The Lord has Cut a Deal with
Us
Genesis 15:1-21
Jim Davis
Walking
by faith without sight is not one of life’s easiest challenges.
Even though we know there is something better awaiting us. Living in a
collapsing world is scary. God seeks to alleviate our fears.
Genesis 15:1
1 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."
"Do not
be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward"
(Genesis 15:1). They were spoken immediately following Abram’s victory
over at least four kings of Mesopotamia. Abram prevailed, but he also was
afraid the surrounding kings would see him as a great threat. He was
afraid his victory would bring him greater harm. Fear squelched the
confidence his victory may have afforded. His victory actually increased
his need for greater faith. This is so different from our modern approach
to life. Our victories usually lead us to place more confidence in
ourselves. Not so with Abram. His victories bring an awareness of his
vulnerabilities.
Abram’s
fear was to be alleviated knowing God was his shield—his protector.
The kings Abram fought were in alliance, but Abram was all alone.
Furthermore he refused to make alliance with any of them.
Genesis 14:21-24
21 The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give
me the people and keep the goods for yourself."
22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I
have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and
earth, and have taken an oath 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to
you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be
able to say, 'I made Abram rich.' 24 I will accept nothing but what my men
have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me--to
Aner, Eshcol and Mamre. Let them have their share." NIV
Abram’s
only alliance was with God, as seen in his oath to God not to keep the
spoils of battle. Abram chose to stand with God alone. He had been
called to go out by God, and he sought to be true to God in his call.
God
told Abram, “Don’t be afraid . . . I am your shield, your very great
reward.” If God appeared to telling us this today we would
probably think that he meant we would live a very positive life with
little difficulty. After all God is our protector and our reward. Wrong!
The Uncertainty of Faith
Abram’s
faith was shaken by how his world was shaping up about him. The
wars upset him. Abram’s faith in God had elements of fear, uncertainty and
reservations. It is amazing how God patiently dealt Abram’s fears.
Genesis 15:2
2 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?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no
children; so a servant in my household will be my heir."
4 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." 5 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."
6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited
it to him as righteousness.
Faith
always questions how God works out his plan in our lives. We walk
by faith; not by sight. When Mary was told she would conceive a child, she
asks “How can this be?” God explained it to her. Abram asks God “How can I
know?” God explains it.
Genesis 15:7-21
7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who
brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take
possession of it."
8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how
can I know that I will gain possession of it?"
9 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."
10 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. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the
carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into
a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 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. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve
as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. 15
You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old
age. 16 In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for
the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."
17 When the sun had set and darkness had
fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between
the pieces. 18 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-- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites,
Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites,
Girgashites and Jebusites." NIV
God
gives Abram a thumbnail sketch of his plan; I believe the sketch terrified
him. The ASV says, “terror and
dreadful darkness fell upon” Abram. Let us return to this
idea in a moment. First, let us look at the practice of cutting up the
animals.
In the
ancient world there were no written contracts. When two parties
made an agreement it was made in the form of a covenant. They literally
cut a covenant and sealed it by doing what is done here. God came down and
passed through the animals to seal this covenant. To break this covenant
was to invite the fate of the animals upon the one breaking the covenant.
Jeremiah gives us an insight to this practice.
Jeremiah 34:17-20
17 "Therefore, this is what the LORD says:
You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom for your fellow
countrymen. So I now proclaim 'freedom' for you, declares the
LORD--'freedom' to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you
abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth. 18 The men who have violated
my covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made
before me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two and then walked
between its pieces. 19 The leaders of
Judah
and Jerusalem, the court officials,
the priests and all the people of the land who walked between the pieces
of the calf, 20 I will hand over to their enemies who seek their lives.
Their dead bodies will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts
of the earth. NIV
It is
God who is making and sealing the covenant. Abram is terrified. I
believe he may be terrified because of the thumbnail sketch given to him
about his descendants. Moses states that he was terrified and then tells
us why he was terrified. His descendants will wander as strangers in the
land, serve as slaves, and finally be blessed. Knowing the future of his
descendants made his vision a dreadful experience.
