YT Lesson 4

Gods Eternal Covenant

The Land of Promise
Recapping:

Although we think in terms of linear and literal, we live in a dimensional world, where
figurative expressions are common. So much so that they are not even recognized or thought
upon as a figurative pictorial or expression.

For example: If I said Im feeling blue today. The figurative expression is understood to
mean that Im sad or disheartened or possibly unwell. Not that Im literally blue.

Or how about this modern expression ~ thats hot! Which in my day meant that it (the
person or thing) was cool. Or in my parents day meant neato, or nice. Each generation has its
expression and yet no matter the words used for the expression, the message of the figurative
pictorial is understood.

As we have been learning, more can be expressed in a picture than mere words. In a
picture you have symbolized in figure, the thinking, emotion and will of the designer as seen in
the depth, color and shape expressed within the design of the pictorial.

In our last lesson we saw that generations and generations have passed from the
manifestation of the plan in the heavens of the Eternal Covenant, to the night under the
luminaries in Genesis 15 where the LORD seals the deal for all that He has promised Abraham
declared in the Eternal Covenant.

Chapter15 is filled full of figurative pictorials as seen not only in Gods Eternal Covenant
declared in the luminaries, but also in the sacrifice of the Covenant Offering.

While Gods Eternal Covenant for man in His image, after His likeness is seen as
finished in eternity and is declared as finished in the pictorial of the heavenly revelation, the
Eternal Covenant is worked out in time. Although God is outside of time, at creation He entered
into time.

Thus, God signified the word of His promise to Abraham as being authentic, with the
declaration of the witness of a twofold testimony.

Abraham wanted seed, and God said He was going to give him seed and so much
more.

Part one ~ of the testimony of the authenticity of Gods word was the revelation of the
glory of God ~ the Promised Seed as is declared in Gods Eternal Covenant in the heavenly
revelation.

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Part two ~ of Gods testimony is in connection to the land Abraham is going to inherit for
his seed, and it is signified with the witness of the shedding of blood.

During the night, Abrahams part had been mental, his mind recalling what he knew of the
stars with their figurative message of the signs, and upon hearing the truth in understanding of
the figurative message, a transformation had taken place.

In Abrahams obedience to the truth concerning his Seed, and believing the LORD,
Abraham had purified his soul and had become righteous through faith in the coming Christ (1
Pet.1:17-25; Rom.3:22-26).

Genesis 15:7:

It is now the next day ~ likely daybreak, with the light of the morning sunrise coming over
the horizon, the LORD speaks to Abraham concerning the land He had given to him in promise
(Genesis 13:14-17).

God is going to make for Himself a Covenant People from whom the Covenant Son will
come. To have a nation, from whom the Branch will originate, the people will need land to be
dispersed upon, for the kingdom of God on earth, and this land will be given to them as an
inheritance.

Abraham could understand the land being a family inheritance generation after
generation as the elders died off and another generation grew up. But his land that he is to
inherit, is an eternal inheritance, how could that be? An inheritance is received after the death of
the donor.

In other words, Abraham understands that his Seed is Christ, and that he is to receive the
land of promise as an inheritance. Meaning, that the donor of the estate must die in order for
Abraham to receive the land as an inheritance. Well, the question is how exactly does that work?
God is giving him that land ~ but as an inheritance. Hmmm?

Abrahams question is not a lack of faith. Faith works by Love, and Love that led Abraham
right into His arms safe and secure, shows him with the witness of Love.

In response to Abrahams question ~ Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it
(Genesis 15:8). God confirms His testimony of the land given as an inheritance with the witness
of the Love of God ~ the shed blood of His Seed Christ.

Blood Covenant:

In the making of a covenant between men ~ a legal binding agreement between two
parties, as was the custom of the day ~ a blood sacrifice confirmed the contract as binding the
two parties. In a mans two-party covenant, only one animal would be slain and divided into two.

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Each party would pass between the laid out, slain animal in a figure eight pattern as the
signature that was required. This signature signified that death would be the result of either
party who failed to fulfill the contract.

