Our Venerable Father Alexius, Man of God.
Day 30 of the Great Fast.
Sixth Hour – Isaiah 40:18-31; Vespers – Genesis 15:1-15; Proverbs 15:7-19.
Read Genesis 15:1-15
Although it sounds strange to our modern ears, in ancient times, covenants were ceremonially ratified by making animals sacrifices. Animals were cut in half down the middle, the pieces were placed opposite each other, and then usually both parties would walk between the halves. Symbolically, this would convey the serious nature of keeping the terms of the covenant. It was a way of saying, “if I break the terms of this covenant, then may what has happened to these animals happen to me.”
Abram desired to have a child by his wife Sarai. God promised Abram that he would have seed as numerous as the stars in the sky. Then, God instructed Abram to bring Him “a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon” (Gen. 15:9). Abram took these animals, “cut them in half, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away” (Gen. 15:10-11). A unique thing about this covenant is that, after sunset, God’s presence manifested in the form of a flame with “a smoking oven and lamps of fire that passed between those divided pieces” (Gen. 15:17). God passed through the divided animals; Abram did not. This shows that God takes the covenant oath upon Himself, guaranteeing His promise of land and descendants to Abram.
God is always faithful to us and keeps His promises, even when we aren’t faithful. God has continually sought out to be in relationship with us. When Adam and Eve sinned, they were cast out of from the garden and “exiled.” In the ancient world, “exile” meant separation and death. The consequence of sin is death. However, God has always sustained His people even when they were in exile and sought to restore them to their land and fullness of life. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us remember that God is with us and sustains us on this journey through life. He seeks to restore us to paradise and communion with Himself, in spite of all the times we fail to be faithful to Him.