Genesis 15: Part 1

I taught a lesson in Sunday school based on Genesis 15. The next few posts are from the notes I made for the lesson: 

In Genesis, we meet Abram in chapter 12. God calls him to “go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”   And so he and Sarai go – God said so, so they go. Abram was 75 years old.

There are two accounts of God’s covenant with Abram in Genesis. One of them is the one that is the basis of this lesson – it’s the Yahwist’s account in chapter 15. The other one is in chapter 17 – the priestly account. In between (chapter 16, Hagar has Ishmael; Abram is 86). In Chapter 17 – the second account of the covenant, Abram is 99.  I just think it’s interesting that from the first call to the second account of the covenant is 24 years.

So, from “I will make you a great nation” until the birth of his son was 25 years.

Three times before this encounter, God has promised Abram descendants: we see them in Genesis 12:2, 12:7 and 13:16. I imagine that Abram is getting frustrated with the lack of a promised fulfilled. And so we come to the encounter we are going to read today.

It’s mainly a dialogue between God and Abram. Parts of it a little icky.

There is a literary pattern that can be seen in the dialogue:

- God’s promise

- Abram’s protest

- God’s response and reassurance

And in what we’ll read today, we’ll see that cycle twice. It’s a pattern that can be seen in other encounters with God in other parts of the Bible – in the conversation with Moses at the burning bush, for example.

Seeing literary patterns can give you clues as to what is about to happen – and when those patterns are switched around – it’s a clue of something else that is important. We should never forget that the Bible is literature, and knowing that can help us to understand God’s message through the words.

Please read Genesis 15.