Within the figurative language of the Scriptural numerology two is the ordinal that speaks
of witness and 8 the ordinal that speaks of a new beginning.

Today, men make and break contracts with little thought as to the consequences. The
shedding of blood is precious to God. To break the covenant was a serious offense as death
would be the result.

The Eternal Covenant of God declared in the luminaries is a legal and binding contract
between the Persons of the Godhead. And the shed blood of the Seed is the guarantee of the
fulfillment of it. Therefore, in answer to Abrahams question, the LORD gave Abraham explicit
instructions.

The Eternal Covenant Offering:

Using the figurative custom of the day familiar to Abraham, a blood shedding covenant,
God commanded that Abraham bring five animals as a covenant offering.

Again, in the language of Scriptural numerology, the ordinal 5 is the ordinal that speaks of
grace. Hence the 5 animals speak of the grace of God in the Covenant Son.

The heifer, the she-goat, and the ram, figuratively refer to the earthly realm and work of
the Covenant Son. The two birds figuratively refer to the heavenly realm from which the Son,
comes and returns. The ordinal 3 speaks of reproduction and resurrection. In scriptural
numerology, the number three stands for that which is solid, real, complete and entire. The
ordinal 2 speaks of the witness of a true testimony.

The LORD opened Abrahams understanding to the figurative message pictured and
recorded in the starry heavens as a pictorial of the Person of the Covenant to be his Seed.
Abraham would have easily seen the connection of the figurative significance of the animals
chosen by the LORD God for a sacrificial offering as figuring the work of the One through whom
the Kingdom of God would be established and inherited from upon earth.

Genesis 15:9:

Although the animals and the birds offered in the offering were Taken for the LORD ~
Abraham is to Take Me ~ figuratively the Person and Work of the Covenant Son as the offering
~ the donor for the inheritance for the Land Promised.

Today, contracts are no longer guaranteed through blood sacrifice. There is little
understanding of the significance of the blood covenant, but not so in Abrahams day. He got the
picture. He understood the significance of the figurative pictorial of the animals chosen and the
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figurative message of the bloodshed. He understood the preciousness of what was being
figured.

In Moses day, the Law of the Offerings would be given to be preserved down through the
generations of the nation to Abrahams descendants. The law of the offerings would act as a
reminder of Gods Eternal Covenant for the Land of Promise until the ratifying of that Eternal
Covenant in time with the blood shed of the Covenant Son (Lev.1:1-7:38; Gal.3:19-26;
Heb.9:11-28).

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews
11:1). Abraham now takes an active part, physically. By the Take Me ~ cooperating with the
Lord, Abraham demonstrated the substance of his faith of the things hoped for ~ the inheritance
of the land ~ the evidence of things not seen. The God of Glory will do that which He has
promised.

Genesis 15:10:

Each of the animals were to have reached the age of maturity. The Covenant Son ~ the
Coming One would begin His public ministry as a mature man (Lk.3:23). Two of the animals ~
the heifer and she goat are female. The ram is male in gender.

The sex of the animals figuratively represents ~ the attributes of the work of the Person of
the Covenant Son. The female of the species ~ is the bearer of life. Please understand we are
not attributing the attributes in terms of making the Covenant Son feminine.

God is Divine in being and the Son is male in gender as His Seed declared. However,
there is the female counterpart declared in the work.

The birds are creatures associated with the heavenly realm. Within the figurative pictorial
of the birds there are two kinds of heavenly creatures. Those figuratively representing peace and
those representing the emissaries of the evil one ~ the birds of prey ~ the fowls (Genesis 15:11).

The Heifer:

The first animal Abraham was to take for the LORD was a heifer of mature age.

Figuratively the heifer appears as representing sleekness combined with helplessness.

The heifer is gentle and meek. Gentleness and meekness must not be confused with weakness.
Gentleness and meekness are strength under control, which is further manifested in the figure of
the she-goat.

It was the heifer who was engaged in threshing ~ treading out the corn, providing the
sustenance of life for humanity. This was particularly light work, coupled with unusually
abundant food, so that the threshing heifer served especially well for a picture of contentment.