God
doesn’t reveal the specifics. Egypt is not mentioned. God knows
Abram couldn’t deal with the specifics. It was enough to know God was
working out his plans not only for Abram, but for the world. God says,
“In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the
sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
God has a timetable designed to benefit the faithful and
the unfaithful.
God
says, “the sin of the Amorites has not reached its full measure.”
There is no doubt about God shaking up Abram’s world to bring it to
repentance or justice. God allows sin to reach its full measure. Sin reaps
its own measure. Sin repays its own evil deeds. Sin has its own reward.
God is in hopes the painful reward of sin will bring us to repentance.
The
recipients of the second epistle of Peter beheld the evil going on around
them and questioned God’s intentions.
2 Peter 3:8-10
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear
friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand
years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as
some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to
perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like
a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be
destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
NIV
Prosperity draws us away from God; adversity draws us closer to God.
Abram is not spared the negative side of faith. He must live in a world
collapsing under the judgment of God. Neither are we exempt. The apostles
preached the good news in Derbe saying,
"We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
This isn’t very encouraging, especially if you are not dependent upon the
Lord. It’s this negative side of faith that should motivate us to stay
close to God.
This world is
reeling and a rocking
What you
going to do
Where you
going to go
What you
going to say
There is a
coming a day, God’s judgment Day
Where you
going to run
Where you
going to hide
There is
coming a day, God’s Judgment Day
Get your
heart right with God there’s coming a Day
The
amazing thing about Abram’s faith is that it wasn’t strengthened by his
success—by his victory over the kings of Mesopotamia.
His faith was strengthened as he chose to
believe God, as he faced the delays and difficulties inherent in God’s
promises.
The Certainty of Faith
Here
you see the very nature of faith—it is personal. Today faith in
God is based largely on facts about God. Abram’s faith was staked upon God
fulfilling his promises to him as he sought to live God’s way. He staked
his future upon the promise of God. He followed God despite of his
negative feelings. There was a certainty about his faith.
There
were delays and difficulties inherent in God’s promises, but there was a
positive aspect to Abram’s faith we may miss. Abram’s life was
built around two basic values that gave his faith a positive force. These
same values must be a part of every Christian’s life. Abram’s life reveals
to us the most basic aspects of faith. When Paul wrote the book of Romans,
he explained the Christian faith by pointing back to Abram.
Abram’s
life manifests the core values of Christianity. A lawyer came
asking Jesus which commandment is the greatest.
Mark 12:28-33
28 One of the teachers of the law came and
heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he
asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29 "The most important one," answered
Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind and with all your strength.' 31 The second is this: 'Love
your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
32 "Well said, teacher," the man replied.
"You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33
To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all
your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important
than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." NIV
Abram
was living by these basic requirements. He was seeking to serve
God and his fellowman. He has fought his battle with the kings of
Mesopotamia out of his concern for his fellowman. He has risk his life to
save life. The love of God and a love for his neighbor motivated every
action. His unwillingness to take any of the spoils for himself manifests
unselfishness in his actions. He takes full responsibility to make his
world a better place.
Abram
loved God enough to give him the glory. Abram gave a tenth of the
spoils to the priest of the Most High God, but he would not take as much
as a shoestring for himself.
Genesis 14:18-20
Melchizedek king of Salem brought out
bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram,
saying,
"Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And blessed be God Most High,
who delivered your enemies into your
hand."
Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
NIV
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High . . .” In giving Melchizedek a
tenth, Abram gave God the credit—he gave God the glory. This
was an extremely important aspect of what was going on here. He wanted the
surrounding warlords to understand his God was the “God Most High” who
gave him the victory. They tended to respect those whose God was more
powerful. Those warlords usually went to war on a belief their god was
more powerful than the god of their enemy.
