GENESIS CHAPTER 15: ABRAMS REASSURANCE AND GOD’S COVENANT WITH HIM

 

Introduction: This chapter explains the reassurance of God to Abram and Abrams faithful belief that God would do what He promised to do. (This chapter is all one paragraph so I broke it up into sections for better understanding.)

1.      1. After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am they shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” 2. And Abram said, “Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” 3. And Abram said, “Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.” 4. And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying “This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.”

       This part of the vision reassures Abram that he will have an heir that will be bone    of his bone and flesh of his flesh even though he is upwards in age. 

5. And He brought him forth abroad and said, “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them:” and He said unto him, “So shall thy seed be,” 6. And he believed in the Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness. 7. And He said unto him, “I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it”. 8. And he said, “Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” 9. And He said unto him, “Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11. And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

 12. And when the sun was going down a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. 

 Here also God shows Abram the number of his descendants, how awed Abram must have been to see how many descendants would come from him and his heir. This part of the vision God continues to tell Abram what animals are needed to make the covenant between them as was the custom in that part of the world. When the fowls came down in the vision to eat the sacrifice in the vision, Abram chased them away; this could be that Abram chased away all the doubts -  that God would keep his promise and Abrams faith was secured in his actions to make the covenant with God.

 13. And He said unto Abram, “Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14. And also that nations, whom they shall serve will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.15. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”

      (this part about the "Amorites is not yet full"  means that they have not yet come to the point that they have past the time that God has allowed them to repent of their sins.)                                    17. And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18. In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying,   “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19 the Ken-ites, and the Keniz-zites, and the Kadmon-ites, 20. And the Hit-tites, and the Periz-zites, and the Repha-ims, 21. And the Amor-ites,and the Canaan-ites, and the Girgash-ites, and the Jebu-sites.”  

   In this part of the vision God explains to Abram the fate of his descendant. That they would be slaves in a strange land, but after a while, 400 years of captivity, they would be freed. (This part is referring to Moses taking the Israelite's out of Egypt.) God also describes the area of territory that the descendants will be given, from the river of Egypt to the great river Euphrates. This promise was fulfilled in the time of King Solomon. God also mentions the peoples that the Israelite's will have to conquer to get their promised land. This is twofold; 1) to fulfill the promise but also (2)because the peoples had become so wicked and corrupt that God would use the Israelite's to take the land from them because they no long deserved it.

                                                                                                                             

This diagram explains the meaning of the division of the sacrificial animals in the custom of Abrams time.

                                                      This chart explains the covenant protection:

                                                      The covenant promise, obstacle and the 

                                                          covenant response by God and man. 

                                                     

The Road to Salvation (KJV)

Romans 3: 23, 24 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 5:8 “But God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:15 “For God so loved the world That He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

1 John 4:9”In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.”

John 6: 47, 48 “Verily, verily, I say unto you He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.  I am that bread of life.”

Romans 10:9 – 14 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed: and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard: and how shall they hear without a preacher?”

II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

If you are not saved, I pray you will accept Christ as your Savior to day. We are not promised another minute on this earth. We are but on a journey, passing though this world to the next, and you have a choice of where you will spend eternity. I pray you choose to spend it in Heaven with the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit and all those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and paid our sin debt for us. 

Seek out a Bible preaching church in your area, one where God word is preached and  is the center of their service, study and devotion.