Genesis 15
DortAbram growing faint hearted is comforted by God in a vision by very glorious spiritual and temporal promises and justified through faith verse 1 God establisheth his covenant with Abram in peculiar manner foretelling and typifying what should befall his seed after him.9.
1. After these things the word of the LORD was or happened to Abram in a vision [a certain kind of divine revelation whereby a man that is not asleep hath either outwardly something representing unto him by God or his spirit taken up thereby to see or understand inwardly that which the Lord is pleased to make known to him Numbers 12:6,7,8 and 24.4 Isaiah 1:1 Acts 10:10 ,11 it should seem that God in this vision appeared likewise outwardly to Abram see verse 5 &c.] saying fear not Abram I am thy shield thy reward very great [these words comprehend the faithfulness of all happiness which God doth promise and give unto his children consisting in protection against all evils and he grant of all good to begin here and to be completed hereafter.]
2. Then said Abram Lord LORD what shouldest thou give me [that is what gift shall I take pleasure or comfort in as long as I do not see the fulfilling of thy promise touching my seed whence the Messiah is to proceed ?] while l go along without children? [Others yet I go without children] and the steward of my house [Heb. The son of the errand or managing or stewardship of my house that is the steward or baily of my house so a son of strength is put 1 Kings 1:52 for a strong or stout man and sons of captivity sons of oppression Proverbs31.5 for oppressed ones and Jeremiah 48:45 sons of uproar for man making uproar] is this Damasco-man [Heb. Damesek that is man of Damascus DAmasco-man this is an imperfect speech which Abram completes in the next verse] Eliezer [the name Abram steward.]
3. Moreover Abram said behold unto thou hast given no seed [that is no son see chapter 4 on verse 25] and lo he son of my house [that is my servant that was born in my house compare chapter 14.14 by this expression the house born servant are differenced from the sons of ones body or proper children as Job 19:17 Proverbs 31:2 Jeremiah 2:14] shall be my heir [Heb. Shall inherit me as also verse 4.]
4. And behold the word of the Lord was to him saying this man [this Eliezer namely of Damascus] shall not be thy heir but he that shall come forth out of thy body [Heb. Out of thy bowl see 2 Samuel 7:12 compare Genesis 35:11 and 2 Chronicles 6:9] he shall be thy heir.
5. Then he [God namely] led him [Abram] forth [the tent] and said look up now to heaven and tell the stars if thou canst tell them and he said unto them thus shall thy seed be [compare 13.16 and 1 Kings 4:20]
6. And he believed in the Lord [not as if Abram had but then begun to believe but that he grew stronger in his faith overcoming the doubts of his flesh and more and more embracing and relying on the great promises which God had made him verse 1,4,5 concerning his seed and principally the Messiah to his own souls comfort and salvation] and he imputed it to him for righteousness [the particle for is put in here out of Psalms 106:31 and Romans 4:3 Galatians 3:6 James 2.23teh sense is God of his mere grace held him righteous and justified that had no righteousness in himself whereby to subsist before the judgment seat and that through faith in his promise and in the promised mediator Romans 4:2,3&c.]
7. Moreover he said unto him I am the Lord that led thee forth out of Ur of the Chaldeans [see chapter 11 verse 31] for to give thee in this land hereditarily to possess the same.
8. And he said Lord, Lord whereby shall I know that I shall hereditarily possess it? [Abram though he believed yet he desireth further information and confirmation of god as others believers likewise have done in their times Judges 6:37 2Kings 28.]
9. And he said to him take me a three-years heifer and a three years Goat and a three years ram and a turtle dove and a young dove [it is remarkable that here such beasts or creatures only are made use of as were mostly used for sacrifices.]
10. And he brought all these unto him [viz. unto God who formerly verse 9 bid him take me that is to take to bring unto me &c.] and he [Abram namely being doubtless instructed by God] divided them through the midst and he laid each one part over against the other [Heb. The man of his part over against his neighbor or friend that is to say he laid the pieces belonging together right over against one another as the right side of the heifer over against the left &c.] But the fowl he divided not.
11. And the wild fowl came down upon the carcass but Abram chased it away [by blowing as the property of the Hebrew word doth imply.]
12. And it came to pass when the sun was going down there fell a deep sleep on Abram and behold a terror and great darkness fell upon him [darkness doth often in scripture signify terror affliction adversity tribulation Psalms 35:14 and 38.7 &c.]
