READ: Gen. 15:7-21: … And he said, ‘Lord God, how shall I know that I will inherit it?’ … Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers … But in the fourth generation they shall return here, … And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram …
The LORD now begins to speak about the land that He gives to Abram as an inheritance. He reminds Abram of how He led him out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give him Canaan. The LORD will also fulfill that promise.
Once again, Abram asks for a sign, primarily to strengthen his faith. The LORD responds by confirming His promise with an oath (Heb. 6:17). He swears by Himself. The LORD makes this clear by entering into a covenant in a visible way. Three three-year-old animals are brought as instructed by the LORD and divided into two parts, along with some doves. They are placed opposite each other in the field with a path in between. The meaning is: just as these pieces belong together, so certain is the word of the covenant!
At the end of the day, Abram falls into a deep sleep. The LORD then wakes Abram to tell him something about the fulfillment of his promise: Abram himself will not witness his descendants going to a foreign land where they will be oppressed for 400 years. Then the LORD will deliver them and let them depart with great possessions, and in the fourth generation, they will return to Canaan. This can only happen when the sin of the Amorites is complete.
When the LORD finishes speaking and the sun has set, Abram sees a smoking oven and a burning torch passing through the pieces. It resembles God’s appearance at Horeb. God is affirming His covenant promises! He does it unilaterally. He swears by Himself and establishes a covenant with Abram, with the boundaries of the promised land firmly established. What assurance Abram receives!
How certain are we of God’s covenant promises?
Singing: Ps. 105:6