”May it be so done to Me if I do not keep

My oath and pledge.”

Genesis 15: 1 - 18

“I know, I know!” Normally, we

would be continuing our Sunday

morning series and would be starting II

Thessalonians...

Twice, in less than a year, the Old

Testament image of Abram/Abraham

and God having an intimate

conversation that leads to God’s

making a covenant with Abram - when

God asked him to bring a heifer, goat,

ram, dove and pigeon to Him to legally

seal their covenant...nagging me...

Genesis 15: 1 - 18

Gen 1 & 2: Creation

Gen 3: The Fall of Mankind

Gen 4: The 1st Murder = Cain killed Abel

Gen 5 –9: Noah

Gen 10: Shem, Ham and Japheth scattered

Gen 11: Tower of Babel (v1-9), God confused their

language;

Terah is 70 years old when Abram/Abraham is

born, then Nabor and Haran are born. Haran

has Lot, dies and Abram takes responsibility

for Lot, Terah takes Abram, Sarai, and Lot out

of Ur to Harran, dies at 205 yrs old

A quick trip

through

Genesis

needed for

context!

Gen 12 The call of

Abram & Abrahamic

Covenant:

1) You will be a great

nation

2) I will bless those

who bless you and

punish those who

hurt you

3) All people on

earth will be blessed

through you

Gen 13 Abraham & Lot Separate...

Gen 14 Abraham rescues Lot and we are

introduced to Melchizedek

Melchizedek is the King of Salem

and the High Priest of the “Most

High God, Creator of all things”...

We learned more about him from

the Book of Hebrews

Chapter 15

(Abram had two questions for the Lord)

V1 After this, the Word of the Lord came to Abram in a

vision,

Do not be afraid Abram. I am

your shield, your very great reward.”

V2 & 3 Q#1. “What else could You give me? I have

everything, but You have not given me an

heir...a son... Eliezer, my faithful servant will

inherit all I have after I am gone."

V4-5 God’s response: “Eliezer is not your heir... Come and

see”... God shows Abram the vast sky and its stars,

“Look up at the heavens and count the stars – if you

can! So shall your offspring (family line) be.”

V6 Abram believed the Lord and He credited it to him

(Abram) as righteousness

V7-8 Q#2. Abram asked, “How will I know that I will gain

possession of it (the land)?”

V9 God responds using a familiar ‘Ancient Binding Near

East’ land legal practice: the Lord tells Abram to

bring Him a 3 yr old heifer (female cow); a 3 yr old

female goat; a 3 yr old male ram; a female turtle

dove, and a male pigeon.

V10-11 Because the custom was familiar, Abram brought

them to the Lord, cut the heifer, goat, ram in half

then left the two birds whole. He lined the pieces

opposite each other creating a path between the

parts. Birds of prey (vultures, etc.) came and Abram

fought the birds away...

V12 At sunset, Abram fell asleep

and a very dark cloud came

over him

V13-16 The Lord showed Abram the

400 years of slavery his

descendants would

experience. God reassures

Abram that he would die long

before these things would

happen. He is delaying His

punishment on the Amorites –

“their time was not fulfilled”...

V17-18

When the sun had completely set

and it was dark and while Abram

was sleeping, a smoking pot and

a torch coming from the smoking

pot appeared and passed

between the pieces of animals.

V18 And on that day, the Lord made a

covenant with Abram

Heifer (female cow) = a peace offering and cleansing

Female Goat = a peace offering and/or sin offering for the everyday people,

mandatory for atoning for sin –the scapegoat

Male Ram = a burnt offering for sin, substitutionary offering –sacrificed for the

sins of others, offering made for unintentional sins

Turtledove = a burnt offering for those who could not afford a mammal, atoning

of sins

Pigeon = a burnt offering representing someone born under the Law ( for the

poor)

The smoking pot = symbolic of

God’s holy presence, His glory.

Seen also as the ‘cloud by day’

that guided the Israelites through

the desert

Flaming torch that came out

of the smoking pot = God’s

justice coming from His

holiness

As the two people pass through the animal pieces

(offering), they agree together:

“May it be so done to me if I do not keep My oath

and pledge.”

‘May I be destroyed, my life be in broken pieces,

like this sacrifice if I break this agreement.’

Note:

God alone passed through this path

Justice and Truth passed through His

holiness –alone

Only God was qualified to commit to this

covenant...

Only Jesus could take our debt –breaking

the covenant through our disobedience –

walking alone –He covered our sins –

beaten and broken on the cross so that we

can still receive His love, a relationship

with Him, and His promise = eternal life...