PM Jan 7th Gen 15

January 7^th Genesis 15 The Covenant with Abram

1: After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 2: And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3: And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4: And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5: And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6: And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7: And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 8: And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9: And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10: And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11: And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12: And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13: And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14: And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15: And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16: But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17: And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. 18: In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 19: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20: And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21: And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

Today we read of the Covenant that the Lord made with Abraham. Then after this the Lord appeared to Abram again in a vision (this is a waking dream). The Lord says to Abram do not be afraid. I will protect you and l will be all the reward you will ever need. Abram replied, what could you give me? The only thing l want is a child! He says, is my heir Eliezer of Damascus? (Abram’s trusted servant) Then the Lord said, he will not be your heir, your heir will be your own child. Then the Lord said, took at the stars l will make you children as many as the stars of heaven. Abram believed what God had said, and God credited to Abram righteous for his faith. Then the Lord gave Abram instructions as to how to make an offering of a 3yr old heifer and a 3yr old nanny, and a dove and a young pigeon. They were all killed and divided into two - apart from the birds. When the carrion came to eat the flesh Abram drove them away. In the evening a very deep sleep fell on Abram and he had a dream and a great horror of darkness came on him. Then the Lord brought to Abram a prophecy of his descendants. They would be strangers in a foreign the land and they would be slaves and afflicted for 400 hundred years. Then the Lord would judge that nation (Egypt) and they would come out with great riches. The Lord told Abram that he would die at a good old age but after the forth generation they would return to Canaan (Because the sin of the Amorities was not at its height yet) When it was dark, a burning flame passed between the pieces of the sacrifice (A sign of its acceptance) On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram saying that the whole of the promised land would belong to Abraham. From the Nile to the Euphrates. This promise has never been fulfilled yet.

• What are the promises that the Lord makes to Abram?
• How does Abram almost complain about his childlessness?
• How does the Lord answer his point?