15:12-16
Abram then fell into a deep sleep and a terrible darkness descended upon him and God speaks to him. It is not an easy message that Abram receives. His offspring will be wanderers in the land for over four hundred years, and will be servants. Then God would judge the nation they served and they would come out of that nation with many possessions. This is what happened at the exodus. Abram will not see this, but will live his life in peace and then be buried at a good old age. It would be some time before the Israelites came back to this place “for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete”. Israel’s history is tied up with that of other nations, for God is the judge of the whole earth. The Amorites were one of the people occupying the land. God did not just chuck them out of the land for no good reason, but as an act of judgement on their behaviour.
15:17-21
A smoking fire pot passed through the pieces of animals and God made a covenant with Abram. To his offspring He would give the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates. And He names the various people who are currently occupying the land. The river of Egypt could be an eastern branch of the Nile or the Wadi el Arish.
No comments:
Post a Comment