WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.919 For a short while I'd like us to turn back to the chapter that we read in Genesis 15. 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:10.400 We'll look at the whole chapter, but let's read again at verse 17. 00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:16.800 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:19.240 passed between these pieces. 00:00:19.240 --> 00:00:26.160 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham. 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:31.240 In our evening services we are doing a short study into the life of Abraham. 00:00:31.240 --> 00:00:37.560 Two weeks ago we were looking at Genesis chapter 12, which in many ways is a key chapter in 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:39.280 the whole of the Bible. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:43.920 In that chapter God comes to Abraham with an amazing promise. 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:46.000 He says that he's going to bless Abraham. 00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:53.039 He's going to make his family into a great nation and through that nation all the nations 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:56.280 of the earth are going to be blessed. 00:00:56.280 --> 00:01:04.560 In many ways that promise of Genesis 12 is page one of God's plan of salvation. 00:01:04.560 --> 00:01:10.879 Humanity which has been left broken by sin is going to be restored and that work of restoration 00:01:10.879 --> 00:01:14.599 is going to be worked out through Abraham. 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:20.039 God initiates a plan of salvation and that plan of salvation is going to be worked out 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:27.360 across the ages of history and at the heart of that plan is family. 00:01:27.360 --> 00:01:34.120 Through Abraham's family God is going to bless every family. 00:01:34.120 --> 00:01:41.040 So in the midst of all the mess that sin has caused God sees humanity pushing him away 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:48.320 but God's great goal is to go after them and bring them back. 00:01:48.319 --> 00:01:53.119 So God is going to work out his purposes through Abraham. 00:01:53.119 --> 00:01:59.519 And so at that page one in Genesis 12 God makes this great promise that Abraham's going 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:00.919 to become a great nation. 00:02:00.919 --> 00:02:05.359 He's going to be blessed and he'll be a blessing and it all sounds so exciting. 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:10.319 And you go on into chapters 13 and 14 of Genesis and you can see that things start to look 00:02:10.319 --> 00:02:12.039 really good for Abraham. 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:15.159 He settles in the land that God has promised. 00:02:15.159 --> 00:02:20.799 He becomes prosperous, his herds are growing and growing and he becomes quite powerful. 00:02:20.799 --> 00:02:27.039 In chapter 14 some enemy kings come and take his nephew hostage but Abraham is able to go 00:02:27.039 --> 00:02:34.159 and defeat them and bring Lot his nephew back from captivity. 00:02:34.159 --> 00:02:36.919 Everything is looking good for Abraham. 00:02:36.919 --> 00:02:45.359 But as time goes on there is still one massive problem. 00:02:45.359 --> 00:02:49.359 Abraham and Sarah remain childless. 00:02:49.359 --> 00:02:53.879 And this is the dilemma that Abraham faces at the start of chapter 15. 00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:59.599 God comes to him and says fear not, I am your shield, you shall, your reward shall be very 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:00.599 great. 00:03:00.599 --> 00:03:03.560 But Abraham says what's going to happen to me? 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:05.159 I'm still childless. 00:03:05.159 --> 00:03:12.240 And my servant Eliezer is going to inherit all of my possessions. 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:17.439 The promise of offspring doesn't seem to be materializing. 00:03:17.439 --> 00:03:23.240 But in response to that God reassures Abraham with a great promise. 00:03:23.240 --> 00:03:26.120 He says this man Eliezer, he's not going to be your heir. 00:03:26.120 --> 00:03:28.199 Your very own son will be your heir. 00:03:28.199 --> 00:03:33.439 And then he takes Abraham outside and he says look up to heaven and count the stars if you 00:03:33.439 --> 00:03:40.400 can and that's what your offspring is going to be like. 00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:45.000 And in response to that we have this amazing description of Abraham's faith. 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:51.639 He believed the Lord and he counted it to him as righteousness. 