Genesis 15: The Abrahamic Covenant

Because Abram had just defeated the five kings and rejected the king of Sodom's offer, Abram has reason to worry about the kings coming back to attack him, or not having money because he rejected the spoils from defeating the five kings. But in verse 1, the Lord says "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great". The Lord will protect him and give him a reward greater than any reward man could offer him.


But, Abram still had not fathered a son. He was childless, so his heir was someone else that was not his own son. He expresses his concerns honestly to the Lord, and the Lord tells him in verse 5 "Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then He said to him, "Your offspring will be that [numerous]". God is reassuring Abram that He has not forgotten the promise he had made to Abram in 12:2 and 13:15-16. Also, God promises Abram that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Then verse 6 "Abram believed the LORD, and He credited it to him as righteousness".


In verse 7, the Lord says "I am the LORD who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." Then, Abram expresses another of his concerns to the Lord in verse 8, and asks Him how can he know if he if he owns the land? Then the Lord replies in verse 9 "Bring me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon". These are very specific instructions from the Lord, and Abram brings them to the Lord. Then, in verse 11, he cuts each of them down the middle and lay the pieces opposite each other. I didn't understand why Abram did this, but upon further research, I learned that in those days, this was the sacrificial why of signing a contract with someone. After Abram lays out this contract, he waits for the Lord. Smelling the dead meat set out, bird of prey swooped down on the dead carcasses, but Abram drove them away as he waited. Finally, in verse 12 "As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and suddenly a terror and great darkness descended on him". The Lord puts Abram under a deep sleep, then comes to speak to him. The Lord brought good news and bad news. He said that Abram's offspring will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years, but afterwards will be judged by the Lord, given many possessions, and return to the Promise Land.

¹⁷ When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided [animals].

 This was sign that, as it says in verse 18-20, God made a covenant with Abram promising "I give this land to your offspring, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River: ¹⁹ [the land of] the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, ²⁰ Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, ²¹ Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites". The Lord was very specific when he told Abram which lands he will give to Abram, thus making Abram feel more reassured.