Hebrew Word Study – Gifts from God – Shacar – שכר  Shin Kap Resh

Genesis 15:1: “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

If you read the story of Abram (later named Abraham) you will discover that the “after these things” is a reference to the account of Abraham rescuing his nephew Lot from the four kings and claiming a great victory in a war against them.  So here he is a victorious warrior and leader and the word of the Lord came to him in a vision saying “Fear not.”  I would expect this vision to come before Abram took his band of untrained servants to go against seasoned warriors who totally outnumbered him. Yet, here he is coming off the throes of a great victory.  I mean this old boy had to really be pumped. Then the Lord says “fear not.”  If there is one time to not be fearful it would be this time. Abram had all the poof he needed to know that God was capable and able to protect him and his family and give him great victories to boot. 

What was Abram fearful about?  Well, the rest of the verse seems to imply that he would not get a reward.  This is even more disturbing.  If you read the story of Abram you will find that money and reward were not his goal in life.  He did come into great riches which were given to him by God but that is not want he was all about. Or did I read his biography wrong and this guy was really a mercenary serving God because God paid him so well?

Abram was a man who love God with all his heart, soul and might.  He served God out of love, not expecting anything in return other than knowing that his God was pleased with Him. He loved God beyond his own life and the life of his beloved son. Maimonides the great Medieval Jewish commentator singles out Abraham as the poster child of serving God out of pure love.  The idea that Abram, a man so devoted to God would be concerned about piece of the action, that just stretches the imagination. The Talmud in Avot 1:3 teaches that we are to be like a servant who serves his master without being motivated by attaining a reward.  In other words, we should seek to live a righteous life, not to obtain heaven, not obtain special favors from God but to just express our love to Him.

For many such Christians, the answer to our question regarding our study verse is easy. Of course, Abraham was concerned about his reward. Who would not be?  God called him to leave his home, his land and all he knows to move to a foreign and strange land, yet bet your bottom dollar that he expected some sort of reward and our study verse only shows that God had to remind Abram to hang in there, his reward is coming. 

Jewish teaching instructs us not to serve God for a reward. If that is the case then how do they reconcile this study verse to their description of Abram as a man who served God only out of love yet it appears from this verse that God had to promise him a reward to keep him motivated. 

Once again, I turn to Maimonides who suggests that Abram was not interested in the reward itself, but in something that the reward signified. Many times, in an athletic event the reward for winning a race is not very tangible. Maybe a little trophy or a ribbon.  You could purchase something like that on your own. Of course, that would have no meaning because you didn’t earn it.  The real reward is having achieved the goal that was set before you. That ribbon or trophy is only a tangible sign of what you accomplished.  

I saw a picture the other day of President Eisenhower in his military uniform. It showed he was wearing his five stars as a general but even though he was the most decorated general in United States history he chose only to wear his top two awards that I believe were awarded to him for D-Day. 

My point is that the ribbons, medals, and other decorations are only a sign of accomplishment. The true reward is knowing you successfully accomplished the most important mission in your life as with President Eisenhower.  Eisenhower was not, of course, the only one responsible for D-Day but he did give the order to launch.  Still, the victory was bittersweet for he was aware of the many who lost their lives in the invasion that he gave the order to take place.  Maybe that has something to do with why he chose not to wear the awards of all his military accomplishments except for those involving D-Day. I don’t know the answer to that.  But I do see a parallel with Abram who led a great military victory but only someone like President Eisenhower could really understand the emotions, the nagging questions that may be more lives could have been saved had he made different decisions. I believe that day haunted him all his life as in his quiet moments he ponders alternatives he could have followed in that invasion.  

The word for afraid in the Hebrew that is used in Genesis 15:1 is yara’ which is a fear not for one’s safety but a fear for the effect you have on others.  I believe Abram, although feeling relieved at the outcome of the war against the four kings, felt some sense of yara’, a sense that maybe if he did something different, maybe if he had a different attitude so many lives would not have been lost.  But God said: “Don’t be afraid, I am your shield.”  The word shield in Hebrew is magen from the root word ganan which is an enclosed garden. A fence so to speak. In other words, God is telling Abram, “I am your fence, I will guard you from any regrets or guilt you may feel or have to bear as a result of this conflict.  Once more your reward will be great.”

God was going to give rewards to Abram, not because Abram craved and needed material things, but to remind Abram that he was on the right track. Rewards were only a signpost that he was in the center of God’s will.  Little love gifts from God to remind him that he was safely in God’s plan.  

Brother Andrew who, at the risk of his life smuggled many Bibles into countries that outlawed God and His Word said: “The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.”  You know you are in the center of God’s will because He will give you little rewards to remind you that you are doing good, keep going. In fact, the word for reward sacar is almost identical to the word shacar which means gifts. God will give you little gifts along your life’s journey as signposts that you are headed in the right direction.

Ok, maybe God will give you $100 if you give $10 dollars to some Christian work.  But you did not get that $100 from God as a payment for your gift, you got it as a sign from God that you are headed in the right direction. 

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