00:03:51.639 --> 00:03:58.919 And these words are a great reminder that the right response to a promise is trust. 00:03:58.919 --> 00:04:03.679 But we must never, ever forget that that is the response that God is looking for in all 00:04:03.679 --> 00:04:05.839 of us. 00:04:05.839 --> 00:04:09.799 Many religions in the world are based on requirements. 00:04:09.799 --> 00:04:12.479 But Christianity isn't. 00:04:12.479 --> 00:04:16.919 Christianity is not based on requirements, it is based on promises. 00:04:16.919 --> 00:04:23.360 And the difference is crucial because requirements need to be met. 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:27.120 Promises need to be trusted. 00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:32.439 That's why Christianity is not a message of salvation through meeting requirements. 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:42.000 It's a message of salvation through faith in the promises that God has made to us. 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:45.319 But then Abraham asks a crucial question in verse eight. 00:04:45.319 --> 00:04:54.519 He says how am I to know, how am I to know that all of this is going to happen? 00:04:54.519 --> 00:05:02.560 And then in response to that we have this fascinating account of animals being cut in 00:05:02.560 --> 00:05:10.639 half and this smoking firepot and flaming torch, all of which culminates in God making 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:14.240 a covenant with Abraham. 00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:17.159 And really that's what this passage is all about. 00:05:17.159 --> 00:05:22.959 God's covenant with Abraham. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:27.879 Now maybe, I'm not sure if I should maybe say this, maybe this is a wee bit controversial, 00:05:27.879 --> 00:05:37.560 but I'm going to say that this chapter I think is possibly the strangest passage in the whole 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:40.439 of the Old Testament. 00:05:40.439 --> 00:05:46.959 But what I hope that we're going to see is that at the same time it is also the coolest 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:50.240 passage in the Old Testament. 00:05:50.240 --> 00:05:56.680 And I want us just to look at it together tonight by asking four or five questions. 00:05:56.680 --> 00:06:04.280 First question we have to ask is what is actually going on in Genesis 15? 00:06:04.280 --> 00:06:07.319 Let's read again from verse nine. 00:06:07.319 --> 00:06:11.240 God says to Abraham, bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old and 00:06:11.240 --> 00:06:14.680 a ram three years old, a turtle dove and a young pigeon. 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:19.840 And he brought all of these, cut them in half and laid each half over against the other. 00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:21.879 And he did not cut the birds in half. 00:06:21.879 --> 00:06:27.759 And when the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abraham drove them away. 00:06:27.759 --> 00:06:35.599 Now, one of the fascinating things in any part of life is how in different cultures, 00:06:35.599 --> 00:06:37.959 things work in different ways. 00:06:37.959 --> 00:06:44.000 And whenever you go to a different culture, it's really important that you are aware of 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:50.360 cultural habits in order to properly understand the people that we interact with and the different 00:06:50.360 --> 00:06:53.000 things that we might see in that culture. 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:56.319 And we can see lots of different examples of that in life. 00:06:56.319 --> 00:07:02.519 I can remember being with some Americans and they were speaking, I think, about a car. 00:07:02.519 --> 00:07:05.600 And one of them said, oh, man, that's so bad. 00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:07.519 It's nasty. 00:07:07.519 --> 00:07:13.040 And what he meant was that it's a really nice car. 00:07:13.040 --> 00:07:17.800 Another example is from where I come from in the Isle of Lewis, where if someone asks 00:07:17.800 --> 00:07:20.480 you, do you want a cup of tea? 00:07:20.480 --> 00:07:23.800 And you say, oh, no. 00:07:23.800 --> 00:07:25.480 That actually means yes. 00:07:25.480 --> 00:07:28.560 And the kettle will be on before you know it. 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:33.520 And I'm sure you can think of lots of examples yourself. 00:07:33.520 --> 00:07:39.360 All of these show that if you are not familiar with a culture, then something can look very 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:40.800 strange. 00:07:40.800 --> 00:07:46.400 But if you are familiar with a culture, then the strange thing that you are looking at makes 00:07:46.400 --> 00:07:49.360 perfect sense. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:52.600 Genesis 15 is a prime example of this. 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:56.840 To us, the whole thing looks a wee bit strange. 00:07:56.840 --> 00:08:02.920 But if you showed Genesis 15 to an Old Testament Israelite or to anyone from the ancient Near 00:08:02.920 --> 00:08:07.759 East, they would immediately say, oh, I know what that's talking about. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:14.039 It's a covenant ratification ceremony. 00:08:14.039 --> 00:08:15.039 What does that mean? 00:08:15.039 --> 00:08:22.719 Well, in the ancient Near East, back in the area that Abraham was in and the surrounding 00:08:22.719 --> 00:08:29.159 region at that time, it was common for covenants to be made, especially between rulers. 00:08:29.159 --> 00:08:34.279 And we see a similar thing today, but we would call it a treaty where nations or groups of 00:08:34.279 --> 00:08:38.039 nations enter into agreement with one another. 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:40.799 That was common back in the ancient Near East. 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:47.959 And when one of these covenants was made, there was a special ceremony conducted to 00:08:47.959 --> 00:08:53.000 mark the formalization of that covenant. 00:08:53.000 --> 00:09:00.519 They took animals, they killed them, they cut them in half and set them opposite each 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:09.039 other, and to seal the covenant, both parties or representatives of both parties walked 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:12.720 through the middle of the divided animals. 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:15.240 I've got a wee diagram here just to give you the idea. 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:20.960 If you imagine that the red semicircles are animals cut into it, well, maybe you don't 00:09:20.960 --> 00:09:23.159 imagine it too much, but you know what I mean. 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:29.319 You have these divided animals set across from each other and the two parties walk through 00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:33.240 the middle to seal the covenant. 00:09:33.240 --> 00:09:42.520 And the whole point of it was to say, if I break this covenant, then may I be made like 00:09:42.520 --> 00:09:45.920 one of these animals. 00:09:45.920 --> 00:09:52.879 In other words, it was a pledge to death. 00:09:52.879 --> 00:09:58.920 The result of all that was that they were committing to one another in a covenant bond, 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:05.039 and that would bring blessings if everyone stuck to the terms of that covenant. 00:10:05.039 --> 00:10:11.679 It would benefit both parties, but to break the covenant would bring consequences. 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:15.000 It would provoke a curse. 00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:19.919 And later on in the Old Testament, there's actually a very clear example of this in Genesis 00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:22.000 chapter 34. 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:31.279 This was where the people of Judah had covenanted to free slaves according to what God had commanded. 00:10:31.279 --> 00:10:37.559 And they did that, but then they went back on their word and they put the people that 00:10:37.559 --> 00:10:40.399 they'd released back into slavery. 00:10:40.399 --> 00:10:46.840 And in response to that, God comes to them and he says, you've not obeyed me. 00:10:46.840 --> 00:10:48.879 I asked you to proclaim liberty. 00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:51.559 You haven't done that. 00:10:51.559 --> 00:10:58.319 And you have taken the people who you freed back into captivity. 00:10:58.319 --> 00:11:04.319 The men who transgressed my covenant and did not keep the terms of the covenant that they 00:11:04.319 --> 00:11:12.079 made before me, I will make them like the calf that they cut into and passed between 00:11:12.079 --> 00:11:13.079 its parts. 00:11:13.079 --> 00:11:18.399 It's the officials, the leaders, the priests, the people, everyone who passed through the 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:24.879 parts, I'll give them into the hand of their enemies, their dead bodies shall be food for 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:28.840 the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth. 00:11:28.840 --> 00:11:37.480 That's talking about the same thing, this solemn commitment to keep your word and your 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:44.679 pledge in yourself to death that you will keep that word no matter what. 00:11:44.679 --> 00:11:47.919 That's what's been described for us in Genesis 15. 