Genesis 15:1 Commentary and Bible Study

This is truly a monumental chapter. It has been called the chapter of the famous firsts, and that may be a rather trivial way of looking at it, but it is certainly true. There are probably more firsts in this chapter than in any other chapter of the Book of Genesis. It is the first time that you read ‘the word of the LORD came’, which is of course the language of prophecy and is used afterwards throughout the Bible whenever prophets announce a revelation and oracle of God. It is the first reference to a vision in the Bible. It is the first use of a little phrase which means so much to us, which is right through the Bible – ‘Fear not’ – and in fact, some have pointed out the remarkable parallelism that goes on between Genesis 15 and the Book of Revelation, chapter 1, which almost seems to track some of the great terms of Genesis 15 in that introduction of the closing book of the Bible. But there are other firsts, quite a number of them.In this chapter there is theology; there is narrative in it; there is prophecy in it – remarkable things. It is possible that you have read it many times and you may have missed the point, as you read it, because there are some features of this chapter that are not always spotted on first reading by believers until you see them, and then they are so obvious; they dominate the chapter. How can I be justified? It is the first chapter in the Bible that uses the language of justification, the terms of justification, taken up and quoted by the apostle Paul. It is actually Abram's fifth revelation, but it is the first in which he is very specifically addressed as a prophet. Now we discover he is to have this office of prophet. It is the first chapter of the Bible to contain chronological prophecy or as we also call it historical prophecy, prophecy concerning events that will take place in the unfolding centuries. ‘After these things’ – suggesting soon after that great victory with his troops over the four eastern kings – ‘the word of the Lord came unto Abram.’ So now he seems to be endorsed as a prophet, and the utterance the word of the Lord comes to him. His previous four communications from God have been commands, instructions, promises, specifically to him, but now he is given material which will speak to the people of God, to the true Zion, throughout the centuries and until the end of time. So the word of the Lord comes to him in a vision. We know what he heard, but we are not told what he saw – perhaps some likeness symbolizing the divine power and attributes. These things may have been represented very vividly to Abram, and certainly towards the end of the day he sees such things very clearly. It takes a whole day. It is from dawn to dusk that this revelation takes place. ‘Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.’ Whatever happens, you are not to be over troubled. You are not to be excessively alarmed, because I am your shield and your reward. This is a reward beyond our ability to comprehend now in this life. We cannot even begin to imagine the wonders and the glories of the eternal heavens. Some writers on this chapter immediately think Abram had physical fears. They suggest that he feared that the eastern kings might rally and take their revenge and attack him in force. Here he was, a tent-dweller with his servants and his flocks, herds, and wealth, surrounded by hostile kings. He had personal cause to feel insecure with none of his own grown-up sons, with no line coming from him to stand up for his interests and maintain his family concerns. God's words don't just come out of nowhere, and have no basis. The text does not mention anything like that, but it is plausible; that would be a valid anxiety. But in the next verse we learn what is chiefly on his mind.