Genesis 15
Genesis 15. God Is Your Sheild
15 After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2 And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Count the Stars
Fear not, Abram, God speaks in the night,
A hush on the desert, the fire burning bright,
You don’t need a shield made of metal or stone,
For I am your shield, your reward, yours alone.
But Abram sighs, “Lord, how can this be?
I have no child, no heir after me.”
Then God whispers softly, “Look up at the sky,
Count every star shining high in the night.
Just like these lights, spread far and wide,
So shall your children fill the earth side to side.”
Abram believed; his heart opened wide,
And God called him righteous, for the trust inside,
Count the stars above, every light shows my love,
When your hope feels small, I’m the God of it all,
Through darkness or scars, your future shines like the stars,
The Lord reminds him, I brought you here free,
Out of your past so this land could be your truly,
Abram asked gently, “How will I know?”
So, God has him gathered the creatures in rows,
A heifer, a goat, a ram, birds for the sign,
A covenant ready, a promise divine,
Then a deep sleep falls, and dread fills the air,
But God speaks hope while Abram lies there,
Your children will wander in lands not their own,
400 years, yet they won’t be alone,
I’ll bring them back, with treasures untold,
And you’ll rest in peace, when your story is old,
A blazing torch, a smoking flame,
Moves through the pieces, and seals God’s name,
The covenant stands, nothing can sever,
The land God promised, lasting forever.
From river to river, His word remains true,
A promise for Abram, carried through you.
Rick McCollum
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