Offspring as the Stars of the Sky Hebrews 11:12

Included among his examples of those who had “faith”, the writer of Hebrews included “Sara” who was the wife of Abraham. The writer declared she, “received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised”. In chapter eleven and verse twelve of Hebrews the writer shares how Abraham was to have offspring “so many as the stars of the sky” where we read:

Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

The verse begins, “Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude,...”. The writer began with the word, “Therefore” which means “consequently and for which cause” “sprang there” which means “begat, born, brought forth and delivered” “even of one” which refers to “also apart and separated from one man”, “and him” or “the one man” “as good as dead” or “to put to death, slay, deprive of power and destroy strength”, “so many as” which means “according, just, even as and in proportion in the degree of ” “the stars” or “a group of stars or a constellation” “of the sky” which refers to “the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it” “in multitude” or “of a great number and assemblage”. Even though Abraham was old and “as good as dead” reproductively, he believed God and his offspring became in number like the “stars in the sky”.

The verse goes on to say, “and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.”. The writer continued with the words, “and as the sand” or “like unto the heaped up sand on the beach” “which is by” which means “at, besides and near” “the sea shore” or “the lip or margin of sand near the sea water” “innumerable” which means “without number or unnumbered”. The number of the offspring of Abraham was to be so many that they would be “innumerable” like the grains of sand on the sea shore.

When we think through these words in Hebrews, we see the abundant blessing that came to Abraham because he dared to believe the promise of the Lord. Though his body was beyond the child bearing age, he and his wife Sara were to have so many descendants they could not be numbered. The stars of the sky and the sands of the seas were not sufficient to number all the children and grandchildren Abraham and Sara would have.

Next time the writer in referring to those of whom he had written shares how “these all died in faith, not having received the promises”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.