13. Then said he to Abram know for certain [Heb. Knowing thou shalt know] that thy seed shall be foreign or a stranger in a country that is not theirs [understand the land of Canaan but principally Egypt] and shall serve them [that is the inhabitants or owner thereof] and they shall oppress them four hundred years[the number of these four hundred years after the plainest sense is here set down in gross not in the exactness the round number being made use of and the odd number left out as usual in the like relations see Judges 11:26 and 20.46,2Samuel 5.5 1 Kings 15:25 the full number is four hundred and thirty years Exodus 12:41 Galatians 3:17 beginning from the time of the covenant made here by the God with Abram in confirmation of the former promises as doth appear by the words of the saints Paul Galatians 3:17 the end of the foresaid years is going forth of the children of Israel out of Egypt or the giving of the law others begin these years from Abrams going forth out of Ur in Chaldea and out of Haran or from the birth of Isaac or from time when Ishmael mocked Isaac which mocking is termed a persecution by Paul Galatians 4:29.]
14. Yet shall likewise judge the people [to judge implieth many times as much as to judge and shew or to determine a mans cause either to his damage by punishing of him as he and Psalms 51:6 or to his advantage by protecting him as chapter 30.6 Psalms 7:9 Jeremiah 5:28 and 22.16] whom they shall serve and after that they shall go forth with great substance.
15. And thou shalt go to thy father with peace [that is thou shalt die a bodily death while thy soul shall be gathered to others into life everlasting compare chapter 25 verse 8 and 17] thou shalt be buried in good age [Heb. In good age properly consists not only in good grayness a good age properly consists not only in length of life and temporal happiness but in a life pass and transacted in piety before God justice towards men sobriety and contentedness in and by ones self so chapter 25.8 and Judges 8:32 1 Chronicles 29:28.]
16. And the forth generation shall turn hither again [others in the forth generation they shall return &c. that is after the end of four hundred years the age of men being at that time ordinarily reckoned about a hundred years] for the unrighteousness of the Amorites [and those other wicked nations rehearsed below verse 19, 20,21 so chapter 48.22,1 Kings 21:26 2Kings 21.11] is not perfect as yet [God having given this land unto the Amorites and determined not to drive them out thence until they should have deserved it in the highest degree he is resolved to let them spend and make up that time accordingly and in the interim to prove & exercise his own people Jeremiah 51:13 Matthew 23:32.]
17. And it came to pass that the sun went down and it grew dark and lo there was a smoking furnace [Heb. Furnace o f smoke the oppression of people of Israel in Egypt is compared in the iron furnace Deuteronomy 4:20 and 1 Kings 8:51 Jeremiah 11:4] and fiery torch [Heb. Torch of fire signifying the presence of God and the future deliverance from the oppression see Jude6.21 Isaiah 62:1 Zach. 12.6]which past through between those pieces [God makes up his covenant here with Abram in a most peculiar and solemn though very friendly manner like as the custom was to do at that time between one men friend and confederate with the other namely by slaying of beasts and dividing of the parts or pieces and the confederates passing through the midst of them in token that the covenant breaker deserved to be cut in pieces thus see Jeremiah 34:18,19.]
18. At or on that the same day the Lord made [Heb. Cut or stroke a borrowed phrase from the slaying of the beast and dividing of the pieces mentioned verse 17.]a covenant with Abram saying unto the seed have I given this land [viz. by my determined purpose and declared promise chapter 13.15 however the performance and execution thereof must be deserted yet until the time aforesaid verse 13] from off the river of Egypt [hereby is understood the river Sicher which divided Egypt from Canaan Numbers 34:5 Joshua 13:3 2 Chronicles 13.15others do understand here the river Nilus] unto that great river the river Phrath [see chapter2.14 and the fulfilling hereof 2 Samuel 8:3 and 1 Kings 4:21 and 9.21 and 1 Chronicles 18:3 2 Chronicles 9:26.]
19. The Kenite and the Kenezite and the Kadmonite [the Rowl of the nation which did possess the land of Canaan the Israelites compare the same with chapter 10.15,16 &c. and the annotation there.]
20. The Hethite and the Pherizite and the Rephaim [see of this chapter 14.5.]
21. And the Amorite and the Canaanites and the Girgasite and the Jebusite.