1. The Lord Appears to Abram

Genesis 15:1-2

1 After 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. 2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision at the fitting time. Scripture says, “After these things,” as though what Abram enjoyed of the Lord’s word and vision corresponded to the preceding events. Abram had offered his life and possessions as a ransom for his nephew, exposing himself to danger; he therefore enjoyed the Lord Himself as his shield. And because Abram refused the reward, he heard the divine declaration: “Thy exceeding great reward.”

We have not heard that Abram was afraid; indeed, he had come out of the battle victorious. Why, then, does the Lord assure him, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield”? Without doubt, this assurance represents God drawing near to Abram. Abram had drawn near to God through prayer and the offering of sacrifices, and also through action, struggling for the benefit of others. Therefore the Lord drew near to him, according to His promise: “Turn ye unto me, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will turn unto you” (Zechariah 1:3). Abram drew near to God through his practical compassion for his brethren, and the Lord drew near to him by revealing Himself as his shield and support. Abram also drew near to God by refusing the human reward, and the Lord drew near to him with His promise of an exceedingly great reward.

Let us draw near to the Lord through prayer, tears, prostrations, and offerings, and through our whole life, through love for Him and for all humanity. As we draw near to Him in action, He Himself draws near to us in action.

God drew near to Abram, and Abram increased in his nearness to Him. He came forward to speak with Him, with boldness and intimacy, without formalities or mere outward observances. He said, “Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” He did not explicitly ask Him for a son to remove his reproach and receive his inheritance. Yet with familiarity he asked, as though gently remonstrating: What benefit are so many gifts to a childless man whose heir will be someone else? In any event, God’s dealings with Abram gave him the confidence to speak frankly with an open heart, until he was called “the Friend of God” (James 2:23).[*]

2. The Promise of Blessing

Genesis 15:3-8

3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, 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. 5 And 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. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. 7 And 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. 8 And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

In truth, Abram’s life was an unbroken chain of encounters with God and enjoyment of His promises. This was not favoritism. Abram became worthy of these unceasing divine gifts through his living, practical faith and his obedience to the Lord in everything.

Abram spoke to the Lord with a gentle complaint about the gifts granted to him when he had no son to inherit them. The Lord answered him: “This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And 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” (Genesis 15:4-5). “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

The word of the Lord came to Abram. According to nature, the promise seemed impossible, yet Abram “believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” This is the first time we hear the word “believed.” Our teacher Paul says, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Romans 4:20). God’s servants quoted the expression “believed in the LORD” in more than one place (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23). It is as though Abram, the father of the patriarchs, opened for us, his children, the way of righteousness through faith. The apostle says, “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead” (Romans 4:23-24).

3. The Divided Animals and the Birds

Genesis 15:9-17

9 And 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. 10 And 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. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And 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; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15 And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17 And 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.

In the intimacy of the wondrous friendship between God and Abram, Abram received a promise, believed, and had it counted to him for righteousness. Nevertheless, he asked for a sign, saying, “Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (Genesis 15:8). His request for a sign contained no doubt about God’s promises. Rather, it showed the openness of Abram’s heart and the intimacy between him and God. The sign came to reveal to us “the mystery of the Church coming forth from Abram’s loins.” God had promised him descendants from his own body, as countless as the stars of heaven. Now He revealed that these descendants would become a Church holy to the Lord, whose members include Abraham’s descendants from among the circumcision and also from among the Gentiles.

Briefly, the Lord asked him to divide a three-year-old heifer, a she goat, and a ram of the same age, placing each half opposite the other. He was also to slaughter a turtledove and a pigeon without dividing them. When birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, Abram drove them away. At sunset Abram fell into a deep sleep and was overcome by a terrifying darkness. He was told that his descendants would be enslaved in a foreign land for four hundred years. Then the sun went down and darkness came, and a furnace and a burning lamp passed between the pieces.

