Genesis 15

AFter these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a Vision God antiently revealed himself to men two ways, Either 1. When the man was asleep, in a dream: Or 2. In a vision, Num. 12. 6. when he was awake; and this either 1. When he was wrapt into an Extasie, wherein his senses are idle, but his mind is active and elevated to the contemplation and understanding of what God reveals. See Numb. 12. 6, 7, 8. and 24. 4. Isa. 1. 1. Act. 10. 10, 11. Or 2. When the thing was manifested by an external representation. So here, God seems to have appeared to Abram in the shape of a man, as he did Gen. 18. as may be gathered from v. 5, 10., saying, Fear not, Abram Neither the return of those Enemies whom thou hast smitten and provoked, nor the envy of thy neighbours for this glorious victory, nor for thy own desolate condition.: I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward Seeing thou didst trust to my protection, I will be a shield or a protectour to thee; and seeing thou didst so honourably and for my sake reject other rewards, taken by thy self, and offered by the King of Sodom, thou shalt be no loser by it, I will abundantly recompence all thy piety to me, and charity to thy afflicted kinsman Lot, and thy liberality towards others, I will bless thee with all sorts of good things, as well as defend thee from all evil: which two things make a man compleatly happy..

And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, What pleasure can I take in any other gifts, so long as thou dost withhold from me that great and promised gift of that blessed and blessing seed, in the giving of whom, thy honour and the worlds happiness is so highly concerned, ch. 12. 3. seeing * I go Either 1. I pass the time of my life, going on and growing in years, and hastning to my long home. Or 2. I die, i. e. am about to die, or likely to die. Going is oft times put for dying, as 1 Chron. 17. 11. compared with 2 Sam. 7. 12. Iob. 10. 21. and 14. 20. Mat. 26. 24. childless What good will the world do me, if I have no Heir to possess it, if God lose the Glory of his Truth in making good his promise, and I lose the comfort of my long-hoped for Child, and that such a Child, the effect of a Divine promise, one out of whose loines he must come, in whom all Nations shall be blessed? and the Steward of my house Heb. The Son of the care, or government, or management of my house, i. e. he who manageth the affairs of my house. An usual Hebraism, as captives are called children of captivity, Esra. 4. 1. and afflicted persons, children of affliction, Prov. 31. 5. Others read the verse thus, And the Steward of my house, this Eli... zer of Damascus, understand shall be my Heir; which words may easily be supplyed out of the following verse. And such supplements of a word or short sentence out of a member or verse either foregoing or following, are frequent in Scriprure, as Numb. 24. 22. Zech. 14. 18. Nehem. 5. 2. Habak. 2. 3. Eph. 2. 1. is this Eliezer of Damascus This may be the name either of a man, or of a place so called..

And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed; and lo, one born in my house Of such see Gen. 14. 14. and Eccles. 2. 7. And these are opposed to them that are born of a man's body, Iob 19. 17. Prov. 31. 2. Ier. 2. 14. is mine heir Either 1.... y... ness of relation, being, as some conceive, descended from Aram the eldest Son of Sem. Or 2. For a recompence of his fidelity, compare Prov. 17. 2. Or 3. Because he only had the exact knowledge and absolute power of all his masters estate, Gen. 24. 10. and therefore could easily keep all after his Masters death. All which reasons concurring, might give occasion for this speech..

And behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir: but he that shall come forth out of thine own Bowels (i. e.) Out of thy own body, see Gen. 35. 11. 2 Sam. 7 12. 2 Chron. 6. 9. shall be thine heir.

And he brought him forth abroad; and said, Look now towards Heaven, and tell the Stars Qu. Seeing the Sun was not yet going down, v. 12. how could he see the Stars? Ans. 1. He might see them by representation in a vision, or by a divine power strengthning his eyes to behold them. 2. It was not necessary he should then actually see them. He bids him make tryal when he pleased, if he could number the Stars which were now present to his mind and would shortly be present and visible to his bodily eye., if thou be able to number them Which thou art not able to do: for though Astronomers have presumed to give us the number of those stars which are distinctly visible to the eye, wherein yet they vary one from another, yet that there are other stars innumerable appears, confusedly to the eye, and evidently by the help of glasses.: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be.

