,
but it's
very rich
in symbolism.
And the
Lord
enters into
this thing
and does
this thing
in front
of Abraham.
Now,
there's a
couple
things I
want to
say about
this whole
thing.
The first
is it
was common
for two
people to
walk through
the pieces
together,
especially if
they both
had an
end of the
deal to
keep up.
They would
both walk
through,
and then if
one of us
breaks it,
then may
this happen
to us
kind of
thing.
But here
we see
that it's
just the
Lord who
passes between
the pieces.
And that
happens in
verse 17
when it
says Abraham
saw a
smoking fire
pot and
a flaming
torch.
And those
things probably
have a
significance to
this ritual
back in the
day that's
probably lost
on us
today.
But the
sense is
that the
Lord chose
to manifest
himself,
to reveal
himself in
this form.
The invisible
God showed
himself in
this way as
a smoking
fire pot and
a flaming
torch passing
between the
pieces.
And Moses
kind of
confirms that
in verse
18 where
it says,
on that
day the
Lord made
a covenant
with Abram.
It was
God himself
who passed
through the
pieces.
But Abraham
didn't.
And so
this is
signaling right
here that
these promises
that I've
made to you,
I'm taking
on myself
the full
weight of
responsibility
to see
that they
come to
pass for
you.
There's
no obligation
for Abraham
to do
anything.
Interesting.
The second
thing that I
want to say
about this
ritual,
did the
Lord really
have to do
this for
Abraham?
Did going
through this
ancient human
ritual and
making a
covenant like
this make
it any more
sure that
the Lord
would keep
the promises
that he
had made?
My answer
to that is
no.
The Lord
intended to
keep his
promises when
he made
them and
that was
enough.
And so
in a sense
we see
here kind
of the
humble love
of God,
the kindness
of God,
that he
is going
to stoop
down to
Abraham's
level and
say it,
demonstrate it
in a way
that Abraham
understands,
that is
deeply
meaningful to
him as
he goes
through this
ancient ritual.
people.
This is
God's way
of saying
in Abraham's
language and
tradition,
I will
go to
the uttermost
lengths to
keep my
promise to
you.
Now I
don't want
to press
this beyond
what it's
meant to
say,
but some
people take
issue with
God kind
of going
through a
ceremony like
this.
It's kind
of a dark
ceremony,
cutting animals
and stuff.
Would God
really do
that?
Would he
invoke a
curse upon
himself,
a curse of
death?
That just
doesn't feel
good,
it doesn't
feel right.
But I
just can't
help but
see the
statement that
comes out
of this
kind of a
thing.
When you
went through
the pieces
of the
animal,
you were
essentially
saying,
may God's
curse,
the curse
of death
be upon
me if I
fail to
keep my
word to
you.
Would God
go that
far to
keep his
word,
to bless
Abraham,
to show
kindness to
Abraham?
I can't
help but
see and
think of
the words
of Paul
in Galatians
3,
verse 13.
Christ
redeemed us
from the
curse of
the law.
How?
By
becoming
a curse
for us.
For it
is written,
cursed is
everyone who
is hung
on a
pole.
Not
only
would
God
say
may I
be
cursed
if I
fail to
keep my
word for
you,
but he
did
fall under
a curse.
Paul was
talking about
the Mosaic
law and the
curses that
were attached
to that,
so it's
somewhat
different in
its meaning,
but the
effect is
still the
same.
yes,
the Lord
is saying,
may I
go to
the
uttermost
lengths.
I will
suffer the
ultimate
cost to
keep my
promise to
you.
See that
picture of
Jesus hanging
on the
cross,
bearing the
curse,
the punishment
of sin that
we deserved.
yes,
I will
go to
that
length
if
necessary
to keep
my
promise to
you and
to bless
all the
families of
the earth.
I won't
let anything,
not even my
own justice,
stand in the
way of the
blessing that I
have promised.
there are
some people
that will
say to
you,
the God
of the
Old
Testament is
not the
same as
the God
of the
New
Testament or
Jesus that
we see in
the New
Testament.
But if you
really look
closely,
it's not
true.
We see
in this
dark,
ancient
covenant
ritual,
the same
kind of
humble,
stooped
down to
our level
love.
