Christian Living

Abraham Cut the Pieces

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
11/02/21
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“And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19)

I have lately been exploring Genesis again, as each time we read God’s Word, something new is revealed. I was looking in chapter fifteen of Genesis, where the Lord made some promises to Abram. We read earlier in Genesis that Abram heard the words of the Lord and believed them. As we go through life, we place our confidence in things, but there are no more powerful words to find confidence than God’s Word. When Abram was called out of the land of Ur and followed the Lord’s lead, he had no idea where he was going. All the Lord said was to a land I will show you. We seldom go from one place without any idea of where we are going. Abram believed in the Lord and acted on faith.

Unlike us today, Abram had no words written from God that he could base his judgments upon. Abram had nothing but a willingness to act on the words the Lord had spoken. Surely Abram must have questioned why and where, but he didn’t doubt the words of the Lord were true and worthy. With faith believing in the unseen, Abram ventured onward, trusting all would work for the good. The good of a living sovereign God’s plan and the good the Lord would work for him. As we see Abram’s history, we learn that every promise God made came to pass as the Lord God said it would. I had heard of a book titled “The Book of Abraham and wanted to read from it to learn more.

Many in the Scriptures wrote of their life in service to God, and one has to search to find copies or remaining excerpts of their work. Joseph Smith, the Mormon's leader, found the Book of Abraham when traveling on an exhibition written on Egyptian papyri. He found it between 1835 and 1842 and was a translation of ancient records. Abraham wrote them when he was in Egypt and was written by his own hand. The papyri described Abraham’s early life, his travels to Canaan’s land, and Egypt. The papyri also spoke of Abraham’s vision of the cosmos and its creation. (Wikipedia) In later years the papyri were lost, and only small parts of it were found again. I can only speculate that Moses may have seen this book and learned from it, but the Holy Spirit authored the Word of God Moses wrote.  Therefore, the scriptures of God are the authorized account.

The Lord God told Abram to look as far as he could see to the East and the West, and then look as far as possible to the North and South.  And then the Lord said this. “And He said to him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” (Genesis 15:7) Abram believed this prophecy from the Lord but was curious and asked how he would know of this possession. “He said, “O Lord GOD, how may I know that I will possess it?” (Genesis 15:8)

Some passages in chapter fifteen caught my interest, and that is what we are exploring today. “So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.” (Genesis 15:9-11)

The Lord is making a covenant with Abram, and the guarantee is very strange to me. Most covenants with God are He promises to do something if we fulfill our part of the covenant. But this covenant has a fatal penalty if Abram fails to do his part. The year is approximately 1740 BC, and in those days, the surrounding nations had cutting covenants. The participants would take some animals, cut them in half, and place them opposite each other. There would be a little path between the two halves of the carcasses. If one of the covenant members did not keep the agreement, that person would be cut in half like the animals. So if Abram did not keep the covenant, he would be destroyed in the same manner. The same would apply to the Lord. Then the Lord spoke these words to Abram.

First, these two verses. “God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.” (Genesis 15:13-14)

The Lord God tells Abram about one of his descendants named Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his brothers. An incredible story can be found in Genesis chapters 37-47. It is a beautiful story of how God can take what seems bad and work it for good when we remain faithful to His Word. Joseph arranged for his Father Israel and the rest of his family to come to Egypt in times of great famine. As a result, they remained there for four hundred years and became enslaved to the Egyptians.

You know that God is explaining their deliverance as well. So Abram was faithful and watched the carcasses throughout the day to see what would happen, and into the evening, he became tired. Abram either fell asleep or had another vision. “It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces.” (Genesis 15:17)

This is a vision of God passing through the carcasses and paying the price of the covenant. I think it is no circumstance that God gave Abram a vision of what was going to happen to his descendants. But there is more to think about. As the Israelites were escaping the Egyptians, they were led by a cloud and a pillar of fire. “The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.” (Exodus 13:21)

The Lord God is often referred to as Holy Fire in His judgment and the glory shown about Mount Sinai. God is leading His people through the wilderness by a pillar of Holy Fire. When John the Baptist came to call people to repentance and baptism, he prophesied about the One to follow. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11)

The Holy Spirit and fire are joined here and, therefore, one with God. As Jesus was preparing His disciple to become Apostles, he spoke these words of the coming of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” (John 16:13)

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fell upon the Apostles and spoke in the Holy Spirit’s power with tongues of fire. “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” (Acts 2:3-4) I can’t help but know, as Abram was a man of great faith who heard and knew how God was going to work His plan from Genesis 3:15 to the day of Jesus’ crucifixion when God walked through the fire and secured the covenant with His death.

I find it interesting that the Lord said to the Prophet Isaiah this promise. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.” (Isaiah 43:2) When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel, chapter three, were placed into the fiery oven, Nebuchadnezzar looked in and saw four people there, and one appeared as the Son of God. Jesus was there protecting His children from the fire.

When the Lord God walked through the pieces, He knew the day was soon to come when He would make the sacrifice of His Son to pay the debt of humanity’s sin. His Son’s sacrifice would make redemption possible for all by His grace if they only believed with faith. Again Jesus walked through the fire of crucifixion that no one would need to suffer the second death. On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus offered the bread of His body broken for us on the cross of Calvary. In my mind, the patriarch Abraham cut the pieces for our salvation. “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-24)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, November 4, 2020