창세기 Chapter 15

Translation: ESV

1

After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.'

Key Message

God himself is our shield and our reward; the one who has God need not fear and needs no other recompense.

▸'After these things' refers to the time after the war of chapter 14 and Abraham's refusal of the king of Sodom's possessions.

'After these things' refers to the time after the war of chapter 14 and Abraham's refusal of the king of Sodom's possessions. To Abraham who boldly gave up material gain, God says 'I am your reward.' When Abraham refused the king of Sodom's goods, God promised an even greater reward. 'Fear not' (al tira) is one of the most frequently repeated commands in the Bible, appearing close to 365 times. The declaration that God himself is shield and reward means that a personal relationship with God surpasses everything.

Related Verses

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
2

But Abram said, 'O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?'

Key Message

Prayer of faith is bringing the difficulties of reality honestly before God; asking for the fulfillment of promises is not unbelief but an expression of trust.

▸This is Abraham's honest lament.

5

And he brought him outside and said, 'Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offspring be.'

Key Message

God confirms his promise through visible reality; the present impossibility does not become the limit of God's promise.

▸God takes Abraham outside and shows him the stars.

6

And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Key Message

Salvation is given through faith, not works; the trusting faith in God being reckoned as righteousness is the Old Testament foundation of justification by faith.

▸This single verse is a key text for New Testament theology.

7

And he said to him, 'I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.'

Key Message

God reveals himself through specific acts in history; past acts of salvation become the basis for present promises.

▸God introduces himself as 'the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans.

12

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.

Key Message

God's covenant is established not by human effort but by God's unilateral grace; God takes the oath alone while the human sleeps.

▸In the covenant-making ritual, Abraham falls into a 'deep sleep' (tardemah).

17

When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

Key Message

By God alone performing the covenant oath, this covenant is based not on human faithfulness but on God's faithfulness.

▸'A smoking fire pot' and 'a flaming torch' are symbols of God's theophany.

18

On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, 'To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,'

Key Message

God's covenant is specific, historical, and permanent; the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant is receiving the whole world as inheritance in Christ.

▸'On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram' — this covenant becomes the core foundation of all biblical redemptive history.