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Jesus was content to do His Fathers will. Gentleness is an attribute of tenderness,

kindness and mild mannered. Meekness expresses humility and submission.

The She-goat:

The she-goat is symbolic of strength under control. The Goat will stand its ground. Goats
are known for the nurturing for human consumption ~ milk and cheese and the goats hair was
used as a covering for clothing.

The goat was a sacrificial animal used extensively in the sin offering (Lev.9:1-3; 10:16-17;
16:1-34). Jesus ~ the Son of the Covenant bore the sins of the whole world on His body, that out
of His death should come Eternal life, for whosoever will (1 Pet.2:24; 1 Jn.2:2).

The Ram:
Next Abraham was to take for the LORD a ram of three years old. A full grown male lamb
is a ram crowned with horns.

In OT times the rams horn was blown in celebration of victory. Noble and stately, the ram
is considered powerful and even majestic. Horns in Scriptures are symbolic of power.

At His crucifixion on earth Jesus was crowned with a crown of thorns. Thorns figuratively
speak of aborted life (Mt.27:27-31; Mk.15:16-21; Jn.19:1-3). In the prime of His life, Jesus life
was aborted ~ cut off.

In the symbolism of the ram, Jesus the Covenant Son, anointed with power over sin and
death by the righteousness of God, was raised the Consecrated One ~ the Exalted Son raised
and crowned with honor and glory. He is the Seed of Eternal life.

Birds:

The last creatures taken for the LORD were two birds ~ the birds were not divided; but laid
the one over against the other.

The first record of a dove in Scripture is in relation to judgment. Noah sent out a dove,
and it returned with an olive leaf plucked off (Gen.8:11). The olive branch is a symbol of peace.

The turtledove is migratory and seasonal ~ He comes, He goes, and He comes again.
Figuratively expressing the Covenant Son as coming from the heavenly realm, He comes ~ He
goes ~ He comes again.

The Hebrew word used for pigeon is the word most commonly rendered dove. The
pigeon is commonly known as the rock dove ~ meaning the dove is from the heavenly realm but
earth bound (Song of Sol.2:14; Jer.48:28). With the doves, there is no thought of labor, or of
murmuring ~ only the thought of purity and innocence, harmlessness and peace.

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Usually in covenant offerings, the birds were offered in pairs as is the case here. This is
not without design ~ often the attributes of the Covenant Son ~ the Seed Christ is seen in pairs.
For example: mercy and truth, righteousness and peace, truth and righteousness, grace and
truth, mercy and peace, etc. (Ps.85:10-11; Jn.1:17; 2 Jn.3).

It is very important not to miss the order of the animals that are offered and to bear in
mind how many pieces there are. Order is everything to God. In the order of the animals to be
sacrificed an offering is the confirmation that the issue of Gods Eternal Covenant is Eternal life.

Sin is mans issue. Gods is Eternal life. So maybe youre thinking what is the big deal as
to the order. The deal is, if we do not look at the Covenant the way God intended it to be seen,
we will miss the picture. And the focus will not be on God, but on man.

Remember that Gods Eternal Covenant was first declared in the heavenly revelation
before the creation of man thus signifying Gods issue of Eternal life. Gods plan is to have man
in His image, after His likeness ~ a kingdom of sons of God. Eternal life takes care of mans
issue of sin.

The One offering divided into 8 parts speaks of the One (the ordinal 1 the true beginning
of all. In all languages, it is the symbol of unity) in whom belongs the new beginning ~ the
Kingdom of the Sons of God ~ man in Gods image, after His likeness.

Each animal testified of the figurative pictorial of the Person and work of the Son of the
Covenant ~ the Holy, Harmless and Undefiled One, the Desired of all nations ~ as The Seed ~
the life bearer, gentle and meek (heifer).

Perfectly content in standing His ground in the provision of His life an offering for sin ~ the
covering for man in the providing of perfect contentment for all in the kingdom of God (she-goat).