What does all this mean? Father Caesarius of Arles sees this vision as concerning the catholic Church, which embraces members from all nations. They have become Abraham’s children through faith rather than according to the flesh. Sadly, however, some live spiritually and others carnally. He says:

“Abraham was called the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5), for the Gentiles believe in Christ and become Abraham’s children by imitating his faith, rather than through bodily birth. As for the Jews, when they deny the faith they become children of the devil, and in the Gospel they were called a “generation of vipers” (Matthew 3:7), while the Gentiles who believe in Christ were counted worthy to be called Abraham’s children. The heifer, the goat, and the ram, each three years old, together with the turtledove and the pigeon, signify all nations. They are described as three years old because of their faith in the mystery of the Trinity. The catholic Church contains spiritual members and also carnal members. Some profess belief in the Trinity, yet are carnal because they are slow to abandon sins and vices. There are also spiritual souls among the carnal; therefore the offering includes the turtledove and the pigeon. The three animals signify the presence of the carnal, and the turtledove and pigeon the presence of the spiritual. Observe carefully that Abraham is said to divide the three animals in two and place each half opposite its fellow, while Scripture says, “But the birds divided he not” (Genesis 15:10). Why is this, brethren? Because in the catholic Church there are carnal people who are divided, whereas the spiritual will not be divided. Scripture says that each is separated opposite its fellow. Why is each separated opposite its fellow? Because wicked lovers of the world never cease from divisions and slanders among themselves; they are therefore divided, each against the other. But the birds, that is, spiritual souls, are not divided. Why are they not divided? Because they have one heart and one soul in the Lord (Acts 4:32). Certainly the turtledoves and pigeons signify these souls. In the turtledove chastity is represented, and in the pigeon simplicity. All who fear God in the catholic Church are chaste and simple. With the psalmist they say, “Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest” (Psalm 55:6), and also, “The swallow [hath found] a nest for herself, where she may lay her young” (Psalm 84:3). The carnal, divided against themselves, are weighed down by the heavy chains of vice; the spiritual rise on high on the wings of the various virtues, as though on two wings: the commandments of love for God and love for one’s neighbor, soaring toward heaven. They can say with the apostle, “Our conversation is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). And when the priest says, “Lift up your hearts,” they answer with assurance and reverence that they have lifted their hearts to the Lord. In any event, very few and rare are those in the Church who can speak thus with confidence and truth.[258]”

Father Caesarius also says:

“Let us show the simplicity of the pigeon and the chastity of the turtledove, so that we may be lifted up to heaven on the wings of spiritual virtue, as the apostle says, “We ... shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).[259]”

Leaving the discussion of this sacrifice for the moment, let us look at Abram. How strange he must have appeared before his wife and servants! This dignified elder stood beside animals and birds slaughtered in a particular way and arranged in a special order, without offering them upon an altar or asking that they be cooked. He stood watching the birds of prey circling around to snatch something from them, and drove them away throughout the day. What were Abram’s feelings during that whole day? And what were the feelings of those with him?

If these sacrifices signify the catholic Church in its purity and in its bearing with the weak within it, and also signify the life of each of its members, then Abram signifies the watchful spiritual soul. It cannot prevent unclean birds of prey from circling around it, but it can prevent them from settling upon it or snatching away any of its possessions. Many Church Fathers have affirmed this: the living believer cannot prevent the warfare of sins from attacking him, but when it finds him watchful it cannot enter him or creep into his thoughts or heart. The battle remains outside him, circling around without obtaining anything from him.

He remained all day in obedience to God, driving away the birds of prey, without seeing anything or hearing a voice. Shortly before sunset he fell into a deep sleep, and a great, terrifying darkness fell upon him. Why? He saw the fruit of sin in human life: how it corrupts and enslaves humanity. He heard that his descendants would be enslaved to a foreign nation in humiliation for four hundred years. This is a painful image of the soul that falls under sin and comes into the bondage and humiliation of the tyrannical Pharaoh. Yet at sunset, that is, in the fullness of time, God frees humanity through the cross from this bondage, granting them abundant spiritual spoils. He says, “And afterward shall they come out with great substance” (Genesis 15:14). Then, “when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces” (Genesis 15:17): a sign of humanity’s salvation in the Lord and its illumination by the fiery Holy Spirit.

