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.”
But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness. 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.” But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?” 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.” 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. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites,Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.” (Genesis 15)
In the culture Abraham lived in when two parties would enter into a contractual and binding agreement (covenant) they would “cut a deal” by cutting an animal in two halves and would place the two halves a few feet apart from one another on the ground. For a covenant to be “official” blood needed to be spilt. Then the two parties who agreed to enter into the covenant would walk between the two halves and this was known as the “walk of death” meaning if either party did not keep their part of the agreement then the penalty was death.
“Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.”
God enters into a covenant with Abraham, and tells him to bring five animals. Why does God need us to know that there were five animals? The number five is the number of “grace” in the Hebrew culture. For the sake of time I won’t cover the significance of the number five in scripture, but suffice to say the number five plays a MAJOR role in the entire Bible from beginning to end. I’ll leave it to you to search our Lords’ word to uncover its significance. Let’s continue…
…the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.
As God is entering into a covenant founded under “grace” with Abraham we are told that Abraham drives birds of prey away from the dead carcasses representing mankind’s attempt to keep himself “clean” and obtain righteousness on his own accord through “acts of works”. Knowing what God was doing at this very moment because this type of agreement was common in the culture, Abraham more than likely was prepared to walk through the area between the dead carcasses claiming liability for his portion. What does God do next? He puts Abraham to sleep.
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
Why does God place Abraham in a deep sleep? He knows that Abraham will not be able to uphold his side of the deal because he’s human and the flesh is weak. When Abraham or his descendants would have broken his portion of the contract then the penalty was sure death. This is where something truly breathtaking takes place.
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
The “smoking firepot” in Abrahams culture and the time period was a portable oven or furnace which here in the account from Genesis represents the judgement of Israel and its “transportation” out of judgement from Egypt, Babylon, and the tribulation period, but what about the second object that passes through “the walk of death”? This “blazing torch” represents a person. Who takes up Abrahams side of the contract? Who becomes liable and owns the penalty of death so Abraham doesn’t have to? Who is perfect and pure to pass through “the walk of death” without any possibility of nullifying the covenant making it an unconditional agreement?
…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)
Here I Am, Send Me 