Binding Agreement

Genesis 15

In today's world, anything agreed upon has to be put into writing, signed by both parties, and notorized. What happened to "shaking on it" or "trusting a man's word"? It says in II Timothy, that in the last days, men will be truce breakers. Sometimes, it's hard to know what to believe and whom to trust.

I don't like to make promises. I'd rather say, "I'll try do it. Unless, something comes up, I'll be there." Even then, it bothers me when I can't keep my end of the deal. When we say we will be somewhere or do a job, we should do all we can to keep our word. We should be known as being trustworthy.

We can always trust God to do as He promises. One of the ways agreements were sealed in OT times was to cut an animal carcass in half, and the two parties would walk together between the pieces of meat. It symbolized that they were one, agreed.

In Genesis 15, God tells Abram to divide some carcasses and lay them out. Then God passed through alone, showing that what He promised to do would happen, unconditionally. It had nothing to do with what Abram had done in the past or anything he might do later. It was all of God. Jehovah, the Almighty God, would keep the covenant, no matter what.

That's a very comforting thought to me. Nothing I do can change God's plan. I am safe. Even if I fail, God won't fail. I don't need to worry or fear or try to make things happen. My salvation is not based on what I do, but what He has done. He's in control, and He keeps his promises.