He (the Lord) took him (Abraham) outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” - Genesis 15:5
Ok that's a pretty well known quote and it often gets accompanied with images like my photo (above) of the Milky Way made while camping beside the red deer river.
But a friend (Hi Richard) pointed out that in Genesis 15:12 we get the line:
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep ...There is nothing to indicate between Gen 15:5 and 15:12 that this wasn't all on the same day. What if it was daylight? Does that change how we read 15:5? It is certainly absurd to ask Abraham to count the stars he can not see.
I think it renders 15:5 something like:
Your offspring that you can not see will be numerous like the unseen stars.
or
Your offspring, who are to come will be like the stars which are to come.
And so after some ancient contract making, and some more prophecy only then can Abraham see the stars he can't hope to count. For me it deepens the impact of that well known verse, emphasizing the need for trust.
- Peace