Genesis 22:17 records the blessing that God assured Abraham, for he had obeyed the voice of God and acted on God’s command to sacrifice his own son, Isaac, whom he loved. God says that he will have multiplied blessings and that his seed will be multiplied as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore.
Note first that the heaven mentioned here is singular. ‘The heaven’ is from where God reigns (Isaiah 66:1) and the stars in the bible not only refers to the angelic beings (Job 38:7) celestial sons of God (Job 1:6) but also those who are wise who turn many to righteousness (witnesses of God) (Daniel 12:3) – the heaven born sons of God i.e., believers. In this sense, the stars refer to spiritual children of Abraham, those born from above (John 3:3; 3:7), who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and who are adopted into God’s family, through The Seed of Abraham (referring to Jesus – Galatians 3:16). Additionally, this blessing speaks of the innumerability of Abraham’s children through Isaac and Jacob, through whom the nation of Israel (physical children of Abraham) comes into being. From dust (sand) was man made and the physical children of Abraham will be like the sand upon the sea shore (land).
Points to ponder:
Many of us who are not born a Jew, but instead a Gentile, would not be like the sand upon the sea shore, but instead we can be like the stars upon the heaven. In other words. we who are born from above, and who are witnesses for Jesus, proclaiming his life-changing gospel to turn many to righteousness, will be like the stars – the spiritual children of Abraham through Jesus Christ. Are you a star? Are you born again? Are you born from above?
Genesis 22:17 (KJV)
17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
