Cutting Covenenant (Abraham)
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Genesis 15:1-21
Genesis 15:1-21
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.”
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
How do I know?
Abrahams life was one of great faith and incredible courage. He lived a big life. At every moment that God called him forward, whether to leave his home, to trust that he would give him a son, to eventually sacrifice that son..He moves forward without the answers, trusting in God’s promise.
Now this text, in my opinion is one of the most important and shocking texts in the Old Testament. One of my favorites. It is when God, after making a promise to Abraham, cuts covenant with Him. He demonstrates and makes an oath..and unless you are familiar with the customs of the time, you will miss the significance of what it is that God does.
God’s Promise to Abraham
God’s Promise to Abraham
A Son from His Wife In His Old Age
Descendants as Countless as the Stars
I will give to your descendants the land of Canaan that I have promised
He would be a blessing to all people
18 and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Abrahams Faith and Question
Abrahams Faith and Question
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?”
He believes God, but still has the all too familiar question. How can I know?
23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
He believed, but was asking God to help his unbelief.
God Cuts Covenant with Abraham
God Cuts Covenant with Abraham
God tells Abraham to get a heifer, goat, ram, turtledove, a pigeon. It would seem like a random request and response to Abraham’s question, but Abraham get the animals, and without God telling Him what to do with them…knows what is about to happen. God is about to cut a covenant. Back in this culture, which was oral, there was no written contract to sign when two partie meant to come into an agreement. Instead they would cut covenant with one another..they would take animals, cut them long ways, and make an isle that the parties would walk through. And by walking through these animals, they were saying to one another and to the witnesses, if I don’t do my part, or if I fail to fulfill my oath or promise, may I be like one of these animals and be cut open..be killed, be torn apart. They acted out the consequenses of breaking the covenant, and would walk through it together.
18 And the men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut in two and passed between its parts— 19 the officials of Judah, the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the parts of the calf.
So Abraham gets the animals, cuts them open..and prepares for this cutting of covenant. But what happens next no one could have imagined, and I still get overwhelmed reading it.
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.
First there is a great darkness, and Abram fell into a deep sleep. This terrible darkness to accompany God’s revealing of these dark times his people were going to go through. The judgement they were going to have to face, and in this darkness, God condescends and there is this theophany. Theos- meaning God, -phany meaning manifestation or presence…so God manifests his presence with a smoking fire pot and a torch.
We see this fire and smoke, this manifestation of God’s presence later in Exodus when God descends on Mount Sinai
18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.
God condescends, comes down to reveal himself to Abram, and also goes through this human covenant process to give his faith someting to anchor into..to help his unbelief
Now there are some astounding truths in this..first, notice God goes through by himself! Abram is still laying down, this overwhelmed state of being enveloped in darkness and sees God walk through the pieces alone!
God in affect says this, Abraham, if I don’t keep my part, if I don’t fulfill my part of the promise, may I be like one of these animals, cut open. May my immutability see mutation, may my infinite nature, see become finite, may I be torn apart, cursed!
So if you can imagine, God being unable to sware by anything greater, like us who say I promise on my mom, or my kids, my life, God swares by his own nature..that he will fulfill his promise.
But it does not end there!
As with many of us, our fears aren’t so much that God won’t do HIs part..but what about if we don’t do ours. Abraham had been promised that He would be his God, and He would be his people, but what if you are faithful to be my God, but I’m unfaithful to be your people. What if I can’t fulfill my part of this covenant.
God does not ask Abram to wlak thorugh…saying this. Salvation is not a cooprerative effort! God says, If I don’t do my part may I be cursed, and even if you don’t do yours..even if you are unfaitful..may I be cursed.
I promise to give to bless you and your family, and if need be, to take the curse for you failing to do your part!
God has done it all! And how do we know God can be trusted? Because 2000 years ago, darkness did cover the earth again.
33 And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
And God, did becomes a man, and become cursed! Jesus like those animals, was sacrificed..was laid down, his immutability did face mutation, his infinite nature did face limitations, he did condescent and fulfill his part, and then take the curse for us not doing ours.
God through Abraham has blessed the world, Abraham the father of faith, the example of all those who follow Jesus.
Jesus lived the life we couldn’t live and died the death we should’ve died…being the blessing and taking the curse!
How do you know God’s promses are ture? That he can save you? Because He has shown it through His son..that He will save you, call you, keep you..and He will do all the work!
Abraham had nothing to do but lay there, and we have nothing to bring but trust! Just to rest in HIs blessing! Jesus is the hero!
How amazing that God went through the pieces alone…promising the blessing alone, and taking the cursing alone!
I know God can be trusted!
He has done too much for me not to follow Him. Abraham wasn’t perfect, and we aren’t perfect..which is why, God had to walk alone. Because if we had any part in this salvation, we would mess it up. God has done it all..and you hasve to do is believe, trust..and rest as Abram did!
What an amazing God!