The Gospel according to Abraham
As we have been looking at and comparing the covenant structure of the Ancient Near East to the Biblical text we have found similarities that show the important context and mindset of the fathers of faith that lived so long ago. But none of which speak louder or proclaim the Gospel message as does the following text from Gen 15 and a look ahead to a greater revealing of the binding subject from Gen 22.
My intent is to shed light on what is a obscure and very neglected event in redemptive history found in the life of Abram as God made covenant with him, by His own choosing, to glorify Himself in the promises thereof.
Abram Promised a Son Gen 15:1-18 NASB
1After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
2Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” 8He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14“But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15“As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16“Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
17It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. 18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
Covenant Structure:
We again find aspects of our presupposed structure of ancient treaties between a vassal and a suzerain. I will list them as they are found in the text.
Vs 1A PREAMBLE:
The Lord by His Word introduces Himself to Abram with power and dread (do not fear)
Vs 1b BLESSINGS:
He tells Abram of the blessings of faithfulness as He calms Abrams fears from His presence
Vs 2-6 STIPULATIONS:
The actual agreement, or action promised is given to the vassal.
Vs 7-8 HISTORICAL PROLOUGE:
Yahweh proclaims the historical past to the vassal Abram as proof of the Suzerains’ Faithfulness to the vassal in their past relationship. By doing so, proof was laid of the Great Kings Faithfulness to come.
Vs 11-12 COVENANT RATIFACATION:
This previously uncovered aspect of the Covenant structure deals with the ratification of the contract. The blood of the blood oath if you will. In times past, after the contract with all its parts were finished, in order to seal the agreement, a sacrifice was made in the fashion we see here. The ANE’ern culture used mostly puppies and dogs with the colt of a donkey being used in covenants of higher status or importance. Here, Abram was given instructions to use the animals acceptable to Yahweh in the years to follow after the Law was given to Moses, thus mirroring the Levitical system of atonement. The act of splitting the animals is where we get the word covenant, literally meaning ‘to cut’ (berith) a covenant. In the pagan cultures as well as the Hebrews, the animals were lined up in the form of a passage, with the participants enter circling the pieces of the slain animals swearing there own disembowelment if they break covenant with the opposite party as they went through the rite of passage. Abram entered into this dreadful scene by way of a deep sleep where great darkness once again fell upon him as Yahweh entered into a solemn oath of death, if He were to break covenant with His vassal. This ‘way’ of death brought great terror upon Abram as he witnessed this Theophic death march by the Great King, who had called Abram out of the land of Ur.
Vs 13-16 STIPULATIONS cont.:
Abram is reminded of the covenant being ratified. Remember, this chapter began as Abram was questioning Yahweh’s promise of descendants made earlier.
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Gen 12:1-3 NASB
In chapter 15:13 Yahweh says, “know for certain your descendants will…….”, ‘descendants’ means a ‘son’. So Yahweh here is restating verse 4b; ….but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” So ‘descendants’ mean a ‘son’, and a ‘son’ means ‘descendants’ or ‘nation’. But we will see, the promise moves from the singular to the plural back to the singular and ending in the plural, all within this covenant.
Vs 17: Witness’
Yahweh enters in the death march as a smoking fire pot or oven and a torch. Within the structure of the treaty, it was sometimes practiced to call the oven and torch as witness’s where a sacrifice would not be made as witness to the blood oath aspect of the covenants participants. Here, Yahweh evokes both the sacrifice and the witness’s in one eerie ceremony. Also, as pointed out about the Levitical animals being used here by Yahweh with Abram, the smok from the oven symbolizes the cloud-pillar as well the torch shows the fiery pillar that stood watch as Yahweh’s legs as a witness before the people of Israel. As pointed out by many commentators of the reformed tradition, Abram is a by stander as Yahweh alone binds Himself to the blood oath. The ramifications of this act are monumental indeed. Here God swears as His own witness, binding the curses upon Himself, as if He could die. The powerful ANE’ern custom is provoked by Yahweh to show His sovereignty in bringing about the promise. In the times of antiquity, after a battle, as the defeated troops returned home the path was leaden with the bodies of the slain war machines. Both men and beast were arranged to allow the troops to pass through the death trail as a right of passage to come home in defeat. At the end of the death passage, a curtain with a ritual sprinkling was performed as they passed through the veil, cleansing them from the battle. All these images are present here in this powerful display of the promise to come. Later, after the promised son was granted, Yahweh gives further insight in Gen 22 that indeed sheds light on His own death march here in Chapter 15. The symbolism is rich as Isaac, Abrahams only son climbed the hill with the wood upon his back to the mount of ratification. Abraham remember this event in chapter 15 as he sought to obey the command of the very Suzerain-Lord who had bound Himself to His own death if He failed to bring about the promise. Here in chapter 22, Yahweh stops the killing of the promised son and it is proclaimed that the Lord will provide. He will follow through with His oath and He leaves us a blood smeared image of the promise fulfilled in Isaac, and the residual promise to all the peoples of the Earth through Christ, who bore the wood upon His back to the place where the Lord will provide.
