Saturday's Scripture Story
God’s covenant with Abraham
Genesis 15:1-17
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.”
2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “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.”
6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
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.”
8 But Abram said, “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.”
10 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. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 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 ancestors 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.”
17 When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
Pondering Point
In this story, we find some oft-quoted words about Abraham in verse six, “He believed the LORD, and he [God] counted it to him as righteousness.”
As the sun sets in the story, Abram falls into a deep sleep and a “thick and dreadful darkness” comes over him. God then uses a vision to carry out a covenant practice of the day as a way to back up His promise to Abraham, including a commitment to deliver “the promised land” to his descendants in the future.
Our relationship with God also begins with an invitation from Him and a willingness to follow through by believing God at His word. In one sense, the journey with God that follows is an unknown path; but in another sense, as we take Jesus at His word, we already know the way.
As disciples of Jesus, we should anticipate growth along the path. We can also anticipate disappointments and setbacks, meaning that we will need grace and forgiveness along the way from God, ourselves, and others.
Can you agree with this part of the discipleship covenant?
I envision the Holy Spirit helping me grow in my walk with Jesus,
including fruit of the Spirit like love and joy and peace. Although
I can also anticipate setbacks and disappointments, I will rely on
God’s grace and forgiveness daily. Under His leadership, I
commit to grow as a disciple in Christ using self-discipline and
loving (agreed upon) accountability from others.
See Proverbs 27:17
I believe that I am one of those disciples.
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, the way to God, help me live well under Your Spirit, filled with His fruit and grateful for the grace and forgiveness that come in Your name. Amen.