When I re-read the account in Genesis, I can almost hear the interaction between Abram and YHWH—as if I were a fly on the tent wall during their conversation.
When the Word of YHWH comes to Abram, He announces:
“Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield; and thy exceeding great reward.”
I read that several times and was filled with gladness. I love seeing the Lord show up, bringing a sure word with Him. This is a constant occurrence throughout Scripture: whenever the Word shows up, He brings assurance of hope and promise to those who trust Him.
After Abram hears this announcement, he questions the Lord:
“O Lord YHWH” — notice that he is well aware of whom he is speaking with — “what will You give me, as I go on being childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
Without a seed, Abram feared that Eliezer, his servant, would become his heir since that was the law at the time. Abram continues:
“Since You have given me no seed, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
Again, notice—the One Abram is speaking with is the same One he says, “You have given me no seed.”
We’re then told:
“He brought him outside and said, ‘Now look toward the heavens and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your seed be.’”
A promise made, and a promise kept.
The next portion is profound in understanding our Lord—if indeed He is Lord of your life:
“Then he believed in YHWH, and He [the Lord YHWH, who was present with him] counted it to him as righteousness.”
How do we know Abram was correct in addressing Him as YHWH?
The answer is in the very next verse:
“And He said to him, ‘I am YHWH who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.’”
Nowhere do we read that Abram questioned who the Lord was. From what I gather, Abram was simply trying to understand how these things would take place, since circumstances seemed impossible.
He wasn’t questioning who he was speaking with—he was seeking to understand how God would bring it about.
The Lord, gracious and patient, answers him with assurance and hope:
It is I, YHWH, who will do these things.
That is a constant truth throughout Scripture—God always carries out His purpose of redemption.
Later in the account, the Lord tells Abram that his descendants will be sojourners in a land not their own, where they will serve and suffer great affliction for four hundred years.
He gives the precise time period this will take place—and yet people still doubt that He is sovereign over all!
The Lord says He (the Word of YHWH speaking) will bring judgment on the nation that afflicted them and that afterward, they will come out with great possessions.
In Exodus, we read where Moses speaks to this same God who spoke to Abram.
Exodus 6:2 says:
“God spoke further to Moses and said to him, ‘I am YHWH; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty.’”
He appeared as God Almighty!
We then read how the Lord leads His people out of Egypt with great possessions—just as He told Abram it would happen. His appearing is magnificent!
I would argue that Joseph, Daniel, Shadrach, David, and all the rest of the faithful we read about in Scripture knew these things about the Lord. Their understanding of Him strengthened their faith in Him.
YHWH was always the object of their faith, never themselves.
In the midst of uncertainty, they had the account of who YHWH is—and they trusted the promise He made to Abram so many years before.
They knew whom they were praying to because He appeared and revealed Himself to those who believed.
They wrote psalms and words of encouragement to pass on the hope and assurance He gives to all who believe.
They believed what YHWH told Abram:
“I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
David, when he was running from his son Absalom, said:
“But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.”
He knew he could cry out to the Lord, who would hear from His holy hill and answer.
David was not godless—he prayed to the One in whom he believed:
“Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God.”
He knew that the Lord was his God.
How many times have you prayed that psalm?
You call out to Him because, like those before us, you also believe. You have placed your trust in a mighty shield—the One who lifts your head.
Just as Moses spoke with the God of Abraham at the burning bush, and just as God Almighty declared, “I have heard the cries of My people and have come down to deliver them,” so we also can cry out to the God of Abraham—because He is our God now too.
We can trust that He delivers us out of all our troubles. We can trust that He is a shield, just as David trusted Him to be.
Throughout revealed Scripture, we clearly see purpose and timing in everything God does. Even when long-suffering is involved, He grants us strength to endure.
He is a mighty shield, the lifter of our drooping heads, and our exceeding great reward.
When God was with us in flesh—Jesus, born of a woman—He humbled Himself to the purpose of redemption.
God’s will was to bring this purpose to completion. He subjected Himself to time and space, suffering greatly with the joy set before Him.
Reading from Genesis to Revelation always leads to the same great conclusion:
The will of God leads to the redemption of His people.
It took time to carry out His purpose, but it was always brought to completion. What He says will be done—will be done.
He is Almighty God.
Lord and Savior.
There are many living in this generation who earnestly await His return.
My son’s memory verse at the start of the school year was:
“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.”
— Acts 1:11
We talk about our Lord Jesus daily in our home, discussing how He will return the same way He went up.
While we travel on this road of learning, patiently waiting for His return, we may experience hardships, persecution, and seasons of wilderness and long-suffering.
Yet one thing remains certain for all who believe in YHWH:
He is a Shield and a Great Reward.
Cheerfully look for the Lord’s return!
In the words of Jesus Christ, the Faithful Witness:
“Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me,
to give to every one according to his work.
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the Beginning and the End,
the First and the Last.”
— Revelation 22:12–13
He not only tells us what will take place,
He also declares who He has always been,
and what He will do for those who believe in Him.
It is final and sure.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’
And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’
Let the one who is thirsty come,
and let the one who wishes receive the water of life without cost.”
— Revelation 22:17
Grace is a free gift offered to us from God Almighty!
When you believe in the Lord Jesus,
He becomes thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.
Be encouraged.
-Dinah