Friday 21 October 2011

Gen 15:1 - Your reward


As well the reassuring protective truth that God is to Abraham as shield, there also comes the promise of reward. Not only is Abraham kept safe from harm, but he has promised good. For some reason I remember this verse reading "I am your shield, you're very great reward" (which it does in the NIV), but in the ESV, its "I am your shield, your reward shall be very great." So which is it?

Well, I can't read Hebrew and the commentators seem to favour the ESV version so I will run with that. Actually, one leads to the other. What is a "very great reward"? Every time you read a passage in the Old Testament it's good to turn the contrast up until you see Jesus. The greatest reward that God can give us is himself in the person of his son. All other promises are fulfilled in Jesus.

The New Testament says we have every spiritual blessing in Christ and so here in God's mind at least is none other than his beloved son. But Abram probably isn't seeing quite that far ahead. His most felt need is for a son and without a son nothing God could give him would have much value to him. It would simply be passed on to a relative stranger. Little did he know that God was looking to give his own son through a son he would give Abram and that through him Abram's decedents would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.

At first Abram's need seems very great, but God's provision is totally overwhelming. Not only will Abram get a son but innumerable decedents. The value of this gift is the life of God's own son and in him God's son Abram will have countless spiritual offspring. The great reward is indeed God himself. No wonder Paul says:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (ESV) Eph 3:20-21  

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