Hebrews 11:12

In this verse we have an illustration of the fruit of the faith before declared, by the eminent consequent of it, in the numerous or innumerable posterity of Abraham.

Hebrews 11:12. Διὸ καὶ ἀφ᾿ ἑνὸς ἐγεννήθησαν, καὶ ταῦτα νενεκρωμένου, καθὼς τὰ ἄστρα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ πλήθει, καὶ ὡς ἡ ἄμμος ἡ παρὰ τὸ χεῖλος τῆς θαλάσσης ἡ ἀναρίθμητος.

Hebrews 11:12. 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 things contained in this verse, as they were a consequent of the original mercy or fruit of faith in the conception and birth of Isaac, so they are reckoned also themselves unto the gratuitous remuneration of faith, although it be not added particularly that it was by faith. For they are expressly contained in the promise to Abraham, which he received by faith, and that in the very words recorded here by the apostle: Genesis 15:4-5, the Lord said unto him, “He that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir;” which is what was declared in the foregoing verse. And then he adds, “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them, So shall thy seed be;” as it is in this place:

Genesis 22:17, “I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea-shore.”

Wherefore the belief hereof belonged unto that faith of Abraham which he is commended for. And it had its peculiar difficulties also, that rendered it both acceptable and commendable. For whereas he himself had but one son by virtue of the promise, it was not easy for him to apprehend how he should have such an innumerable posterity.

And it may be observed, that the first testimony given unto the justification of Abraham by faith, was upon his belief of this part of the promise, that his seed should be as the stars of heaven, that cannot be numbered; for thereon it is immediately added, that “he believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness,” Genesis 15:5-6. For although this promise concerned things temporal, yet it belonged unto the way of redemption by Christ, the promised seed: so that justifying faith may act itself, and be an evidence of our justification, when we believe promises even about temporal mercies, as they belong unto the covenant; whereof we have innumerable examples under the old testament.

The note of inference, διὸ, “therefore,” respects not a consequence in the way of reasoning, but the introduction of a consequent, or other matter, upon what was before asserted.

And the particle καί in the original is not conjunctive, but emphatical only; so we render it even, “even of one.”

The blessing here declared as a fruit of faith, is, a numerous posterity. Not only had Abraham and Sarah one son, upon their believing, but by him a numerous, yea, an innumerable, posterity.

But it may be inquired, whence this should be such a blessing as to be celebrated amongst the most eminent fruits of faith, as being the subject of a solemn divine promise. I answer, It was so, because the whole church of God, who should be the true worshippers of him under the old testament, was confined unto the posterity of Abraham. Therefore was their multiplication a singular blessing, which all the faithful prayed for and rejoiced 3: So is it stated by Moses, Deuteronomy 1:10-11:

“The LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. The LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as he hath promised you!”

And,

Obs. 1. When God is pleased to increase his church in number, it is on various accounts a matter of rejoicing unto all believers; and a subject of their daily prayers, as that which is frequently promised in the word of truth.

Obs. 2. An ungodly, carnal multitude, combined together in secular interests for their advantage, unto the ends of superstition and sin, calling themselves “the church,” like that of Rome, is set up by the craft of Satan, to evade the truth and debase the glory of these promises. This blessing of a numerous posterity is variously set forth, illustrated, and heightened.

1. From the root of it. It was “one,” one man; that is Abraham. Unto him alone was the great promise of the blessing Seed now confined. And he, though but one, was heir of all the promises. And this privilege of Abraham, the Jews, when they were grown wicked and carnal, boasted of and applied unto themselves. They spake, saying,

“Abraham was one, and he inhabited the land: but we are many; the land is given us for an inheritance,” Ezekiel 33:24.

He was that one whose rights and privileges they appropriated unto themselves He was mentioned so here by the apostle, to set off the greatness of the mercy proposed, that so many should spring of one.

2. From the consideration of the state and outward condition of that one when he became the spring of this numerous posterity; “and him as good as dead,” καὶ ταῦτα νενεκρωμένου : so all our translations from Tyndal, much to the sense of the words. So it is expressed, Romans 4:19, Σῶμα ἤδη νενεκρωμένον, “His body now dead;” or rather, “mortified,” brought towards death, made impotent by age; being, as the apostle there observes, “about an hundred years old:” The word ταῦτα is variously rendered; but, as Erasmus observes, it is often used adverbially, and rendered “idque,” “atque,” “id,” “et quidem;” “and that,” “and truly.” And if we shall say that καὶ ταῦτα is taken for καὶ πρὸς ταῦτα, as sometimes it is, the meaning will be plain: “And as unto these things,” that is, the generation of children, “one that was dead.” Otherwise I cannot better express the sense than as it is in our translation. For this sense cannot be allowed, that “there sprang from one, and that after he was dead;” with respect unto the succeeding progenitors of the people: but respect is had unto the then present state of Abraham. His body naturally was as useless unto the end of the procreation of such a posterity as if it had been dead.

Obs. 3. God oftentimes by nature works things above the power of nature in its ordinary efficacy and operations. So by weak and dead means he often produceth mighty effect.

The way of the raising of this posterity from this “one,” we express by, “They sprang from him;” that is, as the word signifies, were “begotten” or born in their several generations, the original spring and fountain of them all being in him.

3. The greatness of this fruit of faith, in a numerous posterity, is expressed by declaring the multitude of them, in a twofold proverbial expression.

(1.) They were for multitude, “as many as the stars in the sky.” I had rather say, “the stars of heaven,” as it is in the original, for so they are constantly called; and in all naturalists the place of their fixation is termed “the starry heaven.”

This expression was first used by God himself, who commanded Abraham to go out, or “brought him forth abroad,” and bade him “look toward heaven and tell the stars, if he were able to number them.” Now, although it is pretended that, by rules of art, those of them which are visible or conspicuous may be numbered, and are not so great a multitude as is supposed, yet it is evident that in a naked view of them, by our eyes, without any outward helps, such as God called Abraham unto, there can be no greater appearance of what is absolutely innumerable.

Besides, I judge that in this comparison of the posterity of Abraham unto the stars of heaven, not only their number, but their beauty and order are also respected. The stars of heaven are like the inhabitants of a well- governed commonwealth, a people digested into order and rule, with great variety as unto their magnitude and aspects. This was a just representation of the numerous posterity of Abraham, disposed into the order of a wise commonwealth in the giving of the law.

(2.) In the other allusion they are declared to be absolutely innumerable. It is not said that they should be as many as the sand by the sea-shore; but as that is “innumerable,” so should they also be. So were they a multitude, in their successive generations, which could be no more numbered than the sand by the sea-shore.

On many considerations there cannot be a greater instance of the absolute certainty of an almighty efficacy in divine promises for their accomplishment, than is in that here proposed. Neither their own sins, nor the oppressions of the world, nor their Egyptian bondage, nor the graves of the wilderness, could hinder this fruit of faith, or the accomplishment of this promise. And hence proceeded the miraculous multiplication of the posterity of Jacob in Egypt, wherein from seventy-five persons, in little more than two hundred years, there sprang “six hundred thousand men, besides women and children.” Wherefore,

Obs. 4. Whatever difficulties and oppositions lie in the way of the accomplishment of the promises under the new testament, made unto Jesus Christ concerning the increase and stability of his church and kingdom, they shall have an assured accomplishment.