Welcome!
Last time, we talked about God’s most treasured creation, Humanity. Even when Adam and Eve sinned and were separated from God, He still moved toward them, pursuing relationship with them. Today we will talk about Abraham, the man God chose to help carry out His plan for Humanity’s redemption, and Abraham’s covenant with God.
What is Covenant?
Covenant is not a practice we are familiar with today. The word “covenant” sounds mysterious. It conjures up images of wild adventures, daring treasure hunts, and maybe Indiana Jones on his search for the Ark of the Covenant. But in Biblical times, and still in some countries today, covenant was a common practice, a ritual understood by all cultures.
A covenant is a sacred, binding, unbreakable agreement between two parties. The Hebrew word for covenant, “berith,” literally means “to cut a covenant.” The cutting part referred to the shedding of blood.*
Covenants were made for different reasons: Friendship, alliances between tribes or nations, marriage, and others. By entering into a covenant, each member was saying, “We are one. What belongs to me, belongs to you. What belongs to you, belongs to me. Whatever I ask of you, I will also do for you. Whatever you ask of me, you will also do for me.” Most covenant ceremonies involved the shedding of blood, either of animals, humans, or both. It was important there was a permanent mark each party carried in their bodies as a reminder of their vows.
When God Came Near
In Genesis 15, God, The Creator of the Universe, makes a covenant with Abraham, a human being. At this point, God has already been talking to Abraham for several years. He has been directing Abraham and promising He would make him a great nation and give him a land He would show him. (Gen. 12:1,2,7)
When we first start following Abraham, we see each time God speaks to him, he responds with an action. (Gen. 12-14) But now, several years later, Abraham starts to feel a little desperate. He doesn’t have any kids and he’s still a nomad, with no land to call his own. He asks God, “What can You give me when I don’t have a son to inherit it?” and “How can I know I will own this land You’ve been promising me?”
Now God acts.
God cuts a covenant with Abraham.
God tells Abraham, “Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” (Gen. 15:9 NIV) Abraham, being a man of covenant, knows this is for a covenant ceremony. He brings the animals, cuts them in two, and lays them across from each other. He leaves the birds whole and lays them across from each other.
Abraham’s Covenant with God
If this covenant had been between two men, the next step would have been to walk between the pieces of animals and make vows to each other. They would have ended with pointing at the animals and saying something like, “May God cut me in two, just like these animals, if I ever try to break my vows.”
But this is a covenant with God.
The Living God, The God of the Universe, The Creator of All Things – The Creator of Abraham – is entering into a sacred, unbreakable covenant with a mortal man.
When the animals are ready, God puts Abraham into a deep sleep because- let’s face it- a mortal man doesn’t have anything of value to offer The God of the Universe.
While Abraham is in this state, he sees a smoking firepot and a blazing torch pass between the pieces of the animals. He hears God tell him that He will give his descendants the land stretching from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates. (Gen. 15:12,17,18)
Abraham knows now, without a shadow of a doubt, that he is in covenant- a sacred, binding, unbreakable agreement- with The God of the Universe.
Abraham knows God will keep His Word.
The Main Point
God, The Creator of All Things, came down to Earth and made a covenant with Abraham, one of His creations. This action told Abraham he could trust God to keep His promises. What’s more, by making the covenant, God was telling Abraham, “Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine.”
This week, read Genesis 15 and picture yourself in the desert with Abraham, as the covenant ceremony unfolds. Imagine what it would be like to have God speak to you the way He spoke to Abraham, and cut a covenant with you. A sacred, binding, unbreakable agreement with you! What would that be like?
Let’s connect! Leave me a comment below!
*If you would like to learn more about Biblical covenants, I recommend checking out Dr. Richard Booker’s website. He has studied covenant for many years and written several books on the topic. Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with Dr. Booker or his work.