After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." (Genesis 15:1 NASB)
After Abram defeats the victorious kings of the east with a small band of nomads and three brothers is when God says this. "After these things..." refers to returning from the battle and after-battle party. If Abram can defeat a large army of four kings why does he need a "shield"? If he gave all the booty back and kept nothing, if his wealth was too great to support both he and Lot in the same place, then doesn't he already have a great reward? He clearly wasn't looking for a reward, or he would have kept a portion of the spoils or the whole of it the king of Sodom offered to him.
So when God shows up again, why start His dialogue this way? If I'm doing well, and I have just experienced a rousing success, why would God come to me and say I am your protection where you're strong. Don't I need the encouragement where I'm weak? Wouldn't it make more sense to discuss, as Abram dives right into, Abram's childlessness? Why would the All-Knowing Creator of the universe dive into what is of little interest to Abram?
Abram brings up two things that argue against the promise that his "reward will be very great." First, he's childless. Second, a guy from his household, an employee, is set to gain all Abram's wealth when he dies. This does not support the earlier promise of descendants like the dust. Perhaps God does not include that in His opener, but Abram wastes no time going there.
Abram's change of topic couldn't have surprised God. He goes there with Abram, so He must be okay with it. So why not start there? I believe at this point, questioning along this line is where I explore the character of my Master in greater depth.
Right off the top, I find something without having to "interpret" into the text, or theorize about what it means. God and Abram have a very close relationship, like close friends rather than the God of the universe and a goat-herd. I think that in the past, I have read passages like this and glossed over it so fast I missed a critical piece. I assume that God is not that distant then like He is now (so many things wrong with that assumption). I just put the people (including God) into that mundane bucket of "Bible people"; all who have experiences with God that don't happen any more. It so disconnects the story from my life that making a practical connection back is nearly impossible.
God and Abram "discuss" things. The opening of God is like a "greeting" as much as it is a promise. It contains a promise, but it's like, "Hail, worthy friend" in format. It's not so much a promise as it is a blessing. It is the etiquette of visiting and hospitality in the Middle East. And the King of the Universe, in the midst of forming stars and swirling galaxies, takes the time to visit His friend Abram, even following etiquette as He does so. That is shocking! That flies in the face of the mundane, the ordinary, the imaginable. Can you imagine if Mamre was also visiting, here is Abram introducing the two, "This is my good friend Yahweh, Maker of all things. Yahweh, this is my buddy Mamre, but, of course, You already knew that..."
Of course, this is a vision, not a physical visitation (that comes some chapters later). Still, it is a visitation, and God opens with a blessing. It is like two people now a days greeting with a handshake. Can you imagine, in a dream, God visits and greets you with a handshake? How about with one of those shoulder-touch man-hug handshakes? And this vision keeps going as Abram is awake, by the way, so this is not technically a dream. In this account, there may not be someone visibly with Abram, but the conversation clearly indicates God was right there with Abram, visible or not.
Okay, the obvious application here is that I want that relationship! Sure God doesn't visit every day, but still, like this, once every 12 years or so, I want it! It's just not acceptable to say that things are different now. God didn't preserve this account for 4000 years for me to say that things are different, and that's just not how God works now. Obviously He can. Obviously He will. Clearly it's not outside the realm of possibilities with God, and it is also well within the bounds of a relationship with Him.
I just saw a movie the other night where some guy who didn't believe in fairies is taken "Fairyland" and a forced to serve a sentence because of his "dissemination of disbelief". People can imagine fairies, but having a sit down with God over coffee discussing the day is too fantastic. Even the "Almighty" movies don't quite approach this level of intimacy with God.
Here's the sad part for me, I am a follower of Jesus, believing that God has raised Him from the dead, confessing Him as Lord and Master, claiming that He is both God and man. That means that His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, has taken up residence in me. The Spirit of the Living God resides in me. It's not that I have "earned" this or that I finally convinced Him to visit. He lives here. What possible excuse do I have to NOT have this relationship? What is wrong with me? This should be the "normal" of my life, not the exceptional dream!
To be fair, there is a lot of talk about "quiet times" and "time alone with God" and I get that. I've said it myself, and I believe that my time with God in prayer is vital to my relationship with Him. But to be honest, not just fair, I have never had God visit ME, open the conversation with a normal social greeting, and He and I just dive right into a conversation. Things have occurred to me, seemingly random, but clearly from the Spirit of my Master. That's not the same thing. I believe God has spoken to me, given me insight, and even spoken through me in Bible studies and sermons. Those are not the same thing.
Maybe my problem is that they should be, but to me, they are not the same. My experiences in prayer, study, and speaking do not replicate the pattern I see in Genesis 15:1; they just don't. I don't want to hear or make excuses for this. I don't want to lower my desire, using the excuse that God doesn't work this way any more. I have heard that since we have the Scripture He speaks through that. I have heard that with His Spirit within us, He speaks through the promptings of the Spirit instead of like here in Genesis. No! I want this level of intimacy! I want it!
I want to know and be so close to God that no one can see me, talk to me, or even think of me without also seeing my Master, including Him in the conversation (or feel like they're interrupting), and thinking of my Master too. I want to talk to Him like I speak with my wife, be as close or closer with Him than I am with my wife. I can't jettison this desire because I've put my Master in a "new box" that doesn't include such things. That's not acceptable to me. I want the handshake-shoulder-touch-man-hug with my Master, Maker of all space, time, the earth, all matter, stars, and sub-atomic particles. Is that too much to ask?
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