Ever since the Lord’s call, Abram lived a life of unfolding developments, whereby he was coming to know this God, who called him out of his country, his kindred and his father’s house (Genesis 12:1). Both Abram and his family had been idol worshipers, but gradually his worldview was changing. Each new experience, each new morsel of bread, which Abram took from the Lord’s Table, was something he learned about this God, whom no one seemed to know or worship. In fear, he had gone down to Egypt, but returned both richer in goods and in understanding that the Lord was with him, protecting him and Sarai.
When both he and Lot separated, one from the other, Abram still grew both in wealth and in power. Nothing negative from the Lord’s Table seemed to adversely affect him. When Lot and his family were taken captive, Abram successfully engaged his enemy and brought back all the captives, valuables and supplies that were seized in the war. Abram was victorious, despite his enemy having defeated the five kings of the plain and those who supported them. The Lord had, indeed, blessed him as he promised. Yet, Abram had expressed his discouragement, because he had no heir. What would come of that, and how would he know?
The Lord reiterated his promise that it was he who had brought Abram to this land from Ur of Mesopotamia (Genesis 15:7; cp. 11:31; 12:1; Acts 7:2-4). To this, Abram responded with: “How shall I know that I’ll inherit?” (Genesis 15:8). But, what does he mean, and how can this be reconciled with the idea that Abram “believed the Lord” (Genesis 15:6)? Don’t each of these statements contradict the other? Actually, they don’t, and reading them, as though they did, misrepresents scripture (John 10:35).
Abram was saying that he believed the Lord, but, in all honesty, how could the Lord perform his promises, if Abram was sterile? Abram’s question didn’t express doubt in the Lord’s ability to do what he said he’d do, but his doubt was in his own ability to produce, what the Lord wished to bless. In other words, I believe you, Lord, but I can’t give you what you want! All your power, and all your promises don’t mean much to me, if I can’t produce the child that you’re willing to bless. “How shall I know that I shall inherit” (Genesis 15:8)? Abram sought a sign that he could embrace as a memorial.
The Lord told Abram to prepare a covenant sacrifice. In this case, Abram was to slay three large animals: a heifer, a goat and a ram (each three years old) and a pigeon and a dove (Genesis 15:9). Moreover, he was to slice the larger animals in half and place the halves opposite one another, but the birds would be whole, probably one on one side and the other on the other side, and a space large enough for a pathway was to be left between them (Genesis 15:10). Note, the slaying of these animals was not a sacrifice to the Lord. Rather, they were slain to make a covenant between the Lord and Abram. While Abram waited for the Lord to reappear, birds of prey kept coming, and Abram kept driving them away and keeping them from corrupting the purity of the covenant symbols (Genesis 15:11).
According to some scholars of ANE culture, animals such as these were slain in preparation for the two parties in question to walk between them in the pathway provided in the arrangement of the carcasses. The idea was that, as was done to these animals, let it be so for the covenant-maker who fails to keep his promise and breaks this covenant, made between the two, this day (cp. Jeremiah 34:17-20), but how would such a covenant relieve Abram of his fear of sterility, his inability to produce the seed that the Lord wanted to bless? We’ll speak of this in our next study.
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