And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.
Genesis 15:9
And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst,
and laid each piece one against another:
but the birds divided he not.
And when the fowls came down upon the carcases,
Abram drove them away.
Genesis 15:10,11
* In ancient times, the division of the body parts across from each other would allow the blood to flow in between, making a path of blood. The parties that made a covenant would walk through, one from one end & the other from the other end. this would symbolize that if they violated the covenant that they to would be killed.
And when the sun was going down,
a deep sleep fell upon Abram;
and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
Genesis 15:12
*The prophecy & promise
And he said unto Abram,
Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs,
and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;
And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge:
and afterward shall they come out with great substance..
..But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again:
for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.
Genesis 15:13,14,16
And it came to pass,
that, when the sun went down, and it was dark,
behold a smoking furnace,
and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
Genesis 15:17
* First, SMOKE (which represents God) passed through the blood path.
Second, FIRE (which represents God) passed back through rather than Abraham.
Notice- God went through the blood path first, and instead of letting Abraham walk through, He walked through again. This symbolizes that God would take Abraham (and our) place in this blood covenant when we sin.
In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
Unto thy seed have I given this land,
from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:
Genesis 15:18
* From Egypt to Babylon, in the end God's people will win & rule.
Both a literal application for the Jews of that time AND the spiritual application (of Egypt & Babylon) in the End.
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 15:5,6