Meant for GoodSample

A Smoking Oven, Burning Torch, and Pathway of Blood

Read: Genesis 15

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As Abram (later renamed Abraham) struggles with trusting God’s promises for an heir, God reiterates that Abram will have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky. God performs a “cutting the covenant” ceremony, telling Abram of his descendants’ future and reassuring him that He will keep His covenant promises.

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Back in Genesis 12, God chose Abram and his descendants to be the recipients of an extraordinary covenant. When we get to Genesis 15, however, fifteen years have elapsed, and Abram is still without a son. We know Abram is fearful (Genesis 15:1) and more than a little frustrated at God’s seeming unfaithfulness (“You have given me no offspring,” Genesis 15:3). As God reiterates His promises to Abraham, He beckons him outside of his tent, draws his gaze to the starry skies, and declares, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them … So shall your descendants be” (Genesis 15:5). In a beautiful moment of trust, Abram believes the promises of God.

The rest of the chapter records what is called a “cutting the covenant” ceremony. In the Ancient Near East, a “cutting the covenant” ceremony was often used to seal or confirm a covenant relationship. Two parties would gather, cut a series of animals in half, and then walk through the pathway between the two pieces. By walking through the “blood path,” each party declared that if they failed to keep the terms of the covenant, they deserved the same end as the sacrificed animals. However, in this covenant ceremony, God alone walked through the blood path (Genesis 15:17). God was declaring that only He was responsible for keeping the covenant promises He made.

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As we read in Genesis 39 this week, God still shows loyal, covenant-keeping love to His people. Despite Jacob’s unfair favoritism, the brother’s vengeful jealousy, and Judah’s selfish greed, God is committed to keeping His promises. Even two hundred years after He walked through the blood path, “the LORD was with (Joseph) and showed him loyal love” (Genesis 39:21).

Like many things in the Scriptures, this scene of grace and faithfulness is a shadow of something far greater. In this passage, we are reminded that Jesus Christ also walked through a blood path to seal a new and greater covenant than the one with Abram. This blood, however, was not the blood of animals, but the blood of Christ Himself. Through His sacrificial death, Jesus paid the price of our sinful rebellion and delivered us from sin, death, and hell. Through His resurrection, Jesus secured every promise of God, guaranteeing abundant and eternal life for all those who follow Him. No matter the doubt in your heart or the darkness of your days, Jesus walked through the blood path on your behalf to secure every promise of God towards you.