“Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘Look up at the sky and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.’ Then He said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (v4-6 abr) This is a straightforward promise from God, and when Abram believes it, his faith was considered righteousness.
“He also said to him, ‘I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.’ But Abram said, ‘Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?’ So the Lord said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates – the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.’ ” (v8-10,17-20)
I didn’t have any idea what that ritual meant, so I had to look it up. This practice of cutting animals in half, and then passing between the halves was how they used to sign contracts. The two parties would walk through the remains, discussing the terms of the agreement, signifying that if either party broke the terms, they and their animals would be rendered asunder for the breach – it was a form of blood oath. A little morbid perhaps, but I guess it really added weight to the agreement (unlike disposable contracts in modern times…).
The interesting part is the here is the symbolism of how the contract was signed – God used a smoking firepot (oven) and a torch – symbols of smoke and fire, which are symbols of the presence of God. God used smoke on Mount Sinai (Ex 19:18) and in the pillar of cloud (Ex 13:21-22). God represent Himself with fire at the burning bush (Ex 3:4) and in the pillar of fire (Ex 13:21-22). God was fully present in this agreement.
The other major significance in the signing of this contract was God alone signed it – Abram simply watched while God’s presence walked through the contract, and spelled out the terms. God alone signed this contract, putting His own word on the line, just as He later steps through the broken body of Jesus to offer us salvation. If God alone signs the contract, then there is nothing that we as people could do to breach the contract (since we never signed it), nor is there anything we could do to fulfill the contract (since it’s all contingent on God), except believe in God’s promise to uphold His word.
My prayer for today is that I learn to lean into the promises of God, taking them as truth, knowing that God always keeps His word. Father may you please teach me to never doubt you, even when the promises are beyond my imagination and understanding. I wish to have faith that is credited to me as righteousness, just as Abram did.
Be strong and courageous this weekend, knowing that our God keeps His word, and He will never leave or forsake us. (Deu 31:6 par).
~ Conqueror in Training