As we
see at
the cross,
as God
goes through
this dark
and horrific
moment,
Jesus carrying
this cross
up to
Calvary to
die as a
sacrifice for
the sins of
the world.
The God
of the Old
Testament is
the God of
the New
Testament.
We see
his humble
love and
grace just
the same.
second
thing I
want to
talk about
here,
I want to
be very
careful here
because there
are some
people out
there today
who have
kind of
got this,
I want to
call it
new,
it's probably
not,
but it's
very fresh,
I'm just
going to
call it
what it
is,
false
teaching,
in which
they're saying
things like,
look,
see,
see what
Abraham,
what God
did for
Abraham here?
He didn't
actually endorse
the cutting of
the animals into
pieces and all
that stuff,
he just,
he just did it
that way to
demonstrate that
in a language
that Abraham
would understand.
there's not
really any
significance to
this ancient
ritual beyond
the symbolism.
In the same
way,
there's not
really any
significance to
the cross beyond
the symbolism.
It's just God
saying,
I love you,
in a way that
our primitive
ancestors,
our barbaric
ancestors could
understand.
there's nothing,
this is
absolutely,
it's deadly,
is what it
is.
It's stripping
the cross of
its power.
It's a very
dangerous way
of looking
at the
scripture.
Just because
this human
covenant,
this covenant
was a human
covenant,
doesn't mean
that God
didn't actually
do it and
mean it,
that the
covenant
wasn't
somehow
significant.
Yes,
it was.
God put
himself into
an ancient
human tradition
and bound
himself there
in a real
sense so
that for
generations to
come,
people could
look back on
that and
say,
yes,
God will
keep his
word.
We might
find it
disgusting
that the
animals were
cut in two,
but the
Lord wasn't
just doing
this to
pretend,
to give
Abraham a
sense of
who he is,
the right
idea,
even though I
completely
disagree with
this whole
ritual here.
It's gross.
It's disgusting.
No,
this covenant
that God
made with
Abraham,
even though
it was a
human custom,
it was real
and it was
binding.
if the
Lord does
something that
we do,
he does it
in the way
that we
should do
it,
which in
this case,
in a covenant
ceremony,
means that he
fully intends
to keep his
word and to
be bound in
that moment
in history by
what he said
he would do.
Just because
it's a human
tradition,
a human custom
doesn't make
it less
significant that
God did it.
the fact that
God entered
into this
human tradition
and custom
and made
this covenant
in this way
infuses it
with meaning.
It takes
what is earthly
and it
makes it
glorious.
It redeems
it.
It purifies
it.
It increases
the significance
of it beyond
what it would
have meant
to just two
people doing
it.
For the rest
of eternity,
we're going
to look
back on
this moment
and say,
yes,
Lord,
you made
a covenant
and you've
kept the
promise.
That covenant
was made
when he walked
through the
bloody pieces
of animals
and for the
rest of eternity,
we're going to
look back in the
same way on
the cross.
God
and
yes,
it actually
did something.
It had
real weight
and significance.
It wasn't
just a show
to communicate
the right idea.
It really
did something.
It secured
forgiveness
for us
of our sins
as horrific
and barbaric
as it was.
we should
sing.
We should
wonder that
God would
humble himself
and bring
his glorious
perfection
down into
our world,
down into
a human body
in the person
of Christ,
down into
some of our
customs and
traditions and
lift those
things up
and make
them glorious
and serve
his purposes.
This is the
covenant
ceremony.
In the midst
of all this,
we skipped
over a few
verses.
God gives
Abraham assurance
in a different
way.
The covenant
ceremony,
that's the
tangible thing.
That's the
thing that he
can see with
his eyes.
But God
also gives
him a few
more words,
a bit of
an explanation
as to how
these promises
will be
kept to
help him,
to give him
assurance.
So what
does he
say?
Verse 12,
As the sun
was setting,
Abram fell
into a deep
sleep,
and a thick
and dreadful
darkness came
over him.
Then the
Lord said
to him,
Know for
certain that
for 400
years,
for 400
years,
your descendants
will be
strangers in
a country
not their
own,
and that
they will
be enslaved
and mistreated
there.
But I will
punish the
nation they
serve as
slaves,
and afterward
they will
come out
with great
possessions.
