GENESIS   ● Chapter 15 A Shield and An Exceeding Great Reward Gen 15:1:  After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Some time after these events (recorded in the previous chapter) Yahweh appeared to Abram in a vision. Abram had been thinking of the things that happened to him since leaving his homeland; circumstances and anxiety about the future naturally arose in his mind. He might have feared a possible retaliation from the four eastern wicked Mesopotamian kings whom he was victorious; of what might become of him among wicked nations of Canaan’s descendants whose land he now dwelled; and most of all, the prospect of the promise of Yahweh being realized, that he should be a great nation in a promised land, possessing an innumerable posterity. Knowing Abram’s anxiety, the Lord called out to him, and addressed him by name to quell his fear. Yahweh assured Abram that He was his “shield”, that is, Yahweh was his Defender and Protector; and that He was also his “exceeding great reward”, that is, Yahweh Himself was wholly his ever increasing reward, not of things bestowed upon him, but of Himself, His Eternal Presence. What a great comforting assurance! Gen 15:2:  And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3:  And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. With assurance from Yahweh, Abram then opened his heart to the Lord. Without hesitation, Abram showed his feelings to the Lord, about his one deep desire. He spoke frankly, as if to say, “What good are all the blessings of possession, wealth and power, if I have not a son? You have given me no seed; and all that which I will receive from You, I can only give them to one of the members of my household, Eliezer, a faithful Damascene steward.” Gen 15:4:  And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5:  And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. Since the Lord called and chose Abram, He had been very personal with him, revealing His will and purpose to him (Gen.12:1-3; 13:14-16). Between them there was a special and profound relationship (cf. 2Chr.20:7). The forthrightness of Abram was not taken lightly. Yahweh heard his case. And, lo, in the evening, the Word of the Lord came again to reveal Himself to Abram. Yahweh told him that the man, Eliezer, would not be his heir, but one who would come forth from his own bowel, through the womb of his wife. Then, to authenticate what He had promised to Abram, the Word of the Lord brought him into the open night sky and requested him to look toward the heaven, illustrating how vast the number of Abram’s descendants would be. However, notice here that the Word of the Lord does not speak of natural Earthly seeds, but of spiritual Heavenly seeds; and there is even one up in the heaven that is called the Bright and Morning Star (Rev.22:16). Yahweh was still shaping Abram’s life. He was preparing Abram for what was to come; that he should hold firmly to His promise, chiefly of things spiritual, and not of things natural (cf. Gen:22:17; Heb.11:12). Gen 15:6:  And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Abram did not just believed in Yahweh, he believed Yahweh (cf. Jam.2:23; Rom.4:3); he did not just have faith in God, he had the faith of God. Abram had the revelation of the Living God. Yahweh regarded his faith, and imputed on him righteousness.  The Lord accepted him and Abram became a friend of God. [Note: It is one thing to believe in God and in His Words; it is another thing to believe God, for only God Himself can provide that faith, for not all could and would believe the Word (cf. Rom.10:16; Joh.5:47; 6:36,64; 10:38; 12:47). How true, therefore, are these words of the Lord when He said: “I...will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy” (Exo.33:19). To whom God will, He reveals Himself. The faithfulness of God is a reality (cf. Rom.3:3; Tit.1:1).] Gen 15:7:  And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. Time passed. Yahweh continued His dialogue with Abram. He had called Abram to be a father of multitudes of people; Yahweh reiterated to Abram that He brought him out of his homeland to give him the land, where he now dwelled, for an inheritance. It was to be his and his descendants’. Gen 15:8:  And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? “Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” These words do not prove that Abram was in doubt of inheriting the land; rather he wanted to know the “how and when” he would come to inherit it; the “which and whatever” things towards the reality of it; and the “why” of the whole thing.   