THE DUST OF … EARTH … THE STARS OF HEAVEN

Abram was childless; his name means ‘exalted father’, and his subsequent name Abraham, ‘father of a multitude’. Every time someone called his name it must have mocked him, for he was not a father at all. But God had plans for this childless man. He would become the progenitor of Israel, the great nation that would enjoy divine favour in a special way. His descendants would become so numerous that these graphic similes are used to describe them: dust of the earth, stars of the heaven, sand which is upon the sea shore.

Abraham is seen in scripture as the prototype of those who are justified by faith, Rom. 4. 1-25; he is ‘the father of all them that believe’, v. 11. He is linked with a heavenly people, but we cannot read this into the picture of the stars. His earthly seed became as numerous as the stars, cf. Deut. 1. 10. Each of these illustrations simply demonstrates that from a man who had been so long childless would stem a vast host of descendants. God’s promise was fulfilled literally, and as late as Nehemiah’s day, they were giving God thanks for that glorious fact, Neh. 9. 23.

Let us all take courage from this. The situation seemed impossible, for Sarah was ‘past age’, and Abraham was ‘as good as dead’, but God had promised, and ‘she judged him faithful who had promised’, Heb. 11. 11. They had been asked, ‘Is anything too hard for the Lord?’ Gen. 18. 14, and, in circum­stances that were even more unusual, Mary was assured, ‘with God nothing shall be impossible’, Luke 1. 37. Do we believe it or are we assailed by doubts? Taking the faithful, omnipotent God at His word is the secret of peace, hope and the enjoyment of divine favour.

On the last occasion when God promised Abraham among other things, seed ‘as the stars’ and ‘as the sand’, there is an inter­esting addition, ‘because thou hast obeyed my voice’, Gen. 22. 18. Abraham had been tested; he had been told to offer up Isaac. His hopes of an extensive progeny centred in him, but he obeyed God and left Him to work it all out. God honoured him for his obedience. At times, the fulfilment of a divine promise is conditional upon obedience, so ‘trust and obey’.