One Story | March 15, 2026

 

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Genesis 15

1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." 2 But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir." 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: "This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir." 5 And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness. 7 And he said to him, "I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess." 8 But he said, "O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it?" 9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon." 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, "Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete." 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites."

Talk Sheet Questions

  1. In Genesis 15:2–3 (ESV), what concern does Abram honestly bring to God about having no child (Read Gen 12:1-3 for the backstory)? Who does he think will be his heir?

  2. What is the relationship between belief and righteousness in the story? How could that help you when you think about how you are made right with God?

  3. How does Abram participate in the covenant-making ceremony? How does God? What does this say about where the responsibility of the covenant lies?

  4. (KQ) God told Abram, “Do not be afraid… I am your shield” (Genesis 15:1). What are you sometimes afraid of, and how can God be like a shield for you?

  5. What are some ways you might connect this story to the good news?

  6. If God has bound Himself to keep His promises—even passing alone through the “pieces” in Genesis 15—how should that affect your confidence in His promises in Christ today? What is one concrete way you can live like His word is sure this week?

Prayer

Pray that you would believe God even when your circumstances give reason for doubt.

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Scott Reavely