Genesis 15 – God's Covenant with Abram
Timeline: 1913 BC
The original authors of Scripture did not use chapter divisions and numbers. It was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek as continuous texts. The verse divisions were added later, with the first complete Bible with both chapter and verse divisions being the Geneva Bible in the 16th century. The story which began in the last chapter continues. Genesis 15:1-3 After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." But Abram replied, "O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3Abram continued, "Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir." Even the most faithful are human and subject to doubt. Previously, God had promised Abram a son. At this point, it is estimated that Abram is 85 years old, and he and his wife are getting past childbearing age. It was the law of the land at that time that wealthy, childless couples could adopt a servant and make him their heir. Abram feared that without children of his own, he would have to adopt Eliezer, the oldest of his household who had charge over all that Abraham owned, and his entire estate would have gone to him. Genesis 15:4-6 Then the word of the LORD came to Abram, saying, "This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir." And the LORD took him outside and said, "Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able." Then He told him, "So shall your offspring be." Galatians 3:5-9 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?— just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, "In you all the nations shall be blessed." So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. Genesis 15:7 The LORD also told him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." According to the Midrash, an ancient commentary in the 2nd century AD, a story is told of Abram in Ur. The story states that Nimrod worshiped the fire god. When Abram refused, he was cast into the fire and God saved him. Abram's brother, Haran, agrees with Abram and is also thrown into the fire but is not saved. This is the forth time God told Abram that he will inherit the Promised land. God had a specific purpose for bringing Abram out of the land of the Chaldeans. Genesis 15:8 But Abram replied, "Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?" It wasn't that Abram didn't trust God at His word. In those days, asking for a "contract" was customary when a promise was made to seal the agreement. God agreed to ratify the promise by performing a traditional ceremony. Genesis 15:9-11 And the LORD said to him, "Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon." So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut in half. And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. A contract was ratified by dividing a clean animal, a sacrifice, and walk between the two pieces in a figure 8 while repeating the covenant. Each half represented each party. This tradition continued at least 1400 years after this time. Abram was to cut the animals in two but the birds were left whole. Leviticus 1:14-17 describe sacrifices involving turtledoves and pigeons. They are not to be split in half but burnt whole. If the contract was broken, the one who broke it will be killed and the bodies will be food for the vultures and wild animals. Genesis 15:12-16 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." God had put Abram into a supernatural deep sleep in order to reveal the events that will happen to his offspring. The awareness that his descendants would be slaves in Egypt for four hundred years was horrifying. It was going to be a very dark time for them. But God assures Abram that they will come through that period with great wealth just as Abram left Egypt with great possessions of their own. God informs Abram that he will live in a time of peace and will live a long. Genesis 15:13-17 Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses. Abram witnesses a smoking fire pot (represents God) and a flaming torch (represents the Holy Spirit) passing through the middle of the animal halves. Remember, the cherubim that guarded the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword and in future scriptures the children of Israel were directed by a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire by night. All these are symbols of the promises God made to Abram and his seed, which is the same reference to Jesus as was Eve's. God's unconditional and eternal covenant with Abram cannot be changed and nothing can be added. Genesis 15:18-21 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your descendants I have given this land—from the river of Egypt to the great River Euphrates—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites." Note: The Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites all lived in the Promised Land. They are all descendants of Ham. In chapter 9, Noah cursed Canaan (forth son of Ham) who became people that were sinful and enemies of Israel. |
