Go Deep

Genesis Chapter 15 begins with the words “After this” (NIV). What does “this” refer to, and how does it lead to what happens in 15:1?

“The word of the Lord” came to Abraham. This is one of eight times mentioned in Scripture that God speaks directly to Abraham. Do you think these direct encounters with God made it easier for Abraham to believe than it is for us?

Why might God have revealed himself to Abraham as his shield? Why did he promise Abraham a “very great reward”?

Abraham questions God. “What good is a reward when I don’t have a son to pass it on to?” then complains that God has not given him an heir, as he promised (Genesis 12:1-3). Is this any way for a man to speak to God? Explain your answer.

Read verses 4-6. What exactly did Abraham believe that was credited to him as righteousness?

Even after Abraham believed God about his heir, he needed reassurance to believe that God would keep his promise about the land. Why was Abraham able to believe God in one instance but not in the other? Does anything like this happen to us?

Abraham asked God how he could know for sure that he would gain possession of the land God promised him. What was God’s answer?

What was the point of sacrificing animals and using the carcasses as borders for a walkway?

Why did Abraham not walk through the sacrifices?

If Abraham did not walk through the sacrifices, who did? Why is this important?

Read what Paul wrote the Galatians in 3:13-14. What, if anything, does this have to do with the covenant God made with Abraham?

God told Abraham that it would take 400 years for the promise of the land to be fulfilled. How would you have felt about the wait? What is the reason God gives for this delay?

What bearing does God’s covenant have on us today?

Ministries
Go Deep Notes