We may say that what happened here to Abram points to the saving work of the Lord Christ. Shortly before sunset, in the fullness of time, a deep sleep fell upon the Lord when He gave up the spirit on the cross, declaring the bitterness of sin that had brought us down to Hades and subjected us to bondage for a time. Yet the Lord, resting on the cross, descended into Hades to carry us upon His shoulders and bring us out as though with great possessions, bearing His riches and granting us the riches of the Spirit. Then, when the world’s sunset and the end of the age come, He will reveal the salvation of our bodies, and His great day will be revealed as by fire.

Saint Augustine offers us a wonderful interpretation of this vision:

“It is enough to know that, after Scripture said that Abram believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness, Abram did not fail in faith when he said, “Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” (Genesis 15:8). He did not say, “How shall I know?” as though he did not yet believe that he would inherit, but “Whereby shall I know?” meaning that he asked for a sign through which to learn the manner in which what he already believed would be fulfilled. He is like the Virgin Mary, who said without unbelief, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). She was asking about the means through which what was to happen would be accomplished. Therefore, when she asked this, she was told, “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee” (Luke 1:35). Here too he was given a carefully expressed symbol by which he might recognize the manner in which the thing he did not doubt would be fulfilled. This symbol consists of three animals: a heifer, a goat, and a ram; and two birds: a turtledove and a pigeon.”

“The heifer signifies the people who would submit to the Law; the goat indicates that they are a sinful people; and the ram signifies that they would reign. These animals were said to be three years old because of three distinct periods of time: from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Abraham, and from Abraham to David, who would establish the kingdom of the Israelite nation according to the Lord’s will after Saul had been rejected. Perhaps these animals carry other, more fitting meanings. Yet I do not doubt that the turtledove and the pigeon carry symbols of spiritual things.”

“It was said, “But the birds divided he not” (Genesis 15:10), because the carnal are divided against themselves, whereas among the spiritual there is no division at all, whether, like the turtledove, they keep apart from frequent dealings with people, or, like the pigeon, they live among them. Both birds are simple and harmless. The birds of prey that came down upon the carcasses signify no good thing, but the spirits of the air seeking food for themselves through the divisions of the carnal. Abraham’s sitting beside them signifies that true believers are preserved to the end, even amid the divisions of the carnal.”

“The great fear that fell upon Abraham, and his terror at the deep darkness at sunset, signify that in the last times believers will suffer affliction and distress. The Lord spoke of this in the Gospel: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world” (Matthew 24:21). As for what Abraham was told, that his descendants would be strangers in a land not their own and would be enslaved for four hundred years, this is clearly a prophecy of the people of Israel who would be enslaved in Egypt. As for the words, “When the sun went down ... behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces” (Genesis 15:17), they signify that the carnal will be judged by fire at the end of the world.[260]”

4. The Lord Makes a Covenant with Him

Genesis 15:18-21

18 In 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: 19 The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, 20 And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims, 21 And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.

“In 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” (Genesis 15:18).

God revealed to Abram the sign of salvation for all nations through the Lord’s deep sleep shortly before sunset in the fullness of time. He transformed the darkness for him into a smoking furnace, pointing to the burning of the sacrifice, and a lamp of light passing among His people. He then confirmed His promise to give the land to his descendants. It is as though He assured him that all Abram enjoyed of encounters with God, visions, and revelations was for the sake of his children’s enjoyment of the spiritual inheritance in Christ Jesus, the Savior of the world.

This covenant has two complementary aspects: Abraham’s children would enjoy the land, and the pagan nations would be driven out of it. He specified ten nations (Genesis 15:19-21). Father Serapion sees these expelled nations as signifying the eight principal sins over which we are granted victory: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, spiritual sloth, vainglory, and pride, with idolatry and blasphemy added to them.[261]

Notes and References

[*] Addition from the source website: James 2:23.

[258] Sermon 82:1-2.

[259] Ibid., 82:3.

[260] Ibid. Translator’s note: the PDF attributes the preceding extended interpretation to Saint Augustine, while the printed footnote reads only “Ibid.” This source wording is retained without supplying an unverified bibliographic identification.

[261] Cassian, Conferences 5:22.