Abraham Following God’s Dream
Genesis 15:1-20
Jim Davis
I was down in the Florida Keys a few years
ago and I noticed how many Haitians were working at fast food restaurants.
I wondered how they could afford to live in the Keys working at a fast
food restaurant. They practically swam to this country to pursue the
American dream. When they hit the shores they look for a job, they are
never too particular about the job they take. Any job in this country
beats the poverty they just left. They come with less than nothing. They
have reached down in themselves sacrificing things they really didn’t have
to get here. They usually feel very blessed to just be in America.
Latinos come to this country with
different languages, different cultures, but they come doing the same
thing the Haitians do and consider it a blessing to be here. I read a
news article the other day that said the Latinos are more optimistic about
their future in this country than those of us who were born here. I met a
family from Albanian the other day. They have been in this country for six
months. They were all smiles. They said America was like heaven. I am
afraid that these individuals are the ones who will have to keep the
American dream alive.
The Bible is filled with stories of
individuals who were determined to achieve God’s dream for their lives.
They were determined to avail themselves of the opportunity to claim God’s
promises.
Determination Doesn’t Remove
Doubt and Misgivings
One of our greatest hindrances to seeking
God’s dream for our lives is fear.
Most of those who come to seek the American dream must overcome their
fear. Their dreams are realized as they tremble in fear working to
accomplish the American dream. I can tell you from personal experience
that it is not easy living in a foreign country. It is down right scary.
Abraham was afraid when he stepped out of his own country to pursue God’s
dream for his life.
Genesis 15:1-8
15:1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a
vision:
"Do not be afraid, Abram.
I am your shield,
your very great reward."
2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me
since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer
of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a
servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not
be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He
took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if
indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring
be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as
righteousness.
7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out
of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I
will gain possession of it?" NIV
Notice what God says to Abram immediately
after his successful battle with Kedorlaomer. “After
this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‘Do not be afraid,
Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.’”
This may make us wonder why
God would speak to Abram about his fears. He had just had a great success
in battle. He had paid Melchizedek priest of God a tithe of all the
plunder he had taken in battle (Genesis 14:18 NIV). Notice what he told
the king of Sodom.
Genesis 14:18-24
18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and
wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give me the people and
keep the goods for yourself."
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have raised my
hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have
taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a
thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, 'I
made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and
the share that belongs to the men who went with me--to Aner, Eshcol and
Mamre. Let them have their share." NIV
Looking at this through twentieth century
eyes it seems as though Abraham is very confident about his dependence
upon God’s blessings. But really he isn’t as confident as it might seem.
The “After this” in the first verse of
this chapter refers to Abram’s battle against Kedorlaomer
(Gen 14:17 NIV). He had won
a battle against Kedorlaomer who had plundered Sodom and captured men and
women which included Abram’s nephew Lot and all his family. Abraham
successfully led 318 of his men against Kedorlaomer to regain the spoils
and captives that had been taken from Sodom.
In the ancient world when one tribesman
engaged in battle with another tribesman it usually created many more
problems than it solved. This was especially true if you were on a sojourn
in their country as an outsider. It didn’t make any difference about why
you were there—even if you were called by God.
The king of Sodom stood their and watched
Abram offer a tenth of the spoils to the priest of God.
A tenth of what originally belonged to him. Even though the king of Sodom
said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself,” Abram
didn’t buy it. He knew that sooner or later the king of Sodom would resent
him for it.
Kedorlaomer wasn’t going to forget that
this stranger stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong. Abram had done
what he felt he had to do, but he was far from confident over the decision
he made.
When you step into modern day Afghanistan
and Iraq you can see this mindset that dates back to the days of Abraham.
This is the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan today. We may have defeated
the enemies of many who live in that country, but they are not so sure
that we are their friends. We will probably never see the kind of peace we
desire in those countries. In fact they feel more threatened by us than
ever. It will take more than sophisticated weapons to change the mindset
of the world.
So God steps into Abram’s life at a moment
in which he needed reassurance saying, “Do not
be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”
Abraham was feeling somewhat insecure at the moment so he asked,
“Lord, how do I know that I will inherit this land as a lasting
possession.”
Reassurance Doesn’t Make
Dreams Easier
The amazing thing about God speaking to
Abram is that God never reassures him that his descendants possessing the
land will be easy. Notice
what God says to Abram about the hardships his descendants will face.
He actually tells him that pursuing his dreams for his life will
not get any easier for him or his descendants.
Genesis 15:13-16
3 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your
descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be
enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the
nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great
possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be
buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants
will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its
full measure." NIV
God never assures us that seeking his
dream and purposes for our lives will be easy.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount tells us the result of seeking God’s dreams for
our lives. Jesus promised that the poor in spirit would see the kingdom of
God,
but it wouldn’t be without a great deal to mourn over, for he promised the
mournful would be comforted. He promised the meek would inherit the earth,
the hungry would be filled, but not before they would be blessed because
of their persecution.
