Genesis 15: Abraham’s Faith Counted as Righteousness — Daily Word

Explore how Abram’s faith was counted as righteousness despite his fears and doubts. Discover what Genesis 15 teaches us about trusting God’s promises when circumstances seem impossible.

Genesis 15:1-6 Daily Word

1. [Scripture]

[1] After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” [2] But Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” [3] And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” [4] And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” [5] And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” [6] And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Gen 15:1-6, ESV)

2. [Daily Word]

# Abram receives the word of the LORD in a vision.

The phrase “after these things” recorded in verse 1 expresses that something has shifted in Abram’s faith. Verse 1 says, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” From these words we can see that Abram is currently afraid of something. That fear may have arisen from the thought that the remaining kings after the battle would attack again — but there is also a particularly important reason found in verse 2.

Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will you give me?” Up until recently, Abram had experienced the power of God Most High and had lived set apart from the world, guarding his faith. Yet now, as ten years have passed, he has no idea when the promise God made to him will ever be fulfilled.

And so Abram is anxious. He fears that he will have no son for the rest of his days. A dead end has come upon a life that had been lived according to God’s word — and with it came a sense of emptiness, a sense of unease, and a wavering before God. So he tried to make a plan according to his own will rather than God’s. That plan is revealed in verse 3: since God had given him no offspring, he intended to make the one born in his house — specifically Eliezer of Damascus, mentioned in verse 2 — his heir.

There are times when we, too, grow anxious because God does not seem to answer. Our faith is meant to grow stronger through assurance and conviction — yet there are moments when our worry and anxiety rise higher than our faith. We begin to fear that God might not give what He has promised. We feel that if only He would speak a word, we could hold on to some certainty — but instead we are unsettled. And so the mistake we make is trying to do things our own way rather than God’s way. But when we go our own way, we fail; sometimes we fall; and in the end we find ourselves returning to God and crying out to Him once again.

What is crucial here is the truth recorded in verse 1: God is our eternal shield and protector, and He is the reward who at any time gives abundantly to us.

[6] And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. (Heb 11:6, ESV)

# Abram also approached God the Father with a reverent heart and cried out to Him.

In response, God led Abram outside in verse 5 and said to him: “Look up at the sky and count the stars — if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” At this, verse 6 records that Abram believed the LORD. Notably, this verse 6 is the first place in the Bible where “faith” is recorded. Abram once again placed his full confidence in God’s word and believed.

[18] In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.” [19] He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. [20] No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, [21] fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. [22] That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (Rom 4:18-22, ESV) This passage describes in concrete terms what Abram believed. And so [12] Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. (Heb 11:12, ESV) tells us that from this one man — and he as good as dead — came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

# God counted Abram, who held on to faith, as righteous.

In truth, Abram was a sinner who had not always kept faith faithfully before God. Yet God credited Abram as righteous because he held firm conviction in God’s word. We too can be counted righteous before God. Rather than living a life without faith, when we live with the confident assurance that God has already granted what He has promised — standing firm in our place as believers before Him — we are declared righteous. May we remember this today, and may each one of us live a life of faith.

Abram’s faith, God’s promise, revelation in a vision, the blessing of descendants, counted as righteousness

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com