For people swear by something greater than themselves, and the oath serves as a confirmation to end all dispute. In the same way God wanted to demonstrate more clearly to the heirs of the promise that his purpose was unchangeable, and so he intervened with an oath, so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.
Hebrews 6:16-18
Covenants are not universally understood today. In Abraham’s culture they were common ways to make peace and reinforce the severity of breaking sworn promises. A covenant is a solemn binding agreement, involving sworn promises before God. Some covenants are primarily treaties between tribes or nations with severe consequences when broken. Marriage is a covenant bound by serious oaths.
Covenants throughout the Bible range from peace treaties to promises between God and his people. Archeologists have discovered typical patterns for covenants of that period, and the wording and order of many biblical covenants use a similar structure.
In his grace God himself initiates covenants with people. You may remember the Noahic covenant which came after the flood (Genesis 9:8-17). The most well-known Old Testament covenant was the Law given through Moses. The verses from Hebrews above reference the covenant that we’re studying this week. They indicate that God made covenants for our sakes. Since he cannot lie, he doesn’t need to swear. But he does so to assure us of his unchanging promises.
Although an individual such as Noah or Abraham enters a covenant with God, its promises and conditions extend to their nation or descendants. As Christians we are people of the New Covenant, which was instituted by Jesus’ death on the cross (Matt. 26:26-29).
Part One
So far we have seen God make promises to Abram: the land, the people, and the blessing (Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-17.) But there is no record of an actual covenant between them until Genesis 15.
Read Genesis 15:1-6.
*** Read about another God-initiated covenant with Noah in Genesis 9:8-17, and consider what you learn about God through it.
Write down your response to the story:
- Consider God’s description of himself here and how Abram has already experienced God that way—even in the previous story. How does that picture of God connect to Abram’s experiences with God and the promises God has given him?
- Why do you think Abram would mention his lack of an heir at this point, and what does this reveal about his relationship with and faith in God?
- How do you see Abram’s refusal to become ruler and take the spoils in the previous story in Genesis 14 connect to this story?
Part Two
Centuries after God appeared to Abram in a vision in Genesis 15, some Jewish believers in the early church were teaching that Christians were required to obey the Old Testament Mosaic Law to be in right relationship to God. They said that it wasn’t enough to believe that Jesus is God come to earth as man to die in our place for our sins and be resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:1-8). They said it was faith + works that makes people right with God. To refute them, Paul used this story in Genesis to prove that just like Abraham, we are made right with God based on our faith alone, not on our obedience or good works, which fall very short of God’s perfection.
Reread Genesis 15:1-6, And Read Galatians 3:1-9.
*** Read Romans 4:1-12, another example of Paul’s using Abraham’s story to prove his point about how people receive right standing (righteousness) with God. Note your thoughts.
Righteousness is being right before God. It is something we cannot earn by living a good life because we fail every day at it. We do what we shouldn’t do and don’t do what we should.
We don’t love God with our whole hearts or our neighbors as ourselves. So being right with God has to come as God’s gift through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Since Galatians tells us that God preached the gospel to Abraham in saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed,” we know that the blessing came through Jesus, Abraham’s physical descendant whose love and mercy are available to the whole world. Because the Biblical revelation unfolds as the story progresses, Abraham doesn’t understand details about Jesus, but he does believe God’s promise of a blessing through his seed. Thus, he believes the gospel in seed form.
Our story describes the event when Abram’s faith made him right with God. Despite having already obeyed God by leaving home and following him to a new country, his faith was not yet mature, and he needed time and experience with God to be nourished to the point of faith in his promise to bless the world through him—a promise of the coming Messiah, Jesus.
Because the Bible is now complete, we have the joy and privilege of getting the entire story. The gospels allow us to watch Jesus in action and learn of his death on our behalf. What a wonderful and amazing God who would come and die for you and me!
Respond to the story, noting your thoughts:
- What does God reveal about himself and his relationship with you in this story and the related scriptures?
- Meditate on your own story of faith—of believing the gospel or good news about Jesus. If you are still on the journey to faith, honestly consider where you are with God and share with your small group or leader your questions or doubts. They didn’t always believe, either.
- What is God saying to you through this story?
Part Three
The story in Genesis 15 continues with the covenant ceremony between God and Abram. The Hebrew idiom used here literally means “to cut a covenant.” The seriousness of covenant promises required an animal sacrifice. Often, as here, the animal’s body was cut in half, and the parties walked between the pieces, calling on God to similarly kill them if they did not live up to their promises.
Read Genesis 15:7-21.
*** Read God’s commentary on this passage in Hebrews 6:13-20. Write down what it reveals about God and what it adds to the Genesis story.
Mentally picture this amazing scene: Abram kills five animals and lays the parts opposite each other. He falls into a deep sleep and is covered by great darkness before sunset. It’s a dark night without light other than stars and perhaps the moon. Then a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, symbolizing the presence of God, appear and move between the pieces of the animals. God cuts covenant with Abram and his descendants.
Consider the story in light of these questions:
- Carefully note what the text says, thinking about why God did this and what his making a covenant with man and his descendants reveals about him.
- Carefully read the promises involved in this covenant and who was responsible for them. What insights do you have?
- What is God saying to you about who he is and the certainty of his covenant with you through this story?
As believers in Jesus, we have entered a New Covenant based on God’s promises to Abraham because we become Abraham’s children through faith (Romans 4:13-17). It was enacted by the death of Christ (Mark 14:22-25). The Mosaic covenant, also called the Law, which was sworn between God and Israel centuries after the covenant with Abraham, became obsolete through the death of Christ (Hebrews 8:6-13), so we are not obligated to fulfill its ceremonial laws. Jesus has fulfilled all that the law requires for us.
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