Briefly and summarized about this part
After Abram’s victory and his interactions with Melchizedek and the king of Sodom, God reassures Abram not to fear, promising protection and great rewards. Despite these promises, Abram expresses concern about his lack of an heir. God responds by promising Abram a biological heir and uses the stars in the sky to symbolize the countless descendants he will have, a promise Abram believes, and it is accredited to him as righteousness.
God further promises Abram the land of Canaan for his descendants. Abram questions how he will know this promise will be fulfilled, and God instructs him to prepare a sacrifice. As Abram falls into a deep sleep, God reveals to him that his descendants will be strangers in a foreign land for 400 years, referencing future enslavement in Egypt, but assures they will eventually return to Canaan with great wealth. God also foretells Abram’s peaceful passing at an old age. The covenant between God and Abram is solemnized by a passing smoking furnace and flaming torch among the divided sacrifice, signifying God’s commitment to give Abram’s descendants the land from Egypt to the Euphrates, including territories of various peoples.
This chapter crucially establishes God’s covenant with Abram, promising him numerous descendants, a vast land for his people, and foretelling both their future suffering and eventual triumphant return, laying a foundational stone for the narrative of the Israelite people.
- Overcoming Fear with Faith: God’s reassurance to Abram, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward,” mirrors the universal struggle with fear and uncertainty. It highlights the importance of faith and trust, not just in a religious sense but in believing in oneself and the protection and rewards that come with resilience in the face of adversity.
- Legacy and Hope for the Future: Abram’s concern about having no heir and God’s subsequent promise of countless descendants, as numerous as the stars, speak to the human desire to leave a legacy and positively impact future generations. This can be seen in endeavors ranging from parenting to mentoring, teaching, or contributing to community and environmental sustainability for future prosperity.
- Belief and Righteousness: Abram’s belief in God’s promises being “counted to him for righteousness” reflects the idea that faith in a higher purpose, principles, or goals can guide ethical behavior and decision-making, which is relevant in both personal and professional contexts.
- Covenant and Commitment: The covenant between God and Abram, sealed with a sacrifice, emphasizes the importance of commitment and the strength of promises in forming lasting relationships and agreements. This principle applies to personal commitments, business contracts, and international treaties, underlining the need for integrity and trustworthiness.
- Struggle and Deliverance: The prophesied 400 years of hardship for Abram’s descendants in a foreign land followed by deliverance and return with “great substance” serves as a powerful metaphor for the cyclical nature of struggle and triumph in life. It shows that enduring hardships often leads to growth, prosperity, and stronger foundations, encouraging perseverance through difficult times.
- Inheritance and Stewardship: God’s promise to give Abram’s descendants the land from Egypt to the Euphrates encapsulates themes of inheritance and stewardship, reminding us of the importance of caring for the resources and responsibilities we inherit, whether they be environmental, material, or cultural, to pass them on to future generations in a better state.
Full text from The Bible
15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
15:2 And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 15:3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
15:6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
15:8 And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 15:9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
15:10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
15:11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
15:12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
15:13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 15:14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15:15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
15:17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
15:18 In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 15:19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 15:20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 15:21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.