[1] After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy 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.
[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 an 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 carcases, Abram drove them away.
[12] And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
[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 nation, 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.
[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 Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
[20] And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
[21] And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Commentary on Genesis Chapter Fifteen
In the days of the ancients it was customary to seal business transactions with a covenant between all parties involved. This was the equivalent to our modern day contracts and held just as much power to bind all concerned to fulfill certain obligations unto each other. In the event of a dispute the known existence of a documented , witnessed, covenant would be produced as evidence which ought to settle the matter. Before us in this chapter we see one of the most important covenants in the history of humanity set out. It is no mere covenant between one man and another. This is a covenant between Abram and God Himself.
Not only does this covenant, which God cannot break, relate to certain gifts and affirmations unto Abram, but it also extends unto his descendants down through the remainder of human history. It is important to grasp the context of this encounter between God and Abram in order to understand the content of the covenant which is to be made here. Abram had recently engaged successfully in battle with certain kings who still dwelt in the neighboring areas around him in Canaan. He had good reason to be afraid due to his status of being an alien and a stranger in that place. The fear of reprisal for his actions would certainly be understandable. So it is that we find God reassuring him from the very beginning of this meeting that there was no need for fear.
The specific relevant content for this request was set out at the first. It is important to remember that Abram had forgone what some would consider his share of a great bounty which would have been divided between the victors of this most recent campaign involving the rescue of his kinsman Lot. He had chosen the better part, which was to follow God, rather than to partake of what could be considered ill-gotten gain. So it is that we find God beginning this meeting by reassuring him of two things immediately. It is written.
“After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy 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.”(Genesis 15:1-4)
The deterrence to fear was that God Himself would defend and protect Abram. Look closely at the passage above. The symbolism of a shield in battle is protection from assault by an enemy. It is a defensive piece of battle attire. No one, nor anything, can penetrate the protection of God’s defenses! This is the first thing which becomes part of the covenant “package” if you will. God made a promise here. God will keep it. The second thing which is addressed is the rewards involved in Abram’s life. Note that God promises to be the exceeding great reward which cannot be equaled by the accumulation of all the riches in the earth. To possess God is more than sufficient for life upon this earth.
To possess the wealth of the world and not have God is never sufficient. Men always seem to crave just a wee bit more than they have and devote themselves to the pursuit of that little extra, thinking that they can attain peace and satisfaction by doing so. Jesus Himself said the following.
” Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
[25] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
[26] For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”(Matthew 16:24-26)
The focus upon things of eternal significance ought always exceed one’s focus upon the things of this current life. All men will cross from here into eternity. Nothing which is of this earth shall do so. Yet it is, sadly, the preoccupation with accumulation of temporal things which occupies the efforts of men most often. God makes a promise unto Abram that he would never need to follow the crowd in this regard in this chapter of Genesis.
In response to these things, Abram raises a most valid question. The name Abram means “Father,” yet he had no heir born of his own bloodline. At this point in his life, most scholars place Abram’s age to be about eighty-five years old. It is only natural for one to begin thinking about the ticking clock concerning this biological matter. It is evident from the text that Abram had been considering the options before him by the mention of Eliezer of Damascus as the most probable heir to his fortune. In response to this, note God’s firm rejection of the idea, and His affirmation that there would be one born from Abram’s own loins who would indeed inherit the promises that we are looking at right now. The promise of an heir was not the totality of the agreement which God was entering into with this man however. It is written.
“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.
[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 an 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 carcases, Abram drove them away.
[12] And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.”(Genesis 15:6-11)
Take careful note of the manner in which God proceeded here! First off He outright denied the possibility of an heir other than one who was a biological descendant of Abram. That settled the issue for time and eternity. Then God proceeded to draw Abram’s attention to an innumerable quantity of visible reminders that He had promised that Abram would have prolific progeny. Whenever he looked up at night that reminder was there, constant and boldly reassuring, in it’s silent proclamation that God had decreed this thing with which he was concerned.
Having been given this infallible assurance Abram decided to believe God and for doing so he was accounted as righteous by God! Yet God was not yet done with this matter. There was still the matter of the land in which his servant Abram dwelt at the moment. God started this transaction, as one ought to begin such a thing, by asserting His identity and asserting His right to transact business in the matter at hand. Observe the seventh verse of this chapter where we find the following written.
“[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.”
(Genesis 15:7)
God’s assertions are based in His self sufficiency and in His right to do as He wills with the land being spoken of here by right of ownership due unto creation of it! Such a claim far exceeds any assertion which any human or group of humans could ever put forth. The Psalmist affirmed this right through creation, which God alone holds, when he wrote the following.
“The earth is the LORD’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
(Psalms 24:1).
This is also acknowledged by Moses who wrote the following.
“And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’s.”
(Exodus 9:29)
Even the Apostle Paul recognizes this, when speaking unto the church at Corinth, when he states the following.
“For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.
