Genesis 15:6

_AND HE BELIEVED IN THE LORD; AND HE COUNTED IT TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS._ He believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness - Hebrew, trusted in _ YAHWEH_ (H3068), as a child leans on the arm of his nursing-father, who guides and takes care of it. Such is the import of the original term. The Divine Guide led him slowly and progressively as a pedagogue, and his faith, 'simple, elementary, vague, as it probably was,' was accepted as including all religious excellence. 'The patriarch in other words, had such a faith in God as justifies his claim to be a Christian by anticipation, the "father of the faithful"' (Hardwick.) But since Abram is not represented in this colloquy as expressing such a belief, the statement must be considered as made by the historian; and if we inquire on what grounds he made it, the answer is, on the readiness with which Abram complied with the d...

6._And he believed in the Lord_. None of us would be able to conceive the rich and hidden doctrine which this passage contains, unless Paul had borne his torch before us. (Romans 4:3.) But it is strange, and seems like a prodigy, that when the Spirit of God has kindled so great a light, yet the greater part of interpreters wander with closed eyes, as in the darkness of night. I omit the Jews, whose blindness is well known. But it is (as I have said) monstrous, that they who have had Paul as their luminous expositor; should so foolishly have depraved this place. However it hence appears, that in all ages, Satan has labored at nothing more assiduously than to extinguish, or to smother, the gratuitous justification of faith, which is here expressly asserted. The words of Moses are, “He believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness.” In the first place, the faith of Abra

2-6 Though we must never complain of God, yet we have leave to complain to him; and to state all our grievances. It is ease to a burdened spirit, to open its case to a faithful and compassionate friend. Abram's complaint is, that he had no child; that he was never likely to have any; that the want of a son was so great a trouble to him, that it took away all his comfort. If we suppose that Abram looked no further than outward comfort, this complaint was to be blamed. But if we suppose that Abram herein had reference to the promised Seed, his desire was very commendable. Till we have evidence of our interest in Christ, we should not rest satisfied; what will all avail me, if I go Christless? If we continue instant in prayer, yet pray with humble submission to the Divine will, we shall not seek in vain. God gave Abram an express promise of a son. Christians may believe in God with respect...

Verse Genesis 15:6. _AND HE BELIEVED IN THE LORD; AND HE COUNTED IT TO HIM_ _FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS._] This I conceive to be one of the most important passages in the whole Old Testament. It properly contains and specifies that doctrine of _justification by faith_ which engrosses so considerable a share of the epistles of St. Paul, and at the foundation of which is the _atonement_ made by the Son of God: _And he_ (Abram) _believed_ האמן heemin, he put faith) _in Jehovah_, ויחשבה לו vaiyachshebeita lo, and he counted _it_-the faith he put in Jehovah, to HIM for _righteousness_, צדקה tsedakak, or justification; though there was no _act_ in the case but that of the mind and heart, no _work_ of any kind. Hence the doctrine of _justification by faith, without any merit of works_; for in this case there could be none-no works of...

- The Faith of Abram 1. דבר _dābār_, “a word, a thing;” the word being the sign of the thing. 2. אדני _'ǎdonāy_, “Adonai, the Lord;” related: “bring down, lay down.” This is the name usually read in place of Yahweh; but when, as in the present case, יהוה _y__e__hovâh_ and אדני _'ǎdonāy_ are in apposition, אלהים _'ĕlohı̂ym_ is read instead of the former. The Jews from a feeling of reverence avoided the utterance of this sacred name except on the most solemn occasions. This is said to have arisen from a stringent interpretation of...

EXPOSITION GENESIS 15:1 AFTER THESE THINGS—the events just recorded—THE WORD OF THE LORD_—Debar Jehovah_;_ _the first occurrence of this remarkable phrase, afterwards so common in the Hebrew Scriptures (Exodus 9:20; Numbers 3:16; Deu 34:5; 1 Samuel 3:1; Psalms 33:6_, et passim_)._ _That this was a personal designation of the pre-incarnate Loges, if not susceptible of complete demonstration, yet receives not a little sanction from the language employed throughout this n

AND HE BELIEVED IN THE LORD,.... The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan are, "in the Word of the Lord;'' in the essential Word of the Lord, in Christ the Lord his righteousness; he believed in the promise of God, that he should have a seed, and a very numerous one; he believed that the Messiah would spring from his seed; he believed in him as his Saviour and Redeemer; he believed in him for righteousness, and he believed in his righteousness as justifying him before God: AND HE COUNTED IT TO HIM FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS; not the act of his faith, but the object of it; and not the promise he believed, but what was promised, and his faith received, even Christ and his righteousness this was imputed to him without works, and while he was an uncircumcised person, for the proof of which the apostle produces this passage, Romans 4:3; wherefore this is not to be unders

Genesis 15:1. _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. 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? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir._ Perhaps he did not doubt the promise, but he wanted to have it explained to him. He may have wondered if it meant that one born in his house, though not his son, was to be his heir; and that, through him, the blessing would come. He takes the opportunity of making an enquiry, that he may know how to act. At the same time, there does seem to be a clashing between Abraham's question, «What wilt thou give me?» and the declaration of God, «I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.» There is a gre

CHAPTER 15 THE FOURTH COMMUNICATION AND THE COVENANT AND THE VISION _ 1. The fourth communication (Genesis 15:1)_ 2. Abram's answer (Genesis 15:2) 3. The promised seed (Genesis 15:4) 4. Abram counted righteous (Genesis 15:6) 5. Continued communication (Genesis 15:7) 6. The divided animals (Genesis 15:9) 7. The vision (Genesis 15:12)

From some unnamed cause Abraham is afraid; Yahweh encourages him in a vision with the assurance of Divine protection; some deed is deemed worthy of the promise, thy reward shall be exceeding great (_mg.)._ But what reward, he answers, O Lord Yahweh, wilt thou give that can be of value to me? since I go hence (_mg.)_ childless, and my heir is a home-born slave. To die without a child was to have one's name rooted out on earth. In Sheol there was continuance of bare existence, but no life in any real sense of the term (Isaiah 14:9 *); hence the ancient Hebrew felt that if he did not live in his posterity death meant the end of life. Yahweh tells him that a son of his own begetting shall be his heir, and, bringing him out of his tent to look at the starry sky, affirms that his seed shall be similarly innumerable. The faith of Abraham rises to meet the promise, and this faith is counted to h...