Genesis Chapter 15: “He Believed the Lord, and He Reckoned It to Him as Righteousness”
1. The Word of the Lord Comes to Abraham
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’” (Genesis 15:1)
For the first time in Scripture, the phrase “the word of the Lord came” appears.
This marks the beginning of prophetic revelation — God not only blessing, but speaking His promise.
St. Augustine writes:
“The word of the Lord came to Abraham as to a prophet, that he might see by faith what would be fulfilled in Christ.” (City of God XVI.26)
God comforts Abraham after his refusal of Sodom’s wealth: “I am your shield.”
He who rejected earthly reward now receives divine assurance.
Faithful detachment is always rewarded by divine intimacy.
2. The Honest Cry of the Faithful Heart
“But Abram said, ‘O Lord God, what will You give me, for I continue childless… behold, You have given me no offspring.’” (Genesis 15:2–3)
Abraham’s faith does not silence his longing.
He speaks candidly to God — not in rebellion, but in trusting lament.
Faith includes honesty; it wrestles, questions, and yet remains obedient.
St. John Chrysostom observes:
“The just man does not hide his trouble from God, for faith does not suppress desire but entrusts it.” (Homilies on Genesis XXXVI.1)
God desires this openness. The friend of God may speak freely with Him.
3. The Promise Renewed
“This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir.” (Genesis 15:4)
God answers Abraham’s heart with clarity — the promise will not pass through a servant (Eliezer of Damascus) but through his own child.
This promise is pure grace, not reward for merit.
God’s plan exceeds Abraham’s imagination, as the New Covenant will later exceed the Old.
St. Ambrose notes:
“Faith receives what reason cannot foresee. Abraham believed that God could do what nature could not.” (On Abraham II.1.47)
4. The Vision of the Stars
“He brought him outside and said, ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them… so shall your descendants be.’” (Genesis 15:5)
God now teaches faith through sacramental imagery — not abstract argument but visible sign.
As He will later use bread, wine, and water, here He uses the stars to reveal the mystery of innumerable grace.
St. Ephrem the Syrian beautifully says:
“The stars were witnesses of the promise, lights of faith shining in the night of doubt.” (Commentary on Genesis XV.3)
When Abraham looked up, he saw not only the sky but the Church — a people as countless as the stars, radiant with faith through the ages.
5. Faith Reckoned as Righteousness
“And he believed the Lord, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
Here lies the heart of salvation history.
Faith is not an emotion or philosophy; it is trust in God’s word, even when fulfillment seems impossible.
St. Paul will later quote this verse (Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6) to show that righteousness comes through faith, not law — though faith is never apart from obedience.
St. Augustine explains:
“Abraham was justified not by works of the law, which did not yet exist, but by the faith that works through love — the same faith that justifies the Christian.” (On the Spirit and the Letter 32)
Thus, the righteousness of Abraham is the prototype of Christian justification — faith receiving grace, and grace producing obedience.
6. The Covenant Confirmed
“And He said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’” (Genesis 15:7)
God recalls His past action to strengthen Abraham’s faith.
Memory of grace sustains the soul in waiting for new promises.
But Abraham still asks:
“O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” (Genesis 15:8)
His question is not disbelief but a desire for a sign — and God, in His mercy, provides one.
7. The Sacrificial Rite
“He said to him, ‘Bring Me a heifer, a she-goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.’” (Genesis 15:9)
God commands Abraham to prepare a sacrifice.
He divides the animals in two, laying each half opposite the other — an ancient covenantal ritual signifying:
“May I be cut in two if I break this oath.”
But here, only God passes between the pieces — symbolized by the smoking fire pot and flaming torch (v.17).
St. Irenaeus teaches:
“In this sign God declared that His covenant would not depend on man’s faithfulness but on His own.” (Against Heresies IV.9.1)
The fire and smoke represent the presence of the Holy Spirit and the light of divine truth.
This moment foreshadows the New Covenant, where God Himself will take the curse upon Himself — fulfilled when Christ’s Body is broken for our salvation.
8. The Deep Sleep and the Dreadful Darkness
“As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and lo, a dread and great darkness fell upon him.” (Genesis 15:12)
This mystical sleep recalls Adam’s slumber when Eve was formed (Genesis 2:21).
Both reveal divine action while man rests — salvation wrought not by man’s effort but by God’s power.
The “darkness” symbolizes the gravity of redemption’s cost.
