After Ab'ram had been blessed by Mel-chiz'e-dek, and had given to this priest of God a tenth of all his possessions, the Lord appeared to him in a special vision. Of the many remarkable conversations between God and His servant Ab'ram the most wonderful now took place. The opening words were spoken by God: "Fear not, Ab'ram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward."
Ab'ram then laid bare to his heart before the Lord, complaining that no blessing which the Lord might bestow upon him could make up for the fact that he had no child of his own through whom the promises which God had already made could be fulfilled. Up to this time Ab'ram and Sa'rai had not been blessed with children, and the only heir of Ab'ram's household was a servant named E-li-e'zer, who was a foreigner from Da-mas'cus. Under these conditions it was hard for Ab'ram to see how the Lord could keep His promise of making a great nation of his descendants. Because he truly loved the Lord, and had perfect faith in His power and justice, Ab'ram was willing to trust himself completely to His mercy,
The Lord then told Ab'ram that he should have a son of his very own, through whom His promises should be fulfilled. That night He took Ab'ram out of his tent and told him to gaze at the countless stars in the Heavens. Then he was told that the number and glory of his descendants should be like unto the multitudes of bright, shining stars upon which his eyes looked in wonder, and which no man could count. Before this meeting with God, Ab'ram had been told that his offspring should be as innumerable as the sands of the sea and the dust of the ground. From now on, whether Ab'ram looked down toward the ground, or out upon the shores of the sea, or up into the Heavens he would always be reminded of the vast number of descendants to be given him by the Lord.
