Genesis 15
Genesis 15 is a chapter about the covenant God made with Abram. It begins with Abram receiving God’s promise, yet experiencing human anxiety and fear. God comforts such Abram and confirms again his promise of descendants and land. Then, in keeping with an ancient custom for making a covenant, the scene of making the covenant is recorded in detail.
1verseAfter these things the LORD’s word came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2verseAbram said, “Lord GOD, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3verseAbram said, “Behold, you have given no children to me: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir.”
4verseBehold, the LORD’s word came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir, but he who will come out of your own body will be your heir.”
5verseThe LORD brought him outside, and said, “Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” He said to Abram, “So your offspring will be.”
6verseHe believed in the LORD, who credited it to him for righteousness.
7verseHe said to Abram, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it.”
8verseHe said, “Lord GOD, how will I know that I will inherit it?”
9verseHe 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.”
10verseHe brought him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn’t divide the birds.
11verseThe birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12verseWhen the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
13verseHe said to Abram, “Know for sure that your offspring will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.
14verseI will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth;
15versebut you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried at a good old age.
16verseIn the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”
17verseIt came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18verseIn that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I have given this land to your offspring, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:
19versethe land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
20versethe Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21versethe Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”
Abram’s Fear and God’s Promise (Verses 1-6)
In verse 1, God appears to Abram in a dream and a vision and says, "Do not be afraid. I am your shield, and your very great reward." Abram mentions that he has no children yet and explains his situation, but God promises that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. The emphasis is on the fact that Abram believed these words, and God regarded his faith as righteousness.
Confirmation of the Promise of the Land (Verses 7-21)
God promises again that he will give Abram the land (verse 7). When Abram asks for evidence, God confirms the promise through an ancient covenant ritual in which the animals are cut in half. As God’s flame passes between the split pieces of meat, it symbolizes that God unilaterally makes this covenant. As a result, a prophecy is also given that Abram’s descendants will suffer hardship in a foreign land for 400 years, but in the end they will return to this land.
Reflection Points
- In light of the fact that Abram’s faith was regarded as God’s righteousness, we can think about the importance of the trust and obedience we should have.
- Since God’s promise is not fulfilled right away and instead gradually becomes clear through waiting, we meditate on perseverance and hope in life.
- The way God takes the lead in making the covenant prompts us to reflect on how God’s sovereignty and grace work in our own lives.
Personal Application
- When I also have anxiety in life or fear about the future, I check for myself whether I can trust God’s promises.
- In the journey of faith, even if there are no immediate results or answers, I should remember that I must trust God and keep walking steadily.
- Let me believe that God is the one who keeps his promises, and try to develop an attitude of waiting for and relying on his will in various areas of my life.
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