00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:52.479 It's a covenant ratification ceremony. 00:11:52.479 --> 00:11:58.399 God enters a covenant bond with Abraham and his descendants. 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:04.799 Now, the next question that we need to ask in all of this is to say, well, what exactly 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:07.159 do we mean by covenant? 00:12:07.159 --> 00:12:12.679 Now, this is a big topic and in many ways it's one of the most amazing topics that we 00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:13.679 can consider. 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:19.319 But it's important just to try to make sure that we don't overcomplicate it because really 00:12:19.319 --> 00:12:20.319 it's quite simple. 00:12:20.319 --> 00:12:27.120 A covenant is just a relationship of the utmost commitment. 00:12:27.120 --> 00:12:29.759 It's got four basic elements. 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:34.120 There's the bond, the relationship between two parties. 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.879 There's the terms of that relationship. 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:40.479 So there's certain things that are acceptable, certain things that are unacceptable and these 00:12:40.479 --> 00:12:42.799 are to be consistently maintained. 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:50.079 There's blessings from being in that relationship and there's curses or consequences for breaking 00:12:50.079 --> 00:12:52.079 that bond. 00:12:52.079 --> 00:12:55.479 A great example of a covenant is marriage. 00:12:55.479 --> 00:13:00.240 Two people enter into a relationship of the utmost commitment. 00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:07.039 There's terms that shape that relationship, terms of duty and love and loyalty and faithfulness. 00:13:07.039 --> 00:13:12.359 There's blessings from sticking to those covenant terms and supporting one another as husband 00:13:12.360 --> 00:13:20.120 and wife and there are curses and problems and consequences if one or other neglects 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:27.519 their responsibilities or breaks the relationship that they've entered into. 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:29.440 Marriage is a good example of a covenant. 00:13:29.440 --> 00:13:32.840 However, there's one crucial difference. 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:39.320 In a marriage, both parties are equal, the man and the woman. 00:13:39.320 --> 00:13:44.440 In a covenant relationship with God, it's not two equals. 00:13:44.440 --> 00:13:52.200 It's God and humanity and so therefore there is what we call a superior, inferior relationship. 00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:54.640 God is the superior, we are the inferior. 00:13:54.640 --> 00:14:00.280 Now that's not to sort of say that superior, inferior means like the idea of oppression 00:14:00.280 --> 00:14:01.720 or unfairness. 00:14:01.720 --> 00:14:06.880 It's rather pointing to the fact that God is so much greater than we are. 00:14:06.879 --> 00:14:15.279 We can't claim to deserve to be in a relationship with Him, but in His grace and love, He comes 00:14:15.279 --> 00:14:25.840 down to our level and initiates and administers a covenant bond so that we can have a relationship 00:14:25.840 --> 00:14:28.039 with Him. 00:14:28.039 --> 00:14:33.440 The Bible's great summary statement of this covenant relationship is where it says again 00:14:33.440 --> 00:14:41.840 and again and again, God comes to us and says, I am your God and you are my people. 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:47.480 Now, it's important to understand this concept of covenant and to recognize it because God 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:50.880 is a God who likes covenant. 00:14:50.880 --> 00:14:58.920 Throughout all the Bible, God is 100% committed to His people and again and again and again 00:14:58.920 --> 00:15:03.400 we see the scriptures refer back to God's covenant. 00:15:03.399 --> 00:15:07.759 Going on from the life of Abraham, you come to the Exodus where the people, the descendants 00:15:07.759 --> 00:15:10.600 of Abraham are in Egypt and are suffering. 00:15:10.600 --> 00:15:15.600 God hears their groaning and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and with 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:16.799 Jacob. 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:20.399 When they entered into the promised land, we see the same thing. 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:24.240 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgall to Bochum and said, I brought you up from 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:27.000 Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give your fathers. 