Scripture Reading(s)
Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”
15:2 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?”
15:3 And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.”
15:4 But the word of the LORD came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.”
15:5 He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
15:6 And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.
15:7 Then he said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.”
15:8 But he said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
15:9 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.”
15:10 He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.
15:11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
15:12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
15:17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
15:18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates….”
Reflections
There are many examples in the Bible in which God makes a promise to His people to ensure that He is in control of our lives. There are times when we read stories like these in the Old Testament that make us wonder if God still keeps those kind of promises today. In this passage, God promised Abraham that He would extend his family line and that He would also provide a land for them to dwell.
I do believe that God still does keep His promises to those who are believers and that He still shows us in different ways that He is in control and sovereign. His word says that if we“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you ” (Matthew 7:7). God knew and understood Abrahams fears and doubts. He knows our hearts and understands that we go through seasons of doubt and uncertainty. Always know that God meets us at the point of our need and knows what is best for us. Come boldly to the throne of Grace and lay your burdens in the hands of the one who loves and understands your fears and will replace them with His joy and peace.
I am thankful for two things when I read this passage. First, I am thankful that God always stands by His covenants. Secondly, I am thankful that God no longer expects us to kill animals anymore. But seriously, it is beautiful to see how many thousands of years God has committed and fulfilled His promise to Abraham. Even when He had reason to reject the covenant.
God might keep all His promises but it is important for us to also keep ours. We see from Israel’s disobedience and breaking the covenant that even though God will never leave you, there are consequences for not following through. We can have blessings or we can have rebukes. It is up to us to decide which path we take.