Abraham/Joseph Week 2 Day 3

Look again at Genesis 15: 12 - 19.  God allows Abram a glimpse into the future for his descendants.  There is pain there.  But there is hope ... there is restoration ... there is "coming home".  And God does an amazing thing ... He, and He alone, ratifies and seals the covenant promise with Abram. 

The custom of the time was that the two parties making a covenant, a solemn, binding promise, with each other - BOTH walked between the pieces of the divided animal.  But this covenant was not ordinary or customary.  This covenant was unconditional ... and based solely on God and His promise.  So only the presence of God passed between the animals.  The symbols God chose for Himself revealed some of His character to Abram.

The "smoking fire pot" was a well known article in Abram's day.  It was a small furnace use to purify metals.  This may be the image in Peter's mind when he wrote about believers' faith.  He said,

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed."  1 Peter 1: 6 - 7

The Old Testament prophet, Malachi, wrote that God would "purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.  Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness." Malachi 3:3

So the image was a common one ... signifying the ability and will of God to purify what is impure.  He wants to do the same with you and me.  We often find ourselves resenting the fire, the heat.  But know this, dear believer, God will purify until He sees a reflection of His beloved Son in us. 

The second image God uses is the blazing torch.  How appropriate!  Light is so often used in scripture to represent the presence of God.  "God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)  God appeared as light on Mt. Sinai with Moses ... and it penetrated Moses himself.  God appeared as light to Saul on the road to Damascus.  I find it very appropriate that God moves between the pieces to seal this covenant with Abram as "light". 

The Abrahamic Covenant ... It will be followed about 4 generations later by the Mosaic Covenant, the Old Law given on Mt. Sinai.  The Old Law, whose purpose it was to instruct us on what sin and righteousness mean.  And then ... finally ... the New Covenant ... ratified on the cross through the flesh of our Lord, Jesus.  The Covenant of grace ...

"Abram believed the Lord, and He credited to Him as righteousness." 

Before you finish thinking about this business of "covenant", read Galatians 3.  Savor it.  And fall on your knees in gratitude!