Stars, Dust and Sand

God promised Abraham that his seed would be multiplied greatly. To illustrate this God likened Abraham's seed to the stars of heaven, the dust of the earth, and the sand of the seashore - each multitudinous. But Bible Students have long seen that these terms convey a deeper meaning than just of a vast number. The stars picture the heavenly seed of Abraham, the church of the firstborn, and the sand the earthly seed of Abraham, which will ultimately include all of restored mankind.

A thought which has appealed to some is that the dust of the earth refers to natural Israel -earthly, but to some extent distinct from the sand class of all mankind. We agree with these identifications. And when we look to the narratives of Genesis dealing with the patriarchs, we find a consistency in the use of these terms.

Stars

Genesis 15. Abraham is asking for some assurance of God's promise of a child. At this time Abraham had no child at all, and it appeared that his inheritance would fall to "one born in my house" of servants - perhaps Eliezer, his steward, or a child of his. (Genesis 15:2, 3, cf. 14:14.) But the Lord assured him, "This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir." (vs. 4) The promised child, of course, was to be Isaac, who Paul tells us pictured the spiritual seed of Abraham. (Galatians 4:28) God responded by telling Abraham to "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." (vs. 5) So the promise of Isaac was specially tied to the stars, just as we would expect if the stars picture the spiritual seed of Abraham, as Isaac did.

And when God repeated the covenant to Isaac, after Abraham's death, it was the symbol of stars that God used to describe Isaac's seed. "I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries (as Genesis 15:18-21); and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 26:4)

Dust

The symbol "dust of the earth" for Abraham's seed was mentioned on the occasion of Lot and Abraham separating, dividing the land because of their number. After Lot had chosen the well-watered plains of Jordan, God said to Abraham: "Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee." (Genesis 13:14-17)

The land which was being promised was the land given later to the Israelites, and to which they are now regathered. The land promised was most pertinent to Abraham's natural seed, Israel. This aspect of Abraham's seed was likened to the dust of the earth.

And when God repeated the covenant to Jacob, who in contrast to Isaac stands for the natural seed of Abraham, Israel after the flesh, it was the symbol "dust of the earth" that He used. And again, the land itself was an important part of the promise. "... the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: (as Genesis 13:14) and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Genesis 28:13, 14)

Sand

This term appears first in connection with Abraham's offering of Isaac. That event pictured the death of Jesus as the Ransom for mankind, which assures the blessing of all those who will constitute the heavenly seed of Abraham, and those who will constitute the earthly seed in its widest scope.

So it is consistent that on this occasion God likened Abraham's seed to "the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore ..." (Genesis 22:17)

In Revelation 20:8 the expression "sand of the sea" is applied to restored mankind. Satan will "... go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."

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