Conclusions:
We see here that not only was Yahweh binding Himself upon His own death if He breaks the covenant, but in fact we see that in order to keep the very promise He made, He must die.
As Yahweh passed between the pieces, it was a vivid symbol of the death march by Christ as He endured the curse and walked the way of death in our steed. The promise ratified becomes the reality of the curse upon His own shoulders to bring in the blessing of all the families of the Earth through Abrahams seed.
Covenant made, covenant keep, all by our Suzerain-Lord, as He made the promise as the Great King, and in time became the Vassal to fulfill His own blood oath that all men will be drawn into the ever lasting covenant of grace, bound as aires to the Vassals faithfulness, and sealed with His presence, forever.
My intent is to shed light on what is a obscure and very neglected event in redemptive history found in the life of Abram as God made covenant with him, by His own choosing, to glorify Himself in the promises thereof.
Abram Promised a Son Gen 15:1-18 NASB
1After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
2Abram said, “O Lord GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4Then behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” 8He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14“But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15“As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16“Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.”
17It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. 18On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
Covenant Structure:
We again find aspects of our presupposed structure of ancient treaties between a vassal and a suzerain. I will list them as they are found in the text.
Vs 1A PREAMBLE:
The Lord by His Word introduces Himself to Abram with power and dread (do not fear)
Vs 1b BLESSINGS:
He tells Abram of the blessings of faithfulness as He calms Abrams fears from His presence
Vs 2-6 STIPULATIONS:
The actual agreement, or action promised is given to the vassal.
Vs 7-8 HISTORICAL PROLOUGE:
Yahweh proclaims the historical past to the vassal Abram as proof of the Suzerains’ Faithfulness to the vassal in their past relationship. By doing so, proof was laid of the Great Kings Faithfulness to come.
Vs 11-12 COVENANT RATIFACATION:
This previously uncovered aspect of the Covenant structure deals with the ratification of the contract. The blood of the blood oath if you will. In times past, after the contract with all its parts were finished, in order to seal the agreement, a sacrifice was made in the fashion we see here. The ANE’ern culture used mostly puppies and dogs with the colt of a donkey being used in covenants of higher status or importance. Here, Abram was given instructions to use the animals acceptable to Yahweh in the years to follow after the Law was given to Moses, thus mirroring the Levitical system of atonement. The act of splitting the animals is where we get the word covenant, literally meaning ‘to cut’ (berith) a covenant. In the pagan cultures as well as the Hebrews, the animals were lined up in the form of a passage, with the participants enter circling the pieces of the slain animals swearing there own disembowelment if they break covenant with the opposite party as they went through the rite of passage. Abram entered into this dreadful scene by way of a deep sleep where great darkness once again fell upon him as Yahweh entered into a solemn oath of death, if He were to break covenant with His vassal. This ‘way’ of death brought great terror upon Abram as he witnessed this Theophic death march by the Great King, who had called Abram out of the land of Ur.
Vs 13-16 STIPULATIONS cont.:
Abram is reminded of the covenant being ratified. Remember, this chapter began as Abram was questioning Yahweh’s promise of descendants made earlier.
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Gen 12:1-3 NASB
In chapter 15:13 Yahweh says, “know for certain your descendants will…….”, ‘descendants’ means a ‘son’. So Yahweh here is restating verse 4b; ….but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” So ‘descendants’ mean a ‘son’, and a ‘son’ means ‘descendants’ or ‘nation’. But we will see, the promise moves from the singular to the plural back to the singular and ending in the plural, all within this covenant.
