Faith
I love the contrast between Abraham's responses in Gen 15:6 and Gen 15:8.
In Gen 15:6, Abram is responding to God's promise that Abram will have a son. Abram was already old and didn't have a son. Obviously, Abram & Sarai had wanted a child, but Sarai's inability to conceive was something beyond Abram's ability to control. And yet, at least at this point in the narrative, Abram's response is faith. He believes God.
In Gen 15:8, Abram is responding to God's promise that the land he was in would be his some day. This was not a new promise (see Gen 12:7). And to put things in context, Gen 14 is the account of an amazing military victory for Abram. He had gone after kings who had defeated Sodom and Gomorrah... and he defeated them! If Abram had wanted to take some land by force, it seems like it would have been within his power to do so in the natural, without divine intervention. Yet Abram's response to this promise almost seems more like doubt than faith... "How can I know?"
And that's encouraging to me. If Abram/Abraham, who is held out as a hero of faith, could have questions... then why can't I?
Created over 2 years ago