00:15:27.000 --> 00:15:31.679 I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 00:15:31.679 --> 00:15:36.120 It's repeated again in the days of the kingdom of Israel. 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:39.079 They were oppressed, but God was gracious to them. 00:15:39.079 --> 00:15:40.319 He had compassion on them. 00:15:40.319 --> 00:15:46.279 He turned towards them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 00:15:46.279 --> 00:15:52.000 And even in the exile towards the end of the Old Testament period, we have the same language 00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:57.959 where God remembered His covenant with His people. 00:15:57.960 --> 00:16:06.879 The Bible is in many ways all about God's covenant dealings with His people. 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:12.519 The next question I want to ask is, what does this teach us about God? 00:16:12.519 --> 00:16:20.840 Well, there's two key concepts that this whole idea of covenant brings before us, and they 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:25.759 are grace and truth. 00:16:25.759 --> 00:16:28.360 So at the heart of covenant, you have truth. 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:35.240 Covenants are reminded that God is a God of truth, a God of order and of consistency. 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:42.159 And so when God makes a covenant promise, He absolutely keeps it. 00:16:42.159 --> 00:16:48.519 Now that's in total contrast to all the pagan gods of the other nations in the Old Testament. 00:16:48.519 --> 00:16:50.559 These gods were unpredictable. 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:58.479 They were often conflicting, and in the whole kind of religious mindset of these people, 00:16:58.479 --> 00:17:02.679 they never knew what their gods were going to do next. 00:17:02.679 --> 00:17:06.279 The God of the Bible is not like that. 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:09.399 He is clear and consistent. 00:17:09.399 --> 00:17:13.759 He's made a covenant to be our God, and He will stick to it. 00:17:13.759 --> 00:17:15.759 He will never break it. 00:17:15.759 --> 00:17:18.759 So covenant is reminding us that God is true. 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:20.200 He never lies. 00:17:20.200 --> 00:17:21.720 He never changes his mind. 00:17:21.720 --> 00:17:23.200 He never breaks a promise. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:30.640 And in a world that's full of spin and fake news and half truths, God's commitment to 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:40.799 truth and His commitment to be true to His covenant is so different and so precious. 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:46.160 At the heart of covenant is truth, but also at the heart of covenant is grace. 00:17:46.160 --> 00:17:51.519 That reminds us that God is a God of kindness, love, and grace. 00:17:51.519 --> 00:17:56.960 And we see that throughout the Bible, God's covenantal dealings with His people are motivated 00:17:56.960 --> 00:18:03.160 by His deep, deep love and kindness towards them. 00:18:03.160 --> 00:18:08.880 And in fact, there's a special word that the Bible uses to describe that. 00:18:08.880 --> 00:18:11.840 It's a Hebrew word, the word Hezad. 00:18:11.840 --> 00:18:14.240 And we see it in the verse that we read at the start of our service. 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:19.400 We know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and 00:18:19.400 --> 00:18:23.680 steadfast love with those who love Him. 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:27.720 That word's actually a very hard word to translate. 00:18:27.720 --> 00:18:32.960 I'm told that when the revised standard version of the Bible was being put together, this 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:39.640 was the very last word that they translated because it's hard to capture the fullness 00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:41.559 of it in English. 00:18:41.559 --> 00:18:46.159 Sometimes it's translated steadfast love, sometimes loving kindness, sometimes goodness, 00:18:46.159 --> 00:18:48.119 sometimes unfailing love. 00:18:48.119 --> 00:18:56.839 The emphasis behind the word is that it expresses an inner love and commitment that then motivates 00:18:56.839 --> 00:19:03.279 action to care for and benefit someone with whom you have a relationship. 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:08.919 In other words, it's not just a love that feels, it's a love that does. 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:14.480 It is a committed, deep covenant love. 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:21.120 And this whole biblical concept of covenant is reminding us that God loves us and He acts 00:19:21.120 --> 00:19:24.920 graciously towards us. 00:19:24.920 --> 00:19:28.880 So throughout the Old Testament, you have this constant emphasis on covenant. 