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DISCOVER GENESIS
An exploratory Bible course for disciples of Christ
PART 4 -- The Torah of ABRAHAM (Genesis 11:10 to 25:18)
GENESIS 15
Questioning God is permissible, but believing and trusting the LORD is righteousness. -- (DATE: Around 1872 before Christ)
OUTLINE of Genesis 15:
17. The LORD promised childless Abram that his own son will be his heir. (15:1-6)
18. As instructed by God Abram brought animals, which he cut in half, placing them in the LORD's presence. (15:7-11)
19.In the evening Abram slept deeply and the LORD foretold Abram in deep darkness the course of events in the coming centuries for him and for his descendants. (15:12-17)
20.Finally the LORD concluded a covenant with Abram that his descendants will posses this land, where Abram lived. (15:17-21)
DISCOVER Genesis 15: After all this had happened, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, telling him not to be afraid, for He himself was his shield, and that his reward (for his faithfulness) would be great. Abram however couldn’t help but complain, for he was still childless. Therefore no matter what the LORD God would reward him with, it would only fall to one of his household, as he had no other heir to pass on his possessions to. For the LORD God so far had not given him an offspring of his own flesh and blood. The LORD, however, reassured Abram that no man of his household would inherit his possessions, but only Abram’s own son would be his heir. Bringing Abram outside, God then had him look up into the night sky and told him to try and number all the stars he could spot, for he would make of him just as many offspring. And Abram believed in his LORD’s words and God counted this to him as righteousness. -- Then the LORD God reiterated what he had told Abram before he had led him out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give him this land to possess. To this Abram wanted to know just how he was to truly know that he and his offspring would possess it. In answer the LORD God demanded of Abram to bring a three year old cow (with no calves), a three year old female goat, a three year old ram as well as a turtledove and a young pigeon. Abram quickly assembled these animals and butchered them, cutting the three large animals in half, and laying these halves opposite to each other, but leaving the birds as they were. For the rest of the day that had already broken, Abram watched over this offering, chasing away birds of prey that wanted to partake of and spoil this offering to the LORD. -- When the sun went down, Abram was overcome with a deep sleep. And a great and dreadful darkness fell upon him, when the LORD spoke to him again, telling him that before his offspring would possess this land, they would first sojourn in a different land. There they would be afflicted as slaves of the nation for four hundred years. But in their fourth generation, He would bring judgment to that nation and lead them out of it with great possessions. For right now the iniquity of the Amorites (in Canaan) was not yet complete. As for Abram himself, he would go to his fathers in peace at a good old age. -- When Abram awoke, the sun was already down. In the darkness a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch were passing between the pieces of his offering. In this situation the LORD God made a covenant with Abram, saying that he would give this land to his descendants, from the river of Egypt (the Nile river) to the great Euphrates (in Mesopotamia): The land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, and of the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, and of the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.
PRAYER: We worship you and bow down in awe before you, our all-knowing Father, for giving us deep insight into your plans through this teaching about Abram. You promised Abram an offspring and heir and he trusted you in faith, which you counted to him as righteousness. Thank you for planting this deepest root of our justification by faith in your Son Jesus Christ through this teaching about your dealings with Abram and his response to you. Thank you that you established your covenant with him so that your plan of salvation could be fulfilled many centuries later in Jesus Christ. Amen.
QUESTION 15: What attitude of Abram towards the LORD God made him righteous in God’s sight?
QUOTES: There is hardly any chapter in the book of Genesis, which had a deeper impact on the New Testament than Genesis 15: Three of its verses were quoted and seven other verses were alluded to in the New Testament. Here they are:
“And he (the LORD God) brought him (Abram) outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” (Genesis 15:5) QUOTED in
Romans 4:18 “In hope he (Abram) believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” --
“And he (Abram) believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6) QUOTED in
Romans 4:3 and 9 “3 For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ ... 9 Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness (while he was yet uncircumcised).” -- This same verse
Genesis 15:6 was also QUOTED in
Galatians 3:5-7 “5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith - 6 just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’? 7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the (spiritual) sons of Abraham.” -- And
Genesis 15:6 is finally QUOTED in
James 2:22-23 “22 You see that faith was active along with his (Abraham’s) works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’ - and he was called a friend of God.” --
“13 Then the LORD said to Abram, ‘Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.’” (Genesis 15:13-14) QUOTED in
Acts 7:6-7 “6 And God spoke to this effect - that his (Abraham’s) offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years. 7 ‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ’and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place’.”
The New Testament allusions to verses in this chapter are: Genesis 15:1 is ALLUDED to in Matthew 5:12 (speaking of a great reward) -- Genesis 15:7-8 is ALLUDED to in Acts 7:2 (referring to God leading Abram out of Mesopotamia) and in Hebrews 11:8 (referring to Abram leaving his homeland and trusting God to give him a new homeland in a place he did not know) -- Genesis 15:8 is ALLUDED to in Luke 1:18 (where Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, faced the same problem as Abram, who also had no offspring) -- Genesis 15:12 is ALLUDED to in Acts 10:10 (referring to Peter also having visions from God after sunset) and in Revelation 11:11 (that there will also be a great dread at the end of time, like there was at the time, when the LORD spoke to Abram) -- Genesis 15:15 is ALLUDED to in Luke 2:29 (referring to departing this world in peace as God had promised Abram) -- Genesis 15:16 is ALLUDED to in 1 Thessalonians 2:16 (referring to the present time, in which the iniquity of the sinners is not yet complete) -- and finally Genesis 15:18 is ALLUDED to in Revelation 9:14 (referring to the river Euphrates, where four angels are to be released from their bondage).