God’s Covenant with Abram Gen 15:9:  And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10:  And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. Yahweh drew up a covenant with Abram. He had already given him His Words; but now He was to seal it with a blood covenant, a solemn act to fulfill the promises already made. Yahweh was entering into a far sweeter and closer union with Abram than He had before. To “make a covenant” is beyond “establish a covenant” with a token (cf. Gen.6:18; 9:9,11-13). The phrase “made a covenant” (cf. verse 18) specifically expresses a cutting off of the flesh; it speaks of destruction, consummation; blood is involved. To seal His covenant with Abram, Yahweh condescended to the use of the Chaldean custom, which is believed to be one of the first and oldest traditions practiced among man, and of which Abram was well acquainted with since he was from that region. On God’s term, Abram was to bring a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon. Literally, the Lord God cut a covenant – a Blood Covenant – with Abram. [Note: Blood Covenant, when established, binds two friends (and even their clans) together for life. Each friend was responsible to the other in time of crisis when a life could be saved. It was a contract that cannot be broken without dire consequences for blessings and curses were included in it. As the covenant was so named, blood from the forearm, or palm, of the two parties were drawn for the signing with the wounds joined together as blood flowed making the blood one. After this, the two friends exchanged certain portions of their belongings, even their names. (It was much later, when Abram was ninety-nine years old, that Yahweh reaffirmed and established his covenant, that He gave a portion of His Name to Abram, changing it to Abraham. Yahweh יהוה gave Abram אברם His HEI ה and changed his name to Abraham אברהם.) The ceremony then concluded with an animal killed and split entirely into two halves. The two halves were laid side by side and the two friends walked between them as a sign that they walked in one blood. See Jer.34:18-20.] Notice that God chose to use in His blood covenant, a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old she-goat and a three-year-old ram; and the two birds were a turtledove and a young pigeon. These animals and birds were later instituted into the worship and atoning sacrifices of the children of Israel, both rich and poor (Lev.5:7-10). The blood covenant of the Lord with Abram consisted of three three-year-old animals, well aged in years, fully matured, very strong and very fruitful. Surely, the Lord’s covenant is steadfast, strong and rewarding. The significance of the number 3 in the Sacred Scripture is that of divine completeness. The three three-year-old animals testifies of a complete perfect work that God would do for Abram and all his seed after him. It is Yahweh’s divine seal; and together with the two birds (which the number 2 signifies a witness; and the birds, tenderness, love and peace), numbering 5 in all (which the number 5 speaks of grace); the blood covenant was in all a perfect act of free grace on the part of a sovereign God. With only the animals divided into two halves, Abram laid the two halves of each animal opposite each other on the ground in two rows, with a walking space between them. In the two rows, Abram laid the uncut dove and pigeon, one opposite the other. Then Abram waited for the Lord to come and sign the contract. Yahweh will do so, delightfully and appropriately, in His Own time (Ecc.3:9-15). Gen 15:11:  And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. While Abram patiently waited, birds of prey started gathering and circling in the sky above. The ravenous birds of prey started swooping down upon the carcasses; Abram began chasing them away. This battle of keeping the unclean birds from pecking at the carcasses and devouring them lasted till the sun set. What we see here is the enemies coming to frustrate the very elect of Yahweh. Abram was contending for the Faith that was given to him – fighting a good fight to have his posterity protected and delivered out of the hands of the enemies. Abram believed God, and he showed his Faith by his works, no matter what annoyance may come to beset him. Truly Faith without works is dead (cf. Jam.2:14-26). He had to keep the Faith till the Lord came to sign the covenant. Gen 15:12:  And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13:  And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14:  And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15:  And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16:  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. As the sun began to set, Abram, being tired, fell into a trance. He was weighed down by a great dreadful darkness. And in the darkness of misery, a horrible and terrible prophetic revelation was revealed to him concerning his seed. His descendants would be strangers in a foreign land and they would be oppressed for 400 years. Abram’s seed, Isaac, brought forth Jacob, and Jacob (whose name was later changed to Israel) brought forth twelve sons that formed the twelve tribes of the nation, Israel. All these dwelled in the land of Canaan; land long settled by the descendants of Canaan, the bastard son of Ham’s incestuous act with his mother. Due to the hostilities of such wicked and idolatrous people, Abram’s seed lived in tents, moving from place to place, until a famine drove them into another foreign land – Egypt, whose people also descended from one of Ham’s sons, Mizraim (Gen.10:6). This is “that nation” that God would judge, and afterward bring them out with great riches, for Egypt did put the children of Israel in great servitude. [Note: The promise to Abram was 430 years before the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt (cf. Exo.12:40-42; Gal.3:17). Abram’s seed, Isaac, therefore, was born 30 years after Yahweh first called Abram when he was in