August 3, 2026:

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“So, the Lord said to him, ‘Bring Me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.’ Abram brought all these to Him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.” (Genesis 15.9-11)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Yesterday I said these were not unusual offerings and sacrifices. I want to reflect upon one such important comparison and contrast on this line of thinking as it pertains to the conducting of the sacrifice which God commanded Abram to offer and thus validate how he would possess the land and the legacy which God had promised. Again, we dare not read the Word of God by assumption. For example, as is the basis of a long debate created in the split of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Christian Church (Church of Christ), one such assumption was the use of instrumental music in worship. The textual criticism rubric for the “New Testament” church determined that all which was needed to define and empower the Church was what was written in the New Testament. Since there is no mention of musical instruments in the New Testament the Church of Christ determined that it was not necessary and ultimately not allowed in services of worship. If the New Testament scriptures do not say anything on a subject then it should not be allowed or practiced. What fueled that decision to become a rubric of living out the gospel in modern times is under debate as well. This is not the time for that, so let’s just know that such a rubric exists and has been put in practice in this country for nearly two hundred years. Of course, other biblical scholars would simply point out that the New Testament was written basically within the Jewish culture. We know from the psalms, and in the book of the Law, that instrumental music was practiced as a vital part of worship. That it was a known given thus meant there was no reason to mention it in the gospels as it just happened. Further, it was never prevented nor disallowed. I would follow this type of reasoning as I read today’s scripture, which was yesterday’s, too, concerning how the covenantal sacrifice was conducted. Seeking answers to my own questions showed a very biased view based mostly on the New Testament and the foreshadowing of the coming of the Messiah. Still, the application of the sacrifice as it was recorded, while it has a prophetic forecast, was written within the context of Canaan in particular and the Middle East in general. I have to believe the greatest fear of scholars, especially Christian scholars, is to allow too much freewill to be attributed to man’s relationship to God in life and in worship. By that I mean that what was understood as the Word was written would be known to everyone down through the ages.

In the context of today’s scripture, I am referring to the splitting in half the bull, the she-goat and the ram. The practice was not original to pre-Israel. Nor does scripture say God commanded Abram to do so. It was a practice held to by the tribes and nations of the Near and Middle East. The symbolism is relatively clear in that the two halves represent the two parties. As they walk between the two halves, it is a tangible witness that whoever breaks the covenant will face the same consequence as the animal/animals sacrificed. The fact that Abram prepared the sacrifices in the way of the world shows his understanding of the practice and the fact that it was never under question as to what should be done. The difference would be not in what Abram did, but what God did. Abram stood guard over the sacrifices and waited for God to join with him or to give him further instructions. The sacrifice was ready…now what? In standing guard over the sacrifices so that the scavengers and carrion would not disturb them, he fell into a deep sleep. It was said that it was a dark and dreadful darkness. Perhaps it was similar to the night centuries later when the Angel of Death moved across Egypt and took the lives of all the firstborn males. In fact, God would speak to Abram in a dream about the deliverance of those descendants of Abram who were taken into captivity and made slaves. They would be delivered by the hand of God out of Egypt. And here is the uniqueness of this sacrifice. Following the dream, God passed between the sacrifices which Abram prepared and watched over. God made the covenant with Abram and declared that if the covenant was broken by God, so the penalty of death would be as understood by the common practice of sacrifices which Abram knew. It was not that God came down to man’s level but that he elevated the seriousness of His desire to bless Abram with terms Abram would understand.

Mighty ones of God, think on this for a while and consider what God did in holding to His covenant of care for His creation. Jesus was the Bull, the Goat, the Ram, the Dove and the Pigeon who was offered for the salvation of the world. He alone could walk the paths of righteousness for the sake of His Father’s name….and for us.

TODAY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.

Father, in these days we are finding the need to believe even more than ever before. We all have known trouble, some in greater ways than others, but You are offering us the assurance that we will not be consumed by it forever. Regardless of the “time” we are in and the “time” we have been given, we ask for Your Holy Spirit which Jesus asked You to share with us, to lead and guide and direct us in the paths we should go. Teach us what we still need to learn. Empower us to put that learning into action. Bless our actions not as a works righteousness but as righteous works of faith, hope and love in Jesus’ name. AMEN.