CREDITED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS

PROCLAMATION

“… 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.  And he believed in The Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness.”  Genesis 15:5-6 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After Abram had rescued Lot and recovered his possessions, (Genesis 14:13-16) The Word of The Lord came to him in a vision. (Genesis 15:1)  The Lord told Abram, who was old and childless, that he would have a son to be his heir. (Genesis 15:2-4)  Then He told Abram that his seed would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. (Genesis 15:5)  Because Abram believed in The Lord, righteousness was credited to him. (Genesis 15:6)  Abram was a good man but he had sinned and lied to Pharaoh saying that his wife Sarai was his sister. (Genesis 12:10-16)  He was not perfect, but God attributed righteousness to him.  The Lord God told him that He brought him out of Ur to Canaan, the land that He was going to inherit. (Genesis 15:7)  But Abram questioned Him, so God had him to prepare a sacrifice and caused a deep sleep to come upon him.  Then He told him that his seed would be afflicted and enslaved for four hundred years, and after four generations they would return and inherit the land. (Genesis 15:8-21)

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God is faithful and just, (1 John 1:9) and He knows that we are a sinful people. (Romans 3:23)  He does not expect us to be perfect.  He wants us to humble ourselves and pray and seek Him and turn from our wicked ways. (2 Chronicles 7:14)  If we do that then He will credit us with righteousness as He did Abraham. (Genesis 15:6)  God keeps His promises.  He promised Abram a son even though he was an old man. (Genesis 15:4)  Abram was already seventy-five years old when he left his father’s house (Genesis 12:4) and he was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born (Genesis 21:5)  The Lord also promised Abram that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan, but only after being enslaved for four hundred years.  Moses led them out of captivity in Egypt (Exodus 12:41) and into the wilderness, and Joshua led them out of the wilderness across the Jordan river into Canaan. (Joshua 3:1-17)  The Lord God will keep His promises.  It is just up to us to do our part and obey His commands.  Righteousness is credited not earned.