Walk in the Bible - Genesis 15

Genesis 15

In verse 1 we see GOD coming to Abram in a vision. Chizkuni reminds us that the same thing would happen to Jacob in Genesis 34:30 after Jacob and his sons fought and defeated the Shechemites. Even though Abram had been victorious in battle, he still worried that other tribes would come after him to avenge the army that he and his people had defeated. GOD lets him know this won't happen, that HE HIMSELF will protect him against that happening. This is backed up the first words GOD says to Abram.

 

  GOD further tells him his reward will be great, and Abram, the man who had just defeated army much larger than the amount of men he had with him at the time, likely fresh from the battle and not thinking too clearly essentially asks GOD what good that reward would do him since he had no child to inherit it and keep it in his house. Because that was true at this time, he believed that Eliezer, his stewart, would possess all of the rewards GOD had promised him. Now, remeber that GOD has promised him a son in Genesis 12:7, and HE promised him his descendants would get the land of Canaan.  Abram was worried that he still hadn't had that child and he was getting older, and he thought that even if he had one, the child wouldn't be old enough to take over his house when he died, and that his stewart, Eliezer, would get what we'd call power of attorney and simply take over the household and inhert all of Abram's rewards. 

Verse 4 shows GOD answering Abram almost as soon as he finished speaking and GOD tells him in no uncertain terms that his stewart will not be his heir, but his own son. Not only that, but his son would get his inheritance directly from Abram himself (which we do see in Genesis 25: 5-6!).  GOD takes it even further than that, he brings 

Abram out of his tent, now scripture shows us GOD telling Abram to look towards heavan and count the stars. Rabbeinu Bahya points out that it wasn't yet dark , and in fact, HE brought Abram up to a point above the stars so that we was looking down. Matthew Poole's commentary seems to agree that the stars weren't out yet as it observes that the sun wasn't going to go down until Genesis 15:12!

 Remember the Christmas story and how the Magi knew of JESUS's birth because they saw a great sign in the sky that foretold it?  Astrology wasn't new even in their time, remember too that Abram was from a pagan village so he very likely grew up with a belief that the stars foretold things about you.  With GOD bringing him to a point above the stars and having him look down on them and further telling him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky, HE was also telling Abram to not put any more dependance on what the stars said, GOD was above the stars - after all he made them, we saw this in Genesis 1!  Further, the Talmudic Statement in Shabbat 156 states that the Jewish people aren't dependant on any stars  or planets at all. A midrash on the end of the Song of Solomon (also known as Song of Songs) agrees with this!

  Abram believed this promise, verse 6 tells us as much.  Abraham considered this a vow, and according Or HaChaim who, himself, refers back to the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 6) when someone makes a vow to, say, give chartity to a cause, at that moment, it's as if it's already been done.  That's exactly how Abram considered GOD's promise that he'd have a son. Yes, I realize, at this point GOD doesn't say "son", but remember, in this day and age, your son was the only person who 

could inherit your house, your daughter or your wife couldn't, so a son was understood in GOD's promise to Abram!

GOD assures him again that HE will be his shield, after all, HE reminds him, HE did bring him out of Ur to claim this land. Remember how GOD gave Abram a vow that he'd have a son?  Abram was looking for something similar from GOD in Verse 8. Now we all know the word of GOD is rock solid, but just like Abram, sometimes we need someting we understand as undeniable proof or " a sign from GOD". This is what Abram was asking from GOD.

  GOD certainly didn't have to give Abram a sign, HIS word was enough, but because he cared about Abram, he communicated this promise to him in away that he would understand as binding. In Abram's time, when a promise was made, one of the ways a binding promise was made was that animals would be cut in half and one at a time, 

each person would walk between the animals and make their vow, when both were done, the animals were burned, in effect saying "If I break my vow, may I burn like these animals are burning now".  GOD told Abram to get him a heifer, a she goat, a ram, a turtle dove and a young pigeon. Radak reminds us that the first three animals were deliberately chosen to show that the Jewish people would be exiled three times from their land, not only that, the animals also revealed who their opressor would be! 

 The first exile would be Egypt. Jeremiah 46:20 calls Egypt "the heifer" (notice this is also the first animal requested ), the she-goat represents the Greeks ( Daniel refers to them as such in Daniel 8:8) and the ram represents

the Persian-Medes.  The two birds are reminders not to serve other gods. The turtle dove and the pigeon were known not to mate with any other bird once their mate died. This was taken as a symbolic meaning not to serve other gods ever.

     Notice , in verse 10 that Abram divides all the animals except the birds? GOD would later on command that the birds not be divided in Leviticus 1:17. Some commentators, like Rabeinu Bahya state that the animals were cut in half to show that the nations they represented were to be cut off from GOD, but Israel, which was represented by the two birds, would not be.   Notice too that in verse 11 it shows Abram driving the birds away from his sacrifice?

You'd think that would be normal activity, so why devote a seperate verse to it? Some commentators, like Rambam state that 

this was symbolic - that it hinting that other nations would try to put an end to the nation of Israel's offerings to GOD, but that Abram's descendants would drive them away. Rabbeinu Bahya says as much in his commentary too!

We see in verse 12 that Abram went to sleep when the sun finally set and he felt such fear that he felt like the fear was going to literally consume him. GOD then tells him that his descendants would be in a land not theirs and  becomes slaves for 400 years.  Most scholars and Torah commentators belive this is describing Egypt.  Rashi makes

an interesting comment about verse 15 where Abram's told that he'll live good and long and he'll be able to go to his father when he passes on.  Abram's father was a pagan and Rashi believes that at sometime during his life Abram's father repented, Radak dismissis this based on  2nd Chronicles 34:28 where Judah is told that he'll go to 

his father as well, even though his father died unrepentant. 

    He further tells Abram that the fourth generation of his descendants will return to this land. Now, Rashi and Nachmanides disagre on what the "fourth generation" actually means. Rashi believes the fourth generation is the fourth generation after Judah, Rashi says it's the fourth generation of the Emorites. He bases this on GOD's promise  to visit the iniquity of the father to their children up to the third and fourth generation. At this point, GOD HIMSELF passes between the pieces of the offering as a flaming torch and he makes a vow

to Abram that he has indeed given the land to Abram's descendants. Now notice, only GOD walks between the pieces, not Abram. Only GOD says his vow, not Abram and only GOD, presumably lit the pieces on fire. As I mentioned before this was a symbolic way of saying "If I break this promise, may I become like the animals which are cut in half and burned here now".  We have an example of this happening in Jeremiah 34:18-22.

He even mentions that a covenant had been made and had been broken by them!

In many ways Abram is like us. We have a victory, but in the midst of that victory is uncertainty. I know early in my sobriety it sure felt that way!  "I stayed sober today, but will I stay sober tommorow, or will I just decide to chuck it and have a drink?"  GOD makes it very clear that if we rely on him, he won't fail us,even if the darkness is so great we think it might fall and crush us, even if we're struggling with life and death, even if we have enemies all around us, GOD will not fail us, ever! Just like he had a plan for Abram, he has a plan for us too. Just like he had a place for Abram, he has a place for us too, set aside specifically for us!  JESUS said as much in John 14:1-3.

Do YOU know that place?  Do you have doubts that there could be such a place for you?  If you do, reach out to me by email. I'd love to talk to you, and as always, no one's going to try to get you to send a contribution...ever...I do this in my spare time and I have a job so I certainly don't need further income! So, feel free to email me, I'd love to hear from you!