V. The Abrahamic Covenant

V. The Abrahamic Covenant Theme: 29-Jun-03 Genesis 15:1-21 Duguid Chapter 5 Abram faith is the basis of his salvation, not his works; God seals His covenant with Abram with a self-maledictory oath; this oath is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Key Verse: Genesis 15:6 And he [Abram] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Review Las week, we looked at Genesis 14, where we had the battle of the 4 Mesopotamian kings vs. all the various peoples of the region, including the 5 kings of the Plain. Lot gets caught up in the action as collateral damage; perhaps he was being used as a human shield. In any events, Abraham defeats the confederation of kings, rescues Lot, and recovers the spoil. Upon his return, he has a most interesting encounter first with the King of Salem, and then the king of Sodom. Abram is presented a choice: will he accept the sacramental meal offered to him by Melchizedek and in response give a tithe to this king of righteousness & peace, or will he instead grab the goods offered to him by the wicked king of Sodom. Abram could have taken ownership of the land then and there; he had won it by right of conquest. Instead, he gives everything away, tithes to the priest of God, and humbly waits upon God to give him the promised inheritance. So, we see that Abram places right worship of God, including sacraments and tithing, above taking dominion of the land. That s the proper order: worship first, then dominion. We need to sort out our priorities. We also saw how the Bible uses this brief appearance of the king-priest Melchizedek later in the Scriptures to prefigure Christ. Like Melchizedek, Christ is the king of righteousness and peace and is our superior high priest. The Levitical priesthood descended from Abraham was inferior it could not ultimately reconcile sinners with a holy God. A superior priesthood was needed. Christ is that priest after the order of Melchizedek who laid down his life once for sin and having risen, now ever lives to intercede for us. He is the fulfillment of everything that Melchizedek represented. And like Abram, we are to come before the Lord God Most High, possessor of Heaven and Earth, in reverential, sacramental, and sacrificial worship. Introduction Today, we have before us a most important chapter. Genesis 15:6 is one of the more quoted verses in the New Testament with respect to Abraham. We have God s word of promise and God s covenantal seal. Eveson & Jordan: In this chapter we are introduced to Abram s role as a prophet who received God s Word, a priest who prepared a sacrifice, and a king who was promised victory and much land. The purpose of the passage is o show that God would re-create the world and give it to the Seed of Abram. Jordan: This is a big covenant-making chapter. God makes a promise and swears by Himself to seal the oath. When we worship God we hear His Word of Promise in the Bible and then seal the promise with the Lord s Supper. The Sacraments recall the sacrifice of Christ. Here, God gives a promise and seals it with a revelation of the sacrifice of Christ. When we see what Christ, the Second Adam, has done, we know God has kept His word. Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 44 DSB 9-Sep-05

A. God s Word of Promise (15:1-6) 1. Abram s Fear (15:1) 2. Narrowing the Focus of the Seed (15:2-4) 3. The Seed and the Stars (15:5) 4. Abram s Faith (15:6) B. God s Seal of His Oath (15:7-21) 1. God and Abram (15:7-8) 2. The Sacrifice (15:9) 3. The Curse of the Covenant (15:10-11) 4. A New Beginning (15:12) 5. The Prophecy (15:13-16) 6. The Seal (15:17) 7. The Promise (15:18-21) A. God s Word of Promise (15:1-6) 1. Abram s Fear (15:1) Eveson: Abram s position as a prophet (as Gen. 20:7 calls him) is clearly emphasized in the divine visitation by the introductory phrase, The word of the Lord came to Abram (15:1; see also 15:4). This is a typical way of introducing revelation from God through the prophets (Jer. 1:4; Hos. 1:1). Jordan: Why does God come to Abram in a vision? In a vision, a man is caught up into heaven and participates in the heavenly council (e.g., Isaiah). Abram is later called a prophet one who is a heavenly council member. Abram interacts with God. What will you give me? How will I know? Later on we see this council at work more fully with the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Baldwin & Jordan: Up to this point, God promises Abram all the land. In Gen. 14, Chedorlaomer actually rules the land. Abram drives Chedorlaomer out, but in reality, Abram s 318 men were no match for Chedorlaomer. It had been all very well to win a surprise victory, but in doing so Abram had exposed himself to a hostile attack from kings who had proudly avenged the mere failure to pay taxes. He could expect fierce retaliation for his daring attack, and he was understandably afraid. So Abram is nervous, and God comes to him. God s word comes: Don t be afraid of Chedorlaomer. I will protect you. I am your shield. You didn t take the spoils from the King of Sodom, and because of that I will be your great reward. I will give you the Land, because of your patience. Though Abram cannot see God s shield covering him, he is to count on its presence and dismiss his fears. He will not be the loser, because he has trusted in the living God and put God s honor before his own. In Ezekiel 29:19 the word reward is used of a soldier s wage which would be taken from the spoils of battle. Abram is promised a prize far in excess of anything he might have gained by keeping all the enemy spoils for himself. 