And he believed in the LORD (i. e.) He was fully persuaded that God was able to fulfil and would certainly fulfil the promise made to him concerning a Child, and especially concerning the Messias, who should come out of his loyns by that child, and that both himself and all people should be justified and blessed in and through him., and he counted Or, reck... ned, or imputed, as this word is translated, Rim. 4. 10, 22. it to him for righteousness (i. e.) For a righteous and worthy action, as Psal. 106. 31. and further, in respect of this action and grace of faith, whereby he relyed upon God for the promised seed, and upon the promised seed too, he pronounced him a just and righteous person notwithstandings his failings, which even this history acquaints us with; and graciously accepted him as such. Which sense is easily gathered from St Paul's explication and accommodation of this passage, Rom. 4. 9. 18, 22..

And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Caldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.

And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know He asks a sign not out of distrust of God's promise, for he was strong in faith, Rom. 4. 20. but for further assurance and confirmation of it. And such an asking of a sign was not an unusual practise with good men, as Iud. 6. 37. 2 King. 20. 8. nor are they reproved for it: but on the contrary, Ahaz was commanded to ask a sign, and reproved for not asking it, Isa. 7. that I shall inherit it?

And he said unto him, Take me Take and offer at my command, and for my service. an heifer of three years old, At which time it is perfect in stature and strength, and therefore fittest for God's service. and a shee-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon This and the other Creatures here following, and sacrifices are the same, which afterwards were prescribed in the Levitical Law..

And he (i. e.) Abram: who by divine instinct and precept did all this which here follows. took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst Into two equal parts. This was done for two reasons, 1. To represent the torn and distracted condition in which his seed was to ly for a season. 2. To ratifie God's covenant with Abram and his seed: for this was a rite used in making covenants, as appears both from Scripture, Ier. 34. 18. and other Authors., and laid each piece one against another Partly to encourage hope, that God would in his time put those parts together, and unite those dry bones (to which the Israelites are compared, Ezek. 37.) and cloth them with flesh; and partly that the persons entring into covenant, might pass between those parts, and so testifie their union and conjunction in one and the same sacrifice. Either because there were two Birds, and the one was laid against the other, which answered to the division of the larger Creatures: or because they belonged not to the Ceremony of the Covenant, but were for the use of sacrifice, wherein they were to be offered whole, as afterwards was prescribed, Levit. 1. 15, 17.: but the birds divided he not x.

And when the fowls came down upon the carcasses To devour them: whereby he signifies, either 1. The disturbance and distraction which good men are exposed to in the service of God from evil Spirits and men: or rather 2. The great peril of Abrams posterity, who were not only, torn in pieces, like these sacrifices, but even the remainder of them were likely to be devoured by the Egyptians, whose King is compared to an Eagle, the chief of the Birds of prey, Ezek. 17., Abram drove them away By the blast of his mouth, as the Hebrew word signifies; representing Abrams conquest over all his Enemies by Faith and Prayer, whereby he engaged God to be the preserver and deliverer of his people..

And when the Sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram Partly natural from his labour in killing and sacrificing those creatures: and partly sent upon him from God, to make way for the following representation. and lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him (i. e.) He seemed to be covered with a dreadful darkness, which was, either 1. A Token of God's special presence: compare 1 King. 8. 12. Or, 2. A signification of the distressed and doleful condition of Abram's seed: for darkness in Scripture is frequently mentioned as an emblem or sign of great misery, as Psal. 88. 6. and 107. 14, &c..

And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs (i. e.) In Canaan and Egypt: for though Canaan was theirs by promise, to be fulfilled in after times, yet it was not theirs by actual donation and possession, but they were strangers in it, Gen, 17. 8. Psal. 105. 11, 12., and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years Exactly 405 years, but a small sum is commonly neglected in a great number, both in sacred and prophane writers. There were 430 years between the first promise, or between the renewing and confirming of the promise by the gift of Isaac and Israels going out of Egypt, or God's giving of the Law. Exod. 12. 40. Gal. 3. 17. but part of this time Abraham with his Son Isaac lived in much honour and comfort: but after Isaac grew up, the affliction here mentioned began with Isaac in Canaan, and continued to him and his posterity in Egypt, till this time was expired..

