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.”
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.
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