Genesis 15

How do you explain the report that Abraham, probably in his 80s, doesn’t seem to have any trouble believing God’s promise to give him a natural-born son? “Abram believed it” (15:6). But when God promises to give him what is now Israel, he seems to doubt it: “How could I ever possibly know that?” (15:8).

Bible experts debate this question: What does it mean when the Bible says “The Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (15:6 New Living Translation)? Paul quoted this passage when he preached about how important faith is (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6). What would you think the Genesis writer was saying about Abraham?

Here’s the second half of that question. When God saw that Abraham believed his promise that he would have a lot of descendants, “Because of Abram’s faith, the LORD recognized him as a good and righteous soul” (15:6). What do you think that means?

When you look at the boundaries of the land God promised Abraham,  it’s much bigger than modern-day Israel. Does that bother you? Or do you think we should take into consideration what Paul wrote: “If you belong to Christ, you are now part of Abraham’s family” (Galatians 3:29 Contemporary English Version)?

In one of the weirdest sacrifices reported in the Bible, Abraham killed two birds and three large animals: cow, goat, and a male sheep. He cut the large animals in half. Late that night he saw a smoking pot and burning torch pass between the animals. Miller reports that this sounds a little like the ritual in an ancient treaty found at the city of Mari, near where Abraham once lived. “The documents say that when a person walks between the split carcasses, it’s a way of enacting a treaty—of saying, ‘I’m in.’” Does that make sense to you, or are you seeing something else going on in Abraham’s sacrifice?

God seems to predict that the Jews will end up as slaves in Egypt. He tells Abraham “Your descendants will immigrate to a foreign country where they will end up oppressed and eventually enslaved. They will live there as immigrants and slaves 400 years” (15:13). That’s pretty close to what happened. Joseph’s family, which produced the Jewish nation, stayed in Egypt “430 years” (Exodus 12:40 New Living Translation). What would you say to Bible newcomers who read that story and say the prediction by God sounds more like something an editor would slip into a story long after it happened, to make the story more interesting?

LIFE APPLICATION. What kind of faith do you think it takes for us today to please God? How would you describe it?

LIFE APPLICATION. God’s promises to Abraham are unique, both in the way he appears to Abraham and in what he has to say. Do you think God makes promises to us?