In answer to that question, God tells Abram to bring five animals to himĪnd he takes the animals, and cuts up the large ones, and lays the halves across from each other with a space in between.Īgain, Abram waits, chasing the vultures away. He asks very pointedly, “How can I KNOW that you’re going to fulfill your promise?” I trusted You – & You haven’t come throughĪbram did – and dared to voice his frustration and his doubt to God. “Lord, You promised you would give me: _” a job or children or … but where is it? 'Sovereign Lord, what good will your reward do me, since I have no children? … You have given me no children, and one of my slaves will inherit my property.' You can hear the anguish in his voice as he says,

What joy Abram had had when God had made this wonderful promise, that not only would they have a child, but that their descendents would become a great nation.īut God appears to Abram again, and Abram is ticked! Most of you know that it was shameful in that culture not to have children.Īll their lives, Abram and Sarai had endured that shame In the next chapter we’re told he was 86, and we don’t really know how much time there was between the two chapters, but it had probably been several years. But I’ve discovered that if I find out what is happening in these confusing passages, I often gain a deeper understanding of who God is and of His relationship to us.Īs we look at this passage more carefully, I think we will make just such a discovery.Ībram had been waiting several years for God to fulfill His promise that Abram would have so many descendants, they couldn’t be numbred.Ībram was 75 when God made that promise back in chapter 12īut at 75, he had left his home and family and moved to a strange place because God had told him to do so.Īnd he had waited for God’s promise to come true Most of us tend to avoid such passages, because they are confusing and unsettling. “What kind of a God would come up with such a gory ritual?” It seemed pretty disgusting to me, to be honest. That’s the kind of reaction I had when I first read this passage. If you’re married, you’ve no doubt had that happen! Or maybe we’ve stereotyped somebody and found out they’re nothing like what we thought.Ī tough looking biker cuddles a kitten a sweet teenage girl erupts in a string of obscenities. It may be something good or it may be something bad.

Have you ever been around someone you think you know really well, and suddenly they do something totally out of character?

Beyond a shadow of a doubt.