Genesis 15:17 - Meaning and Application

Here is the covenant ratified (Genesis 15:17). The sign Abram had asked for was given at last, after sunset, when it was dark, because this was a dark promise. The smoking firepot pointed to the suffering of Abram’s descendants in Egypt. They would be in the iron furnace (Deuteronomy 4:20), the furnace of affliction (Isaiah 48:10), working in the fire itself. They would be in smoke, with eyes dimmed so they could not see how their troubles would end, and they would not know what God was doing with them. Clouds and darkness would surround them.

The blazing torch showed comfort in the middle of that suffering, and God showed this to Abram at the same time as the smoking firepot. Light means rescue from the furnace. Their salvation would be like a lamp that burns (Isaiah 62:1). When God came down to deliver them, he appeared in a bush that burned but was not consumed (Exodus 3:2). The lamp also means guidance in the smoke. God’s word was their lamp, and this word to Abram was a light shining in a dark place. It may also point to the pillar of cloud and fire that led them out of Egypt, with God present in it. The burning lamp also points to the destruction of the enemies who kept them so long in the furnace (Zechariah 12:6). The same cloud that gave light to Israel brought trouble and fire to Egypt.

The passing of these between the pieces was the way God confirmed the covenant he now made with Abram, so Abram could have strong comfort and be fully convinced that God would surely do what he had promised. It is likely that the furnace and lamp passed between the pieces, burned them up, and so finished the sacrifice and showed that God accepted it, as he did with Gideon’s offering (Judges 6:21), Manoah’s offering (Judges 13:19-20), and Solomon’s sacrifice (2 Chronicles 7:1). This shows that God’s covenants with people are made through sacrifice (Psalm 50:5), through Christ, the great sacrifice. There is no agreement without atonement, which means making peace through sacrifice. It also shows that God’s acceptance of our spiritual sacrifices is a good sign and a pledge of more blessings to come. We may know that he accepts our sacrifices if he kindles holy fire in our hearts, with devout and godly feelings.

The covenant is then repeated and explained. On that same day, a day never to be forgotten, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, that is, he gave Abram this promise: “To your seed I have given this land” (Genesis 15:18). This is a reminder of the grant. God had said before, “To your seed I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:15). Now he says, “I have given it.” That means, first, that he has given the promise of it. The charter has been sealed and delivered, and nothing can cancel it. God’s promises are his gifts, and we should treat them that way. Second, the possession is as sure, in God’s time, as if it were already handed over. What God promises is as certain as if it had already happened. That is why it is said, “Whoever believes has eternal life” (John 3:36), because he will surely go to heaven as if he were already there.

God also gives the details of the grant, as is usual when land is given. He sets out the boundaries of the land in Genesis 15:18. For greater certainty, he also names the peoples who then lived there. Ten nations or tribes are listed (Genesis 15:19-21), and they would have to be driven out to make room for Abram’s seed. Israel did not take possession of all these areas when God brought them into Canaan. The actual borders were later set much more narrowly (Numbers 34:2-3). Yet in David’s and Solomon’s time, their rule reached to the farthest limits named here (2 Chronicles 9:26). It was also their own fault that they did not sooner and longer enjoy all this land. They lost their right by sin, and by their own laziness and fear they kept themselves from taking full possession.

The land is described in its widest extent because it was meant to point to the heavenly inheritance, where there is room enough, “In my Father’s house are many rooms.” The present residents are named because their number, strength, and long occupation should not hinder God’s promise when the right time came. This also magnifies God’s love to Abram and his descendants, because he gave one nation the lands of many nations. They were very precious in his sight and honored by him (Isaiah 43:4).