And also that nation whom they shall serve (i. e.) Egypt, the principal seat of their servitude, and the instrument of their sorest bondage., will I judge (i. e.) Punish, as that word is used, Psal. 51. 6. Obad. v. 21. and elsewhere.: and afterward shall they come out with great substance The accomplishment whereof, see Exod. 3. 22. and 11. 2. and 12. 35, 37..

And thou shalt go to thy Fathers (i. e.) Either 1. Into Heaven, where thy godly progenitors are gone. Or 2. Into the state of the dead, where all thy Fathers are gone before thee; This may seem more probable, at least in this place, partly because this or the like phrase is indifferently used concerning good and bad men. See Gen. 25. 8. Psal. 49. 19. partly because this phrase is so expounded, Act. 13. 36. He, i. e. David, was laid to his Fathers and (for, that is) saw corruption: partly because some of Abram's Fathers, and particularly Nahor, his grand-father, who lived and dyed an Idolater, cannot with any warrant from Scripture, be presumed to be gone to the place of blessedness in their Souls. in peace, Free from those afflictions which shall come upon thy posterity after thy decease. thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

But in the fourth generation In the end of the 400 years mentioned, v. 13. a generation being at that time reckoned at one hundred years, or thereabouts. Or, in the fourth generation, numbred from their going into Egypt, or from their leaving Canaan; which may possibly be implyed by these words, they shall come hither. So Caleb was the fourth from Iudah, and Moses the fourth from Levi, and so doubtless many others., they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorite (i. e.) Of the people inhabiting Canaan. And the Amorites, one of those people, v. 21. are here put for all the rest, as Gen. 48. 22. 1 King 21. 26. 2 King. 21. 2. Amos 2. 10. either because they were the greatest and stoutest of all, Amos 2. 9. or because Abram dwelt among that people, Gen. 13. 18. and 14. 13. is not yet full All mens sins are kept by God as in a book of remembrance, not one of them is lost: and as God exactly observes the number and measure of mens sins, so he determines within himself, how far, and how long he will bear with sinful Men or Nations, and what shall be the period of his patience, and when that comes, their measure is full, and their destruction infallibly comes. See Ier. 51. 13. Mat. 23. 32. 1 Thess. 2. 16..

And it came to pass that when the Sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoaking furnace, and a burning lamp By which symbol God designed to represent, either 1. The future state of Abram's seed: the smoaking furnace, signifying Israel's misery in the iron furnace of Egypt, as it is called, Ier. 11. 4. and the burning Lamp, noting their deliverance, or light shining out of darkness, Or, 2. His own presence: for God is called a consuming fire, Heb. 12. last, and both smoak and fire are elsewhere mentioned as the signs and means of God's appearance. See Exod. 3. 2. and 19. 9, 16, 18. and 20. 18. And this sense seems to be favoured by the following words, it being the custom of persons entring into covenant to pass between such pieces, as has been said: and because God has no body which could visibly do so, therefore he does it in this type or shadow. that passed between those pieces.

In that same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given (i. e.) Decreed and promised in due time to give, which makes it as sure, as if it were actually given to them. Or, I will give: words of the past time being oft put for the future, especially in Prophecies. this Land, from the river of Egypt Not Nilus, which elsewhere is so called, but a less River, as is sufficiently implyed, because this is opposed to the great River here following, but a River called Sihor, which divides Egypt from Canaan. See Numb. 34. 5. Ios. 13. 3. 1 Chron. 13. 5., unto the great river, the river Euphrates The accomplishment hereof see 2 Sam. 8. 3. 1 King. 4. 21. and 9. 21..

The Kenites Supposed the same with the Midianites, by comparing Exod. 3. 1. with Iudg. 1. 16. See also Numb. 24. 21. 1 Sam. 15. 6., and the Kenizzites Thought to be the Idumaeans, who sprung from Kenaz of Esau's race. But this seems not to agree with Deut. 2. 5. where God expresly says to the Israelites concerning the Idumaeans, I will give you none of their land, &c., and the Kadmonites (i. e.) The Eastern people, as the word signifies, elsewhere called the Hivites, Ios. 9. 1. who lived near the Mount Hermon. Ios. 11. 3. which was in the East part of Canaan. See Psal. 89. 12.:

And the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Rephaims:

And the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.