Chapter Summary
Core Passages from Genesis 15
Genesis 15:5-6And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
This is the heart of the chapter, where God promises Abram descendants as numerous as the stars. Abram's response of simple belief is credited to him as righteousness, establishing a core principle of faith for all time.Genesis 15:17When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
In a mysterious and powerful ceremony, God represents Himself as a smoking fire pot and flaming torch. By passing between the sacrificed animals alone, He signifies that this covenant is His promise, and He alone bears the responsibility to fulfill it.Genesis 15:18On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
Here, God explicitly states the terms of His covenant, defining the vast territory He is promising to Abram's offspring. This formal declaration turns a personal promise into a binding, generational commitment.
Historical & Cultural Context
A Vision of Reassurance for a Doubting Hero
This chapter opens 'after these things,' referring to Abram's heroic rescue of his nephew Lot and his victory over powerful kings in Genesis 14. Despite this success, Abram is filled with fear and uncertainty. He is aging, still has no biological heir, and God's grand promises of making him a great nation feel distant and unfulfilled. God meets him in this moment of vulnerability, speaking to him in a vision to offer comfort and reaffirm His commitment.
Sealing the Promise with a Solemn Oath
The conversation shifts from personal reassurance to a formal, legal-like ceremony. When Abram asks for a sign that he will possess the promised land, God doesn't rebuke him. Instead, He initiates an ancient ritual for making a covenant, which is a solemn, binding agreement. This strange and graphic ceremony involving sacrificed animals was a way of saying, 'May I become like these animals if I break this oath.' It sets the stage for God to make an incredibly one-sided promise.
God's Covenant with Abram
In Genesis 15, we find Abram wrestling with the gap between God's promises and his present reality. The chapter unfolds as a dramatic dialogue between Abram and God, moving from a personal vision to a stunning nighttime ceremony. God addresses Abram's deepest fears about his legacy and future, ultimately sealing His promises in a way that demonstrates His absolute faithfulness.
A Promise as Vast as the Stars (Genesis 15:1-6)
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great."
2 But Abram said, "O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir."
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir."
5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be."
6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
Commentary:
God counters Abram's doubt about being childless by promising him descendants as numerous as the stars, and Abram's belief is counted as righteousness.
Preparing for the Covenant (Genesis 15:7-11)
7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”
8 But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.
11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
Commentary:
When Abram asks for assurance about the promised land, God instructs him to prepare animals for a solemn covenant-making ceremony.
Related Verse Analysis
A Prophecy in the Darkness (Genesis 15:12-16)
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.
13 Then the Lord said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.
14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.
15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.
16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.
Commentary:
In a terrifying vision, God foretells that Abram's descendants will endure 400 years of slavery before being delivered and returning to the promised land.
The Smoking Fire Pot and the Flaming Torch (Genesis 15:17-21)
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.
18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates,
19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,
20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,
21 And the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
Commentary:
God, symbolized by fire, passes alone between the animal pieces, unilaterally sealing His covenant to give the land to Abram's descendants.
Faith, Righteousness, and God's Unbreakable Promise
Righteousness by Faith
Genesis 15:6 is one of the most important verses in the Bible. It establishes that Abram was considered righteous - meaning in right standing with God - because he believed God's promise. This wasn't about Abram earning favor through good deeds, but about him trusting God's character, and God crediting that faith as righteousness.
The Nature of a Covenant
This chapter provides a vivid picture of a divine covenant, which is far more than a simple contract. It's a relationship defined by a solemn, binding promise. God condescends to use a human ritual to show the seriousness of His commitment, making His promise tangible and secure for Abram.
God's Unilateral Grace
The most stunning part of the covenant ceremony is that God passes between the pieces alone. This means the covenant's fulfillment depends entirely on God's faithfulness, not Abram's. It is a one-sided promise, a pure act of grace where God takes all the responsibility and risk upon Himself.
Faith in the Midst of Doubt
Abram is a model of faith, but not a perfect one. He expresses fear and asks for signs, yet God meets him with patience and reassurance rather than rebuke. This shows that genuine faith is not the absence of questions but the willingness to trust God even while wrestling with uncertainty.
Living in Light of God's Promises
When Abram questioned God's promise, God didn't scold him. He gave him a powerful vision of the stars and a binding covenant (Genesis 15:5, 18). This shows that God is patient with your honest questions. You can bring your fears and doubts to Him, knowing He is big enough to handle them and faithful enough to provide the reassurance you need.
Genesis 15:6 states that Abram's belief was 'counted to him as righteousness.' This frees you from the pressure of trying to earn God's approval through performance. Your relationship with God is secured by trusting in His promises, fulfilled in Jesus, not by your ability to be perfect. It means you can rest in His grace, knowing you are accepted because of your faith in Him.
In the covenant ceremony (Genesis 15:17), God took the entire burden of the promise on Himself. This demonstrates that His commitment to you is not 50/50. It is 100% on His side. His promises are not dependent on your ability to hold up your end of the deal, but on His unchanging character to see them through.
God's Promise, Sealed by Grace
Genesis 15 reveals that God's relationship with humanity is founded on His promise, not our performance. He meets our deepest doubts not with anger, but with gracious reassurance and a binding commitment. The message is that God's word is absolutely trustworthy, and He will go to extraordinary lengths to prove it. Our role is to believe Him, and in that trust, we find our right standing before Him.
What This Means for Us Today
This chapter is an invitation to rest in the security of God's promises. God made an unbreakable covenant with Abram, and He has made a new and better covenant with us through Jesus. We are invited to bring our fears and impossible circumstances before Him and trust that His commitment to us is sealed and secure.
- What promise from God do you find hardest to believe in your current circumstances?
- How can the image of God alone passing through the pieces help you trust Him more fully this week?
- In what area of your life do you need to stop striving and believe God's word?
Further Reading
Immediate Context
This chapter precedes the covenant, showing Abram's military victory and his encounter with Melchizedek, setting the stage for his need for divine reassurance.
Immediately following God's covenant, Abram and Sarai take matters into their own hands with Hagar, showing the human struggle to wait for God's promises.
Connections Across Scripture
The Apostle Paul uses Genesis 15:6 as his primary evidence to explain that justification before God has always been by faith, not by works.
Abram is highlighted as a hero of the faith precisely because he trusted God's promises for a future he could not yet see, as described in Genesis 15.
This passage describes the same covenant-cutting ritual, showing how well-understood the serious, self-maledictory nature of this oath was in the ancient world.
Discussion Questions
- Abram was honest with God about his fears and doubts. What keeps us from being that honest with God, and how can Abram's example encourage us?
- Genesis 15:6 is quoted frequently in the New Testament to explain salvation. Why is the idea that faith is 'counted as righteousness' so revolutionary and central to the Christian faith?
- In the covenant ceremony, God alone passed between the pieces, taking the full responsibility for the promise. How does this ancient ritual point forward to the work of Jesus on the cross?
Glossary
places
Ur of the Chaldeans
An ancient city in Mesopotamia from which God called Abram to begin his journey of faith.
River of Egypt
Likely a wadi or stream marking the southwestern border of the Promised Land, not necessarily the Nile River.
Euphrates River
A major river in the Middle East that formed the northeastern border of the land promised to Abram's descendants.