Easy Bible・Genesis 15

God's Promise to Abram

Key Passages

About this Chapter

In Genesis 15, God appears to Abram in a vision and reassures him of His promises. God tells Abram not to be afraid because He will be Abram's shield and great reward. Abram expresses his concern about not having an heir, and God promises him that his own son will be his heir. God takes Abram outside and tells him to look up at the sky and count the stars, saying that his offspring will be as numerous as the stars. Abram believes God's promise, and it is credited to him as righteousness. However, Abram asks God for a sign to confirm His promise. God instructs Abram to bring a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a dove, and a young pigeon. Abram cuts the animals in half and arranges them opposite each other, creating a path between them. As Abram waits, birds of prey try to eat the carcasses, but Abram drives them away. As the sun sets, Abram falls into a deep sleep, and God speaks to him in a vision. God tells Abram that his descendants will be strangers in a foreign land and enslaved for 400 years, but He will punish the nation that enslaves them and bring Abram's descendants back to the land He promised. God also reveals that Abram will live to a ripe old age and die in peace. After the vision, God confirms His covenant with Abram, promising to give him the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates.