“But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”” (Genesis 15:8, NIV)
"I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." [1] This is so important: "God’s character lies at the basis of any covenant He makes, and it is to this that God refers when He begins with this affirmation of His name." [2] Sometimes when you don't have a specific promise from the Bible to address your situation, all you have is God's character -- and that is more than enough. But Abram asks God for a sign. This might sound strange seeing that God had made a promise and Abram already had believed. However it's not strange if we understand human nature. We can profoundly believe yet acknowledge, "Lord help my unbelief." God condescends to that and performs a ceremony. It's called a covenant of the pieces.
"God commands Abram to prepare an animal sacrifice. Abram performed the sacrifice, cutting the animals (except the birds) into two pieces.As the Sun was going down, Abram fell into a deep sleep. God prophesied to Abram that his seed would be strangers in a land that is not theirs (a strange land) and serve the rulers of the land for four hundred years but afterward they would come out with "great substance" and in the fourth generation they would return to Canaan." [3]
"To understand the sign that God gave to Abraham, we must know something about the covenant-making process in the ancient Near East. To translate the Hebrew phrase that refers to the enactment of a covenant most literally, we would say “cut a covenant.” Covenants were “cut” between two parties in that culture, and part of the reason for that is the self-maledictory oath (vowing harm to oneself) that people made to confirm their commitment to the covenant stipulations. Often, the parties would cut up animals just as Abraham did and lay them next to each other with a path in between. Normally, the two parties would walk between the pieces as they committed to the covenant, with the implicit warning being that a failure to keep the promise would bring the same fate upon the promise-breaker as was brought upon the animals. Here, however, only God passes between the animal pieces (vv. 9–21). The Lord takes it upon Himself alone to accomplish His word, and vows to be destroyed should He not keep it (Heb. 6:13–20)." [4]
What is the point to be made to Abram and to us? Dr. R.C. Sproul summarizes it well: God is saying to Abram, "Abraham, I’m putting My very deity on the line here. I’m swearing to you by My holy nature. If I don’t keep this word, I will no longer be God."
The truth is that all God's promises are backed up by his very essence. For God not to come through on any promise He would make would, He would cease to be God.
Father, like Abram, I am so easily tempted to doubt and tempted to disbelieve. This covenant you made with him is so good for me to remember. For you to cease to be God would cause this world and all You made to disintegrate. In You I live and move and have my being. There is a sense, Father, that as long as I am here, You are God -- and as long as You are God, every promise given by You to us will be fulfilled perfectly. Thank you for your grace to Abram to dramatize that for him; and thank you for Your continual patience with me who so often fails to trust You. Forgive me Father and lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. Amen!
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1. The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2001 (Ge 15:7). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
2. KJV Bible Commentary. 1994 (E. E. Hindson & W. M. Kroll, Ed.) (49). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_of_the_pieces'
4. http://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/gods-promise-abraham/
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