B9-devotions

Genesis 15:7-21

Devotions for Monday 28th July

There are powerful mysteries within these words which mean that none of us can expect to fathom its depths completely. It is an ancient story describing an ancient practice with which we are completely unfamiliar, and it contains the gory details of a sacrifice (15:9,10,17) with birds, possibly symbolically, attacking the carcasses (15:11) and a great darkness which overcame Abram (15:12) with scary connotations of chaos and death. There are also some amazing features of the text which follow on from what we read previously in the first six verses of chapter 15, for example, the Lord’s prophetic words of reassurance to Abram (15:7), His prophetic words about the future of God’s people (15:13-16) and the established by a mystical Covenant between God and Abram which related to land (15:18). Even though this is a passage from Genesis which seems to be almost incomprehensible, there are some fascinating truths about God’s Covenant relationship with His people which add to yesterday’s story. The first half of chapter 15 is about the Covenant of inheritance and faith (vv1-7), but the second half which makes up our reading today is about the Covenant and ‘land’.

Our passage begins with the Lord speaking directly to Abram, giving him the promise of land for his inheritance and also a word of reassurance after his expression of faith (15:6). Abram was perplexed about God’s plans (15:8), so God commanded Abram to do something which sounds quite repulsive to us who read this text today. All we can do is to stand back from our instant dislike of what God told Abram to do and try and understand what was going on. There was raw symbolism in Abram’s cutting up of animals (15:10), which was not a form of sacrificial worship, but probably a symbolic ancient act used by people to make agreements (sometimes called ‘covenants’) with each other. However, in this encounter with God, Abram was required to do all the preparation work himself, but it was to be a covenant agreement which depended upon God and not on Abram. The agreement took the form of a promise by God (15:13-16) that he would give his descendants a land in which to live. Only God had the authority to grant such ownership, but Abram would have to take hold of it by faith. Abram’s faith in accepting God’s promise was symbolised by the ‘smoke’ and the ‘fire’ (15:17) which moved between the animal pieces prepared by Abram; they were Old Testament symbols for God (as for example, when God led the people of Israel in the desert, for example, Exodus 13:21,22, 40:38f.).

Of great interest to us is what God said prophetically about His people in the central promise given in verses 13 to 16. Abram, we must remember, had erroneously gone down into Egypt and then returned to Canaan (12:10-20), so God prophesied that his descendants would also go to Egypt, but not return for four generations (counting each generation as being one hundred years, making 400 - see v13 & v16). This reads like an amazing prophecy, yet it was one that gave assurance to God’s people that God was in control, whatever happened. Just as God had been faithful to Abram, He would be faithful to His people, despite the errors of their ways. To Abram, the promise of land in which to live sounded almost too impossible to be true; but God, through this Covenant and His prophetic Word, had committed Himself to this. All He required of Abram was that he trusted Him and was obedient; and in the same way, God has always required the same from Abram’s descendants.

God’s promises sometimes come to us in strange ways. For myself, I know that the Lord promised me certain things about my ministry one evening whilst I was thinking about how the internal combustion engine worked; I have now forgotten all about the workings of this type of engine, but the Lord has fulfilled all His promises in my ministry! All of us, like Abram must be open both to the Lord’s promises, but also to His prophetic Word.

7 Then God said to him: ‘I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land as an inheritance.’ 8 He replied, ‘My Sovereign Lord, how may I know that I am to possess it?’ 9 He said to him, ‘bring me a three year old calf, a three year old goat, and a three year old ram, a dove and a pigeon.’ 10 He brought Him all these and cut them in two, placing each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11 Then birds of prey swooped down on the carcasses and Abram drove them away.

12 While the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and a great fearsome darkness overcame him. 13 The Lord then said to Abram, ‘Know this for a fact, that your descendants will be temporary residents in a land which is not theirs; they will be slaves there and be oppressed for four hundred years. 14 But I will judge the nation they serve, and they will eventually come away with great wealth. 15 However, you will join your ancestors in peace and will be buried at a good old age. 16 But they will return here after the fourth generation, when the sins of the Amorites have reached completion.

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a torch of fire appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 The Lord made a Covenant with Abram on that very day: ‘I give this land to your descendants, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.’

To read more about this passage of scripture: go to the Bible study page

To read the questions and discipleship challenges for this text: go to the discipleship page

Glory be to You, O Lord our God, for you have brought us into a world in which there are so many wonderful things. Thank you for books to read, for the use of the internet, for beautiful objects to place in my home and food to buy in the shops. Save us from using these things inappropriately or for evil, and help us to value all Your gifts, through Jesus Christ we pray, AMEN

We use cameras to take pictures or clips,

We do it whenever we can;

We may have hundreds of photographs

Stored on film or computer.

Each moment is captured for posterity,

Reminding us of something;

A beautiful scene, a special family event,

A flower, a precious moment.

Lord, forgive us if our faith is just memories

Gathered from long ago;

A collection of religious memorabilia;

A sermon, your healing, a baptism;

Change us, Lord, from being just gatherers

To loves of your graciousness;

Those who need no reminding of Your presence,

For You are with us, all the time.

Weekly Theme: Thanks for life

Give thanks to God for the opportunities you have had in life and for the people who have helped you and blessed you. Ask the Lord to help you be a blessing to others.

On-going prayers

Pray for those who are employed to work in extreme conditions
Pray about the politics which lie behind energy production
Give thanks for your home

Going Deeper: (what you will find on the Bible study page)

Abram’s faith was the earlier highlight of chapter 15, but now, the focus of the chapter has moved to God’s eternal promise. How we interpret this promise today is an important matter, because the possession of the land of Canaan was never entirely completed in the Old Testament (see Judges 1) and is a matter of international contention to this very day. That, amongst other things, is what we shall look at now in the main Bible study.

For the full Bible study, click link above,

or for a brief review, scroll page down.