God’s Promises to Abram (Gen 15:1-21)

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.” But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.” 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.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you our of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” 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.” 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. Then the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 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. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 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—the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”

1.????? God had provided Abram with many blessings. God assured Abram that he would continue to bless him. Abram responded by expressing his fear and frustration that he had no son. Therefore, the material blessings would pass to a servant which was the custom. Do you count the many blessings God has given you daily? Are there times where you are fearful and frustrated because God is not answering your prayers fast enough??

2.????? God takes Abram outside and has him look at the stars. He restates his promise to give Abram descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram knew that his wife was beyond childbearing age, but he still believed. This righteousness that God credited to him was based solely on his faith. Why do you think God had Abram look at the vast expanse of stars? How has God kept his promise to give Abram descendants as numerous as the stars? Are these descendants natural or supernatural heirs of this promise? (Rom 4:1-12; Gal 3:6-9)

3.????? God also promises to give the land to Abram’s descendants. God shows Abram that his promises will happen by performing an ancient custom. By cutting animals in two and then passing between them, people used to pledge their lives to the fulfillment of what was promised. What other promises has God made that we can depend on?

4.????? God tells Abram that his descendants will not possess the land for four hundred years! In addition, they will become slaves but then will plunder their masters. These promises were fulfilled when the Israelites became slaves in Egypt and then were delivered by Moses. What future promises has God made to us?

5.????? The land promised to Abram was inhabited by many nations. Therefore, possessing the promised land would be a process and not decided by one battle. This is what happened when the Israelites entered the land hundreds of years later. How is going through a process of depending upon God better than one total victory?