'Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding
great reward.'
GENESIS XV. 1.
I
Abram was now apparently about eighty-five years old. He had been
fourteen years in Palestine, and had, for the only time in his life,
quite recently been driven to have recourse to arms against a
formidable league of northern kings, whom, after a swift forced march
from the extreme south to the extreme north of the land, he had
defeated. He might well fear attack from their overwhelmingly superior
forces. So this vision, like all God's words, fits closely to moments
needs, but is also for all time and all men.