Genesis 15:1-21

Genesis 15 shows us the two keys to living out the promise of God while we find ourselves in the waiting room of life—our faith and God’s faithfulness.

Outline

  • First, our saving faith (15:1-6)
    • Dependence: saving faith depends on the protection of God (15:1)
    • Desire: saving faith desires the provision of God (15:2-3)
    • Delight: saving faith delights in the promise of God (15:5)
    • Decision: saving faith decides to follow the plan of God
  • Second, God’s sovereign faithfulness (15:7-21)
    • In God’s sovereign faithfulness, he establishes a covenant rooted in a new place (15:7-11)
    • In God’s sovereign faithfulness, he establishes a covenant created for a new people (15:12-16)
    • In God’s sovereign faithfulness, he establishes a covenant centered on a new purpose (15:17-21)

Christ Connections

  • Romans 4:18-19 helps us understand how Abram’s belief in God’s promise despite his bodily weakness points to what faith in Christ looks like. When God shows Abram the significance of the stars, it takes his eyes off the wounds of the past, the weariness of the present, and the worries of the future. It shows we need to recognize that Jesus is not just the savior we need and the Lord we want but also the treasure we seek—we count everything else but rubbish that we might gain Christ
  • Abram is a model of saving faith—he decides to trust in God as his savior, Lord, and treasure. The same is true of us, when we believe that Jesus was delivered up for our sins and raised for our justification, he takes our sin and we receive his righteousness.
  • In the covenant ceremony, God moves through the slaughtered animals by himself, showing us that in this covenant, he alone will receive the judgment when the covenant is not kept. Pointing forward to the slaughter of Christ on the cross to fulfill this covenant promise.

Applications

  • Abram’s long awaited desire for a child to accomplish the promise God had made is met with a promise of provision. God will only change our life when we reach the point that we don’t see Jesus just as the savior we need but also the Lord we want.
  • Has there ever been a time in your life when you’ve made a personal decision to trust in Jesus as your savior, Lord, and treasure? If God is powerful enough to make the stars that Abram saw that night, he is powerful enough to set you free from your sins.