Chapter 15
Themes, discussion questions, Christ connections, and denomination lenses.
Just read this chapter →Scripture
KJV1After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
2And Abram said, LORD God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.
4And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
7And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
8And he said, LORD God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?
9And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
10And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not.
11And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
14And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance.
15And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.
16But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
18In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
19The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites,
20And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims,
21And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
Overview
After the battle with the kings, God comes to Abram in a vision, saying 'Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.' Abram laments his childlessness, and God takes him outside to count the stars, promising that his descendants will be just as innumerable. Abram believes God, and it is counted to him for righteousness. God then makes a formal covenant with Abram, passing between the halves of sacrificed animals as a smoking furnace and burning lamp, and promising the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates.
Key Themes
Justification by Faith
Abram believed God and it was 'counted unto him for righteousness' — the foundational Old Testament statement that right standing with God comes through faith, not works.
God's Unconditional Covenant
God alone passes between the animal pieces, binding Himself unilaterally to keep the covenant — this is pure grace, with no conditions placed on Abram.
God as Shield and Reward
God declares Himself to be both Abram's protector and his ultimate treasure, teaching that the greatest reward of faith is God Himself.
Study Questions
How does God's declaration 'I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward' (v. 1) address Abram's fears after battle?
What is the significance of Abram's faith being 'counted unto him for righteousness' (v. 6), and how does Paul use this in Romans 4 and Galatians 3?
Why does God alone pass through the animal pieces (vv. 17-18), and what does this reveal about the nature of the covenant?
How does God's prophecy about the 400 years of slavery in Egypt (vv. 13-14) demonstrate His sovereignty over history?
What does this chapter teach about the relationship between faith, doubt, and God's patience with His people?
Connection to Christ
Genesis 15:6 is the verse Paul uses to establish the doctrine of justification by faith in Romans 4 and Galatians 3. Abraham's faith points forward to faith in Christ — the seed through whom the promise is fulfilled. God passing alone through the covenant pieces pictures the cross: God bears the full cost of the covenant, and Christ absorbs the curse of its violation on our behalf.
Personal Reflection
Take time to journal or meditate on what God is teaching you through Genesis 15. How can these truths transform your thinking and actions today?