July 25, 2025 - Genesis 15:12-17 - "A Great Darkness"

Genesis 15:12-17

 "And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 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. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 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."

In this portion of God's sacred, inspired Word, we are brought into a solemn and awe-inspiring scene where the LORD confirms His covenant with Abram—not by mutual agreement, but by sovereign declaration. As Abram falls into a deep sleep, God alone walks between the divided pieces, signifying that the fulfillment of His promise rests solely upon Himself. This passage is a glorious picture of the everlasting covenant of grace in Christ Jesus. The darkness and horror that fell upon Abram points us to the suffering and judgment Christ would endure on behalf of His elect. And the smoking furnace and burning lamp declare the presence of God, passing through the judgment in the place of His people. Here, we behold a shadow of the cross, where the LORD Jesus bore the curse, securing the salvation of those chosen in Him. This is not a covenant of works, but of grace—unconditional, unbreakable, and fulfilled by Christ alone.

These Scriptures come from a passage where God has revealed to Abraham in a dream, a view of the covenant of redemption in type and picture. It says that a horror of great darkness fell upon Abram. In this dream there were five animals sacrificed including three livestock and two birds. A total number of eight pieces were laid out during this horror of great darkness. A burning lamp and a smoking furnace passed between the pieces which signified the ratification of the covenant, "And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof” (Jeremiah 34:18-19). The parties to the covenant passed between the parts.

In Abraham's dream, the horror of great darkness symbolizes the suffering of Christ on the cross to pay for the sins of God’s elect ones and thereby justify them once and forever, (Matthew 27:45-49). The smoking furnace symbolizes the judgment of God the Father and the burning lamp symbolizes His holy wrath poured out upon the sacrifices; types of Christ the Lamb of God. The animals sacrificed were a symbol of the redeeming work of Christ. Eight is associated with ‘new beginnings’ in the Scriptures. Through the blood of the LORD Jesus shed unto death, a new beginning was made since the cross for every elect child of God, (Romans 5:9-11). The law was satisfied and they were therefore justified when He died.

Joel 2:31 reads, "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come." This is quoted in Acts 2:20 as fulfilled in what Christ endured on the cross. The sun represents ‘the Son of Righteousness’ Who is Christ. This would agree with 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." The sun being turned into darkness would be equivalent to Christ enduring the judgment of the Father FOR His people on the cross. The moon being turned to blood represents Christ's sacrificial death in the place of His covenant people.

Christ having made satisfaction by His obedience unto death, the hour of darkness is now passed for Him and His people. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). So complete was His work accomplished, that there remained no more sin to judge and nothing but righteousness (just satisfaction) to impute to the account of each of the elect there at the cross! "It is finished", (John 19:30). Christ our LORD God be praised!