Genesis 15

The Covenant with Abram and the God

A Promise Made: The God Who Speaks and Seals His Covenant

Bible Passage: Genesis 15

Go ahead and make your way to Genesis 15.

Last week, we looked at the covenant promised gives to Abram and this week, we are going to look at the next covenant. The next promise of God.

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed with the promise of lasting peace after World War I. However, it imposed harsh penalties on Germany and fostered resentment that ultimately led to World War II. The broken promise of peace left nations grappling with deep anger and betrayal. This example illustrates how earthly promises can lead to devastating consequences, further emphasizing the importance of God’s unchanging promises amidst the turmoil of human decisions.

God has never and will never break one of his promises. God cannot break his own promises because for him to break his own promises, it would make him a liar. God cannot lie.

For God to lie would go against His very character and nature.

In Genesis 12- God told Abram that He was going to make his descendants a great nation and He was going to give him the land of Canaan. and His descendants will be a blessing to all nations.

In Genesis 15- God is going to make another covenant with Abram

As we are going to see Abram has some questions about God’s promises.

The fact Abram has questions concerning God’s promises should assure all believers. Although he is presented throughout Scripture as the paragon of faith, Abram felt much uncertainty about just how the promises would be accomplished.

But rather than condemning Abram’s questions, God responds with further assurance that he will accomplish all that he has promised.

As God speaks and seals this word of covenant, it reveals Abram’s saving faith and God’s sovereign faithfulness.

Genesis 15 (ESV)

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”

4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.”

5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.

11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.

14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.

15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.

16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,

19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

The Covenant and Abram’s Saving Faith (15:1–6)

The story of Abram shows that all believers are faced with a choice when they find themselves in the waiting room of life, when they note the gap between their expectations and experience, between God’s promised rewards and their present reality.

We often associate waiting with inaction, but waiting is faith in action.

John D. Barry; Rebecca Kruyswijk

That Gainesville Theologian Said the Wait it the Hardest Part.

1500 Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Faith, Development Of

George Muller, a great man of faith, once said, “God delights to increase the faith of His children. We ought, instead of wanting no trials before victory, no exercise for patience, to be willing to take them from God’s hand as a means. I say—and say it deliberately—trials, obstacles, difficulties, and sometimes defeats, are the very food of faith.”

The question is, Will the believer respond with fear or faith?

What we find in Genesis 15 is that Abram, though he has deep concerns, has faith. and he shows us the four marks of saving faith.

The first mark of saving faith is dependence.

Saving faith depends on the protection of God. Verse 1 is the first instance in the Bible where God appears “in a vision.”

What’s at the heart of this visitation?

God wants Abram to realize he is his “shield.”

During the medieval period, knights developed the kite shield, which offered greater protection and versatility on the battlefield. Knights would often emblazon their shields with symbols to represent their values and heritage.

Similarly, our faith should be displayed prominently, serving as our shield in the face of life's trials.

Just as the kite shield protected its bearer, God is our protection

That’s the point God is making to Abram, God himself is Abram’s protection. If even this celebrated chosen one of God who just won a stunning military victory in Genesis 11 to save his nephew Lot needs to hear that God is his shield and that his security and future are thus not all up to him, then we do too.

For one of my classes in Seminary. I had a professor that had me read a book about John Wooden.

He coached guys like Abdul Jabar and Bill Walton, With 664 victories and 10 national championships, and had 88 consecutive wins at one point, Wooden is arguably the most successful college basketball coach that ever lived, and yet he drew attention to his relationship with Christ as the greatest source of his success.

He wrote in They Call Me Coach, “I have always tried to make it clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior.”

Rather than relying on self, saving faith depends on God as our Savior.

The only saving faith is that which casts itself on God for life or death.

Martin Luther (Founder of the German Reformation)

The second mark of saving faith is desire.

Saving faith desires the provision of God. When Abram responds to God’s vision of protection, it is not with an exclamation point but a question mark: “GOD, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” (v. 2).

At first glance, this seems like an expression of doubt. But Paul explains this about Abram:

Romans 4:20–21 (ESV)

20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Thus, Abram’s question is not evidence of unbelieving doubt but speaks of his unwavering desire for God to accomplish what he said.

10 years have pass since God came to Abram in Genesis 12. He is 85 now, still now child. Sarai is 75 now. Still no Child. But He believes.

He had questions. He didn’t have doubts.

When we have questions- we should take them to the Lord. When we have doubts, we should respond the same way the Father that went to Jesus with the Demon Possessed boy.

“I believe, help my unbelief.”

Abram has had doubts in the provision of God because He let his wife be taken by Pharoah but He is trusting in the Lord when God says I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky.

In fact, in verse 3 Abram seems to be ready to accept that God’s promises may come true in an unconventional sense.

