Scripture to Read: Genesis 15:7-21
As we examine Genesis 15:7, we see how God affirms to Abram who He is and that He WILL give Abram and his descendants the land of Canaan to possess it. But Abram still asks the Lord in Genesis 15:8, how am I to know that I shall possess it? Even though Abram had just been counted as righteous in Genesis 15:6 because he fully believed God, Abram is still asking questions. So, God established a covenant with Abram. Today, we would call this a binding contract. In Genesis 15:9-11, God tells Abram what to do for the covenant to be made. God was establishing His covenant through the sacrifice and cutting of animals. The covenant was official when both parties walked together in between the animal parts. We read in Genesis 15:12-16 though that Abram fell asleep, and the Lord spoke to Abram while he slept. God gave Abram His plan of how Abram’s descendants would eventually be in the land God had promised to Abram and them. Then we read in Genesis 15:17-21 how a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. God represented Himself with two symbols, a smoking oven, and a burning torch. God continued to reveal Himself with smoke, a cloud, or fire in other passages of the OT. Significantly, God established the covenant Himself, for only He passed through the middle of the sacrifices. The covenant could not fail because God can’t fail. The ultimate covenant was established through our Lord Jesus Christ through His sacrifice on the cross.
Challenge & Application
What did God teach you today about the way He establishes covenants?
How has the covenant God made with you, through our Lord Jesus Christ, changed the way you live each day now?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!