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:33.039 At the heart of that covenant are these two concepts, grace and truth. 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:37.720 And then when you come into the New Testament, what does John tell us about Jesus in the 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:39.559 first chapter of his gospel? 00:19:39.559 --> 00:19:42.079 He says, the word became flesh and dwelt among us. 00:19:42.079 --> 00:19:49.519 We've seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of what? 00:19:49.519 --> 00:19:55.400 Full of grace and truth. 00:19:55.400 --> 00:19:59.480 God's plan of salvation is grounded on covenant. 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:04.039 And the fulfillment of that is in the coming of Jesus. 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:11.159 When Jesus comes, he shows us this covenant, grace and truth and everything fits together 00:20:11.159 --> 00:20:14.000 perfectly. 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:20.799 The truth and grace of God's covenant means that God will keep true to His word and He 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:28.159 will step into action on our behalf. 00:20:28.159 --> 00:20:31.119 But what exactly is God going to do? 00:20:31.119 --> 00:20:38.879 Well, that's our next question and the answer is all the way back in Genesis 15. 00:20:38.879 --> 00:20:45.599 There we read that the sun came down and a deep sleep fell on Abraham, a great and dreadful 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:46.599 darkness. 00:20:46.599 --> 00:20:51.119 God comes to him and speaks, says, no for certain, your offspring will be soldiers in the land. 00:20:51.119 --> 00:20:52.119 They'll be afflicted. 00:20:52.119 --> 00:20:56.439 I'll bring judgment on that nation and after they'll, words, they'll come out. 00:20:56.440 --> 00:21:01.759 As for you, you will go to your father's in peace and be buried in a good old age. 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:06.519 They'll come back here in the fourth generation for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:07.519 complete. 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:12.600 And then we have these words in verse 17, when the sun had gone down and it was dark, 00:21:12.600 --> 00:21:21.720 behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:25.440 Now, what is going on here? 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:38.360 Well, remember, we said that in a covenant ratification ceremony, both parties walk through the separated 00:21:38.360 --> 00:21:40.320 animal halves. 00:21:40.320 --> 00:21:49.039 Both parties make a commitment to say that if I break this, then I am invoking the curse 00:21:49.039 --> 00:21:52.759 of a broken covenant onto myself. 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:55.320 Both parties go through the pieces. 00:21:55.319 --> 00:22:01.720 But that's not what happens in Genesis 15. 00:22:01.720 --> 00:22:12.240 In Genesis 15, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch pass through the pieces. 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:14.399 What is going on? 00:22:14.399 --> 00:22:21.639 Well, the smoke and the fire is representing God. 00:22:21.640 --> 00:22:28.560 A bit like the pillar of cloud and fire that displayed God's presence as his people came 00:22:28.560 --> 00:22:31.960 out of Egypt in the book of Exodus. 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:38.320 This is a representation of God himself. 00:22:38.320 --> 00:22:46.240 And so the key point is that as this flame passes through the pieces, it's showing us 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:57.120 that only God is passing through these pieces as this covenant is ratified. 00:22:57.120 --> 00:23:07.880 And the crucial implication of that is that God is taking upon himself all of the responsibility 00:23:07.880 --> 00:23:12.000 if this covenant is broken. 00:23:12.000 --> 00:23:22.720 Now, the rest of the Old Testament is a repeated account of God's people breaking this covenant. 00:23:22.720 --> 00:23:27.039 Even Abraham in the next chapter makes a massive mistake and mucks things up. 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:32.000 And throughout the Old Testament, again and again, the people turned away from God's covenant. 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:35.960 But God constantly remained faithful. 00:23:35.960 --> 00:23:41.960 And even though the people broke God's covenant, and even though we break and ruin our relationship, 00:23:41.960 --> 00:23:49.840 with God through sin, we do not bear the ultimate curse of the broken covenant. 00:23:49.840 --> 00:23:55.039 But the crucial point is that the covenant curse does not disappear. 