COUNT THE STARS

Genesis 15:1-21, Key Verse: 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.’”

Last week we learned that Abram’s shepherd heart for Lot had propelled him into a war. By God's grace and help, he had won. But Lot had not come back to share his tent life with Abram, but returned to Sodom. Abram had seemingly gained nothing from this war. He had given a tithe of everything to Melchizedek; he had refused to take any of the spoils of war for his personal use. Before this war, he had kept a low profile in Canaan, but now became very visible--and even vulnerable to his enemies. He was sitting in his tent, nursing his sense of loss and entertaining all kinds of fears. How did God help him?

Part I: Count the stars (1-6)

Read verse 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.’” Abram defeated powerful kings. He was a conqueror not only in the physical war, but also in the spiritual battle – he sacrificed millions of dollars to render glory to God. But after such a victorious scene, we are shocked to notice that when God visited him, he said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your very great reward.” At that time Abram was so afraid that God had to come to him and tell him, “Do not be afraid, Abram.” 

To Abram God talked about two things. First, “I am your shield.” In business, you always try to outperform the top business; not second or third level business. But Abram, now the top military commander, was fearful as he anticipated revenge from the four kings he just defeated. Actually Abram could not match up against his enemies. He had only 318 men. If they attacked Abram, his whole household would be destroyed. But God comforted him, saying, “I am your shield.” What is a shield? Do you remember ‘Gondorian shield’ used by the soldiers of Gondor in the movie, ‘The Lord of the Rings’? 

A shield is a type of personal armor to intercept attacks by stopping arrows, rocks, and swords. Football players have helmets and padding to shield their bodies from bone crunching blows. Your car has an airbag to shield you from hitting the steering wheel in the advent of a crash. “I am your shield,” means that nothing could happen to Abram accidentally because God is his strong shield. His life was in God’s hand not at the mercy of his enemies. 

Second, “I am your very great reward.” After being inspired through his Bible study with Melchizedek, Abram bravely sacrificed millions of dollars to render glory to God. He was confident. But a few days later, when he looked around at the reality, he realized that there was nothing tangible in his hands. He had spent lots of money in the war. But after the war, he now received many bills, but did not have a penny left in his pocket. Instead, he probably heard some of his men, who had been injured in the war, were grumbling. Abram was suffering from a sense of loss. So God showed him what his reward was, saying, “I am your very great reward.” 

There was a TV show where two brothers found $10,000 dollars. When they returned it to the Church Charity that had lost the money, they had hoped the church would give them some of the money as a reward. But the Pastor told them, “Doing the right thing is itself a reward.” What do people expect “as a reward” from God? Maybe, earning a lot of money can be a reward; or maybe, establishing world-wide fame can be a reward. Or long life can be considered as a reward. But these things are not a real reward. God says that He himself is our very great reward. Abram thought receiving a son or land was a great reward. But God said, “I am your very great reward.” 

The reward God wanted to give to Abram was God Himself. Through this, God showed Abram what kind of reward he must pursue, that is, not anything else, but God alone. When God Himself was fully given to Abram, Abram would carry God in him that wherever he went, people would see God’s character and God’s image in Abram’s words and actions. What God wanted to reward Abram with was to restore God’s image in Abram fully. Instead of living as a sinful man, Abram would reveal the image of God; his holiness, his love, his character, and his integrity. When God was fully given to him, Abram would be glorious, righteous, holy and great, and everyone who saw him would respect, honor him. 

Humanly what did Abram want as the reward for his life of faith? It was a son based on his present condition. When God promised to give him a son, he said, “Amen!” and was happy. But when God did not give him a son, he was sorry and suffered from a sense of loss, wondering whether he should go on his life of faith or not. He wept and laughed according to his hope for a son. Some Bible teachers are joyful or gloomy according to their Bible students’ spiritual condition. But in this passage, God told Abram what reward he should pursue, that was, God Himself. God said to him, “I am your very great reward.” 

What is the reward of our life of faith? What do you expect to receive from God as you serve God’s purpose? A+ Grades? Riches? Fame? A Good job? Or a happy family? God says, “I am your very great reward.” The reward God wants to give us is God Himself. He wants us to pursue this reward, God Himself, not something else that will eventually fade away and perish. Apostle Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But after receiving Christ as God’s reward, he considered them all rubbish to gain Christ and be found in him. (Phil 3:7, 8) 

How did Abram respond after hearing from God? Look at verses 2 and 3. “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus? You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” What a fatalistic idea! Abram was sorry because it seemed that God forgot about his promise of giving him a son. Abram was getting older, and afraid that he might not receive a son. So far, he struggled hard to live by faith in God. He sacrificed many things and did great things for God and rendered glory to God, but Abram was full of a complaining spirit and asking, “What’s the deal, Lord?”

Yes! Abram gained nothing in his life of faith; no land, no son. Whenever he thought about one of his slaves inheriting everything from him, he suffered from depression. He could not sleep properly at night. He could not eat even his favorite Dunkin' Donuts in the morning. There was no reason to work hard. Doubt about his life of faith itself began to creep into his heart. He was depressed. It was a spiritual crisis in his life of faith. He went inside his tent and spent day and night lying on his bed anticipating all kinds of doubt. 

How did God help him? Look at verse 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.’" God first comforted him, confirming that the slave would not be his heir, but a son coming from his own body would be his heir. After this, how did God help him practically? Read verse 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.’” It was not good for Abram to lie down in his dark tent entertaining dark thoughts or surfing the Internet all day long. 