2. Narrowing the Focus of the Seed (15:2-4) Eveson, Duguid, & Jordan: Abram s question in response draws our attention to the central concern of the chapter God s delay in fulfilling His promise. Abram s reply in 15:2 is the cry of a man of faith who could not be satisfied with all God s blessings when one small but vital ingredient remained to be fulfilled. Abram began to fear that he would never see his promised Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 45 DSB 9-Sep-05

posterity, and that his present earthly portion would be all that he would ever receive from God. He hungered to see God s purpose and promises fulfilled. The question is, who is the heir of the promises made by God in 12:1-3 and 13:14-17? What good were all the promises concerning a great nation when he had no son? If God s promise of future seed was to be fulfilled, Abram figured that it would have to be in some other way than through Sarai. Eveson, Baldwin, & Jordan: Lot is disqualified since he is living in Sodom. Abram put forward the first of a number of ideas for solving the problem. One way out of the impasse would be to adopt Eliezer of Damascus as heir. After all, he was a member of his household, literally a son of my house. On his way from Haran, Abram s route would have taken him through the fertile plain of Damascus, an oasis where people have lived from time immemorial. This may have been the occasion when the parents of Eliezer became part of Abram s household. So, Eliezer is a converted Gentile in Abram s house. He might be the faithful servant Abraham later sends to find a wife for Isaac in Gen. 24. Eveson, Duguid: Up till now, God had not told Abram how he would have descendants. Abram s suggestion, therefore, must not be seen as displaying any lack of faith. An adopted son could have been the legal heir. However, Abram was not simply looking for an heir to whom he could leave what he had accumulated. Eliezer of Damascus would have served that purpose. He wanted to see God s purpose of blessing the whole world through him carried out. He was looking for the promised seed of Genesis 3:15, the one who would come and crush the serpent s head once and for all. As he responded in faith to God s calling, the promise was gradually becoming more detailed. Eveson, Duguid, & Jordan: God emphatically put an end to any idea of Eliezer as an adopted son and heir. His heir would not be a servant, nor even a distant relative like Lot, but rather a son from his own body. The heir is to come from Abram s body. There will be more heartsearching to come. Will the child be born to Sarai or not? Will it be Ishmael, the eldest born (Gen. 16)? No, it will be Isaac. So, the question of the Seed is still open, but it is narrowing to a seed from Abram s body. Also note that the Hebrew word for Seed is singular (cp. Gal. 3:15-17). 3. The Seed and the Stars (15:5) Eveson: God had told him he would have descendants as the dust of the earth (13:16). Now he is told that they will be like the stars in the sky (15:5). Later, they are compared to the sand on the seashore (22:17). This promise finds its ultimate fulfillment in the countless numbers who have looked to Jesus Christ for salvation. Abraham is the father of all those who believe (Rom. 4:11). Jordan: God asks Abram to count, tell, evaluate, number the stars. The Hebrew word used here has multiple meanings. The traditional interpretation is the vast multitude view. In this view, Abraham would have a vast number of descendents, a multitude (although this word is not in the text), but at the same time, the focus is on the one Seed Christ (cp. Gal. 3:16). Christ is associated with the star He is a bright light in a dark place star of the morning, star of Bethlehem, etc. Jordan: Alternately, there is a twelve constellations interpretation, which relies upon the view that stars are designed to be signs (cp. Gen. 1:14). God sets pictures in the sky and teaches them to men (perhaps Noah?). The twelve signs of the zodiac correspond to the twelve tribes of Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 46 DSB 9-Sep-05

Israel. In Genesis 49, the prophecy of Jacob seems to align with the zodiac. In this view, God shows Abram how the zodiac prefigures Christ: Christ is the Lion, Christ is the Bull who dies for the sin of the world, Christ is Hercules, the strong man or savior wrestling with the Serpent. All these are different aspects of Christ. So Abram evaluates all the aspects of the Seed, Christ. The symbolic aspects of the stars teach Abram that His seed will be the Messiah. Jordan: A more obscure interpretation is the earthly host view of Barnouin. The numbers in the Book of Numbers related to the motion of the heavenly bodies. Just as in heaven the planets are organized around the sun, so on earth the hosts of Israel are organized around God. The lives of the patriarchs in Genesis are also related to astral periods and represent a heavenly host. So Abram sees the astral symbolism of the early patriarchs and connects it to the stars, and thus learns that his Seed would be the captain of a new heavenly host the Church led by Jesus Christ. 