How does God respond in Genesis 15:4? God meets Abram’s desire with a more detailed promise involving the provision of a biological son. This second mark of saving faith doesn’t just depend on God as our Savior but desires for God to be our Lord—the one who sees our desires and provides for them one way or another as he sees fit.

The third mark of saving faith is delight.

A true love to God must begin with a delight in his holiness, and not with a delight in any other attribute.

Jonathan Edwards (American Evangelical Preacher)

Saving faith delights in the promises of God.

Abram has embraced by faith the promise made in Genesis 12 to make him a great nation.

That’s why he headed out from Haran and settled his tents in Canaan.

Now, as he looks to the heavens in Genesis 15:5, he can anticipate it with the help of a stunning illustration.

When God explains to Abram the significance of the countless stars, it takes his eyes off the wounds of the past, the weariness of the present, and the worries of the future.

Just imagine Abram’s awe as he looks up at the heavens and hears, “Your offspring will be that numerous” (v. 5).

The essence of saving faith is that it delights in the promises of God.

For us today, saving faith recognizes that Jesus is not just the Savior we need and the Lord we want but also the treasure we seek.

Abram’s view of the crystal-clear starry sky reminds us that the clearer our sight of the promises of God, the greater our delight in the promises of God should be.

The fourth mark of saving faith is decision.

Saving faith decides to embrace and follow the plan of God. Abram shows us that the final mark of saving faith is when our dependence, our desire, and our delight drive us to a decision to trust the plan of God for our lives.

And when Abram believes the Lord in this sense, God credits “it to him as righteousness” (v. 6).

This one phrase helps us make sense of the purpose of the Bible and God’s overarching plan for us.

In fact, Romans 4:22–25 shows that Abram’s faith is a model for saving faith.

Specifically, Paul states, “Now ‘it was credited to him’ was not written for Abraham alone, but also for us.

It will be credited to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Rom 4:23–24).

Romans 4 confirms what Genesis 15 clarifies: our righteousness doesn’t depend on our behavior but our beliefs; it doesn’t depend on our fruit but our faith.

After all, Abram was not righteous on his own: he turned away from God during the famine and turned away from his wife in Egypt.

When we decide to trust in Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and treasure, it changes everything for us.

He takes our sin, and we receive his righteousness. He takes our guilt, and we receive his grace.

He takes our shame, and we receive his salvation.

Abram’s decision to follow the plan of God reveals that the gift of saving faith is not based on what we do but on what God has done for us.

In the 16th century, Martin Luther struggled with his faith, believing that he had to earn God's favor through penance and good works. It wasn't until he discovered Romans 1:17—that the righteous shall live by faith—that he understood salvation is about what God has done through Christ, not our own efforts. This realization sparked the Protestant Reformation and transformed how millions understand salvation, highlighting that faith, not works, is the foundation of our relationship with God.

The Covenant and God’s Sovereign Faithfulness (15:7–21)

In Genesis 15:7 “7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.””

the focus of the text shifts from Abram’s saving faith to God’s sovereign faithfulness.

750 Engaging Illustrations for Preachers, Teachers and Writers 200: Faithfulness of God

In Christianity Today, Philip Yancey writes:

I remember my first visit to Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. Rings of Japanese and German tourists surrounded the geyser, their video cameras trained like weapons on the famous hole in the ground. A large, digital clock stood beside the spot, predicting 24 minutes until the next eruption.

My wife and I passed the countdown in the dining room of Old Faithful Inn overlooking the geyser. When the digital clock reached one minute, we, along with every other diner, left our seats and rushed to the windows to see the big, wet event.

I noticed that immediately, as if on signal, a crew of busboys and waiters descended on the tables to refill water glasses and clear away dirty dishes. When the geyser went off, we tourists oohed and aahed and clicked our cameras; a few spontaneously applauded. But, glancing back over my shoulder, I saw that not a single waiter or busboy—not even those who had finished their chores—looked out the huge windows. Old Faithful, grown entirely too familiar, had lost its power to impress them.

Few things are more quickly taken for granted than God’s faithfulness. But few things are more important. God’s faithfulness deserves our untiring praise and wonder.

Our God is faithful and we should never take it for granted.

God is going to make a promise, a covenant, to Abram because He is faithful and just to see it to completion.

It pivots from Abram’s conviction to God’s covenant.

What is a covenant? It is a foundational promise from God rooted in his own character and the certainty of his commitments.

During Spring Break last year, Blair, Judah, and I had the opportunity to visit New York.

We did all the tourist things-

went up to the 80th floor of the Empire State Building. I hated that. I don’t like heights. did a boat ride around the Statue of Liberty We walked the Brooklyn Bridge…that was Blairs idea. Saw Aladdin on Broadway. We went to the American Museum of Natural History- that was a real disappoint. None of the things came alive like in the Robin Williams movie but Judah really liked it.