So God took him outside and asked him to count the stars. Abram obeyed God’s command and started to count the stars, “one star, two stars, three stars, four stars…” Astronomers say that there are over 8,000 stars visible to the naked eye from where Abram was living at the time. While Abram was counting the stars, he was reminded that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, had made all these innumerable stars in the sky with his power. Then Abram realized that it was easy for the Almighty Creator God to give him as many sons as the stars in the sky. God’s promise, “So shall your offspring be” was absolutely possible. 

Then suddenly, Abram started to count the stars again, “the first son, second son, third son…” Even though Abram had not received any sons, he began to believe God who would give him offspring like the stars in the sky. There is a vocal team named, “Count the Stars.” Maybe Abram was the founder of this band! What was Abram's response to the Lord's promise? Look at verse 6. “Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.” When Abram believed in God’s promise, God’s vision for his life was planted in his heart.

When the vision of God was not well formed in his heart, he could not do anything. Abram focused on the seemingly terrible present situation, and suffered from a sense of loss, confusion, and depression; He even could not go out for fishing in the Jordan River. He even could not have his daily bread or personal prayer time. At that time, Abram was not righteous. But when he looked at the heavens and counted the stars, God’s vision was renewed in his heart, and all problems were already gone. He began to have a right relationship with God and became righteous in God. He got A+ credit from God. Wow!

When God’s vision for our life is vivid and alive in our hearts, we are righteous in God’s eyes – we are powerful and passionate; like Abram, we can even sacrifice multi-million dollars to take care of God’s flock. When God’s vision is active in our lives, we are happy to do everything for God. But when we do not look at the heavens and do not count the stars in the sky, our hearts are filled with all kinds of humanistic and negative thoughts that we cannot be righteous.

God encourages us to trust in his word of promise, his vision, so that we can live as visionaries, and live in the future, not in the present. Satan keeps coming to us as if he is our friend concerned about our well being, saying, “Is it really true that God has not given you any son yet?” Then, Satan plants humanistic ideas in our heart, saying, “If you live this way, all your money and estate will be given to one of your slaves.” Satan always deceives us not look at the heavens but look at the earth, count victims, sufferings, and grudges. 

But God shows us how we must live our lives as His covenant people. God says, “Look up at the heavens, and count the stars.” This is how we live our life until we reach to the heavens and see God. We live the life of looking up at the heavens and counting the stars. Maybe, people will ridicule us, saying, “You are idiots!” “You are crazy!” But we simply obey God’s command, and today, we should count the stars, thinking about all the glorious work God will do in and through us. We believe that people, thousands upon thousands in number, keep coming to us to hear the word of God from our lips. 

Do you believe God will surely establishing a powerful kingdom of God in DuPage County, in America and in the world? I do. Let us live with God’s vision, not with fear and confusion. Live in the future, not in the present! Don’t be nearsighted! Do not only think about here and now! But see the big picture which God wants to complete for you and through you! Have God’s vision in your heart! “Look up at the heavens and count the stars! So shall your offspring be!” 

Part II: To possess the land (7-21)

Thereafter what did God promise to Abram? Look at verse 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.’" Abram was surprised by God who mentioned about the land. So he quickly asked in verse 8, "O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" God answered Abram’s question in the covenant ceremony. This ceremony was based on similar ceremonies made to seal alliances between kings of that day. It was a blood covenant. It is also called a friendship treaty. Abram's friendship with God was established by this covenant. God told Abram to prepare the animal offerings. 

Abram did so, and then he worked hard the rest of the day to keep the vultures away from the rapidly fading carcasses. These covenant promises are stated in two parts. First, revelation: As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep, trance-like sleep. God's word came to Abram to reveal how God would make his descendants a great nation. 400 years of slavery and oppression would be the price. In the furnace fires of Egypt, Israel would become a great multitude. In God's time, they would come out with great possessions. If Abram's family had remained in Canaan, it would have been impossible for them to grow into a multitude such as this. 

Why? It was because as children were born, they would leave one by one, as Lot had done, and be assimilated into the Canaanite culture and be melted into Canaan. But living in Egypt, in the land of Goshen, they would share a common history of suffering, oppression, and later deliverance. They would be molded into a nation that would never lose its identity. They would come out of Egypt with great possessions. They would be used as God's instrument of judgment on the godless people who lived in the promised land. 

Second, confirmation: When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, God himself accepted and burned up the offering with a smoldering firepot and a blazing torch. He sealed this blood covenant with fire. And he promised to give to Abram's descendants the land. The land he promised was not small. It was all the land Abram's foot had touched--from Ur beyond the Euphrates to the River of Egypt. In this way, God confirmed his promise with Abram. 

As God promised Abram the land of Canaan and more, God promises us that he will pioneer not only the College of DuPage but also 12 campuses in the West Chicago area through us. I am very thankful to God who moved Shepherd Nathan’s heart through our Easter Conference. He sold his old Magic cards in order to register for our upcoming Summer Bible Conference in Peoria. I pray that all his 7 sheep may attend this conference. May God bless us to invite 30 people to this conference! May God bless us to see numerous new rising stars through this conference beginning from Matt, Alex, Gary, Eric, James, and more.

*Conclusion: Abram believed the Lord. His inner fear disappeared. His worries about his heir and land disappeared. However, in reality, his outer circumstances had not changed. But his inner heart was changed when by faith he accepted God's word of promise. This made all the difference in his life. God credited his faith to him as righteousness. May God change our hearts by helping us to believe our Almighty God and to live by faith like Abram! Amen!