Seder 13: Abram's Faithfulness

 Genesis 15 begins with the phrase, "After these things....", a phrase that also appears in Genesis 22:1, 20.  Joseph Soloveitchik suggests that this phrase marks transitions in Abram's life and divides his life into four periods.  The second one is covered in Genesis 15-21, chapters that feature God's covenant with Abram.

At this point God comes to Abram in a vision, as he would later to other prophets.  Commentator John Sailhamer sees Abram portrayed as a forerunner of Jeremiah, who later would be given a message about Judah's exile and return.  God reveals to Abram that his descendants would endure slavery in Egypt before settling in the land promised to them (vv 12-16).  

But before receiving that revelation, Abram asks God about something that is troubling him.  God has promised him numerous descendants (Ge 13:16), but he is still childless.  God assures Abram that the promise will be carried out (Ge 15:2-5).  The narrator then reports in verse 6, "And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness."

Abram's belief was not something that occurred in an instant.  He grew in faith as he walked with God over many years.  James the brother of Jesus saw Genesis 15:6 exemplified by Abram's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. In this case Abram's obedient actions demonstrated his faith (James 2:14-26).  

Language similar to Genesis 15:6 appears in Ps 106:30-31, where it is applied to Phinehas.  When Phinehas took decisive action to stop the apostasy at Baal Peor, "that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever" (verse 31). 

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 27, 2024, Kyle Kettering explored the meaning of Genesis 15:6.  He noted that this verse marks the first appearance in Scripture of tzedakah, the Hebrew word for "righteousness."  Looking at other places where the word is used (Ge 18:19; Dt 6:25; 24:13, e.g.), we can see that the word often designates "right deeds or actions that accord with God's desire and plan."  Psalm 106:3 declares, "Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!"

By Jesus' time, the word had come to be used specifically for deeds of charity.  Jesus uses the word this way in Matthew 6:1-4.  

Kyle observed that righteousness is a goal of man's relationship with God, and that trust is an essential component of biblical righteousness.  As Hebrews 11:6 says, "without faith it is impossible to please him." Habakkuk famously wrote that "the righteous shall live by his faith" (Hab 2:4).  The ESV footnote observes that "faith' In Habakkuk 2:4 means "faithfulness."    

In Romans 4, Paul holds up Abraham as example on one who was deemed righteous based on his faithfulness, not on specific deeds of the Torah.  

In the phrase "he counted it to him as righteousness," there are technically two ways to identify the antecedents of the pronouns "he" and "him."  We almost always think of "he" as God and "him" as Abram, but the other way around makes sense as well.  Certainly Abram deemed God to be righteous as well.

Seder 162: Psalm 145----An Acrostic Psalm of Praise

 Psalm 145 is a hymn of praise concentrating on God's attributes and actions.  It is an acrostic psalm, missing only a verse beginning with the letter nun in all but one manuscript of the Masoretic text.  Modern English translations include such a verse, drawing from that one Hebrew manuscript and the LXX (see ESV, NIV, and NLT, for example).

The Psalm begins, "I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever."  God's name signifies his faithfulness to his people. and his people in turn should praise him faithfully.  

This is a psalm that many recite daily.  There is a tradition that one who recites this psalm three times a day will have a place in the world to come (b. Ber 4b).  The sages go on to ask what is so special about this particular psalm.  After all, there are other acrostic psalms---e.g., Psalm 119.  There are also other psalms that praise God's provision for all creation---e.g., Psalm 136.  But Psalm 145 has both.  It's an acrostic psalm that praises God's provision for all of creation---see verses 9 and 15-16, for example. 

The psalm goes on to praise God for greatness, as evidenced in his mighty acts (vv 3-4).  His great works show his power, goodness, and mercy (vv 5-9).  Notice that verse 8 is one of many biblical passages that repeat the message of Exodus 34:6-7. 

We should all praise the King, whose kingdom is great and enduring.  At the same time, he condescends to consider the needs of individual people.  We see God's love in acts of restoration (v 14) and provision (vv 15-16).

Since God is good to all creation, how much more to those who fear him---vv 18-20.  (See Mt 6:25-34.)  He is also a God of justice (v 20).  Our appropriate response is to praise him forever (vv 1-2,21).