Raised with power ~ It is Finished (ram)! He who came to do the will of His Father
(turtledove, pigeon) went home again and will one day return to the earth in perfect peace and
fullness of joy, to abide forever. His is the victory of the power of righteousness to execute
everything as it pertains to the establishing and running the government of the kingdom of God.

With the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth, Jesus will be acknowledged as
King and High Priest ~ the intercessor between God and man ~ the King Priest over His
kingdom. Crowned King of kings and LORD of lords.

Thus, in the figurative message of the blood offering we see pictured all of the blessings of
the Covenant Sons work fully realized.

Abrahams Calling:

In teaching the law of God to his household, Abraham was to be a witness to, and give
testimony of, the twofold testimony of the grace of God in the Covenant Son thereby preserving
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the truth of Gods Eternal Covenant, of a kingdom of sons of God.

It would be Abrahams life work to lay before others the Gift of the Eternal life offered in
the Son ~ the One and only Offering acceptable to God. Thus, after Abraham had obeyed the
LORDS instructions, he stayed near the sacrifices and as he sat nearby, he must have regarded
the guarding of the sacrifice as a labor of love for his Master.

Genesis 15:11:

As mentioned, there are birds of prey in the heavenly realm. And the birds of prey hovered
over the carcasses, but Abraham drove them away. The birds of prey are seen in figure as types
of the emissaries of the evil one.

Principalities and powers of the prince of the power of the air are enemies who would like
to destroy the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation unto everyone who
believes (Rom.1:16; Eph.2:2; 6:12; Mt.13:3-4, 18-19, 31-32; Mk.4:3-4, 13-15; Lk.8:5, 10-12;
13:18-19).

Genesis 15:12:

With the going down of the sun, a deep sleep fell upon Abraham. Having been awake
since the night before, naturally he would be tired. However, this deep sleep is a metaphor for
death.

This is the second time in the Scriptures a deep sleep is recorded. The first is with Adam
when the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon him. With the deep sleep ~ the death
that fell upon Adam was the initiating of the Eternal Covenant, in time, with the body built of the
bone and flesh of Adam, to be Adams helper (Gen. 2:20-25).

It was the LORD God who said it was not good that the man should be alone. Clearly
there is more to see than Adam being alone. It is in the language of the text we see a counterpart
is needed for the initiating of the Covenant: But for Adam there was not found a help meet for
him ~ there was none comparable to himself.

The purpose of procreation is that the sons of humanity might choose to become Sons of
God. You cannot have Sons of God if you dont first have sons of Adam.

Likewise, this deep sleep of Abraham is used to describe the state in which Abraham
(still known as Abram) had his vision of God concerning the furthering of that which was initiated
in time concerning Gods Eternal Covenant.

When the deep sleep, simulating death came upon Abraham, the vision of a horror of
great darkness fell upon him and in the vision, Abraham was given a prophecy concerning his
earthly seed ~ the woman Israel.

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The Parallel:

Running the two passages of text parallel, one with the other, is the revelation of the heart
of humanity clearly seen within the figurative message.

More can be said in a picture than mere words. After the woman is brought to the man in
the garden, the deception of the heart is exposed with the conclusion of the first pair being
clothed with skin ~ figuratively speaking of the Eternal life.

After which the woman is given the name Eve ~ the mother of all living. Again, figuratively
meaning that Eve not only is the progenitor of all humanity ~ man born dead in trespasses and
sins but specifically she is the mother of all the sons of God ~ the living.

Similarly, the woman Israel, who will come from the loins of Abrahams dead body, will
likewise, by the deception of the enmity of her own thinking, be reduced to servitude, and in a
horror of the great darkness of idolatry. Yet, when she looks on Him whom she pierces as her
Only Begotten Son (Zechariah 12:10), she will be the head of the nations ~ the mother of all
living of sons of God.

Genesis15:13-14:

Abrahams seed would be out of the land, and sojourners in a land not theirs, serving
foreigners. This was something that Abraham needed to know ~ Know of a surety, or You
must surely know.

So why is this important for Abraham to know, seeing as he is not going to be around
when this event happens? This is a foreseeing that Abraham must prophesy to his earthly seed.
Abrahams seed must know that God knows that they will be out of their land and reduced to
servitude, and in a horror of the great darkness of idolatry.

