Rewarded For Faithfulness

April 21st, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Genesis 22:15-19 Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Genesis 22:15-19 comprise God’s approval for Abraham’s great faith in his willingness to offer his own son as a sacrifice. God put him to the test in 22:1, and beginning in v. 15 God gave Abraham the reward for his faithfulness. Imagine that! God requiring something only He could give, yet He rewards those He gives it to. Abraham is now the father of all who believe (Rom. 4:11; Gal. 3:7, 9, 29)—not just the father of the Israelite nation. The father of the Christian faith should be one that all believers can look to, admire, and use as the model for their own faith.

In v. 15 the angel of the Lord called out again to Abraham for the second time. By calling out to him from heaven it is evident that the angel did not manifest himself to Abraham but only spoke to him. His words are the words of God Himself; hence, the angel of the Lord in this context is at least a representative of God. The angel says, on behalf of Yahweh, “I solemnly swear by my own name…” Since God (Yahweh) is the Sovereign over the universe, then His solemn oath can only be sworn in His own name. Since there is no one higher or more powerful, when God swears His reputation is at stake. His oath then is indeed solemn, but it must not be overlooked why He would make such an oath at that time: “Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son…” Thus, God’s oath comes after Abraham’s obedience, and it comes to bless Abraham as a result of his faithfulness.

God’s oath promised three things beginning in v. 17. First, it ratified what was previously promised to Abraham (12:1-3, 7; 13:14-15; 15:1-5, 18-21; 17:2). Of course God had blessed Abraham everywhere he had gone even when he had not acted in faith. Second, God swore to greatly multiply Abraham’s descendants to be as countless as the stars of the sky and of the sand on the seashore. This simply reiterated what God had previously said in previous chapters. This was fulfilled in the birth of the twelve tribes of Israel and in Gentile believers who are the sons and daughters of the ultimate fulfillment of the “seed” promise through Abraham and Isaac (Gal. 3:16, 29). Third, Abraham’s descendants were promised to “possess the gate of their enemies.” The “gate” signifies a walled city. To break through a gate in a walled city would signify victory, and this was eventually fulfilled under Joshua during the conquest of Canaan. Finally, God promised that all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on each other because of Abraham’s offspring. This reflects what God said in 12:2-3, namely that all nations would be blessed because of Abraham. God thus mediates His blessings to the world through Abraham.

Food For Thought
God doesn’t cry out through an angel from heaven when we faithfully obey, but the example of Abraham proves that He tests us and is glorified when we are faithful. As we grow in our faith we should expect heart-wrenching trials—from sickness to bereavement to persecution to death. But let us be reminded that God’s tests are meant to mold our character after the likeness of Christ. When the test is complete there is worship, and there is praise from God. Sometimes God commends us through the voices of others who, in a very real sense, are angels, for they are God’s messengers to us. Remember that next time someone takes note of your faithfulness.