Genesis 15:4
Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, "This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir."
Then the word of the LORD came to him
This phrase signifies a divine communication, a direct revelation from God to Abram. In Hebrew, "word" is "dabar," which implies not just a spoken message but an active, powerful declaration that brings about change. The "word of the LORD" is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, often indicating a moment of significant divine intervention or promise. Historically, this reflects the personal relationship God had with the patriarchs, where His guidance was clear and direct. It underscores the faithfulness of God in communicating His will and promises to His chosen people.

saying
The Hebrew word for "saying" is "amar," which is used frequently in the Old Testament to introduce direct speech. This indicates that what follows is a specific, intentional message from God. It emphasizes the clarity and authority of God's communication. In the context of Genesis 15, it reassures Abram of God's direct involvement in his life and the unfolding of His divine plan.

This one will not be your heir
Here, God addresses Abram's concern about his lack of a biological heir. The phrase "this one" refers to Eliezer of Damascus, Abram's servant, whom Abram initially thought would inherit his estate. The Hebrew term for "heir" is "yarash," meaning to possess or inherit. This statement is a pivotal moment where God corrects Abram's understanding and redirects his expectations, emphasizing that God's plans often transcend human assumptions and limitations.

but one who comes from your own body
This promise is profound, as it assures Abram that his heir will be his biological son. The phrase "from your own body" in Hebrew is "mimmeka," which literally means "from you." This promise is foundational to the Abrahamic covenant, highlighting God's power to fulfill His promises despite human impossibilities. It also foreshadows the miraculous birth of Isaac, reinforcing the theme of divine intervention in the lineage of God's chosen people.

will be your heir
The reiteration of the word "heir" underscores the certainty and importance of God's promise. It assures Abram that his lineage will continue through his own offspring, which is central to the covenantal promises of land, nationhood, and blessing. This promise is not just about a biological heir but also about the continuation of God's covenantal relationship with Abram's descendants, ultimately leading to the coming of the Messiah. This assurance would have been a source of great hope and encouragement to Abram, reinforcing his faith in God's unwavering promises.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Abram (Abraham)
The central figure in this passage, Abram is a man of faith who has been promised by God to be the father of a great nation. At this point, he is childless and concerned about his legacy.

2. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant-making God who speaks directly to Abram, reassuring him of His promise and faithfulness.

3. Eliezer of Damascus
Mentioned earlier in Genesis 15:2-3, he is Abram's servant and the presumed heir before God's promise of a biological heir.

4. Canaan
The land where Abram resides, which God has promised to his descendants.

5. The Promise of an Heir
A pivotal event where God reassures Abram that his heir will be his own biological son, setting the stage for the birth of Isaac.
Teaching Points
Faith in God's Promises
Abram's account teaches us to trust in God's promises, even when circumstances seem impossible. Our faith should rest in God's faithfulness, not in our understanding.

God's Sovereignty and Timing
God's timing is perfect, and His plans are sovereign. We must learn to wait on the Lord, trusting that He will fulfill His promises in His perfect time.

The Importance of Patience
Patience is a virtue that Abram had to learn. We, too, must cultivate patience as we wait for God's promises to unfold in our lives.

God's Personal Relationship with Believers
Just as God spoke directly to Abram, He desires a personal relationship with each of us. We should seek to hear His voice through prayer and Scripture.

Legacy and God's Plan
Our legacy is not just about physical descendants but about spiritual impact. We should focus on living a life that honors God and influences others for His kingdom.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Abram's response to God's promise challenge or encourage your own faith journey?

2. In what ways can you relate to Abram's struggle with waiting for God's promises to be fulfilled?

3. How does understanding God's sovereignty and timing help you in your current life situation?

4. What steps can you take to deepen your personal relationship with God, as seen in Abram's interactions with Him?

5. How can you focus on leaving a spiritual legacy that aligns with God's plan for your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 12:1-3
God's initial promise to Abram, where He promises to make Abram a great nation, blessing him and making his name great.

Genesis 21:1-3
The fulfillment of God's promise with the birth of Isaac, Abram's son, through whom the covenant continues.

Romans 4:18-21
Paul reflects on Abram's faith, emphasizing that Abram believed God's promise despite his old age and Sarah's barrenness.

