Abram, The Furnace And The Burning Lamp

Genesis 15:8-11

"8And he (Abrahm) said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9And he said to 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. 10And he took to him all these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11And when the fowls came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away."

(Abram drove the fowls away.) 

In Chapter 12 God blessed Abram, set him apart and promised He would make him into a great nation.  The Jewish race would, of course, spring from him.  Then, in Genesis 15, He came to Abram and again confirmed His covenant with him.  As a sign between them, the LORD had Abram bring 5 animals to be sacrificed as shown in the opening passage.  He divided in half the heifer, the goat and the ram but not birds.  Five is the number of grace!  

In those days, men "cut" covenants with other people which always involved the shedding of blood to seal the agreement.  That's what God was preparing to with Abram. 

He placed each divided piece opposite it's other half and all their blood was spilled on the ground on the path in between. The two parties to the covenant would walk the path between the pieces on top of the blood.  In so doing, each party was agreeing that they would keep their part of the bargain.  But if either one did not live up to their part, they were saying, in essence, "May I be split asunder as these animals if I fail."

Now, God is certainly able to keep His part.  But what about Abram?  NO WAY!  He would most surely fail.  So let's follow the story and see what God did to preserve Abram.     

"12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram; and, see, an horror of great darkness fell on him. 13And he (God) said to Abram, Know of a surety that your seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16But in the fourth generation they shall come here again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full."

(The Furnace and the Burning Lamp pass between the pieces.)

Abram was put to sleep and had a dream about his descendants, their 400 years of enslavement in Egypt and their great deliverance.  Then his dream continues.....

17And 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. 18In 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:  19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."

WHOA!!!  Did you catch that?  Before Abram was able to walk on the bloody ground, GOD PUT HIM TO SLEEP.  And look Who passed through those pieces:  A SMOKING FURNACE.  Who is that?  God the Father.  But He wasn't alone.  A BURNING LAMP also passed through those pieces.  Who is that?  It's JESUS, the Light of the World!  

What man couldn't do, God did for us!  He knew we would try to keep our end of the bargain but we would and fail.  So He not only kept His part but He also keeps OUR PART!  Father and Son are the "Covenantors;" you and I are the "Beneficiaries!"

It's all because of the Furnace and the Burning Lamp!