Understanding God: He is A Shield and A Rewarder
After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” – Genesis 15:1
The passage above introduces two attributes of God to us: He is a shield and a rewarder. This is particularly remarkable because it was the first time God ever introduced Himself to mankind beyond the eminence of God of heaven. Therefore, in introducing Himself to Abraham, God assured him that He was Abraham’s shield and exceeding great reward.
But why would God present Himself to Abraham as a metaphor of defence and great reward? The answer will only help us to better appreciate God’s dynamic nature. He manifests Himself to humanity in accordance with their individual experiences, circumstances, and situations. He is that flexible.
In the context of this passage, Abraham had just returned from the battle, which he undertook to rescue his nephew, Lot, from the coalition of kings who invaded Sodom and took Lot and his household captive. Thankfully, Abraham was able to mobilize his workers and friends to pursue the enemies and recapture his brother from them. A campaign where he succeeded and came back with great spoil than he might have imagined.
Then, the king of Sodom, whose territory the enemies invaded and ravaged, was so happy that he offered Abraham all the spoils of war that they recovered from the battle. However, Abraham refused to take anything for himself. For him, rescuing his nephew was reward enough. He only insisted that the king of Sodom should allow his three companions who joined him in the war to take whatever they wanted from the proceeds of war. In other words, Abraham forsook his own share of the booty because he did not want the king of Sodom to start bragging later that he was the one who made Abraham.
Perhaps Abraham later regretted his stance, or he was second-guessing himself if he had done the right thing by not helping himself, even to the smallest of treasures from the massive booties they came back with. But his mind was unsettled enough for God to take notice, appear to him, and calm his nerves. And what did He tell him? He assured Abraham that He was his defence (shield). This was to allay whatever fear Abraham might have had about a reprisal attack from the kings he defeated or a potential betrayal from the king of Sodom, who ruled close to him.
By presenting Himself as a shield, God guaranteed protection for Abraham from whatever aggression may be targeted at him, seeing that whoever wanted to harm Abraham would first need to penetrate God before they could get to Abraham.
Secondly, in presenting Himself as “exceeding great reward,” God assured Abraham that the reward for his efforts would not necessarily come from man but would directly be from Himself. By this token, God was telling Abraham not to nurse any regret in relation to the treasures he forfeited, as God would be the one to reward him, and not just in any measure, but in an exceedingly great proportion.
That was how God revealed Himself to Abraham based on his current situation at that time. That was not an isolated event either. Throughout the Bible, God kept manifesting Himself to people based on their individual needs and life events. The good news is that He has not stopped, He still reveals Himself to us in our peculiar contexts to date. You can count on Him to do the same for you as well.
Selah!
Also read:
- The Benefits of Wisdom: Promotion
- The Benefits of Wisdom: Greatness and Honor
- Am I My Brother’s Keeper?
- The Harness of the LORD (2)
- Bye Bye Depression
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