Sermon Tone Analysis

After everything that happened in Genesis 14: the battle of the kings (four kings against five), Abram’s rescue of Lot, the appearance of Melchizedek, the offer from the king of Sodom—after this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision.

Since Abram’s calling, he’s been through quite a bit.

He’s left his father, his home, his people and set out on a journey to a land the LORD would show him.

Abram followed the LORD to Canaan.

But then, in the face of famine, Abram took his wife and everyone with him on a misadventure to Egypt.

He offered his wife to Pharaoh save his own skin.

The LORD brought Abram out of Egypt, back to the land.

Then Lot and Abram separated for the sake of their livestock.

And then this battle between the 9 kings and the rescue of Lot.

Abram’s life with the LORD has been…interesting.

Much, much different from ours in myriad ways.

But anyone who has lived for any length of time connected to Christ knows that this life of faith is interesting.

There are ups and downs.

Hills and valleys.

Good times and difficult times.

There is health and sickness.

Prosperity and poverty.

Through it all, the LORD is with us.

Even as we walk through valley of the shadow of death, He is with us.

Abram has exercised great trust and reliance upon the LORD.

He’s also trusted himself and put faith in himself, which is a terribly foolish and bad idea.

What we have here, though, in Genesis 15 is an example of faith.

It’s incredible what we can learn about faith in these short 6 verses.

If you have your Bible (and I hope you do), please turn with me to Genesis 15.

If you are able and willing, please stand for the reading of God’s Holy Word:

May God add His blessing to the reading of His Word!

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Here, the word of the LORD came to Abram and assures Abram that the LORD Himself is his shield and reward.

But Abram doesn’t immediately respond with worship: “Praise be to God! Hallelujah! Thank you, LORD!”

No, no.

Abram has a few questions.

Sometimes

Faith Questions _______

A reading of the Bible will back this up; you find faithful people questioning God throughout.

David asks the LORD, “How long, LORD?

Will you forget me forever?”

Job asked, “Why did I not perish at birth?”

Habakkuk asks, “How long, LORD?” and “Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?”

Israel asks the LORD: “How have you loved us?”

Jesus, our Savior, asked His Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Faithful people question.

That’s just a smattering of verses in the Bible.

Honestly, these are the examples I could think of off the top of my head.

Psalm 13, where David asks, “How long, LORD?

Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?” was the psalm I was stuck in for a period of a couple years.

This was 17-18 years ago.

I wasn’t sure what was going on, why the LORD was doing what He was.

I didn’t know what the LORD was up to at all.

I didn’t read much in my Bible outside of Psalm 13.

Just kept reading those words over and over, praying those words over and over.

Questioning the LORD over and over.

Those years and that experience formed me in ways nothing else has.

One truth I learned during that time was this: our faith is not an unquestioning faith.

Ask your questions.

Seek the LORD.

If you’re struggling, ask God what He’s doing, what He has planned, why He has you going through this.

Be honest with Him.

And be faithful while you question Him.

Faith Questions Faithfully

In verse 1, the faithful Abram has to be told not to fear.

“Do not be afraid” are the first words the LORD speaks to Abram here.

That’s because hearing from the LORD in a vision was probably a pretty frightening moment.

The LORD speaks and grown men, strong women tremble.

He is full of majesty and awe; no one can look on Him and live.

“Fear not” is right.

The faithful Abram has to be told: “Don’t be afraid.”

Faithful Abram is told not to fear; the word of the LORD is not going to undo Him.

In fact, Abram takes this as an invitation to engage with the LORD, to lay out his doubts and questions.

For the first time there is dialogue between God and Abram.

So far, there has been only monologue (12:1ff., 7; 13:14ff.).

Abram has, up to this point, listened to the LORD and acted upon what the LORD said, but Abram offered no verbal response.

Abram has spoken to his wife, to Lot, to the king of Sodom; but now he speaks to God, in the form of a challenging question.

Abram faithfully questions the LORD.

However, rather than waiting for the LORD to respond to his question, Abram attempts an answer to his own question.

It makes you wonder what Abram’s thinking: “The LORD can deliver all of these enemies into my hand, but He can’t give me a son?!”

I’m guessing you’ve wondered similar things about the LORD.

“He can part the Red Sea, but He can’t point me in the direction of a job?!”

“He created all things with a word; why won’t He just speak and take away the cancer?!?”

“God gave Gideon and his 300 men the strength to defeat a vast Midianite army, but He won’t help Mizzou Football put together a winning season?!?”

Abram has all sorts of questions about the “very great reward”—not about what it is, but about why a reward would matter.

It’s not like he has any children to pass it on to.

The guy who’s going to inherit everything Abram has, including this “reward”, is a servant in his house, a guy named Eliezer.

Abram asks, rather pointedly, “What can you give me?”

BUT Abram asks with reverence and honor.

He questions faithfully.

Abram begins by addressing his question: “Sovereign LORD…”

That’s huge!

Abram’s going to ask some very direct, very pointed, very heartfelt questions, but he addresses them to the Sovereign LORD.

This translates Adonai Yahweh.

Sovereign LORD, Lord God, formally, Majestic Lord Yahweh—a title of the true God with a focus on His authority and majesty, but also with an implied relationship based in promise and covenant.

Abram is questioning God, but questioning Him as the One who has authority and sovereign power.

Abram knows He’s in charge.

He is the Ruler.

Abram can trust Him based on all that, and, as a bonus, has the privilege of a relationship with Him.

Faith questions faithfully.

Abram is a man of faith; when He questions the LORD—which he is invited to do—he does so faithfully.

Take your doubts, your fears, your questions, your anger, your uncertainty, your struggles to the Sovereign LORD.

Do so faithfully, honoring the LORD, with reverence.

It’s amazing what we can learn about faith in these 6 short verses.

Faith questions faithfully, and,