Can you
imagine the king of Sodom standing there observing a tenth of the goods he
originally owned going to Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God.
Who is going to say anything to Abraham? He is pumped up from the
adrenaline of battle. He has just defeated four kings of Mesopotamia. Yet,
Abram’s actions are as much motivated by fear as by faith.
He
didn’t want the king of Sodom to say, “I have made Abram rich.”
Abram knew keeping the spoils would become a possible point of future
contention. He refused to take any spoils offered him by Bera king of
Sodom.
Abram
wasn’t a warlord, but he was a man forced to protect his on household in a
hostile world. He had to maintain the respect of his on clan and
the respect of the world to protect his clan. Abram has the weight of the
world upon his shoulders. He saves Lot’s family. But he has just made the
kings of Mesopotamia his greatest enemies. The king of Sodom will turn on
Abram in a flash. He does it depending on God.
Abram
was seeking the interest of everyone involved, and he laid his life on the
line to do so. The idea behind leadership models today is a good
leader is one who delegates all the responsibility, shifts all the blame,
and appropriates all the credit. Godly leaders risk their lives for
others, but they make sure God gets all the credit. Someone said success
is like underwear. We should have it without showing it off.
Abram’s
actions reveal his selflessness. He is seeking to do what is best
for every one. He is not seeking his own selfish interests. He is a true
leader. He’s seeking to love his neighbor as himself. He is not out to
take advantage.
God’s Covenant for Today
Our
troubled world may tend to shake our faith today. The Attorney
General has indicated we are in danger of being attacked again. Our
alliance with the world is failing; maybe it’s time we make a personal
alliance with God. Is it time to remind ourselves that God is our shield
and our reward?
God
made this covenant with Abram in this way to give him a tangible reminder
of his promise. God has given us a tangible reminder that he is
our shield and our reward. He has given us his own Son.
Christ’s
authority over every dominion is an essential of a Christian’s faith. He
is capable of delivering us from our enemies. He is our shield and our
defender.
God has
cut a covenant with the modern world. He cut his covenant with the
sacrifice of his Son. As we partook of this memorial feast we were
reminding ourselves of the covenant he has made with us. When we pass
these memorial emblems around, we too are entering into his covenant
afresh. It is a reminder that something far worse will happen to us than
happened to his Son if we take it too lightly.
Hebrews 10:26-31
26 If we deliberately keep on sinning
after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins
is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire
that will consume the enemies of God. 28 Anyone who rejected the law of
Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29
How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has
trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the
blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit
of grace? 30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will
repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 31 It is a dreadful
thing to fall into the hands of the living God. NIV
1 Corinthians 11:27-32
27 Therefore, whoever eats the bread or
drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning
against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 A man ought to examine himself
before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats
and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks
judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and
a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we judged ourselves, we
would not come under judgment. 32 When we
are judged by the Lord, we are being
disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. NIV
The way
we live has a profound impact upon this memorial feast.
Matthew 5:21-24
21 "You have heard that it was said to the
people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to
judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother
will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,'
is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be
in danger of the fire of hell.
23 "Therefore, if you are offering your
gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something
against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and
be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. NIV
It is
easy to forget what this memorial is all about. How can you know
the surety of God’s promises? The death of his Son proclaims the surety
for our faith. However, keep in mind, his covenant does not insure us
against major difficulties ahead.
Conclusion:
This is
Memorial Day weekend. Think of all those brave soldiers who have entered
into all our wars with the weight of the world’s need for freedom on their
shoulders. They were just kids barely old enough to shave. Some had never
shaved. They did it selflessly, some never returned home.
They left
home determine to win the freedom of others or die trying.
Today we
enter into a covenant with God through the sacrifice of his Son. We must
die to ourselves to enter God’s covenant. We do this as we commit our
lives to Christ as we die with Christ in baptism.
