Explains הגר"א, we say in davening מלך עוזר ומושיע ומגן . Why mention three different forms of saying that Hashem is our protector? Just as there are three ways to have faith in Hashem, so, too, there are three ways that Hashem comes to our aid.
Once a person does all that he could do on his own, Hashem helps him with the rest. That’s the first way. Second, the person doesn't do anything, yet Hashem saves him. Third, the highest level, a person does something that goes against common sense for the sake of Hashem and relies on Hashem to protect him. Then, Hashem will shield him from harm.
These are the ways of Hashem's divine providence: מלך עוזר, the king who helps, helps the one who tries on his own. ומושיע, the savior, who does it all on His own. ומגן, the shield, the one who shields even the people who put themselves in harm’s way for the glory of Hashem.
Avrum Avinu trusted in Hashem to this highest level, that he put himself in harm’s way for the sake of Hashem. Therefore, Hashem told him אנכי מגן לך I will be a shield for you and protect you from any harm. That's what is meant by "your reward is very great; the reward for your total reliance on Hashem is very great, for that will ensure that you don't come to any harm.
Hashem guarantees that those who do mitzvos will be paid back by Hashem. We also know that it says שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא, there is no reward for mitzvos on this world. Perform the mitzvos now and in the next world you will get rewarded. The בן איש חי asks how could Hashem do that since there is a law that one has to pay a worker on the day he does the work; he is not allowed to postpone it. How could Hashem postpone our rewards?
Answers the בן איש חי there is another halacha that says if you hire workers through an intermediary, the law doesn't apply. Hashem, who gave us the Torah through Moshe, doesn't have to pay right away. However, that only applies to most of the mitzvos that were given through Moshe. What about the first two mitzvos of the עשרת הדברת which were given straight from Hashem? For those, He has to give us reward right away and that is the mitzva of emuna.
This is what Hashem was telling Avrum: אל תירא אברם, don't be afraid of how your children will survive this world if they don't get any reward for the mitzvos. Rather, אנכי the first mitzva of אנכי ה אלוקך will shield them. The merit of keeping that mitzva which came from the mouth of Hashem, will protect them for שכרך הרבה מאוד. The reward for the mitzva of emuna will be the merit that gets them through this world.
By putting our total reliance of Hashem, we ensure that He will protect us. That's the only mitzva for which we get the reward here and now on this world. By putting our trust in Him, we enable Hashem to protect us against all odds and ensure that we are always taken care of!
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