You,
however,
will go to
your ancestors
in peace
and be
buried at a
good old
age.
In the
fourth
generation,
your
descendants
will come
back here,
for the
sin of the
Amorites
has not
yet reached
its full
measure.
So not
only does
God give
assurance
visibly and
tangibly through
the covenant
ceremony,
but he actually
gives an
explanation to
assure Abraham
of how things
are going to
unfold.
And this is
new.
This is
something Abraham
hasn't heard
yet.
Abraham's
received all
these great
promises,
and now
the Lord
gives some
clarity.
These promises
will come
true.
I will see
to it,
Abraham,
but it's
not maybe
how you
expected it
to go.
I mean,
Abraham's
got to have
been wondering,
do I just
pitch my tent
here and do
we just keep
growing and
eventually,
what, the
people that are
already here
just are going
to leave?
How will
this happen?
The Lord
gives some
clarity.
It's not
going to be
right away.
It's actually
going to be
400 years
from now.
Four generations
from now.
And it's not
going to be
the way that
maybe Abraham
expected.
It's actually
going to involve
your descendants
going to
another country
where they're
going to be
mistreated
and oppressed
and enslaved.
Don't worry,
I'm not
going to let
the country
that does
that to
them get
away with
it.
Absolutely
not.
Justice will
be done.
But it's
not until
400 years
from now
when they
come out
that your
descendants
will truly
in a fuller
sense possess
this land.
Why?
Why this
way?
There's only
one reason
given in
this passage.
church.
There's
probably more
reasons that
the Lord
has.
One of the
reasons in
verse 16,
for the sin
of the Amorites
has not yet
reached its
full measure.
Well, that's
interesting.
I'm going to
give this land
to you,
Abraham.
I'm going to
give it to
your descendants,
but if you're
to just go
around and
start killing
people here
and taking
the land
from them,
that would
not be
right.
The Lord
is just.
He is the
judge.
He sees that
the punishment
fits the
crime and
they're not
going to be
worthy of a
punishment,
deserving of a
punishment like
is going to
happen when
you come back
in and conquer
the land 400
years from now
for another
400 years.
Even here,
we see the
Lord's mercy
and grace.
They're
sinners, yes.
They deserve
the same as
all of us,
yes.
But it
wouldn't be
right for you
to just take
this land
from them
now.
The Lord
is working
to ensure
that justice
is done
in the grand
scheme of
things.
He's not
just going
to take
this land
and give
it because
he doesn't
care about
these people.
He cares
about them.
And they
will have
time in
the
meantime
to listen
to Abraham,
the Lord's
prophet who
is among
them,
speak of
the Lord.
They will
have time
to see
him worship
the Lord
and hopefully
respond to
and repent
and believe
in him.
So things
have come
clearer for
Abraham.
The Lord
has given
him great
promises.
he has
done his
best to
believe
and yet
he has
struggled
to believe
at moments
and he
asked the
Lord for
assurance
and God
gives it
to him.
He gives
it to him
in very
powerful
and tangible
and real
ways
and even
yet
with all
this that
he's now
heard from
the Lord
there's still
so much
unknown.
and yet
Abraham
believes
the Lord.
That's the
way we're
meant to
take verse
six.
Now Abraham
had believed
in response
to all of
this.
He trusted
that the
Lord would
do this
and maybe
now he
holds these
promises with
a little bit
more of an
open hand
to let God
be God,
to let God
direct the
story according
to what is
truly best.
it doesn't
always go
the way
that we
expect
or hope.
Abraham
believed
the Lord
and the
Lord
credited
it to
him
as
righteousness.
This is
one of the
most profound
amazing
statements
in the
whole book
of Genesis.
Abraham
responded
to God
with faith
that was
kind of
par for
the course
for him
and what
did God
do?
He credited
that to
him as
righteousness.
Think about
that.
If you
credit
something to
someone
it's because
they don't
have it
already.
Implied in
these words
is that
Abraham
is not
righteous.
He is
not
right
with
God
just
like
the
rest
of
us.
Just like
the rest
of the
people
in this
larger
story
of the
world.
And yet
God
is giving
him
something
he doesn't
have,
a right
standing
with
him.
He's
treating
him
as
though
he
is
right
with
himself.
not
because
he
is,
but
simply
because
he
believed.