4. Abram s Faith (15:6) Jordan: Regardless of how Abram evaluated the stars, he believed that God would bring through him the Savior of the world and would bring about a new creation. Abram believed that and learned it from the stars and God accounted it to him for righteousness. Eveson, Duguid, & Baldwin: Abram s response to the special revelation was that he believed in the Lord. This is the first occurrence of the word believe in the Bible and the one place in the Old Testament where faith is counted for righteousness. The Hebrew verb believe, from the same root as the word Amen, conveys the security of a faithful and established relationship. Abram s faith was a settled conviction that God would do what He had promised, no matter what. It was such faith alone that justified Abram. Baldwin: The incident highlights for us one of the main truths of the gospel, for faith is central to its message. Abram was helpless, so much so that the promise appeared to mock him. Yet his response was to look to the greatness of the One who had spoken and to accept that He took responsibility for the fulfillment of His promise. Faith rests on the fact that God is faithful, and when we take God at His word we prove for ourselves His faithfulness. Eveson, Duguid, & Baldwin: We can understand why this verse is quoted frequently in the New Testament (Rom. 4:3, 20-24; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23). Neither Moses, Paul, nor James teaches that the act of believing becomes a substitute for a lack of personal righteousness. Righteousness is not a reward for Abram s work of faith (Rom. 4:4-5). God reckons, or credits, this righteousness to him as a gift in response to Abram s trust in God s promise. Abram s faith is not to be seen as a work which God is pleased to treat as a righteous act, but as a reliance on God s promise concerning the Seed. It is the divine promise which is the important item. Abram s faith was in God s promised seed, and this was accounted to him for righteousness. Eveson & Jordan: It is on the same basis that we are justified today. That promised Seed is Jesus Christ. The Old Testament people of God looked forward to the coming of the promise; we look back on what Christ did for us on the cross. Because of our sin, we need the righteousness of Christ as our substitute, so God counts our faith in Christ as righteousness. We must all rely solely on Christ to put us right with God. Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 47 DSB 9-Sep-05

B. God s Seal of His Oath (15:7-21) 1. God and Abram (15:7-8) Baldwin & Jordan: The divine promise concerned both inheritance of the land and a son to succeed him. Already Abram had been reassured about the coming heir and his descendants; now the Lord makes a fifth affirmation of giving him the land (15:7). Verse 7 contains exodus language brought you out of Ur. Baldwin, Duguid, & Jordan: God s faithfulness was the foundation rock on which Abram could rely. However, unable to see how the Lord was going to give him the land, Abram asked for some evidence that history would work out according to God s word. This was not the request of unbelief, but of faith. Abram s question to God may seem brazen, but Abram is being faithful and exercising his privilege as a council member. When he asks how will he know, he is asking an experiential question. Knowledge in the Bible is experiential. Adam knew his wife. So, Abram is asking God here for a confirmatory seal to seal the promise made to him. He desired a token by which God would give him assurance of His promises. What he received was something breathtakingly awesome. 2. The Sacrifice (15:9) Jordan: The sacrifice consists of five animals: a heifer (cow that has not calved); a female goat; a ram male sheep; a turtledove; and a young pigeon. It is hard to know what is the significance of the five sacrifices. Five is the number of foundation or strength. It shows up in the Tabernacle; the host of Israel marches in ranks of 5; it is the strength of the hand. The number could signify that here is a new foundation of the world, of the kingdom of God. Certainly, this is a preview of all the sacrifices of God to come in the book of Leviticus. Jordan: The animals are three-years old. Three speaks of the theme of a new beginning. The third day is the day of judgment and resurrection. Here the idea seems to be of a new beginning. Jordan: The heifer (cow that has not calved) is a barren cow that connects up with Sarai. Perhaps the death of the heifer substitutes for Sarai, making it possible for her to conceive. 