00:23:55.039 --> 00:23:58.120 Remember covenant is a matter of life and death. 00:23:58.120 --> 00:24:04.200 And the curse of death in a broken covenant is inescapable. 00:24:04.200 --> 00:24:15.120 But the amazing thing is that the person in Genesis 15 who says, I'll take the curse 00:24:15.120 --> 00:24:19.160 is not Abraham. 00:24:19.160 --> 00:24:23.680 It's God. 00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:30.400 And you ask, well, how can the curse be placed on God? 00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:38.080 And the answer is that it was placed on God when Jesus died on the cross. 00:24:38.080 --> 00:24:42.480 And we go all the way forward into the New Testament to the letter to Galatians where 00:24:42.480 --> 00:24:50.560 Paul explains this beautifully and says, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming 00:24:50.560 --> 00:24:54.800 a curse for us. 00:24:54.800 --> 00:24:58.759 And then he immediately links it all the way back to Abraham. 00:24:58.759 --> 00:25:03.879 He says, for it's written, cursed is everyone who's hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus, 00:25:03.879 --> 00:25:10.240 the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:14.200 spirit through faith. 00:25:14.200 --> 00:25:19.720 Genesis 15 is telling us that God has made a covenant with those who trust him. 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:30.400 But in that covenant, he will take the curse of failure and disobedience upon himself. 00:25:30.400 --> 00:25:33.640 And that curse was born by God himself. 00:25:33.640 --> 00:25:38.519 When Jesus Christ, God the Son, died on the cross. 00:25:38.519 --> 00:25:44.279 Jesus's death fulfills all that God's covenant with Abraham spoke about. 00:25:44.279 --> 00:25:49.920 And in the cross of Jesus Christ, all the Old Testament governments are fulfilled. 00:25:49.920 --> 00:25:55.079 That's why it's no surprise that when Jesus spoke about his sacrificial death at the First 00:25:55.079 --> 00:25:59.399 Lord's Supper, he said, this is the new covenant. 00:25:59.399 --> 00:26:02.680 This is the fulfillment of all these covenants. 00:26:02.680 --> 00:26:10.440 This is the new covenant in my blood. 00:26:10.440 --> 00:26:15.600 God is entering a covenant relationship with humanity. 00:26:15.600 --> 00:26:26.559 But he's saying, if it goes wrong, I'll carry the cost. 00:26:26.559 --> 00:26:31.799 The last question is, what does all this mean for you? 00:26:31.799 --> 00:26:36.160 Well, there's three things I want to say very briefly. 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:40.320 The first is that God wants you to know this. 00:26:40.320 --> 00:26:44.960 In verse 13, God says to Abraham, no for certain. 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:46.120 And that's a brilliant phrase. 00:26:46.120 --> 00:26:51.920 It's telling us that this whole strange covenant ratification ceremony, this pledge to death, 00:26:51.920 --> 00:26:56.920 this remarkable vision and event that we have in Genesis 15. 00:26:56.920 --> 00:27:03.759 This is a demonstration of God's grace and truth so that Abraham and you and I would 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:10.599 know for certain that God has come to rescue humanity. 00:27:10.599 --> 00:27:13.920 God wants you to know that he has made this commitment. 00:27:13.920 --> 00:27:16.920 God wants you to know that he will keep us covenant. 00:27:16.920 --> 00:27:20.920 God wants you to know that this is not blind religious optimism. 00:27:20.920 --> 00:27:22.960 This is not a stab in the dark. 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:30.920 This is covenant commitment from God that you can be absolutely certain of. 00:27:30.920 --> 00:27:34.759 God wants you to know this. 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:40.360 And it also tells us that God wants you to be safe. 00:27:40.360 --> 00:27:45.039 That's the remarkable thing that the fact that only the smoking fire pod passes through 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:50.720 the pieces is amazing, not just because God exposes himself to the danger of the curse, 00:27:50.720 --> 00:27:55.360 but also because Abraham doesn't go through it. 00:27:55.360 --> 00:27:59.840 In other words, Abraham is protected from the curse. 00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:03.519 God is keeping him safe. 00:28:03.519 --> 00:28:08.319 And it's reminding us that one of the key things that God wants for you is that you will be 00:28:08.319 --> 00:28:11.119 safe. 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:15.879 And one of the desperate effects of sin is that it constantly exposes us to danger. 00:28:15.879 --> 00:28:22.959 But God's great goal is to rescue you from that danger and to keep you safe forever. 