Read: Genesis 15
We have
already seen in the previous chapters that God had given Abram a great promise,
but as time ticked on, Abram began to become worried that the promise might
remain unfilled. Abram was concerned
that Eliezer, a servant in his household, would be his heir (v. 2). God clarifies to Abram that Eliezer would not
be his heir but rather his own son would be the heir (v. 4). Do you see what Abram is doing here? He is coming up with his own solution to a
problem that He thinks God can’t solve instead of trusting the promise. God told Abram to look to the heavens and
number the stars, promising Abram that his offspring would be numerous (v.
5). Abram believed the Lord and this was
counted to him as righteousness (v. 6).
This is one of the most important verses in the Old Testament as it
shows justification by faith. No works
of Abram could merit the salvation of the entire human race. It was all based on God’s promise! God then goes on to reaffirm Abram’s promise
of an inheritance of land (v. 7).
Abraham asks for a sign (v. 8), as this was customary on such occasions. The Lord directs him to offer a sacrifice of
five different animals (v. 9). It is
noteworthy that every animal listed here was allowed to be sacrificed under the
future Mosaic Law. The ancient method of
making covenants included dividing the animals in half (v. 10) and passing
between the pieces. Verse 11 tells us
that Abram drove the birds of prey away from the carcasses showing that he
stood by his sacrifice waiting for the manifestation of God, who had ordered
him to prepare it. He didn’t want the
wild animals to pollute what had been consecrated to God. Next, we read that Abram fell into a deep sleep
and the Lord spoke to him. God tells
Abram that his offspring would be sojourners in a foreign land and be slaves
and afflicted for 400 years but that He would bring judgment on that foreign
nation and that they would come out with great possessions (v. 13-14). This was fulfilled in the book of
Exodus. God then tells Abram that they
will come back to the land that was promised to them in the fourth generation,
implying that the land will be taken from the Amorites as an act of Divine
punishment for their iniquity (v. 16).
The covenant is sealed when a smoking fire pot and flaming torch passed
between the animal pieces (v. 17). The
boundaries of the promised land are given in scripture for the first time in
verses 18-21. Israel came close to controlling
much of this territory but has never fully occupied it, giving many reasons to
believe that Israel still has a future in God’s plan as they will eventually
receive all this land, even if not until the Lord’s return.
Prayer and Journaling
1. “I am your shield, your very great reward
(v. 1)”. Ask God to show you a
situation in your life where He has acted as a shield for you. What was the circumstance? what was He
shielding you from? Praise and thank Him
for this. Ask Him to continue to shield
you and protect you.
2. In
this chapter, Abraham asks God for confirmation of His promise and God gives
this to him. This shows the kindness and
goodness of God. God did not rebuke or
get mad at Abrham when he asked, “how can
I know…” but rather He provided an extensive ceremony which proved without
a shadow of a doubt, that He would give Abram the land. Ask God to reveal to you 5-10 things that
this shows about His character. Praise
and thank Him for each thing that He shows you.
