NIV Discover God’s Heart Devotional Bible

God’s Unshakable Covenant

Genesis 15–17

God’s Story

God had told Abram that he would be the father of a great nation. But years have passed and Abram is still childless. Knowing Abram’s heart needed to hear it, God comes to him in a vision and once again proclaims the greatness he has planned. Despite his age, Abram will have his very own biological son, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and a good land where they will live. God seals the promises with a ceremony.

Sarai, Abram’s infertile wife, unsure of how God will give Abram a biological son, intervenes and convinces him to sleep with her slave Hagar. Hagar conceives and gives birth to a son, Ishmael. God says he will bless Ishmael, but he isn’t the son of promise—that son will not just be Abram’s child, but Abram and Sarai’s. God decrees circumcision to be the sign of the covenant and changes both of their names in a meaningful gesture of what’s to come.

The King’s Heart

“God, how am I to know all of this is going to happen?” Abram asked.

In an ancient covenant-ratifying ceremony that has echoes in our modern-day wedding ceremony, God had Abram form an aisle out of animal halves. Both participants were to walk through the “aisle,” which implied: “If I don’t uphold my end of this covenant, may you walk around in my blood like we’re walking around in the blood of these animals.”

As Abram slept, God’s presence—represented by a smoking firepot with a flaming torch—passed through the slain animals, ratifying the covenant. God was saying, “If I don’t uphold my end of this promise, may you walk around in my blood like we’re walking through the blood of these animals.” But only God’s presence passed through the pieces. Abram didn’t walk through.

Years later, in a different ceremony, Jesus offered up his blood to carry the full weight of both sides of a different covenant. As his lifeblood coursed over his bruised and beaten body, there is no mistaking what the Author of the story of the universe was saying: “Since I know you can’t uphold your end of this covenant, may you forever walk around covered by my blood.”

Insight

Circumcision could seem like an odd “sign of the covenant” (Genesis 17:11). But God was asking his people to mark the place where life is produced—the place of ultimate human intimacy where more hearts are created to share in his love.