Abram Believed the LORD

The Bible tells us that after God created the first humans, Adam and Eve, he blessed them and gave them a commission to “be fruitful and multiply and [to] fill the earth” (Gen 1:28). Sadly, despite their perfect environment they failed to do so by bringing sin and death into the world. Their rebellion served as the catalyst that eventually culminates in worldwide wickedness. In response God destroys the world through a flood preserving only Noah and his family. After the flood waters subsided, God maintains his original plan to see humanity flourish and commissions Noah and his family accordingly, saying to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). They do not get off to a good start. Ham dishonors Noah and consequently invites a curse. From Ham’s lineage comes Nimrod who engages in empire building and at Babel God scatters the people and confuses their language (Gen. 11).

In Genesis 12, however, we notice how God’s language is different in the calling of Abram in contrast to Adam and Noah. This time the LORD says that he himself will make from Abram a great nation and bless him so that he would be a blessing (Gen. 12:2). Abram isn’t commissioned with being fruitful in the same way Adam and Noah were commissioned to do so, yet through Abram the Lord promises to cause humanity to flourish through Abram’s offspring. Sin is the ultimate barrier between man and God and through Abram God demonstrates that man can be made right with God by faith alone; “[Abraham] believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).