God's Covenant with Abram

Log in to take the quiz and save your progress.

1. Observe

   What was Abram's specific complaint to God, and how did God respond with both words and a visual sign?

   • Abram complained about being surrounded by enemies; God promised military victory and showed him a mighty army in a vision
   • Abram complained that he was still childless and his heir would be a servant; God promised a biological heir and showed him the stars as a picture of his future descendants
   • Abram complained about the land being occupied by Canaanites; God showed him a map of the boundaries he would one day possess
   • Abram complained that God had not spoken to him in years; God showed him a burning bush as a sign of his continued presence

2. Observe

   What was unusual about the covenant ceremony in verses 9-17, and who passed between the divided animal pieces?

   • Both Abram and God passed between the pieces simultaneously, showing mutual obligation
   • Abram passed between the pieces while God watched, signifying Abram's commitment to keep the covenant
   • Only God — represented as a smoking furnace and flaming torch — passed between the pieces while Abram slept
   • Neither party passed through; instead, fire consumed the animals as a sign of divine acceptance

3. Interpret

   Genesis 15:6 — "He believed in Yahweh, and he counted it to him for righteousness" — is quoted in Romans 4, Galatians 3, and James 2. Why is this the most theologically significant verse in the chapter?

   • Because it establishes that Abram was the most righteous person who ever lived
   • Because it is the first time the word "covenant" appears in Genesis
   • Because it establishes that righteousness before God comes through faith, not works — a truth Paul calls the foundation of the gospel
   • Because it shows that belief alone without action is sufficient, which James 2 confirms

4. Interpret

   Only God passed between the covenant pieces while Abram slept. What does this one-sided ceremony reveal about the nature of God's promise to Abraham?

   • It shows that Abram was too afraid to participate, so God completed the ceremony alone
   • The covenant is entirely God's obligation to fulfill — its terms do not depend on Abram's faithfulness but on God's own sworn commitment
   • It means the covenant only applies to Abram personally and cannot be inherited by his descendants
   • The ceremony was incomplete because Abram fell asleep — a full covenant required both parties to pass through

5. Apply

   Abram brought his honest doubts to God — "what will you give me, seeing I go childless?" — rather than pretending to have no questions. What does this model about how believers can approach God in prayer?

   • It shows that expressing doubt to God is a sign of weak faith and should be avoided
   • Honest, vulnerable prayer — including complaints, doubts, and frustrations — is welcomed by God and is itself an act of trust
   • Abram's complaint was inappropriate, but God was patient with him because of his overall faithfulness
   • Prayer is most effective when it focuses on praise rather than personal needs or doubts

6. Apply

   Genesis 15:6 says Abram "believed in Yahweh" when the promise of countless descendants was humanly impossible — he was childless and old. How does this kind of faith — believing God's word over visible circumstances — apply to promises you are waiting on?

   • Faith requires us to stop paying attention to circumstances entirely and focus only on abstract promises
   • Biblical faith involves taking God's word seriously enough to orient your life around it, even when visible evidence points in the opposite direction
   • Faith at Abram's level is only possible for those who have received direct divine visions
   • The key lesson is that patience always results in receiving what we want from God

Your journal

Write your own answers — they save automatically, and only you can see them.

Log in to write and save journal answers.