#20: God's Covenant

Genesis 15:7-11, 17-18

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.”

But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?”

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.”

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. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land…

Comments

In ancient times the most solemn agreement was a covenant in which the parties would pass between animals cut in two. To do so was a way of saying, “May I be torn in two like these animals if I fail to live up to the promises made here today!”

What is remarkable about the covenant God made with Abram is that it was so one-sided: Abram was asked to promise nothing as God entered into this solemn covenant with him.

Even more remarkable is the context of the covenant. We might well assume Abram’s doubt about inheriting the land would incur the wrath of God. Instead, God responded in love by essentially saying, “Let me show you how serious I am about the promise I am making.”

Reflections

Abram believed God could give him a child in old age, but had doubts about ever receiving the land God promised to him. Do you find some of God’s promises easier to believe than others? When it comes to miracles, does it make sense to place limits on what God can do?

Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who loves and reassures us even in the midst of our doubts.