Hebrews 11:8-12
The faith of Abram is highlighted, showing his trust in God's promises even when the fulfillment seemed impossible.
FaithR.A. Redford Genesis 15
People
Abram, Amorites, Canaanites, Eliezer, Girgashite, Girgashites, Hittites, Jebusites, Kadmonites, Kenites, Kenizzites, Perizzites, Rephaites
Places
Damascus, Egypt, Euphrates River, Ur, Valley of Shaveh
Topics
Behold, Body, Bowels, Forth, Heir, Heritage, Property, Saying
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 15:4

     1035   God, faithfulness
     5136   body

Genesis 15:1-5

     1443   revelation, OT

Genesis 15:1-6

     6674   imputation

Genesis 15:1-21

     5076   Abraham, life of

Genesis 15:2-4

     5704   inheritance, material

Genesis 15:2-5

     8615   prayer, doubts

Genesis 15:3-4

     5701   heir

Genesis 15:3-6

     5663   childbirth

Genesis 15:4-6

     1348   covenant, with Abraham
     8412   decisions

Library
God's Covenant with Abram
'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. And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness. 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. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And He said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Justification by Faith --Illustrated by Abram's Righteousness
Referring to the chapter before us for a preface to our subject, note that after Abram's calling his faith proved to be of the most practical kind. Being called to separate himself from his kindred and from his country, he did not therefore become a recluse, a man of ascetic habits, or a sentimentalist, unfit for the battles of ordinary life--no; but in the noblest style of true manliness he showed himself able to endure the household trouble and the public trial which awaited him. Lot's herdsmen
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 14: 1868

Our Status.
"And he believed in the Lord: and he counted it to him for righteousness." --Gen. xv. 6. The right touches a man's status. So long as the law has not proven him guilty, has not convicted and sentenced him, his legal status is that of a free and law-abiding citizen. But as soon as his guilt is proven in court and the jury has convicted him, he passes from that into the status of the bound and law-breaking citizen. The same applies to our relation to God. Our status before God is that either of the
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit

Kate Lee's Secret
Of Kate Lee General Bramwell Booth writes, 'She was one of those conquering souls who seldom look like a conqueror. She presented an extraordinary contrast. She was weak, and yet she was strong. She was poor, and yet she was one of the richest. She was intensely human, with many of the most marked limitations which belong to the human, and yet she was in an extraordinary degree spiritual, yes, even divine.' These contrasts were clear to all and puzzling to many. Not a few people both in and outside
Minnie L. Carpenter—The Angel Adjutant of "Twice Born Men"

God's People in the Furnace
And the first observation I shall make will be this: all persons in the furnace of affliction are not chosen. The text says, "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction," and it implies that there may be, and there doubtless are, some in the furnace who are not chosen. How many persons there are who suppose that because they are tried, afflicted, and tempted, therefore they are the children of God, whereas they are no such thing. It is a great truth that every child of God is afflicted; but
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 1: 1855

Evil Thoughts.
19th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matt. ix. 4. "Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?" INTRODUCTION.--Thoughts are only thoughts! who is to beheld accountable for them? They are clouds blown about by fancy, taking various shapes. God is not so hard as to judge us for our thoughts; He will try us by what we have done, not by what we have dreamed. No garden is without weeds; there are tares in every cornfield. Who speak thus? Is it those who are conscientious and scrupulous to drive away evil thoughts?
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

The Purification of the virgin and the Presentation in the Temple
FOREMOST amongst those who, wondering, had heard what the shepherds told, was she whom most it concerned, who laid it up deepest in her heart, and brought to it treasured stores of memory. It was the Mother of Jesus. These many months, all connected with this Child could never have been far away form her thoughts. And now that He was hers yet not hers - belonged, yet did not seem to belong, to her - He would be the more dear to her Mother-heart for what made Him so near, and yet parted Him so far
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Letter xxxv. From Pope Damasus.
Damasus addresses five questions to Jerome with a request for information concerning them. They are: 1. What is the meaning of the words "Whosoever slayeth Cain vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold"? (Gen. iv. 5.) 2. If God has made all things good, how comes it that He gives charge to Noah concerning unclean animals, and says to Peter, "What God hath cleansed that call not thou common"? (Acts x. 15.) 3. How is Gen. xv. 16, "in the fourth generation they shall come hither again," to be reconciled
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

