A Promise Reaffirmed

Good afternoon from the Panhandle, I pray this finds you well. Here it is mid-week and time to post the next chapter from Genesis. God had told Abram that He would make a great nation from his heirs, but as of yet Abram and Sari have no kids. Here in chapter 15 God revels Himself more completely and reaffirms His promises. Hard as we may we still let our friends or family down, but God never let's us down. And He never makes a promise that He doesn't keep. He may not keep it the way we think He should or on our time table, but rest assured God will keep His promises.

Genesis 15 At A Glance  
God appears to Abram in a vision and gives him great encouragement, v. 1.

Abram's request and complaint, v. 2-3.

God promises Abram a son, v. 4.

God promises Abram an exceedingly numerous posterity, v. 5.

Abram believes the promise, and his faith is counted to him for righteousness, v. 6.

Yahweh proclaims Himself and renews the promise of Canaan to Abram's posterity, v. 7.

Abram requires a sign of its fulfillment, v. 8.

Yahweh directs him to offer a sacrifice of five different animals, v. 9.

Abram sacrifices them accordingly, v. 10-11.

God reveals to him the affliction of his posterity in Egypt and the duration of that affliction, v. 12-13.

God promises to bring them back to the land of Canaan with great affluence, v. 14-16.

God renews the covenant with Abram and mentions the possessions, which will be given to Abram's posterity, v. 18-21.

(From Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

Genesis 15:1-7
15:1 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, "O 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 coming from your own body will be your heir." 5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens 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, "O 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.

1. THE COVENANT WITH ABRAM (vv. 1-7)

Throughout his life, for the most part; Abram showed a strong faith in God. It was easy to let this trust shine forth when things were going good. When Abram remembered God's wondrous promises to him, he took comfort from the pronouncement that their fulfillment was to be in and through his seed. But when he grew old and saw that the end of his days was near and that he was still childless, he was discouraged and so was his wife Sari. His faith in the promises wavered. How could God fulfill his promises now? When would he fulfill them? Abram needed assurance. And so God spoke to him.

The events recorded here chapter 15 bring about a renewed nature in Abram, and meet the approval of the Lord. This approval is exhibited in a heavenly visit to the patriarch, in which the Lord solemnly repeats the promise of the seed and the land. Abram believes in the Lord, who then enters into covenant with him.

NOTE:

There have been various conjectures concerning the manner in which God revealed his will, not only to the patriarchs, but also to the prophets, evangelists and apostles. It seems to have been done in different ways:

1. By a personal appearance of him who was afterward incarnated for the salvation of mankind.

2. By an audible voice, sometimes accompanied with emblematical appearances.

3. By visions which took place either in the night in ordinary sleep, or when the persons were cast into a temporary trance by daylight, or when about their ordinary business.

4. By the ministry of angels appearing in human bodies, and performing certain miracles to accredit their mission.

5. By the powerful agency of the Spirit of God upon the mind, giving it a strong conception and supernatural persuasion of the truth of the things perceived by the understanding.

(From Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

NOTE: Gen 15:9

It is worthy of remark, that every animal allowed or commanded to be sacrificed under the Mosaic Law is to be found in this list.

(From Adam Clarke's Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

Genesis 15:12-19
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 your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 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 fathers 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 river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates--

2. ABRAM’S VISION (vv. 12-18)

The divine communications first took place in the daytime in a vision, but afterward, at sunset, they continued to be made when `a deep sleep and a horror of great darkness fell upon him.' `The statement of the time is meant to signify the supernatural character of the darkness and of the sleep, and to denote the difference between a vision and a dream' (Gerlach). That Abram saw in prophetic ecstasy the servitude of his children in Egypt, represented in a panoramic view before his mental eye. (From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

The setting of the sun prefigured to Abram the departure of the sun of grace, which shone upon Israel, and the commencement of a dark and dreadful period of suffering for his posterity, the very anticipation of which involved Abram in darkness.