Can you imagine how awful for Abraham, to have been delivered from idolatry and then to
know of a surety that his seed will turn their face from the LORD to idolatry.

Egypt is not named as the land, though Egypt was a land known to Abraham. The
prophecy simply stated, a land not theirs, not in their possession, not their inheritance.

Egypt, and specifically the land of Goshen, was to be the matrix or womb in which
Abrahams seed through his grandson Jacob, was to grow from seventy souls into the proportion
of a nation of millions (Gen.45:4-10; Ex.1:5).

Abrahams seed would be reduced to servitude to the foreign enemies of the LORD God.
But there was hope ~ there was to be an afterwards. They would only be sojourning for a limited
time.

The LORD had a plan of deliverance and a time for the deliverance ~ they would come
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out of the foreign land and return to the land given them in the fourth generation, after the
household of the sons of Israel had been afflicted 400 years.

Genesis 15:16:

The return of Abrahams seed to the land was timed with the fullness of the iniquity of the
Amorites. When the Amorites had been given every opportunity to repent of their sin, and turn to
the LORD God, and yet would not, then they must be destroyed.

The destruction would take place when the LORD brought the sons of Israel back into the
land under Joshua and the Captain with the drawn sword, the One who conquered for Israel in
the battle for the land (Josh.5:13-6:27).

This prophecy concerning the nation given Abraham would be helpful to future
generations. And the LORD promised Abraham, And also that nation, whom they shall serve,
will I judge: and afterward they shall come out with great substance (Gen. 15:14).

Abraham could know of a surety ~ be absolutely sure that the LORD would judge the
nation who dared afflict His people. The LORDS Covenant with Abraham was not so much a
Covenant for the land as it was a testament ~ a witness whereby Abraham would inherit the
land with his Seed, the Covenant Son.

The Covenant would be kept and not be broken, by God Himself, in the Person of His Son
Jesus as promised (Is.42:6-9; Ezek.16:62).

Genesis 15:15:

And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age.

The last breath of the body would be exhaled and the body would be left lifeless, to be laid
to rest to return to the dust of the ground from whence it came to await the resurrection
(Gen.3:19; Job 34:15).

Abraham would go to his fathers in peace (Abrahams fathers are the sons of Seth who
believed in the righteousness of God through faith in the Covenant Son to one day live forever in
the resurrection, Genesis 10). He would be buried in a good old age.

All that remained for Abraham to witness was the signature put to the Covenant. The
Covenant must have the signature of the One assuring the keeping of the Covenant. The
Covenant is after all, a legal and binding blood agreement. The signature was the smoking
furnace and burning lamp.

Genesis15:17:

The Hebrew word translated smoking furnace in King James, and smoking oven in
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other Bible translations, is literally a portable fire pot. It was not the larger oven, but a small clay
vessel, a portable oven constructed of clay for the purpose of baking bread and other foods.

Figuratively, the clay pot is representing the earthen body of Jesus, in which Jesus would
be born to bring the Bread of Life down from heaven to the world (John 6). The flaming torch is a
figure of that which gives Light to men.

Abraham watched, as the Covenant was signed by the One whose Person and work was
pictured in the signs in the heavens, the One in whose blood the Eternal Covenant would be
ratified upon earth, pictured in the sacrifice of the offering (Heb.13:20). Nothing was required of
Abraham.

Within Scriptures, we see that when the LORD showed His acceptance of a sacrifice, it
was by fire coming down from heaven to consume the sacrifice (Lev.9:24; 1 Ki.18:37-39). Most
likely, that was the case with the Covenant offering, in that way, Abraham would have seen the
sacrifice consumed.

Though the inheritance of the land would be far in the future, Abraham had absolute
assurance ~ he had the testimony of the LORD God ~ Gods Eternal Covenant in the heavenly
revelation and the day of the cutting of the Covenant.

This concludes our lesson. If youd like to prepare for the next lesson ~ please read the
remainder of Genesis 15.

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