Believing in God
Opening Prayer
Thank You that You are the God who promises us so much and that You are faithful to bring it to pass.
Read Genesis 15:1–21
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
[1] 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.” [2] But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” [3] And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” [4] Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” [5] He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” [6] Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. [7] He also said to him, “I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” [8] But Abram said, “Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” [9] So the LORD said to him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” [10] Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. [11] Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. [12] As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. [13] Then the LORD said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. [14] But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. [15] You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. [16] In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” [17] When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. [18] On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- [19] the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, [20] Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, [21] Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.” Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What is the meaning of this covenant?After Abram’s victory in Genesis 14, God appears to Abram with a message to “fear not” (1). Abram appears to be doing fine, but he needs hope for the future, and without a child the future looks bleak. Abram speaks his concerns to God. Clearly Abram has faith (6), so his concerns don’t stem from unbelief, but Abram can be honest with God because of his faith.
God makes a covenant with Abram. As was custom, animals were cut in two for the parties to pass between. The message was that if one were to break the covenant, they were to become like the sacrificed animal. Though it is true that usually both parties would pass through, God put Abram to sleep. God alone passed through, because whether he broke the covenant or Abram and his decedents, God would be the one to take the punishment and set it right.
God then reaffirms the promise that Abram’s descendants will inherit the land (18), and so Abram is reassured that he will have children. There are many people living in that land promised to Abram’s descendants, who worship other gods (19–21). Abram will need every ounce of faith to hold firm to the promise that the land will be his.
Apply
Believing in the promises of God, commit to him the things that cause you to doubt.
Closing prayer
Lord, the wonder of what You have done in the cross is beyond words. I bow before You.
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