The Unbreakable Covenant

Genesis 15:7–11 (NASB95) 

7And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” 8He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. 

God reminded Abram that He brought him out of Ur and promised him the land. Abram asked for confirmation. God responded with a covenant ceremony. Abram gathered a heifer, a goat, a ram, each three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon. He cut the larger animals in two and arranged the pieces opposite each other. The birds were not divided. This ritual reflected ancient customs. Parties would walk between the pieces, declaring that breaking the covenant would bring death. Remember this when we read the following verses. 

This is a powerful moment that points us forward to the Gospel and Christ as well. As we move into the following verses, we will break down the significance of what we are about to read.