Genesis 15:7 - Meaning and Application

Here we have the assurance given to Abram that he would inherit the land of Canaan.

God first tells Abram what he intends to do about this promise, in Genesis 15:7. Notice that Abram did not complain here, as he had when he lacked a child. Those who are sure they belong to the promised seed have no reason to doubt their right to the promised land. If Christ belongs to us, then heaven belongs to us. Also notice this, when Abram believed the earlier promise in Genesis 15:6, God explained and confirmed this one to him. The one who uses what he has will receive more. God reminds Abram of three things to strengthen his faith in this good land.

First, God reminds him who he is: “I am the Lord, Jehovah.” Because of that, God can give the land, since he is the sovereign Lord of all and has the right to give away the whole earth. He can also give it no matter what resistance comes, even from the sons of Anak, a strong people in Canaan. God never promises more than he can do, as people often do. He will keep his word, because Jehovah is not a man who lies.

Second, God reminds Abram what he has already done for him. He had brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees, the home of his people. Some say this means he brought him out of the fire of the Chaldees, either from their idol worship, since they worshiped fire, or from persecution. Jewish writers tell a tradition that Abram was thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship idols and was saved by a miracle. More likely, this is simply the name of the place. In any case, God brought him out by a powerful call, almost like rescuing a brand from a fire. This was a special mercy, because God called Abram and left thousands in that place to perish. God called him alone (Isaiah 51:2). It was also a spiritual mercy, a rescue from sin and its deadly end. If God saves our souls, then nothing good will truly be lacking. It was a fresh mercy, given recently, and therefore it should have been especially moving, like the words at the start of the Ten Commandments, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt.” It was also a beginning mercy, the start of a special stream of mercy for Abram, and so a pledge of more mercy to come (Isaiah 66:9). God speaks of it as something he takes glory in. “I am the Lord who brought you out.” He glorifies himself in it as an act of both power and grace, and later he still speaks that way (Isaiah 29:22). He is the Lord who redeemed Abraham, redeemed him from sin.

Third, God tells Abram what he means to do next. “I brought you here on purpose to give you this land to inherit it.” That means not just to live in it, but to hold it as an inheritance, the safest and sweetest kind of right. God’s providence has hidden but gracious purposes in all its dealings with good people. We cannot understand those plans until the outcome shows their mercy and glory. The main aim of all God’s dealings with his people is to bring them safely to heaven. They are chosen for salvation (2 Thessalonians 2:13), called into the kingdom (1 Thessalonians 2:12), born again to an inheritance (1 Peter 1:3, 1 Peter 1:4), and by all this made ready for it (Colossians 1:12, Colossians 1:13; 2 Corinthians 4:17).

Abram then asks for a sign: “How will I know that I will inherit it?” in Genesis 15:8. This did not come from distrust in God’s power or promise, as it did with Zacharias. Instead, Abram wanted a sign for two reasons. First, he wanted his own faith strengthened and settled. He believed in Genesis 15:6, but here he is really saying, “Lord, help my unbelief.” He believed, but he wanted a sign to keep ready for a time of testing, since he did not know how his faith might later be shaken. We all need help from heaven to confirm our faith, and we should make use of the sacraments, which are appointed signs for that purpose. See Judges 6:36-40; 2 Kings 20:8-10; Isaiah 7:11, Isaiah 7:12. Second, Abram wanted the promise made firm for his descendants, so they too might believe it. Those who are convinced themselves should want others to be convinced of God’s promises as well. John sent his disciples to Christ, not mainly for his own sake, but for theirs (Matthew 11:2, Matthew 11:3). Canaan was a picture of heaven. So it is a great blessing to know that we will inherit the heavenly Canaan, meaning to be sure that this happiness is true and to have our right to it more clearly shown to us.

God then tells Abram to prepare a sacrifice, and by means of that sacrifice God will give him a sign. Abram does so in Genesis 15:9-11: “Take me a heifer,” and so on. Perhaps Abram expected some unusual sign from heaven, but God gives him a sign through a sacrifice. Those who want the assurance of God’s favor and the strengthening of their faith must attend the appointed acts of worship and expect to meet God there. God told him to use animals that were three years old, because they were fully grown and strong. God should be served with the best we have, because he is the best.

We do not read that God gave Abram detailed instructions on how to handle the animals and birds. He either knew the law and custom of sacrifices so well that he did not need more detail, or else God gave directions that are not written down here. At the very least, Abram understood that they were to be prepared for the solemn making of a covenant, and he knew the usual way to do it. He took what God appointed, even before he fully understood how it would become a sign. This was another example of Abram’s ready obedience. He cut the animals in two, according to the old covenant custom, as in Jeremiah 34:18, Jeremiah 34:19, where a calf is cut in two and the parts are passed between.

After preparing everything as God had commanded, Abram waited for the sign God might give him, like a prophet standing watch on a tower (Habakkuk 2:1). While God’s response was delayed, Abram kept waiting, and the delay made his expectation stronger. When birds of prey came down on the carcasses, as if they were ordinary things left unprotected, Abram drove them away (Genesis 15:11), trusting that the vision would speak in the end and would not fail. We must keep a close watch over our spiritual sacrifices, so nothing is allowed to spoil them and make them unfit for God. When vain thoughts, like these birds, come down on our worship, we must drive them away. We should not let them stay, but attend on God without distraction.