If any of them that believe not bid you to a feast, and ye be disposed to go; whatsoever is set before you, eat, asking no question for conscience sake. But if any man say unto you, This is offered in sacrifice unto idols, eat not for his sake that shewed it, and for conscience sake: for the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof:”
(I Corinthians 10: 26-28)
No matter how loud or long one may protest this truth, it cannot be denied. The covenant which God is about to enter into with Abram cannot be annulled or disavowed by any mere mortal claiming a superior right to God’s right of ownership. He may do as He chooses, or as He allows for He is Sovereign. There is much strife and severe contention in the land which God has promised unto Abram as I type this. Many are very fiercely asserting their “rights” to possess this land at the expense of Israel, whom they are set to remove from the face of the earth. Possession of that which rightfully belongs unto Israel alone is not sufficient to assuage these of whom I speak. The great conflict which we see in our midst even now is not a recent thing. As we journey through Genesis we shall see the origins of this hatred driven grudge unfold shortly.
Having determined that this covenant would be entered into, God now instructs Abram in the manner of sealing it. Abram sets out the blood sacrifices as he was told to do and then proceeds to wait upon God to move. There is a pattern here which we ought not miss. You will find as you traverse The Holy Scriptures, that all movement which involves God in the affairs of humanity originates with God. Men do not possess the ability to seek out and initiate such transactions if God does not want to be found. He is beyond our reach unless He makes Himself available. The next step[ is for we who are engaging in such an encounter to receive instruction from God and then take time to prepare according to these instructions.
Moses did not build the Tabernacle of God, which was borne during the wanderings in the wilderness, according to his whims and fancies but rather he first received the master plan from God, then began to gather the materials and people for the job as God directed him to do. The time for the onset of the work was not immediate, however, but if you read the account of the building of the tabernacle you will find that they moved when God said to do so. This is always the case in such things. God instructs us to do a thing and then causes us to wait for His own Sovereign reasons. When all is ready. When all is prepared according to His plan. Then and only then will He move.
In the account before us we see this set forth when we read the following.
“And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
[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 nation, 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.”(Genesis 15:12-16)
Note that then sealing of this covenant required blood. It is ever the case that god has set out the necessity for a covering of blood when He agrees to an action. This is reinforced in the writing unto the Hebrews where we read the following.
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
[7] But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
[8] The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
[9] Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
[10] Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
[11] But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
[12] Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
[13] For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
[14] How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
[15] And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”( Hebrews 9:6-15)
I would point out that our view on the necessity of a blood offering is of no consequence in such things. One does not approach God , The Creator of heaven and earth, upon terms which we might choose to dictate. We will either accept His terms or lose the benefit attached unto those terms. For reasons which we may not understand God has decided that the redemption from sin required the blood of His own Son be spilled at the set time, in the set manner, and by the set people. We cannot choose to dictate any alternative conditions for the gospel of God to be made more “acceptable” to other or ourselves as some would have you believe. The gospel is comprised of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as our substitute for the penalties attached unto our sins.
Contained within the body of this covenant is to be found the pronouncement that teh descendants of Abram would enter into a period of four hundred years of sojourning , much of which would be served as slaves. It is further stated that God intended to judge that nation which would so afflict His people and that they would return to the land of promise when the timing was right according to God. Note that this is a reference by God Himself to that period of bondage in Egypt which was to come upon them.
Note also that there is an element of grace in this toward a people known as the Amorites. These people dwelt in Canaan and were notoriously perverted. Yet God in His mercy and grace would grant them an additional four hundred years from the time of the entrance of Israel into Egypt until they were brought forth to return into Canaan in order that they might repent or continue to fill the cup of iniquity spoken of here. No one will ever be able to say to God that they did not have a chance to rectify the sin problem before Him.
In the evening, as the sun set God saw to it that Abram was deliberately incapacitated and therefore could not walk through the path between the two rows of blood offerings. Why would He do this? Usually the parties entering into such an agreement would join hands and walk in that fashion to signify that if one or the other did not keep the bargain the right to swift and total retribution was granted unto the other party involved in the covenant. This was serious business indeed!
There are two things to note in this which we see before us now. The first is that God knew that Abram could not keep any commitments that would be made in this covenant by him. As stated , in the event of default the obligation would fall unto God to exact the required retribution upon Abram and God had no desire to do this! The second component of this action is that God cannot obligate Himself by oath with any further binding agreement than that of His own character. The smoking furnace and the burning lamp which did pass through each signifies a different attribute of God’s character. It is written.
“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 Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
[20] And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
[21] And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”(Genesis 15: 17-21)
Note carefully the scope of the land which was given here. Israel has never possessed it all. The idea of Israel occupying the mass of property signified here would be ill tolerated by the world at large of this day due to the necessity of dispossessing the current occupants who dwell there now.
The fulfillment of this covenant, which God sealed unto Himself in this covenant, will come but it will be done in the timing of God Himself and not before.
In closing this chapter we are given a partial listing of those tribes of peoples which God had designated for destruction and removal from the land of promise. It is of value , I believe , to ponder these for in doing so one will be forced to admit that not one of these ethnicities is currently dwelling in the land promised unto Abram. Let us take from this a warning that God will judge sin and will execute the decreed sentence upon all who choose to reject His solution to the same after a period of extended grace and mercy has been used up in its entirety.
God , who is faithful and cannot lie, has decreed these things unto Abram by a blood covenant. Rest assured my friend that the things He has said He will do are as good as done from His point of view.