Genesis 15

S - Gen 15
O -
This is truly an amazing chapter.
Right from verse 1 God is there with Abram leading him down the right path.
1 After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." 


That he said "Do not be afraid" shows what a loving and caring God he is. He is our shield too. (Shield referring to "king" or "sovereign") He is definitely not randomly here and there. He is always here for us, and forever more (hahaha).
Funny thing though, Abram asks God "what can you give me" (v2). Abram is bordering on whinging to God about his "reward". He wants an heir to his estate and the wealth God's blessed him with.
God is very clever (duh) and he does the show not tell thing which he does quite often in the bible


5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
Wow!!!! It's like "Here, count the stars. Can't count them, right? Your offspring (the thing you were whinging about not having) I will give you so many you can't count them."
And Abram the whinger, give him credit for this
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 


Abram is really a model believer. Sure he can whinge (we all do) but when it comes down to it, God says - he has faith. 
Also, because it is a two-way relationship, God believes Abram can establish this covenant. He chose him for it and has total confidence in him.
Study bible (henceforth referred to as SB) notes: Abram is the "father of all who believe" (Romans 4:11) and this verse is the first specific reference to faith in God's promises. It also teaches that God graciously responds to a man's faith by crediting righteousness to him.


 7 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."
God speaks again, a God of authority. He has already brought Abram through some crises, so Abram would know the sovereignty of the Lord.
SB: Ancient royal covenants often began with 1) self identification of the king and 2) brief historical prologue.


8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" 9 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."


17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 
As in the OT, sacrifices were still required. 
SB: Smoking firepot with blazing torch symbolizes the presence of God. The practice in ancient times to solemnize a covenant - signifies an oath - "may it be so done to me if I do not keep my oath and pledge". God assures him regarding the land.


13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure." 


SB: God is patient in his judgement.


18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates-- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."


It's amazing that God wants to establish this covenant which entitles a bunch of very sinful people to the promised land. Sometimes God's plans we can't understand...


A - I feel that God establishing a covenant with Abram can be compared to God calling us to do things for his ministry. He calls, he provides a path, reassures, and promises that we'll get there. It's not just him ordering us around; it's really loving, much like a father would guide his children, except that this father we're speaking of is sovereign.


P - Respond in obedience to God's calling. We can have complete faith in him because he is in total control. May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.