Smoking Fire, Flaming Torch (Genesis 15:17)

 

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Psalm 69:1-6

Genesis 15

Luke 1:26-38

Smoking Fire, Flaming Torch (Genesis 15:17)

It feels like only yesterday that we were kicked out of the paradise of the Garden. With nothing but a promise of a head-crusher and a God of justice, we were sent out into the world of sin we had brought about. Adam and Eve spent their days looking forward to the one who would be born to save them; the drama between Cain and Abel must have shaken them deeply, as one of the seed of the woman killed another. Things got so bad that eventually there had to be a global flood to wipe out all the evil that had built up, and only Noah and his family was found worthy of saving. Knowing that he was not the head-crusher, he offered sacrifices on the first patch of dry ground; he lived in hope that the head-crusher would still one day come.

Now Abram, trusting God for the promised saviour, has been given more information on the specifics of that saviour. The number of those saved will be as numerous as the stars in the sky. They will have a land to call their own. And, to prove once again that God is generous, God reaffirms this promise in an ancient covenant ceremony. He doesn’t have to; God knows his promises are unbreakable. But because he loves Abram and wants Abram to be reassured, he goes through with this elaborate series of events.

Just as these animals have been split in two and left bloody on the ground, so may I should I break my promise, says God. Such is the meaning of this ancient covenant ritual. But usually it is a ritual performed by two men, where each of them agree to the terms and conditions, and both walk through the carcasses. Yet when God does it, he does it alone. Everything is on the line for God; for Abram, all he has to do is accept it by faith.

As Christians, I would hope that we hear so much about trusting God through the tough times that it has become second nature. Yet it feels like every time a new wave of trials come through we have to re-learn the lesson. Abram was on the ropes; he couldn’t see how God would come good on his promise. But God always does. And his covenant promise, made first to Adam and Eve, then to Noah, and now to Abram, was made manifest in the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was always going to come; he is the promised head-crusher. And now, by the Holy Spirit, he is with us perpetually. The ancient promise has come true. Will we finally now trust God?

What struggles are you praying for in your life right now? How can you trust God that he will come good on his promises to you?

God of the eternal covenant: strengthen my faith in the promise of Jesus, so that I may live in the comfort of faith and hope.