Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

THE PROMISE AND COVENANT 15 : 5 , 6
condition,” was recognized and rewarded by Yahwe’s assur-
ance that the Promise would not go unfulfilled--“an assur-
ance that must have thrilled his anxious heart with joy.”
S. The Accoinpanying Sign (vv. li, 6).
Apparently without any request on Abram’s pare,
Yahweh then proceeds to confirm the Promise with a sign:
“and he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now
toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to
number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.”
That is, since no man can put himself into a position such
as to be able to count the number of the stars, it follows
that Abranz’s Posterity likewise would be iimumerable.
(Cf. again 12:2, 13:16.) V. 6-And Abram “believed in
Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.”
One of the greatest words in the Old Testament is found
here for the first time in Scripture; it is the word rendered
“believe,” a word which essentially means cctrusty’: “the
author would indicate that the permanence of this attitude
is to be stressed; not only, Abraham believed just this once,
but, Abram proved constant in his faith” (Leupold, EG,
477). So now, when God asks Abram to carry out certain
orders, Abram unhesitatingly obeys, and this attitude is
demonstration of his faith. But even more is revealed here:
God’s response to Abram’s implicit obedience shows that
the patriarch met with God’s favor (grace is unmerited
favor); he was justified; his faith had been counted to
him for righteousness. And now, in the verses following,
we see the promise and the Sign issuing forth in the
Covenant.
God reckoned this abiding trust to Abram as right-
eousness. rrRighteousness is here a right relationship to
God, and it was conferred by the divine sentence of ap-
proval in response to Abram’s trust in God’s character.
In Deut. 6:2J, 24:13, this righteousness is attained by
obedience to the law. Here Abraham, who had no law to
fulfill, was nevertheless made righteous because of his inner
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