Genesis 15
God Promises Abram a Son
After that, the Existing One spoke to Abram in a vision saying,
“Don’t be scared, Abram. I’m your shield. Your reward will be substantial.”
Abram said,
“Oh Existing One, my superior, what reward will you give me? I have no children and the heir of my household is Eliezer from Damascus [130mi northeast of Jerusalem]. Since you haven’t given me any children, he’ll be my heir even though he’s just someone who happened to be born into my household.”
Then the Existing One’s words came to him and said,
“Eliezer won’t be your heir. Your heir will be someone who comes from your own body.
Then God led him outside and said,
“Look into the sky and try to count the stars if you can. That’s how numerous your descendants will be.”
Then Abram felt a sense of certainty in the Existing One, and God deemed him to be upright because of that.
Abram Wants Confirmation
God told him,
“I am the Existing One who brought you out of Ur, Chaldea to give you this land to take hold of.”
Abram said,
“Oh, Existing One, my superior, how can I be sure that I’ll take hold of this land?”
God said,
“Bring me a 3 year old female cow, a 3 year old female goat, a 3 year old ram, a pigeon, and a baby pigeon.”
So Abram brought those animals to God and cut each of them in half except for the birds. He laid each half across from each other. When wild birds started swooping down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
God Prophesies Israel’s Captivity
When the sun was going down, Abram fell into a trance and an intense darkness fell upon him that left him feeling terrified. God told Abram,
“Know that your descendants will become refugees in a foreign land where they’ll be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years. But I’ll have my revenge on the country that enslaves them, and they will eventually make it out with a large amount of valuables. But you will join your forefathers peacefully; you’ll be buried at ripe, old age. Then in the fourth generation, they will come back here, because the Amorites [modern day Jordan] haven’t finished growing into their corruption yet.”
God Makes Alliance with Abram
By the time the sun had finished setting, it had become very dark. Then a smoking fire pot and flaming torch appeared that passed between these pieces. On that day, the Existing One made an alliance with Abram, saying,
“I’ve given this land to your descendants from Egypt’s river to the great river Euphrates [which means “fruitfulness”]. They’ll occupy the places where all these people live:
• the Kenites [means “smiths;” a tribe located between southern Palestine and Mount Sinai that Moses’ father-in-law was a member of.]
• The Kenizzites [descendants of Kenaz]
• The Kdmonites [means “easterners;” occupied Canaan]
• The Hittites [descendants of Heth, Canaan’s 2nd son; used to live in Turkey, but then north Lebanon]
• The Perizzites [means “villagers;” southern Canaan]
• The Rephaim [an tribe of giants]
• The Amorites [east Canaan beyond the Jordan]
• The Canaanites
• The Girgashites [lived east of Galilee]
• The Jebusites [descendants of Jebus, Canaan’s 3rd son; early Jerusalem]”
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