Lives are not made easier just because
they are pursuing God’s dream.
There is no promise life will be made
easier. God does promise that he will be our shield—or protector and our
exceedingly great reward. Joseph’s life wasn’t made easy because he had a
God given dream, but he held on to the dream. He persisted in his trust in
God. He worked to make that dream a reality. His dream possessed him and
therefore became real.
I truly believe the closer we get to
realizing God’s dream individually the more the demons will attack us.
The harder it will seem, but we must not fear, for God is our shield and
our reward.
God had Abraham to prepare animal
sacrifices so that God could make a binding covenant with him. When God
passed through the animal sacrifices it meant that if he didn’t follow
through with his promise to Abram, may he be treated as Abram treated the
animals he sacrificed (Jeremiah 34:17-20).
Today God’s promises are as certain as the
sacrifice of Christ, but the gospel of good news doesn’t make living for
God any easier.
Acts 14:21-23
21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large
number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22
strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the
faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,"
they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church
and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had
put their trust. NIV
Age Old Concerns
Still Haunt Us
Despite God’s reassuring Abram of his
protection and reward, Abraham asks the same questions all of us ask.
Genesis 15:2-6
2 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me
since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer
of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a
servant in my household will be my heir."
4 Then the word of the LORD came to him: "This man will not
be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He
took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if
indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring
be."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as
righteousness.
How can I have a future in light of the
present, was Abram’s question.
The future of the ancient world was wrapped up in having descendants to
provide for and defend the tribal unit. Abram’s didn’t have any
descendants. He was going to leave his earthly possessions to Eliezer.
Abram wanted to follow God but his present circumstances sought to blind
him to God’s dream. When God promised Abram the land of Canaan Abram
asked, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of
it?" Without a successor there will be no one to succeed the land too.
I believe Abram was asking the questions
out of determination rather than resignation that things couldn’t get any
better. His questioning had more to do with his desire to know how it was
all going to work. He was far from resigning himself to the circumstances
surrounding him.
Faith is the evidence of things not seen.
We must be determined to step into the unseen we begin to discover God’s
power for our lives.
The path we take is not as important as
the reason we take it. Abraham found himself wandering around in the land
of promise with a determination to make God’s dream work for his life. He
was determined to make God’s dream a reality even if he had to have a son
by his handmaid. His plan was not God’s plan, but his motives were pure.
He was determined to have the descendants God promised even if he had to
devise his own way.
The Bible is filled with people who were
filled with God’s dream for their lives.
The Macedonians were extremely
impoverished but they were so enthralled with the good news about Jesus
Christ that they had the determination to give what they didn’t have the
ability to give to make God’s dream come true. They were able to do this
because they had embraced God’s grace for their lives. As a result it was
God’s grace that gave them the power to go beyond their ability.
2 Corinthians 8:1-9
8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace
that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe
trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich
generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and
even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded
with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5
And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the
Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. 6 So we urged Titus, since
he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of
grace on your part. 7 But just as you excel in everything-in faith, in
speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see
that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity
of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become
rich. NIV
God’s dream works for our lives when we
give ourselves totally to the Lord as the Lord has given himself totally
to us.
A life time of commitment in marriage
works because of determination. Relationships work because of
determination. Finances work because of determination. When God sees our
determination he makes all things work for our good. Actually he is
seeking to do this even if we are not determined to follow his will, but
we will never live by faith until we are determined to step into the
unseen.
Trusting God for the unseen future today
isn’t any easier than it was in Abraham’s world. The world system seems to
be against us, and we are afraid to challenge it.
Conclusion:
The prerequisite for determination is to
believe in God’s plan for making this world work to bless us.
I have always thought raking leaves and
Pine tree needles was foolish. I noticed one hot dry summer that the Pine
trees on the church lot drop an unseemly amount of their needles. Much
hard work went into raking the needles up and putting them in garbage bags
to be hauled to the dump.
The trees were dropping their needles to
survive—the less needles the less water the tree needed. The hot dry
summer caused this reaction, but we were determined to rake up the Pine
needles. God designed the trees to drop their needles, but it serves a
twofold purpose. Not only does it make less of a demand on the tree for
water, but as the ground is covered under the tree is covered with
needles, it provided a natural barrier against the loss of ground water
through evaporation, thus conserving the limited amount of water
available. But we found ourselves working against God’s natural order of
things.
The world’s way of doing things blinds us
to God’s original plan for our lives. It makes us wonder if we can
succeed, or how God’s dream for our lives will come true.
But God simply says, “Trust me, and follow
me!” Trust me like Noah, Abraham, and Joseph. Just trust me and I will see
to it that my dreams for your life become a reality.