Letter xxxvi. To Pope Damasus.
Jerome's reply to the foregoing. For the second and fourth questions he refers Damasus to the writings of Tertullian, Novatian, and Origen. The remaining three he deals with in detail. Gen. iv. 15, he understands to mean "the slayer of Cain shall complete the sevenfold vengeance which is to be wreaked upon him." Exodus xiii. 18, he proposes to reconcile with Gen. xv. 16, by supposing that in the one place the tribe of Levi is referred to, in the other the tribe of Judah. He suggests, however, that
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

Palestine Eighteen Centuries Ago
Eighteen and a half centuries ago, and the land which now lies desolate--its bare, grey hills looking into ill-tilled or neglected valleys, its timber cut down, its olive- and vine-clad terraces crumbled into dust, its villages stricken with poverty and squalor, its thoroughfares insecure and deserted, its native population well-nigh gone, and with them its industry, wealth, and strength--presented a scene of beauty, richness, and busy life almost unsurpassed in the then known world. The Rabbis never
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

A Sight of the Crowned Christ
(Revelation, Chapter i.) "Since mine eyes were fixed on Jesus, I've lost sight of all beside, So enchained my spirit's vision, Looking at the Crucified." "The Lord Christ passed my humble cot: I knew him, yet I knew him not; But as I oft had done before, I hurried through my narrow door To touch His garment's hem. "He drew me to a place apart From curious crowd and noisy mart; And as I sat there at His feet I caught the thrill of His heart-beat Beyond His garment's hem. "Rare was the bread He broke
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

He Severely Reproves Abaelard for Scrutinizing Rashly and Impiously, and Extenuating the Power Of, the Secret Things of God.
He severely reproves Abaelard for scrutinizing rashly and impiously, and extenuating the power of, the secret things of God. 17. This is the righteousness of man in the blood of the Redeemer: which this son of perdition, by his scoffs and insinuations, is attempting to render vain; so much so, that he thinks and argues that the whole fact that the Lord of Glory emptied Himself, that He was made lower than the angels, that He was born of a woman, that He lived in the world, that He made trial of our
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Parable of the Importunate Widow.
^C Luke XVIII. 1-8. ^c 1 And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 saying, There was in a city a judge, who feared not God, and regarded not man [an utterly abandoned character]: 3 and there was a widow in that city; and she came oft unto him, saying, Avenge me of [rather, Do justice to me as to] mine adversary. [In Scripture language widowhood is symbolic of defenselessness (Ex. xxii. 22-24; Deut. x. 18; xxvii. 19; Mal. iii. 5; Mark xii. 40),
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Meditations to Stir us up to Morning Prayer.
1. If, when thou art about to pray, Satan shall suggest that thy prayers are too long, and that therefore it were better either to omit prayers, or else to cut them shorter, meditate that prayer is thy spiritual sacrifice, wherewith God is well pleased (Heb. xiii. 15, 16;) and therefore it is so displeasing to the devil, and so irksome to the flesh. Bend therefore thy affections (will they, nill they) to so holy an exercise; assuring thyself, that it doth by so much the more please God, by how much
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Blessings of Noah Upon Shem and Japheth. (Gen. Ix. 18-27. )
Ver. 20. "And Noah began and became an husbandman, and planted vineyards."--This does not imply that Noah was the first who began to till the ground, and, more especially, to cultivate the vine; for Cain, too, was a tiller of the ground, Gen. iv. 2. The sense rather is, that Noah, after the flood, again took up this calling. Moreover, the remark has not an independent import; it serves only to prepare the way for the communication of the subsequent account of Noah's drunkenness. By this remark,
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
Syria: the part played by it in the ancient world--Babylon and the first Chaldaean empire--The dominion of the Hyksos: Ahmosis. Some countries seem destined from their origin to become the battle-fields of the contending nations which environ them. Into such regions, and to their cost, neighbouring peoples come from century to century to settle their quarrels and bring to an issue the questions of supremacy which disturb their little corner of the world. The nations around are eager for the possession
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 4

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Its Evidence
In Romans 3:28 the Apostle Paul declared "that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law," and then produces the case of Abraham to prove his assertion. But the Apostle James, from the case of the same Abraham, draws quite another conclusion, saying, "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). This is one of the "contradictions in the Bible" to which infidels appeal in support of their unbelief. But the Christian, however difficult he finds
Arthur W. Pink—The Doctrine of Justification

Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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