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¶ After these things the word of the
LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and
thy exceeding great reward.
God appeared to people in different ways. There is a
vision, as in this verse and elsewhere where the person is in a trance but
fully awake and God has taken over the person’s consciousness. He spoke to
Samuel, Isaiah, Nathan the prophet, Ezekiel, Ananias of Damascus, Peter, Paul,
and others in this way.
Numbers
12:6 And he said, Hear now my words: If
there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a
vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.
Numbers
24:4 He hath said, which heard the words
of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having
his eyes open:
He also appeared as an angel of the Lord, with an
angel being a presence, something tangible you could interact with, the
preincarnate Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Isaiah
63:9 In all their affliction he was
afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his
pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
Judges
2:1 And an angel of the LORD came up
from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have
brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will
never break my covenant with you.
Judges
13;21 But the angel of the LORD did no
more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of
the LORD. 22 And Manoah said unto his
wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.
God also appeared in a dream, as to Solomon.
1Kings
3:5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to
Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee…15a And Solomon awoke; and, behold, it was a
dream…
God is Abram’s reward. This is in contrast to the puny
reward the king of Sodom would give him. We are called to look for our reward
from heaven rather than from the world of men. This is a very difficult
exercise of faith because we are taught from our earliest age of understanding
to look for some kindness or boon at the hand of man, rather than God. This is
so obvious when we are excited at our paycheck or even a trophy but oblivious
to God’s deliverance, mercy, and blessings throughout the week as they happen.
The Lord is Abram’s protection, his defender, and his
reward. He needs no other. It is God who delivered him and God who made him
wealthy and has given him great success.
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