I even got to the “Hey I’m walking here”

To be honest- I didn’t really want to go but I wanted to see one thing. The 9/11 memorial.

9/11/2001 changed everything about everything. Most people know exactly where they were when those planes hit the towers.

And we did a guided tour. It is so well done. If you have the chance, go to the 9/11 memorial museum.

One of the most remarkable things about the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City is that the whole museum is underground, allowing visitors to see the architectural and structural elements that established the foundation for the construction.

In a sense, the biblical covenants function in a similar way: they provide the architectural and structural foundations that sustain the storyline of Scripture.

The covenant with Abram in Genesis 15 builds on the calling of Abram in Genesis 12 to display God’s sovereign faithfulness rooted in God’s people living out God’s purpose in God’s chosen place.

In God’s sovereign faithfulness, he establishes a covenant involving “this land,” that is, the land of Canaan where Abram resides (v. 7).

But even though Abram has unwavering faith, he still has questions about his uncertain future: “How can I know that I will possess it?” (v. 8).

After all, he does not own a square inch of soil within Canaan.

So, while Abram’s faith is unwavering, he remains unsure about how this promise too will be fulfilled.

This should give hope to the believer in Christ who has questions.

The Lord does not condemn Abram’s questions, nor does he say Abram is no longer righteous for asking them.

How does God respond to Abram’s questions about possessing the new place?

With the shedding of blood (vv. 9–11).

And without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins.

Sacrifice is foundational to the cutting of a covenant.

And this particular sacrifice anticipates the coming of Christ, who establishes a new covenant through his death and resurrection.

Through his death, the spotless “Lamb” of God “takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

And as the bodies of animals are torn in two in this scene involving covenant with Abram,

the curtain in the temple is torn in two in the one involving Jesus (Matt 27:51).

As a result of the new covenant, Jesus will one day welcome all who believe in him into the promised new creation (cf. Rev 21–22).

Here, in God’s sovereign faithfulness, he is establishing a covenant created for a new people.

Echoes from the garden of Eden scenes are present in this passage. To begin with, “a deep sleep came over Abram” (v. 12).

Both in Genesis 2:21 and here, a deep sleep is used in reference to the bringing about of new people—the first of these, of course, is a new bride. Here, however, a whole new tribe is in view.

In addition, the word “offspring” in 15:13 is the same term used in Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3:15 ESV

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

in the first promise of salvation in the Bible, showing continuity between these promises.

But this covenantal promise of a new people doesn’t just look back to God’s sovereign faithfulness in the past.

It also looks forward to his commitment to faithfulness in the future.

Genesis 15:13–16 ESV

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

These verses paint a picture of future trials for God’s people.

They will be sojourners and slaves who face hundreds of years of difficulty. Nevertheless, there is hope in the midst of hardship.

According to 15:14, the trials faced by God’s people will be overcome by the deliverance provided by God’s faithfulness.

In God’s sovereign faithfulness, he establishes a covenant centered on a new purpose.

In verses 17–21 we encounter one of the most bizarre moments in the Bible.

After the animals are sacrificed and their corpses are spread out, a “smoking fire pot” and “flaming torch” pass through them. What is going on? The cloud of smoke and the pillar of fire, as evidenced in later books of the Old Testament, represent the presence of God (Num 9:15–23).

And in ancient times it was common for those in a promise to walk between animals split in two as a symbol of what should happen if one of the partners failed to keep the covenant.

But critical here is that only God walks between the animals because he is the one making the commitment.

He is putting his character and his commitment on the line.

Why is this reality important?

The one who participates in the making of covenant determines the purpose of the covenant.

If only one person goes through with the covenant agreement, the other person cannot do anything to break the agreement.

That’s what is so beautiful about the grace of our God.

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A Chinese Confucian scholar, converted to Christ, told this story: “A man fell into a dark, dirty, slimy pit, and he tried to climb out of the pit and he couldn’t. Confucius came along. He saw the man in the pit and said, ‘Poor fellow, if he’d listened to me, he never would have got there,’ and he went on.

“Buddha came along. He saw the man in the pit and said, ‘Poor fellow, if he’ll come up here, I’ll help him.’ And he too went on.

“Then Jesus Christ came. He saw the man and said, ‘Poor fellow!’ and jumped into the pit and lifted him out.”

R.C. Sproul said God alone takes upon Himself the covenant curse if he does not keep his promises to Abraham. God swears this oath before changing Abram's name to Abraham and before instituting the sign of circumcision (chap. 17). The Lord is pledging to fulfill his promise no matter what His people do.

We are called to a purpose of faithfulness on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit within us.

We are to be like the boy Samuel- when the Lord calls us we are to say- Speak for your servant is listening.

or like the prophet Isaiah- Here I am Lord send me.

We are to be faithful to what the Lord calls us to do.

And no one is too far gone to be used by God.

Amen?