This lesson is compatible with the "Abraham & Isaac" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.
Scripture References: Genesis 15: 1-21; 15:1-6; Hebrews 6:13-18
“Look at the stars, Abram. Can you count them?”
God was speaking to Abram in a vision, like a dream while Abram was awake.
“I can’t count them, God. There are just too many! I keep losing track of which ones I’ve even counted!” said Abram.
“I will give you a family that is like the number of stars. You won’t even be able to count them!”
God was promising that Abram would have a son of his very own! And that his family would be very, very big! God had already promised Abram that He would bless the whole world through Abram’s family. Abram didn’t know Jesus, yet, but Jesus would one day be a part of that great family. God keeps His promises.
Abram believed God’s promises, and God wrote down something like [Abram: “Righteous”] in the book of Life.
God continued talking with Abram, his friend. “I am God, who brought you out of Ur, so I could give you all this land in Canaan.”
Abram remembered when God told Abram that the land, as far as he could see and more, would be his. But Abram was still living in tents, surrounded by people who didn’t worship the One, True God. I imagine He was beginning to be impatient for the land to finally be his.
“God, how will I know that all this land will be mine?”
God said one more thing to Abram: “Bring me a young cow of 3 years old, a three-year old goat, a three-year old sheep, a dove, and a young pigeon.”
God didn’t say anything else that we know of for the rest of the day.
Abram already knew what to do with the animals, though.
In those days, and in that land, there was an old custom (something many people did on a regular basis). When two people wanted to make an agreement, or a contract, they would perform a special ceremony. They would take an animal, usually a donkey, and they would cut in in half, and set the pieces near each other. The blood would flow out of the animal. Ew!
The two people making the agreement would say what they were agreeing on. For example, one man would say something like “I agree to sell you this land for $1,000, and I guarantee the land has plenty of water for your sheep.” The second man would say “I agree to pay you $1,000 by Thursday.” Then they would say what would happen if either one didn’t keep his end of the agreement. “If I don’t sell you this land, or the land doesn’t have enough water for your sheep, may what happened to the donkey happen to me. You have the right to kill me.” And the second man would say “If I don’t pay you on time, may what happened to the donkey happen to me!” Then they would walk through the middle of the donkey pieces, through the blood. When they made a contract, it was very serious!
When God told Abram to bring the animals, Abram knew what God wanted. He wanted to make a contract with him. So, Abram brought the animals together, he cut the animals in two, but he kept the birds whole. He laid all the animals in a row. Then he waited for God to begin the contract. Abram waited, and waited. He had spent the night talking with God, and now it was almost noon! The sun was hot, and what do you think it was like around those dead animals? Yuck! The birds were starting to circle over his head! They saw good food and wanted to eat! Abram ran the birds away as soon as they got near the dead animals. And he waited some more. Abram waited all day long, and still nothing was happening. Finally, the sun went down. Abram fell asleep. He started to feel very strange. He wasn’t having a nightmare, but it sure felt like it! Abram became very, very scared. He found it hard to breathe! His heart was racing! He was still asleep, but he felt a horror! I imagine Abram was feeling very worried long before he fell asleep. He was going to enter into an agreement with GOD!!! What is worse, he was sure that God was going to make him walk through the animals all by himself. You see, when a powerful king made a contract with one of his servants, the king said his part of the agreement, something like “I will provide food for your family in return for your service.” And the servant would say his part, like “I will serve you for 4 years, and go to battle for you, if you need me.” Then the king would stand back and make the servant walk through alone! The king thought his word was good enough, and he didn’t have to prove it by walking through. If the servant broke his agreement, he would be killed. If the king broke the agreement, though, nothing would happen to him…he was the KING! He could break any agreement he wanted!
Abram thought that he was going to have to walk through the animals all alone, like the servants did with kings. And Abram knew he could not keep any promise to God! He had already messed up a lot! Abram was terrified he would make a contract with God, and be cut in half, or worse, when he broke the agreement. He just couldn’t keep his promises to God, because he was a sinner.
When he was more scared than he had ever been, God spoke to Abram. “You can be certain that your family will be strangers in a different land for 400 years, and they will be slaves. But I will judge that country and bring your family out of that land with many riches. You will not be a slave, though. You will live and die in peace when you are very old. When your family is saved from slavery after 400 years, they will come back here, to your land.”
God was telling Abram what would happen to his family in the future! Where would they be slaves in the future? Egypt! But after that, they would return to the land God promised Abram.
After God finished talking, it became very dark. Darker than you can imagine! And a smoking oven appeared, along with a torch. It was God! God only showed Himself as fire and smoke because no man can look at God the Father. He is too powerful and Holy!
Then, something happened that shocked Abram. God HIMSELF walked through the dead animals and the blood! He didn’t make Abram do it alone! In fact, God didn’t even give Abram a chance to do it! God knew that Abram could not keep any agreement with Him. He knew Abram would still sin and make wrong choices. He would keep doubting God, even though God never lies or breaks His promises.
This is a BEAUTIFUL STORY! God was making the contract with Abram, but God was showing “I will make your family very great (and bless the earth with a Savior). I will give you this land. And if I break my promise, I deserve the punishment. And I will take YOUR punishment on myself if you break our contract.”
WOW! GOD the Creator was promising to take Abram’s punishment on Himself!
Does God lie? No!
One day, hundreds and hundreds of years later, God would take the punishment for Abram, and for the rest of the world. Jesus, God the Son would die on the cross for our sins. He would be like those animals. Torn in pieces for us!
God didn’t have to make that promise. But He loves us SO very much. He proved it when He sent Jesus, to be born into Abram’s family, and to die a horrible, painful death on the cross for us! Because we can’t keep God’s laws. It’s impossible for us. We do, say, and think things that break His laws every day. God knew we would need someone to keep His laws for us. That is what Jesus did. He never once sinned. But He took the punishment for our sins!
If you have never accepted Jesus as God who died for your sins, you can do it today.
Tell him you know you sin and can’t keep God’s laws no matter how hard you try. Tell Him you believe He died on the cross and rose again 3 days later. Tell Him you accept Him.
Let’s pray now and thank God for the beautiful promises He made to Abram, and the even more beautiful way He showed that He would take our punishment.