Ur of Chaldea (cf. Acts 7:2-4). Abram was then 70 years old. Abram must have related his spiritual experience to his father, Terah, who then moved his family out of Ur with the intention of going to Canaan, but found themselves dwelling in Haran. Perhaps because the aging Terah was exhausted by the length and difficulty of the journey. Five years later, after his father’s death, Abram was again called by the Lord, not just to leave his country and kindred, but also his father’s house, to a land that He would show him (cf. Gen.12:1-5).] Abram’s descendants could not inherit the land of Canaan because “the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full”. The name Amorites is used here as the common name of all the inhabitants of Canaan, being that they were the most powerful tribe of the Canaanites; and Abram was living amongst them, some of whom were decent (cf. Gen.14:13; 15:21; Exo.23:23; 34:11; Deu.1:20; Jos.5:1). Yahweh knows the spirit of all mankind and their principle of living, He will extirpate the wicked according to His time. In Abram’s day, the detestable sins of the Amorites and all the other Canaanites had not yet filled their cups to a point where they warranted Yahweh’s judgment. It was 400 years after Isaac, when his descendants left Egypt, that “the iniquity of the Amorites” was full. [Note: There were “seventy souls” of Israel who went down into Egypt (Gen.46:27; Exo.1:5). There they lived peacefully and prosperously. As their number increased over the years, a fearful pharaoh, who never knew Joseph and the works he had done for Egypt, put them to servitude. In the “fourth generation” in Egypt, Moses and Aaron were born (of Amram, a son of Kohath, a son of Levi). The mighty hand of God anointed Moses to lead Abram’s descendants out of Egypt to (where Abram was dwelling) the land of Canaan. However, it was with Joshua and Caleb, that the descendants of Abram conquered the land. Yahweh later warned Israel not to think that it was because of their righteousness that He brought them to the land of Canaan, He promised to Abraham, but His divine judgment that needed be poured out upon the wicked and idolatrous nations of Canaanites in the land (cf. Deu.9:4-8; Jos.24:8).] The Lord also enlightened Abram that he would live to a good old age, and that he would pass over peacefully to be with his fore fathers before him. Gen 15:17:  And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. When the sun went down below the horizon, and twilight was gone, the day became dark. In the threatening darkness, “a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp” suddenly appeared and passed between the pieces of the animals. The “smoking furnace” (smoking fire pot) symbolizes the smoke of wrath and destruction. When an object is burnt, smoke builds up. The “burning lamp” (flaming torch) signifies the light of salvation and life. Both these objects show the divine presence of a Holy God; a God of Life and Death, the characteristic of Yahweh’s self-revelation of His divine nature. These two elements of “fire” and “smoke” would later manifest among Abram’s descendants as the Pillar of Fire and Cloud (Exo.20:21; Deu.5:22-23). Yes, the same Yahweh is dread to some, and joy to others; darkness and hell to some, and light and heaven to others. The sealing of a covenant required both parties to pass between the animal pieces. However, only Yahweh passed through them. The covenant is His covenant, an unconditional covenant. Yahweh made sure that Abram stayed in his “deep sleep” only to witness it – “a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces”. With Yahweh, His gracious dealings with men are always one-sided; He does not ask for any oath or gift from us. He gives what He will and requires nothing from us except to embrace His promises. That is His grace, even to the extent that He condescended to manifest in human form for the salvation of mankind. His covenant was thus, fulfilled in Christ, the Lamb Who endured the dreadful outpouring of Divine wrath against sin on Calvary, 2000 years later.  The Lord God cannot lie for He is faithful; His promises and vows are unchangeable (Heb.6:18; 10:23). He binds Himself to His Own Word; He binds Himself to His Own Covenant. Gen 15:18:  In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: So, Yahweh sealed His promise to Abram with a covenant. The Abrahamic covenant, as is commonly known, began with the Lord’s promise to Abram; that he was to leave the land of his nativity, Ur of the Chaldees, to go down to the land of Canaan; a land that he could not call his own. Abram had no children, but the Lord God promised him a seed, and the land would be his and his seed, and his descendants after him (Acts 7; Gen.12). It was many years later (as recorded in this chapter), that Yahweh sealed His promise with a covenant, giving Abram a prophetic vision of the dark time his descendants would face, before they would possess the land. He then revealed to Abram the dimensions of the land. “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:” the land of — Gen 15:19:  The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20:  And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21:  And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites. ~~~~~~~ ● Chapter 16