Vs 17: Witness’
Yahweh enters in the death march as a smoking fire pot or oven and a torch. Within the structure of the treaty, it was sometimes practiced to call the oven and torch as witness’s where a sacrifice would not be made as witness to the blood oath aspect of the covenants participants. Here, Yahweh evokes both the sacrifice and the witness’s in one eerie ceremony. Also, as pointed out about the Levitical animals being used here by Yahweh with Abram, the smok from the oven symbolizes the cloud-pillar as well the torch shows the fiery pillar that stood watch as Yahweh’s legs as a witness before the people of Israel. As pointed out by many commentators of the reformed tradition, Abram is a by stander as Yahweh alone binds Himself to the blood oath. The ramifications of this act are monumental indeed. Here God swears as His own witness, binding the curses upon Himself, as if He could die. The powerful ANE’ern custom is provoked by Yahweh to show His sovereignty in bringing about the promise. In the times of antiquity, after a battle, as the defeated troops returned home the path was leaden with the bodies of the slain war machines. Both men and beast were arranged to allow the troops to pass through the death trail as a right of passage to come home in defeat. At the end of the death passage, a curtain with a ritual sprinkling was performed as they passed through the veil, cleansing them from the battle. All these images are present here in this powerful display of the promise to come. Later, after the promised son was granted, Yahweh gives further insight in Gen 22 that indeed sheds light on His own death march here in Chapter 15. The symbolism is rich as Isaac, Abrahams only son climbed the hill with the wood upon his back to the mount of ratification. Abraham remember this event in chapter 15 as he sought to obey the command of the very Suzerain-Lord who had bound Himself to His own death if He failed to bring about the promise. Here in chapter 22, Yahweh stops the killing of the promised son and it is proclaimed that the Lord will provide. He will follow through with His oath and He leaves us a blood smeared image of the promise fulfilled in Isaac, and the residual promise to all the peoples of the Earth through Christ, who bore the wood upon His back to the place where the Lord will provide.
Conclusions:
We see here that not only was Yahweh binding Himself upon His own death if He breaks the covenant, but in fact we see that in order to keep the very promise He made, He must die.
As Yahweh passed between the pieces, it was a vivid symbol of the death march by Christ as He endured the curse and walked the way of death in our steed. The promise ratified becomes the reality of the curse upon His own shoulders to bring in the blessing of all the families of the Earth through Abrahams seed.
Covenant made, covenant keep, all by our Suzerain-Lord, as He made the promise as the Great King, and in time became the Vassal to fulfill His own blood oath that all men will be drawn into the ever lasting covenant of grace, bound as aires to the Vassals faithfulness, and sealed with His presence, forever.
posted by Hank at 2:59 PM
5 Comments:
Hank,
I appreciate the fact that the central focus was upon the gospel of Christ, as Galatians identifies. However, there are many who would point to the fact that we are looking for a future establishment of a political entity called Israel filled with supposed blood descendants of Abraham and tie it back to the passage. Could you elaborate on that? I personally don't see it, but am interested in your understanding.
Tim
I suppose that when I think of the covenant with Abraham, the things you mentioned are of little concern. But, yes you are right; someone might read this and think 'what about the land! What about the people!' These things in comparison seem insignificant. I will work on an answer for you this week and proably make it a post of its own. Thanks
Clinton
Yes, Kline has impacted my thought for sure. I could never thank the guy enough who turned me on to him ;) As for OP Robertson's book, I just bought one off of E-bay, seconds ago! BOC is there too, only its $225 so I will have to get it from school, in due time.
As for the Messengers, yes, it will be apart of my posts. It makes so much more sense out of things to have the ANE perspective on the Scriptures. Hey, don't be afraid to post similar articles of your won on RH. You are so much more versed in this area than I am.
Are we on for Friday?
Tim
Clintons latest post gives a nice summary for the remaining chapters of Ezek., to which I think you would agree. www.redemptivehistory.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by Hank. You can get a different look at pretty much the same content at my new site davesexegesis.com. I'm sure I'll enjoy poking around your fine site. Love the title!
Hank,
Dave is a buddy of mine. I guess the three Kline friends are now all in the loop.
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