Apparently everyone loves Chuck Norris...and more about Abram in Genesis

The last Chuck image, at least for a while.

My last blog featured quite a few photos or links about Chuck Norris while I was discussing Abram and Genesis 12. I got twice as many views as I usually get on my blog with the Chuck Norris stuff included. My conclusion is that Chuck Norris is very popular, (and rightfully so), and I could therefore double my readership if I changed my blog to a Chuck Norris/Bible blog. However tempting that may be, I can't do the same gig over and over again, and other parts of the Bible may not be so relatable to the good Mr. Norris. There are also other sites devoted strictly to Chuck Norris and his greatness, (and rightfully so). Therefore you'll just have to continue reading my blog for the mind blowing Bible insights, my Cosby like wit, and the occasional photo of my shirtless body....

We'll now return to Abram. When we left him last, it was Genesis 12 and God had appeared to Abram and promised to 1) make him a great nation, 2) make his name great, 3) bless the world through Abram, and 4) curse those who cursed Abram. I'm skipping ahead a few chapters to Genesis 15. There's some good stuff in chapters 12-14, but like I said in the first blog about Genesis however long ago, I'm trying to give you, my devoted readers, an overall picture of the Scriptures and we're finally getting to the point where I will have to jump around a bit.

Genesis 15. God had made a covenant in chapter 12 with Abram and now he speaks to Abram again. In verses 1-6, God tells him again he is going to bless him, reminding of the promise to make from him a great nation. In verse two, there's a problem. Abram is old, his wife is barren, and the heir of his house is Eliezer, a servant in his household that is not his direct descendant. How is a great nation going to come through an old man and his barren wife? How is God going to fulfill his promise? God says, "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.' And he brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said, 'So shall your offspring be." (v4-5). God promises that Abram's own son, not his servant, not anyone else, would be his heir and the beginning of the great nation God mentioned previously. He told Abram that as many as the stars were in heaven would be the descendants of Abram.

Now think about this. When God initially spoke with Abram in chapter 12, he was 75 years old. We are now three chapters later and who knows how much time has passed. Abram is now a very old man. Very old men do not typically father children, especially from barren old women, (apologies to Abram's wife, Sarai). Stuff like that is not only physically impossible, but is also really gross to think about, (if we're being honest with each other. This is why no one likes watching Cialis commercials by the way).

Gross.

So God has just told Abram that he is going to do the impossible in his life. He is going to bring life from the lifeless, barren bodies of Abram and his wife. Not only that, but from their offspring he is going to make a great nation as numerous as the stars in heaven.

This is an incredible and unbelievable promise. Abram is probably thinking, "God may be great, but can he really do all that he has said? Can he really give me a child that will be come an innumerable nation?" God has promised the impossible and Abram is left with a dilemma. He can believe what God had said or not. The evidence, (from an earthly perspective), is that God can't do what he has said. After all, he doesn't have much to work with except two very senior citizens, (with apologies to my parents and in-laws, who are only slightly senior citizens).

Abram and Sarai already had one of these when God started dealing with them.

Here's Abram's response, "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness." (v6)
Abram looked at the circumstances surrounding God's promise that he would bring life from the dead of Sarai's womb and make him a great nation. Then he looked at God who had made the heavens and the earth, who had created life out of nothing, and he trusted God's promise. Abram believed the Lord. He trusted God would be faithful to what he had said. God's response is TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT. God counts Abram's faith as righteousness. Here we have the first example of God counting a man as righteous before him. Enoch walked with God. Noah walked with God. They both were righteous men, but this is the first time God declares a man righteous. How did Abram get this righteousness? Was it because he was an obedient person? No. Was it because he had suffered for God? No. Was it because he had done good things? No. Abram is counted righteous before God because Abram believed what God had said.

This is very important because it sets the principle of righteousness before God by faith. Man throughout history is going to try to make himself right with God by obedience to religious rules, supposed "good deeds", and doing it his own way. God will only allow man be right with God one way, his way, and that is by faith. Remember Cain? He tried to come to God on his terms and God did not accept his offering. God will only accept those who come to him and they must come to him by faith in his promise, a la Abram, a la mode, (just kidding about the "a la mode" part).

I want you all to know that I really intended to get through this whole chapter, but I try to keep these blogs reasonably short and readable and I'm over my limit. Therefore we're going to have to stop here for today, (that sounds like a psychiatrist). Next time we're going to talk about bad dreams and what burning stuff has to do with God's promises. All pyromaniacs are encouraged to attend. God bless.

- T