St. Ambrose writes:
“In Abraham’s sleep, the Passion of Christ was prefigured — when the Sun of Justice would be darkened, and from His side a new covenant would be born.” (On Abraham II.2.55)
God allows Abraham to sense the weight of history: the suffering of his descendants in Egypt and their future deliverance.
Faith must pass through the shadow before beholding the light.
9. The Prophecy of the Future
“Know of a surety that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs… but I will bring judgment on the nation which they serve.” (Genesis 15:13–14)
Here begins salvation history in prophecy — the first announcement of the Exodus.
Abraham learns that the promise will unfold through suffering and deliverance.
St. Augustine comments:
“God foretold that His people would suffer, lest they should despair in tribulation. So too He foretold the Passion, that the Church might not fear the cross.” (City of God XVI.27)
Faith does not remove trials; it gives meaning to them.
Abraham’s descendants will learn through bondage what it means to depend wholly on God — as every soul must.
10. The Flaming Torch and Smoking Firepot
“When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.” (Genesis 15:17)
This is the theophany of the covenant — the visible manifestation of God’s fidelity.
Fire and smoke together represent the mystery of God’s transcendence (the cloud) and His presence (the flame).
St. John Chrysostom teaches:
“The smoke signified the hiddenness of God’s nature, and the flame His light revealed to faith.” (Homilies on Genesis XXXVI.3)
God alone passes between the pieces — pledging Himself unconditionally.
This is pure grace: the divine promise guaranteed by the divine oath.
St. Augustine marvels:
“He who could not lie made a covenant with His creature, prefiguring that He Himself would bear the penalty of man’s breaking it.” (City of God XVI.28)
The covenant ceremony thus prefigures the Crucifixion, where the fire of divinity passes through the torn flesh of humanity.
11. The Promise of the Land
“On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.’” (Genesis 15:18)
The gift of the land represents the visible sign of an invisible inheritance.
Ultimately, the true “Promised Land” is heaven — the dwelling of God with His people.
St. Irenaeus writes:
“The promise of the land signified the inheritance of the saints, for God’s dwelling is not of earth but of faith.” (Against Heresies V.32.2)
The earthly land points to the heavenly kingdom — as the Old Covenant points to the New, and the shadow to the reality in Christ.
12. The Covenant Theology Summarized
| Theme | Revelation |
| God’s Word to Abraham | Faith begins with divine initiative |
| Faith reckoned as righteousness | Salvation by grace through faith |
| Sacrificial covenant | Foreshadowing of the Cross |
| Fire and smoke | Presence of God’s Spirit and promise |
| Darkness and sleep | Mystery of suffering and redemption |
| Promise of the land | Earthly sign of heavenly inheritance |
St. Augustine concludes:
“In this covenant the faith of Abraham prefigures the faith of the Church — trusting God’s promise, awaiting the heavenly city, justified by the grace that was to come.” (City of God XVI.29)
13. Moral and Spiritual Application
Be honest in prayer. God invites not silence but sincerity; true faith speaks openly.
Trust in the impossible. Faith believes God can create life where nature sees barrenness.
Remember God’s past deeds. Gratitude strengthens faith for the future.
Rest in divine providence. In Abraham’s sleep, God worked salvation; grace acts even when we can’t.
Let faith become worship. The covenant fire still burns in every Mass — the same God passing among us.
14. Christ the Fulfillment of the Covenant
Every detail of Genesis 15 points to Christ:
The shield → Christ our protector (Ephesians 6:16)
The heir → Christ the promised Seed (Galatians 3:16)
The stars → The saints shining with His light (Philippians 2:15)
The righteousness by faith → The justification of believers through grace
The fire and smoke → The presence of the Holy Spirit and the Passion
The covenant blood → The New Covenant in Christ’s Blood
Christ fulfills the promise not by giving land, but by opening heaven — the eternal inheritance of faith.
St. Ambrose exclaims:
“What Abraham saw in figures, we possess in truth. He saw the covenant in fire; we behold it in the chalice of salvation.” (On Abraham II.3.60)
15. Closing Prayer
God of covenant and mercy,
You spoke to Abraham in faithfulness and sealed Your promise with fire and light.
Teach us to believe Your word amid darkness,
to trust when reason fails,
and to rest in Your eternal covenant fulfilled in the Blood of Christ.
Count our faith as righteousness,
and make us heirs of the promise through Your grace,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 