(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

For the words, which he heard in the darkness, were these (vv. 13 ff.): "Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them (the lords of the strange land), and they (the foreigners) shall oppress them 400 years." That these words had reference to the sojourn of the children of Israel in Egypt is placed beyond all doubt by the fulfillment. The 400 years were, according to prophetic language, a round number for the 430 years that Israel spent in Egypt (Ex 12:40).

"Also that nation whom they shall serve will I judge (see the fulfillment, Ex 6:11); and afterward shall they come out with great substance (the actual fact according to Ex 12:31-36). And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace, and be buried in a good old age (cf. Gen 25:7-8); and in the fourth generation they shall come hither again." The calculations are made here on the basis of a hundred years to a generation: not too much for those times, when the average duration of life was above 150 years, and Isaac was born in the hundredth year of Abraham's life. "For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." Amorite, the name of the most powerful tribe of the Canaanites, is used here as the common name of all the inhabitants of Canaan, just as in Josh 24:15 (cf. Gen 10:5), Judg 6:10, etc.).

(From Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament: New Updated Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

The smoking furnace signified the affliction of his seed in Egypt. They were there in the iron furnace (Deut 4:20), the furnace of affliction (Isa 48:10), laboring in the very fire. They were there in the smoke, their eyes darkened, that they could not see to the end of their troubles, and themselves at a loss to conceive what God would do with them. Clouds and darkness were round about them.

2. The burning lamp denotes comfort in this affliction; and this God showed to Abram, at the same time that he showed him the smoking furnace.

(A.) Light denotes deliverance out of the furnace; their salvation was as a lamp that burneth, Isa 62:1. When God came down to deliver them, he appeared in a bush that burned, and was not consumed, Ex 3:2.

(B.) The lamp denotes direction in the smoke. God's word was their lamp: this word to Abram was so; it was a light shining in a dark place. Perhaps this burning lamp prefigured the pillar of cloud and fire, which led them out of Egypt, in which God was.

(C.) The burning lamp denotes the destruction of their enemies who kept them so long in the furnace. See Zech 12:6. The same cloud that enlightened the Israelites troubled and burned the Egyptians.

(D) The passing of these between the pieces was the confirming of the covenant God now made with him, that he might have strong consolation, being fully persuaded that what God promised he would certainly perform. It is probable that the furnace and lamp, which passed between the pieces, burnt and consumed them, and so completed the sacrifice, and testified God's acceptance of it, as of Gideon's (Judg 6:21), Manoah's (Judg 13:19-20), and Solomon's, 2 Chron 7:1.

NOTE:

(A.) That God's covenants with man are made by sacrifice (Ps 50:5), by Christ, the great sacrifice: no agreement without atonement.

(B.) God's acceptance of our spiritual sacrifices is a token for good and an earnest of further favors. See Judg 13:23. And by this we may know that he accepts our sacrifices if he kindle in our souls a holy fire of pious and devout affections in them.

Genesis 15:18-21
 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river 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."

3. THE COVENANT REPEATED AND EXPLAINED (vv.18-21)

In that same day, that day never to be forgotten, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, that is, gave a promise to Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, v. 18. Here is,

1. A rehearsal of the grant. He had said before, To thy seed will I give this land, 12:7; 13:15. But here he says, I have given it; that is,

(A.) I have given the promise of it, the charter is sealed and delivered, and cannot be undone. Note, God's promises are God's gifts, and are so to be accounted.

(B.) The possession is as sure, in due time, as if it were now actually delivered to them. What God has promised is as sure as if it were already done; hence, it is said, He that believes hath everlasting life (John 3:36), for he shall as surely go to heaven as if he were there already.

2. A recital of the particulars granted, such as is usual in the grants of lands. He specifies the boundaries of the land intended hereby to be granted, v. 18. And then, for the greater certainty, as is usual in such cases, he mentions in whose tenure and occupation these lands now were. Several nations, or tribes, are here spoken of (v. 19-21) that must be cast our, to make room for the seed of Abram. They were not possessed of all these countries when God brought them into Canaan. (From Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)