3. The Curse of the Covenant (15:10-11) Duguid: If we say Abram the king in the previous chapter and Abram the prophet earlier in this chapter, here we see Abram the priest getting all the necessary items ready for the covenant ceremony. Baldwin: Abram cut each of the sacrifices into two, and with the parts made two heaps. The Hebrew technical term to cut a covenant reflects this part of the ritual, with its inevitable shedding of blood (cp. Jer. 34:18-19). The ritual symbolized that death awaited the person who broke the covenant. Jordan: If you break God s law, you are to be ripped in two and devoured by the wild beasts and birds (e.g., Ahab and Jezebel; vultures eat dead armies in Rev. 19; cp. Jer. 34:18-20). Tearing garments is a sign of being torn in half if a promise is not kept. May the Lord do so to me and more if I don t keep my promise. This is called a self-maledictory oath you bring a curse on yourself if you do not fulfill your oath. Walking between the pieces of the torn animals says that if I break the covenant, may I be torn in two like these animals. The question is, who will walk between the animals and take on the curse? Abram cuts the animals in two and drives away the birds of prey in preparation for the oath taking. Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 48 DSB 9-Sep-05

4. A New Beginning (15:12) Jordan & Eveson: The setting of verse 12 takes us back to Gen. 1:2 formless, void, darkness over the surface of the deep. As the sun sets, it gets dark and a new day begins. During the darkness of the night, there is a Passover, a new creation. There is a transition from wrath to grace over night, so that a new day dawns. God changes things and creates a new world. There is fear here, because judgment must come on the old sinful world before the new creation can be born. Darkness, is also often associated with the divine glory cloud; it was a feature of God s presence at the time of the Exodus (Dt. 4:11). Eveson & Jordan:: The same deep sleep that descended on Adam before Eve was formed now fell on Adam (2:21). In addition, an awesome dread seized him as he found himself in the presence of the great, mysterious God. The deep sleep of Abram is a technical term for a state near death. People who go into deep sleep either die, or else God appears to them and gives them new life, as it were from the dead (cp. Ps. 76:6; Jdg. 4:21; Prov. 10:5: 19:15; Jon. 1:5-6; Dan. 8:18; 10:9; 1 Sam. 26:12; Job 4:13; 33:15; Gen. 2:21). 5. The Prophecy (15:13-16) Baldwin, Eveson: Abram is given and outline of the events that must take place before his descendants inherit the land. This special covenant ceremony depicts symbolically what would happen at the time of the exodus from Egypt. But the meaning of the symbolic actions is spelled out in the prophecy. The animals represented the Israelites, and the birds of prey represented the unclean Gentiles who would seek to afflict the people of God. Jordan: Just as Abram has gone into a deep sleep in a period of judgment where the animals are torn in half, so Abram s descendents will go into a deep sleep situation, where they are near to death and it seems they are torn in half. But before the birds can devour them, God will give them resurrection and bring them back out. Either the animals are put back together, or the birds will devour them these are similar ideas go down to deep sleep and either die or be raised. Jordan: God tells Abram that his descendents will go down into a land that is not theirs. First, the meaning is Canaan, and then the last 215 years in Egypt itself. They will be enslaved everything will get worse and worse and it will seem that everything has fallen apart as if they have fallen into a deep sleep and are being torn apart. God will bring them out of the deep sleep and put the pieces back together and give them the land. Jordan: Chronology: The 430 years of Exodus 12:40 begins when Abram enters Canaan from Haran. Canaan was under Egyptian domination in the South and Chedorlaomer s dominion in the North. Abram and his people were oppressed, to a greater or lesser degree, for 430 years. The 400 years of Genesis 15:13 begins when Ishmael starts to persecute Isaac. This is an intensification of the oppression. The four generations come to about 215 years, and begin when Jacob joins Joseph in Egypt. Exodus 6:16-20 makes it explicit that Moses was the fourth generation (Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses), fulfilling Genesis 15:16. Baldwin: In God s mastery of history the exodus from Egypt and the destruction of the Canaanites would be timed to coincide, and the Israelite invasion, which required of Joshua unusual courage, was in the outworking of God s justice. Israel could know that slavery in Egypt was no accident, and that it would come to an end in God s time. Jordan & Eveson: It can t happen yet because the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. Eventually, the Amorites will all have to be destroyed, like in the Flood, but not yet. The Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 49 DSB 9-Sep-05

iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete (15:16) reminds us that the invasion of Canaan by Israel under Joshua s leadership was not aggression but an act of justice. God is slow to anger and gives ample opportunity for people to repent. From this prophecy, Abram learned that delay and suffering are part of God s plant. It would be through suffering that God s people would enter into the inheritance. Abram also would learn that death is no barrier to peace and future blessing. 6. The Seal (15:17) Baldwin & Eveson: The darkness, the smoking oven, and the burning torch symbolized the presence of the living God with whom Abram was being brought into fellowship. It was an awesome symbol, which Moses was to encounter at Sinai on a grander scale, and one which the people were to associate with God s holiness (Ex. 14:20; 19:18-23; 20:18; Dt. 4:11). Jordan & Duguid: God swears by Himself the self-maledictory oath. It is VERY dark compare Genesis 1:2 where the hovering Spirit is analogous to the hovering fire of the smoking oven and burning torch. Passing through the pieces was saying, If I break the covenant, may I be torn to pieces like this animal. In God s covenant with Abram, only one of the parties passes between the pieces: This was a totally one-sided covenant. God, the ever-living One, was saying, I would rather be torn apart than see my relationship with humanity broken, the relationship that I have promised to establish through Abram s descendants. God makes a promise and takes the oath upon Himself to be torn in half and devoured by the birds if He fails. Is this likely? No so this oath assures the promise of God. God promises to take the curse of the covenant upon Himself before He lets His promise fail. On the cross, the covenant curse fell completely on Jesus. Each time we celebrate the Lord s Supper, we proclaim God in human form, broken for us and for our transgressions, so that our relationship with Him might be restored. 7. The Promise (15:18-21) Eveson & Baldwin: In this scene, covenant is the key word. The Lord used for His purpose a well-known political and social convention, the most binding form of agreement among men, to reinforce the certainty of His promise. The essence of God s covenants is this: that God enters into special relationships with people, gives them promises, and goes on oath to keep those promises. This covenant marks the beginning of God s plan of salvation. God makes Himself known by His personal name to Abram, Yahweh, the One who is (cp. Ex. 3:14). He is the source of all life, the unchanging one, controller of man s destiny, and therefore well able to design his salvation. Jordan: In the darkness, over this dead creation, we have the hovering fire/light of the Spirit. The old creation is destroyed by sin and now there is a new creation that the Spirit will bring out of the old dead world. The Hebrew idiom for made a covenant is literally cut a covenant, and we can see why. Animals were cut in two and those making the covenant passed between the pieces (cp. Jer. 34:18-20). By this means the participants graphically indicated their intention to keep the covenant. So, God cuts a covenant and gives Abraham the deed to the Land. It is as good as his, even though he has to wait 400 years. Ten Canaanite tribes are listed, symbolizing the completeness of the new creation. Abraham and his people are the replacement for the 10 wicked nations listed here. Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 50 DSB 9-Sep-05

Conclusion Heb. 6:13-15 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you. 15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. Duguid & Baldwin: This remarkable prophecy sets the human life-span in perspective. Even the man whom the Lord singles out to bless in a special way, and to make the father of his people, will see little of the fulfillment of the promise, first made directly to him. Nor can he contribute anything towards its fulfillment. Abram would not live to see the day of fulfillment of the promises. The discrepancy between his present plight and the word of God could hardly have been greater, nor his helplessness more marked. The point of the exercise is to trust God because He has promised, and to act on His word before there is external evidence that He will do as He has said. It was in anticipation of Christ s life, death, and resurrection that Abram received such blessing. Jordan: The promises made to Abram were fulfilled in Christ. Christ was torn, ripped in half, for our sins, but the Holy One was not devoured by birds He did not see corruption. After three days of deep sleep, God grants Jesus resurrection and recreates the world. Out of darkness, a new light shines. We have the same promise today if we remain faithful to Him we will have eternal life. Duguid: Abram was a true prophet: the events that the Lord revealed to him came to pass. First came the suffering; then came the glory. That order remains true for us as Christians (cp. Acts 14:22). Abram had to realize that the land that he sought was a heavenly country, not an earthly one (Heb. 11:16). It is ever so for believers: even when we experience the blessings of God in great measure here and now, the best is yet to come. Abraham had to patiently endure before he obtained the promise (Heb. 6:13-15). Was God being slow in delivering what He promised? By no means! But the fulfillment of the promise to Abram meant judgment on the occupants of the land, and the sin of the Amorites was not yet full (15:16). That is why we continue to see the wicked prospering in our midst. God s forbearance is not yet exhausted. There is still time left for repentance. But God s patience with the wicked is not unlimited, as the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah would soon discover. Close in Prayer. Next week: Lesson 6 Hagar and Ishmael Gen. 16:1-16 (Duguid chapter 6) Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 51 DSB 9-Sep-05