God's Covenant with Abram
- Estefanie Ithier
- Jul 27, 2020
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 31, 2020
Sometimes, when I read the Bible, God will add on to what I read through sermons. He actually does this a lot and I love it. One day, I will have read one thing and the next day, or a few days later, I will hear a sermon that deals with exactly the same topic that I read about. It’s a little weird, I’ll admit, because I don’t actively seek out sermons that match what I am reading in the Bible. In fact, I let YouTube “choose” my sermons. When I open the app, my home screen automatically includes suggestions for me to watch. My home screen contains almost all sermons because that is mostly what I listen to when using YouTube. I tend to click on whatever the first suggestion is and listen. The fact that I’ve continually heard sermons related to topics I’ve recently read in the Bible just proves that He is trying to speak to us, we just need to be listening.
What I’ve written below, is an example of this happening. I had recently read Genesis 15 and soon after, listened to a sermon by Bishop T.D. Jakes titled “The Anchor.” Since the purpose of this blog is to share what I learn as I read the Bible, I am doing just that by combining what I learned from reading Genesis 15 and listening to Bishop T.D. Jakes’ sermon. I should note that when I read the Bible, I also read The Enduring Word Bible Commentary because I don’t always understand what I’m reading. This commentary has been so useful because I’ve been able to get more out of reading God’s word.
In Genesis 15, we see a conversation take place between God and Abram. Abram expresses doubt about God’s promise for descendants. We see this in Genesis 15:2-3 where Abram asks, “O Sovereign Lord, What good are all your blessings when I don’t even have a son? Since you’ve given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth. You have given me no descendants of my own, so one of my servants will be my heir.” Basically, Abram is asking God why he has not yet received that which was promised to him. If we continue reading, we will see that God reassures Abram of His promise. Abram, though, wants a sign of this promise. In Genesis 15:8, Abram asks, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?”
God responds by having Abram prepare a contract for signing. At that time, a contract ceremony involved cutting the sacrificial animals in half and laying the sides down on opposite ends. The two parties signing the contract would walk down the middle of the split animals to sign the contract. Abram prepares for the signing of the contract (Genesis 15:9-11) and waits for God to arrive. While Abram waits for God to come down to sign the contract (remember, both parties walk through the pathway of the split animals to sign), he falls asleep. Then, “After the sun went down and darkness fell, Abram saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch pass between the halves of the carcasses” (Genesis 15:17). The smoking firepot and the flaming torch are symbols of God. The fact that God walked through the halves of the carcasses on his own is significant. God was saying that he did not need Abram nor did he require Abram to do anything to ensure the fulfillment of this promise. God would fulfill his promise because of who He is.
The meaning of this action is further explained in Hebrews 6:13, “For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name.” Bishop T.D. Jakes explained in his sermon that when we make an oath or enter into a contract, we always swear by something greater than ourselves. He used the example of a home loan. When the bank signs the contract with us, we swear by something greater than ourselves (the house) to pay the debt. If we fail to pay our debt, the bank will take our home. When God signed the oath with Abram, He signed it in His own name for there is no one greater than God.
Something else of importance that we should note is that God didn’t need to walk through the carcasses to confirm his oath. He did that for our benefit. “God also bound himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change his mind” (Hebrews 6:17). Notice how the verse clearly states that God made the oath “so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure.” He made the oath for our own peace of mind and reassurance. God is so gracious that He not only makes covenants with us, He confirms them to us using our human customs.
I praise God because there is no one greater than God and we can trust Him to uphold His word because of who He is. This means that we can be sure that He will fulfill all of the promises He has given us!
Sources:
Butler, Joshua. "The God Who Walks Alone." In Touch Ministries, 23 Feb. 2018.
"Genesis 15-God Confirms the Covenant with Abram." Enduring Word,
Jakes, T.D. "The Anchor." YouTube. 1 July 2020.
Beautiful. It’s just wonderful to remember who God is and how He remains unchanged ❤️