The Covenant

 (Genesis Chapter 15)

After Abram was blessed by the king-priest of the Most High, YHVH came to him in a vision saying:  “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, and your exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1).  Elohim was now establishing for His firstborn a principal foundation stone: “Trust Me,” “Fear not!”  In other words, “Do not be governed by fear, but faith, for I am your protection and your provision, the fulfillment of everything that I have spoken to you.”  Because of His steadfastness, YHVH Elohim will watch over all of His words of promise and will be faithful to perform them.  It is not going to be about religion or politics, but about a relationship with the word of the great, “I AM that I AM.” (Exodus 3:14).

“But Abram said, ‘YHVH Elohim, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’” (Genesis 15:2).  After all the tests, trials, and now the blessing that was conferred upon him by Melchizedek, Abram, rather than being hopeful, was still concerned about not having an heir.  It seemed to him that the only option for a successor was Eliezer of Damascus, who must have been a faithful servant in his household.  YHVH, however, was very quick to respond to this proposal with the non-equivocal words:  “‘This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’  Then He brought him outside and said, ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be’” (Genesis 15:4-5).

This seed would come out of Abram’s own loins.  But unlike the last time when YHVH described his descendants “as the dust of the earth,” now the imagery of stars is added.  Again, this was in order to point out not only numerousness, but also to establish the fact that the promised seed would be like the stars - for signs, seasons, and for light - and would play a governing role in the realm of spiritual darkness. 

However, Abram had come to the end of any hope that his wife Sarai would ever bear a child.  He now had only one recourse, and that was to believe that YHVH would be true to keep His word of promise.  Here was a demonstration of faith working in the life of a man whom YHVH had called from the womb as a firstborn, and now chose to use to father a new genus in humanity - a people who would be the carriers of the faith of their father Abraham.

Two millennia later, an apostle of the Messiah understood this covenant mystery, namely, that YHVH had multiplied and hidden the promised seed in many nations: “Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the Law [Jews], but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16 emphases added).  Note that no mention is made here of a ‘spiritual father.’  It simply states that Abraham is the natural father of those who have “the faith” to be able to believe Elohim’s Gospel.  Thus, the “seed of Abraham” is a witness to the faithfulness of a covenant-keeping Elohim.   

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul repeats this idea:  “And if you are Messiah’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).  We are in Messiah and belong to Him because of the faith that we have received from our forefather, Abraham.  This faith is the birthmark that identifies us as inheritors of the promises that YHVH made to our forefather Abraham and his progeny (sperm/life/Isaac).  As was noted above, He responded to Abram’s question about his heir by taking him outside and having him count the stars.  At this point, Abram believed YHVH, and He acknowledged his faith and accounted it to him for righteousness. 

Let us take a closer look at what YHVH said to Abram about the land, while also reminding him who had brought him out of the land of Ur.  The record states that Abram’s father, Terah, took his family and left Ur to go to Canaan.  Nevertheless, the Sovereign One wanted Abram to realize that He was the One Who was directing his circumstances:  “Then He said to him, ‘I am YHVH, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it.’  And he said, ‘YHVH Elohim, how shall I know that I will inherit it?’” (Genesis 15:7-8).  Abram’s question here, in response to YHVH’s words, elicits a very interesting counter-response from the Almighty.  Keep in mind that YHVH’s answer will be prophetic and will seal the promises:  “So He said to him, ‘Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon’” (Genesis 15:9).

After a very tiring day of accomplishing what YHVH had asked of him and chasing the vultures off the sacrifices, evening descended upon this special firstborn and he fell into a deep sleep.  It was not a pleasant sleep, as this old prophet was going to experience the frightening revelation that his life, carried on within a multitude of posterity, would be in slavery and bondage to another nation.  “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him” (Genesis 15:12).  YHVH’s prophetic words were then imparted to him:  “Know certainly that your descendants/seed will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions” (Genesis 15:13-14).

Suddenly there appeared between the sacrifices a pillar of fire and a cloud.  It is not clear whether Abram was awake or asleep during this event, but the Mighty Redeemer and Covenant Maker Himself passed amid the cut-up pieces as a sign that He was ratifying the covenant.  At the same time, He also revealed to Abram the destiny of the promised seed’s deliverance from 400 years of bondage in Egypt.  “And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces” (Genesis 15:17).  Similarly, we read about the exodus out of Egypt, “And YHVH went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night” (Exodus 13:21).

 YHVH went on to reiterate the previous promise and gave Abram a detailed description of the land that was to come into his descendants’ possession:  “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates -- the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites,  the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites”  (Genesis 15:18-21).  Notice that YHVH was saying that He has already given the land to Abram’s progeny.  How could He make such a statement?  Having given it to a father is as good as having given it to his descendants.

“Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age” (Genesis 15:15).  Even though Abram was quite old at this time, YHVH assured him that he would have more years ahead of him.  However, Abram still had a problem - he now had a land promised to his descendants, but did not yet have an offspring who could inherit it.

Chapter 16 "Firstborn Factor in the plan of Redemption (copyright 2011)