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:30.200 Genesis 15 is telling you that God will carry the curse so that you cannot be lost. 00:28:30.200 --> 00:28:35.799 And that's because God wants you to be safe. 00:28:35.799 --> 00:28:39.920 So Genesis 15 is saying God wants you to know this. 00:28:39.920 --> 00:28:42.559 Genesis 15 is saying that God wants you to be safe. 00:28:42.559 --> 00:28:49.960 But above all else, Genesis 15 is telling us that God wants you. 00:28:49.960 --> 00:28:53.559 And that's the rule stop. 00:28:53.559 --> 00:29:01.279 This chapter is telling us and telling you that God has an astonishingly deep, strong 00:29:01.279 --> 00:29:06.960 life and death commitment to you. 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:10.519 It tells you that God will be absolutely true to that. 00:29:10.519 --> 00:29:12.680 He will never break this promise. 00:29:12.680 --> 00:29:14.480 He'll never be inconsistent. 00:29:14.480 --> 00:29:17.240 You can totally and utterly rely on him. 00:29:17.240 --> 00:29:18.240 God cannot lie. 00:29:18.240 --> 00:29:19.660 He cannot be inconsistent. 00:29:19.660 --> 00:29:26.240 So when God commits to you, which he has, he's placing himself in a situation that he cannot 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:27.240 get out of. 00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:29.960 So it's not just that God won't give up on you. 00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:31.519 He cannot give up on you. 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:39.400 And he knew that he couldn't back out of it when he committed to you in the first place. 00:29:39.400 --> 00:29:43.840 And all of that is for one simple reason. 00:29:43.839 --> 00:29:50.480 To God, you are worth it. 00:29:50.480 --> 00:29:58.000 God's love for you set him on a path that takes him from heaven to the cross. 00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:04.759 From the very beginning, God knew that loving you would come at a massive cost. 00:30:04.759 --> 00:30:12.679 When God passed through those pieces in Genesis 15, he knew exactly what that meant in terms 00:30:12.680 --> 00:30:15.960 of the cross and all its implications. 00:30:15.960 --> 00:30:24.440 But from Genesis 15 to Calvary, God is saying, you are worth it. 00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:28.640 I will carry the cost. 00:30:28.640 --> 00:30:37.400 To Jesus, you are worth a pledge to death. 00:30:37.400 --> 00:30:47.440 And all of that is because God wants you. 00:30:47.440 --> 00:30:52.200 One very last question though is this. 00:30:52.200 --> 00:30:56.560 What is Abraham doing in it all? 00:30:56.560 --> 00:31:03.080 And the answer is that he's asleep. 00:31:03.079 --> 00:31:10.319 While God pledged himself to death, Abraham lay still. 00:31:10.319 --> 00:31:15.839 Now, maybe I'm stretching things a wee bit. 00:31:15.839 --> 00:31:17.839 Maybe not. 00:31:17.839 --> 00:31:22.799 But I do think that there's actually a really powerful point here for us. 00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:30.119 I think it's reminding us that while Jesus goes to the cross, while he carries out curse, 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:36.439 while he rescues us from sin, while he carries every burden, fulfills every requirement and 00:31:36.439 --> 00:31:46.959 goes to the absolute limit of suffering, while he fulfills this pledge to death, we just 00:31:46.959 --> 00:31:53.679 lie still and he does it all. 00:31:53.679 --> 00:31:59.679 And that's how you can know that you will be safe because he does it. 00:31:59.680 --> 00:32:04.880 That's how you can know how precious you are because he actually does it. 00:32:04.880 --> 00:32:09.480 And that's why this is not the strangest passage in the Old Testament. 00:32:09.480 --> 00:32:17.120 It is the coolest passage in the Old Testament because it tells us just how much God is willing 00:32:17.120 --> 00:32:21.039 to do for you. 00:32:21.039 --> 00:32:27.440 And that's why if you want to become a Christian, there isn't this massive list of requirements 00:32:27.440 --> 00:32:30.799 that you have to meet. 00:32:30.799 --> 00:32:42.759 All you have to do is fall into God's arms, close your eyes and rest in him. 00:32:42.759 --> 00:32:43.759 Amen. 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:46.960 Let us pray. 00:32:46.960 --> 00:33:00.360 Father, we thank you so much for what this chapter reveals to us, showing us your willingness 00:33:00.360 --> 00:33:06.120 to take the consequence of all our failings onto yourself. 00:33:06.120 --> 00:33:13.240 We thank you so, so much for your amazing, covenant love towards us. 00:33:13.240 --> 00:33:19.720 And we pray that for every one of us, that we would just fall into your arms and rest 00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:20.720 there forever. 00:33:20.720 --> 00:33:21.720 Amen. 00:33:21.720 --> 00:33:43.720 Amen.