Devotionals: Genesis 15

<This is an excerpt from our devotional book for our current series through Genesis. Each book contains daily devotions and questions for reflection. For a free copy of our devotional books please visit our connect desk on Sundays.>

Genesis 15:12-18

“As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. …When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,”

In the day of Abram, it was a custom that when two parties desired to enter into a covenant, they would lay out halves of a sacrificial animal, and then both parties would walk between the halves. The meaning of this symbolic act was so that both parties could publicly proclaim that “may my fate be the same as this animal if I fail to honor my part of the covenant” (Jer 34:18).

However, that is not what we see in Genesis 15:12-18. We only see one party to the covenant pass through the halves. God, represented by the smoking pot and flaming torch, alone passes through the halves while Abram sleeps. God declares that he alone will ensure that the covenant will be fulfilled, and he does so dramatically by inviting judgment upon himself if he fails to uphold the covenant. God is saying here as firmly as he can that he will unilaterally uphold his promise to Abraham and see it accomplished.

By doing so, God is saying in this passage that his promise to Abram and his offspring is not conditional, but absolute. In a conditional promise, you say “If you do X then I will do Y,” the implication being that if you do not do X then I will not do Y (e.g. “if you mow my lawn I will pay you wages”). Instead, God said “To your offspring I give this land…”, his promise was a free gift of mercy and not a reward for successful performance by the other party. It was grace, not wages (Rom 4:3-5).

This is how God worked from the beginning and how God continues to work today. If you are in Christ he says to us: “…he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6) and again, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32).

Reflection Questions:

Do you act like God's promises rely on your obedience? In light of that, how can you preach the gospel to yourself and others?

How does God's promise of grace give you assurance and freedom? How can you share that with others?

There is both obedience out of fear, such as the obedience of the Pharisees, as well as obedience from grace and love seen in a son or daughter. What type of obedience do you practice?