What
is going
on here?
What
about
divine
justice?
This
is
certainly
wonderful
for
Abraham,
an
incredible
mercy
and
gift.
Those
are
questions
that
we're
going
to
get
to
in
October
when
we
flip
to
the
other
side
and
go
to
Romans
and
look
at
what
Paul
had
to
say
based
on
this
to
the
church
at
Rome.
And so
where do
we find
Abraham
at the
end of
all
this?
We
find
him
lying
in the
field
at
night
looking
up
into
the
sky
and
counting.
He
believed.
He
took
the
Lord's
word
seriously
and
so
there
he
is
counting
and
then
he
loses
count
and
he
starts
again
and
then
he
loses
count
again
and
he
starts
again
and
then
he
comes
back
a week
later
and
realizes
that
the
moon
was
up
and
now
that
it's
down
there's
even
more
stars
than
there
were
before
and
he
starts
again
and
then
he
comes
back
in
three
months
and
realizes
that
there's
a
whole
new
set
of
stars
and
he
starts
again
and
when
he
finally
gets
tired
of
trying
to
do
what
he
just
simply
can't
is
that
one
star
two
three
is
that
whole
galaxy
he
closes
his
eyes
and
he
thinks
to
that
moment
where
he
saw
the
smoking
fire
pot
and
the
blazing
torch
passing
through
the
pieces
Abraham
believed
he
took
the
Lord
seriously
and
he's
waiting
to
see
how
God
will
work
all
of
this
according
to
his
plan
and
promise
so
what
can
we
take
from
this
what
do
we
take
for
us
today
from
this
if
Abraham
were
sitting
right
here
with
us
today
I
have
a
feeling
that
the
first
thing
he
would
say
is
don't
look
at
me
in
this
story
I'm
nothing
look
at
the
Lord
look
at
what
he
did
to
me
look
at
what
he
said
to
me
look
at
his
kindness
look
at
how
he
treated
me
even
though
I
didn't
deserve
it
look
at
how
he
responded
to
my
doubt
and
struggle
to
believe
so
graciously
so
humbly
giving
me
assurance
in a
way
that
meant
the
world
to
me
look
at
his
kindness
look
at
his
goodness
look
at
his
justice
even
towards
the
Amorites
don't
look
at
me
I'm
nothing
see
the
glory
of
the
Lord
here
is
what
I
imagine
Abraham
would
say
if
he
were
here
with
us
this
morning
worship
his
name
the
true
treasure
in this
story
the
true
reward
is
not
what
he
said
he
would
give
it's
him
it's
this
relationship
that I
have
with
him
and all
of this
comes in
the
midst
of
Abraham's
seemingly
mixed
feelings
we
too
wrestle
with
faith
with
believing
at
times
just
like
he
did
we
live
often
in that
place
of
I
believe
Lord
but
there's
unbelief
there
too
there's
doubt
and we
see from
Abraham
that we
can bring
those
doubts
to the
Lord
we can
speak to
him honestly
about what's
going on in
our lives
we should
do so
respectfully
as he
did
and humbly
and he
is the
kind of
God
that is
gracious
towards us
and will
give us
assurance
is there
something in
here that
doesn't sit
right with
you
ask him
about it
he will
give us
assurance
he's the
kind of
God that
gives his
promise
and then
gives the
same
promise
again
and then
gives it
again
and gives
it again
he knows
the kind
of people
that we
are
he knows
the way
we
struggle
he opens
our eyes
just a little
bit more
at a time
and leads
us along
in this
amazing
relationship
of love
what a
wonderful
God
he is
let's
pray
Lord we
don't come
to you
with
something in
our hands
to say
look at
how awesome
we are
what we
have to
give to
you
we come
to you
like
Abraham
did
so often
with
mixed
feelings
with doubt
with some
faith
yes
but you're
so gracious
to us
and we
praise you
for that
we love
you
we ask
that you
would strengthen
our faith
that you
would teach
us to walk
by faith
like Abraham
did
and to
take your
word
as the
truth
and live
by it
we thank
you that
through Christ
you have
not treated
us as we
deserve
not Abraham
and not us
you've instead
been gracious
and given
your blessing
to us
thank you
it's in
Jesus name
that we
pray
amen
to
hope
thank you