Genesis 15:1-6 KJV
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.
2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

The discourse between Abraham and the Lord maybe one the first times in scripture we hear God asking man something and not commanding him to do something. The demand of God in our life is far different then him actually asking us something that we can understand to be able to reply or think and ponder upon. Meaning God's word is simple enough, but to be ask and have a moment to think to reply is another. God already knows our response after all he is God, but often we ourselves do not know the answer to the question and must be questioned to know our own answer. If I say, "knock knock who there"? The person on the other side of the door going to say something if they there. Their response might be "potato". I will say potato who"? Their reply is "potato, I said tomato". Okay, I said, "tomato who". They reponse is "Tomato, tomata, potata or potato what different does it make open the door". The question being why not just open the door and see, solves the confusion. The reason being we ask is because we do not know the answer. We ask question to get understanding. God knows all answers and all questions.

God spoke to Abram by name, and told him he was his shield and his exceeding great reward. Abraham was like my reward, but you never gave me heir, no one in my household is his heir. Abraham valued having child that was of his own family line . He had inheritance on earth from God and yet he had no one to pass it too. Abraham getting old but it not time to die it time to have children. God says your children are going to be of your own bowels, why they said bowels, not sure in Jeremiah the word loins is used. Speaking about from their own privates the nature seed coming from they own sperm. God took Abraham forth abroad and said look toward heaven and tell me the number of the stars, if he would be able to count them and how many he counted would be his offspring. Stars are still forming and his offspring are still being born. Abraham look at the sky and said I believe, but he gave no number of how many stars were in the sky, his count not given, meaning his offspring were to great for him to count and so he believed and God counted to him as righteousness.

How many offspring did Abraham actually have. two? No he had more offspring by one more wife. Not one child but several more then three, but he would send her away so that his possessions would be only his son Isaac the natural heir to his earthly treasure. Abraham being first born of his mother and father. Ishmael mother was not Abraham wife but more like a concumbine situation. His second wife having no promise of the possessions of his first wife offspring. Much like a prenuptial today between married couples that have been widowed or divorced to help with who entitled of one's possessions when one dies. It solves many headaches in the legal department, as well as helps if a couple should ever divorce who does what truly belong too.

The great God of scripture and the great questioner of our understanding. Abraham only need one heir of promise no more then that to bring forth offspring of promise to continue the family line. Yet Abraham had more then one son, but only one of the promise heir to Abraham and his wife possessions and land. Abraham brought forth in his time the promise to be of a great nation before him as he lived to see even his grandchildren of not the promise even born to him. His heirs being more then the promise one of his possessions but all others were part of his family line as well, because of spiritual family. Each carrying the knowledge of the faith of Abraham, No one knows how the heir of possessions and the heir of faith really was fully understood by Abraham, but God was showing him a large family of the promise of faith, but he would only have one heir of promise.

Dear Heavenly Father, you expand our understanding that God is rich in offspring of faith, and Abraham could only give his heritance to those rightfully of the family line by blood, but the things given to those of faith is far greater then our understanding. God is our shield and great reward, let us hold to the spiritual covenant of Abraham of belief in him and then God's only Son(his word) of promise. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Genesis 25:1-19 KJV
1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
2 And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
3 And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.
6 But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.
7 And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
8 Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
9 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
10 The field which Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth: there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his wife.
11 And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi.
12 Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:
13 And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,
14 And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,
15 Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:
16 These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
17 And these are the years of the life of Ishmael, an hundred and thirty and seven years: and he gave up the ghost and died; and was gathered unto his people.
18 And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.
19 And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham's son: Abraham begat Isaac:

(chapter continues with Isaac story and heirs to be Esau and Jacob)