Genesis 22:17 - Counting Sand

In Genesis 15, God told Abraham that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the night sky. It was an object lesson to Abraham that God's concern for him wasn't lost in the vastness of Creation.

But later, God used another simile:
"I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore." (Genesis 22:17, New Living Translation).

Abraham had no way of knowing that those pinpoints of light in the night sky are vastly larger than a grain of sand. Who knows when Abraham made it to the seashore of the Mediterranean? But for the non-sailor standing on a beach, staring at sand extending under an endless horizon of water would portray another kind of vastness.

Even when Abraham was traversing a wilderness, there was plenty of sand to collect in his sandals and between his toes!

There's another simple reason for God using the two images. Stars are seen at night; sand is seen by day. Regardless of the time of day or night, there were innumerable reminders of God's promises to Abraham. 

Have you ever put a sticky note reminder on your refrigerator or desktop, and it stays there so long that you no longer "see" it? It becomes so common-place that it's meaningless. It's not even seen any more.

Stars. Sand. Those are pretty common objects. What object lessons has God put in front of our very noses?

Lord God,
Thank you that whether it's daytime or nighttime, You've given each of us reminders of Your faithful promises. Open our minds to see them in the first place. Keep us from getting so used to them that they melt into the background. In Jesus' name, Amen.