e1 g1 1. The Covenant Maker. (The Word of Yahaveh).
h1 2,3. Inquiry. "What will You give?"
g2 4,5. The Covenant. Announced. (The Seed).
h2 6. Belief.
g3 7. The Covenant Maker. (Yahaveh).
h3 8. Inquiry. "How shall I know?"
g4 9-11. The Covenant. Prepared.
h4 12-16. Answer. "Know of a surety."
g5 17-21. The Covenant. Solemnized.1921 B.C.
Genesis 15)
1 After these things, the word of the Lord (First occ. of this expression is with the prep. 'el, unto, implying action of a person; or at least, articulate speech) came to Abram in the vision, saying, "Fear not Abram, I am your shield (The Incarnate Christ is Faith's shield), and your exceeding great reward."
2 And Abram said, " the Lord GOD (Yahaveh Adonai, First occ. relating to blessing in the earth), what will You give me, seeing I am going on childless, and the steward of my house is this Elizar (=God is his help) of Damascus?"
3 And Abram said, "Behold, to me You have given no seed: and lo, one born in my house is my heir." (There was "man's" Law in the land, i.e. the Code of Khummarabi, some of which were unfair and unequal).
The existence of Laws in the book of Genesis and Exodus is evident, though there is no formal record of their
delivery. Cp. Ex.18:16.
In 1901 A.D., the Code of Amraphel (Khummarabi), Gen. 14:1, was discovered in Susa by M.J. de Morgan. The
latest date for this Code is 2139 B.C.
800 years before Moses, these laws governed the people from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, and from Persia to the Mediterranean, and were in force throughout Canaan.
This discovery overthrew the two main pillars of the "higher critics", one of which was that such writing was
unknown before Moses; the other, that a legal code was impossible before Israeli kings.
Hence, we now have before us both codes; and are in a position to answer Yehovah's question in Deut. 4:8, "What nation is there so great, that has statutes and judgments so righteous as all this Law, which I set before you this day?"
Khummurabi calls his law the "judgments of righteousness", but some of them, at least, are both
unrighteous and unequal, as the following brief contrast shows at a glance.
Doubtless some were made known to mankind, as such, by God, example:- I) The Law of the Sabbath (Gen.2:3). II) The days noted in connection with the Flood are all Sabbath's except one, Gen.8:5 Tuesday. See note on Gen. 8:10,12,14. III) The Law of the place of worship (Gen. 4:3,4,16). IV) The Law of offerings (Gen.4:4), &c. But, side by side with these special Divine communications, the Babylonian Laws were codified in the age of Abraham.
Offense Yahaveh's Law Khummurabi's Law
4 And, behold, the word of the Lord came to him saying, "This shall not be your heir; but he that shall come forth out of your own bowels shall be your heir."
Stealing Restoring double Death (Code 4)
(Ex.22:9)
Burglary Restoring double Death (Code21)
(Ex.22:7)
Harboring a No offense Death (Code16)
fugitive slave (Deut.23:15)
Injuring a slave Freedom given to Master compensated
slave (Deut.23:15) (Code 199)
Injuring a Same injury inflict- Same injury infl-
rich man ed on injurer icted (196,197)
Injuring a " Fine of 1 mina of
poor man (Ex.21:23-25) silver (Code198)
Injury followed by Each case judged on Death of injurer's
death to a rich its own merits daughter (209)
man's daughter
Injury followed by " fine of 5 sheckels
death to a poor of silver (211,213)
man's daughter
5 And He brought him forth abroad, and said, "Look steadfastly toward heaven (God chose for Abram), and tell the stars (the heavenly calling in Israel), if you are able to number them," (hence Joab's objection in 2 Sam.24:3), an He said to him, "So shall your seed be."
6 And he believed in the Lord (i.e. believed what he "heard" [Rom.10:17].); and He imputed it to him for as righteousness. (This positive imputed righteousness because he believed concerning Christ. It was more than forensic righteousness, which was negative or non-imputation of sin. This was the consequence of the Gospel preached to Abram [cp. Gal.3:8, and read Rom. 4, and Gal. 3].)
7 And He said to him, "I am the Lord, That brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it."
8 And he said, " the Lord GOD, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?" (It is o.k. to ask God how, but don't ask Him why because that would be like doubting Him.)
9 And He said to him, "Take an offering for Me a heifer of 3 years old, and a she goat of 3 years old, and a ram of 3 years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
10 And he took to Him all these (5 items, the #5 = Grace, because Covenant was unconditional), and divided it in half, and laid each peace one against another: but the birds he divided not.
11 And when the fowls came upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. (another attempt by Satan to prevent the Covenant?)
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram (Put to sleep so that he should have no part in it, and that the Covenant should be unconditional, in which "God was the One" and only contracting party); and, lo, a short great darkness fell upon him.
13 And He said to Abram, "Knowing you shall know your seed (i.e. Isaac) shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, {and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them} 400 years;
14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge (i.e. punish): and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15 And you shall go to your fathers in peace (= die and be buried. Abraham's fathers were idolaters. See Josh. 24:2); you shall be buried in a good old age.
16 But in the fourth generation they shall come here again (i.e. Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses, Jochebed [born in Egypt].): or the iniquity (= idolatry) of the Amorites is yet not full." (Another mark of the corruption of the Canaanite nations through the Nephelim and Rephaim)
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace (symbolic of the affliction of Israel), and a burning lamp (symbolic of Israel's deliverance) that passed between those pieces.
18 In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed have I given this land (Before this it was "I will". From now on it is "I have"), from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates: (Never yet even to this day possessed with these boundaries)
19 The Kenites (= the sons of Cain), and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims (another link in the chain from 6:4),
21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Gergashites, and the Jebusites."