Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Genesis Chapter 15
Metaphysically Interpreting Genesis 15:1-21
15:1After these things the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
15:2And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? 15:3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 15:4And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; But he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 15:5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 15:6And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.
15:7And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 15:8And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 15:9And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. 15:10And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. 15:11And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
15:12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. 15:13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 15:14and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15:15But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. 15:16And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.
15:17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. 15:18In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: 15:19the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, 15:20and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, 15:21and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.
MARCH 2, 1913: Genesis 15:1,5
Subject: “Look Now Toward Heaven.”
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city whose builder and maker is God (Heb. 11:8-11).
Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:6). They which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham (Gal. 3:9). Without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Heb. 11:6).
What time I am afraid,
My trust shall be in thee;
On thee each care be laid,
In thee my refuge be.
To thee, my heart shall cling,
Tho' dark the way appear;
Under thy shelt'ring wing
I cannot yield to fear.
Why was Abram bidden to “look toward heaven”? This direction from God was a command to look away from the limitations and seeming impossibilities of the natural man toward the boundless, limitless power of God.
What was the result of “looking toward heaven”? A quickening of faith in God's power to do as he had promised.
What is the practical application of this lesson? Our faith is quickened, grows and increases by denying all the inability, which seems real to the mind of sense, and keeping the eye fixed on the power of God to accomplish in us and for us all that he has promised. Firm resting in the Lord, I wait his sov'reign will, I hear his tender word, And calmly trust him still.
(The song used in this service is No. 37, in “Truth in Song.”)
March 2, 1913: Genesis 15:5-18
This is a lesson of encouragement to those who are faithful, yet see no fruit of that faith. Abram was childless, and he asked the Lord what should be given to him, as it seemed that another should be the heir of his house. The answer is, “Fear not, Abram, I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward.” Whoever works under the Divine Law is protected, and the result is sure. Active faith in the spiritual powers of Being is productive of tremendous results eventually. We may not have any evidence outwardly because of some idea we are holding to that prevents the manifestation.
The Lord told Abram that his seed should be in multitude as the stars of heaven. Prof. Camille Flamarion says that the best telescopes reveal one hundred millions of stars. Celestial photography penetrates further still, and the number becomes so great as to be beyond practical computation. This illustrates the generative power of faith exercised in the right place, which is the formless substance of Being. Do not pin your faith to the things of form; they are limited and can bring you but a limited reward. In the formless you have the free range of the whole expanse of heaven, and your results will be like its innumerable stars, beyond computation.
But you may not have the fulfillment of this faith in God, until you have opened the way in your consciousness for its descent info externality. But keep on believing. “And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Then proceed to find out why you do not have the evidence. Abram said, “O Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?” Then follows instructions for a sacrifice. Some ideas on the sense plane must be sacrificed. A heifer, a she-goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon are mentioned; that is, give up the idea of physical strength and realize that its source is spiritual. Give up your human will, and let the Divine Will work in you. Deny away all subconscious resistance to the working of the Divine Law. Let confidence and peace pervade your mind, yet know that swiftness (pigeon) is characteristic of all action in things spiritual. Look for a swift fulfillment of all you have had faith in. In all this process you are to drive away the “birds of prey; or mortal thoughts, as did Abram.
What evidence have you that you will get the fruit of your own good thoughts? That which you have already accomplished. The animals which Abram sacrificed unto the Lord represent what has been overcome and mastered in sense consciousness. You have also developed the ability to protect from the devouring thoughts that fill the air, your inner vitalities.
The concluding verses indicate that faith has yet a deeper work to do in subconsciousness. When the Sun of Divine Understanding seems to go down and we are left in darkness for a time, fear falls upon us. This is the reflex of subconscious ignorance. The Temple has not been fully cleansed of past errors, which have been in possession of the body and are secretly carrying on their savage orgies below the line of consciousness. These Amorites are a race inheritance and their seat of action is the generative function. They are overcome by the faithful, who trust in the Lord and purify themselves both within and without, that is, in thought and deed.
June 24, 1917: Genesis 15:5-18
15:5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. - The stars of the heaven symbolize the unlimited possibilities of faith working in substance.
15:6And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. - Faith in God is the foundation stone of spiritual advancement.
15:7And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 15:8And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? - We must continue to believe in the righteousness of the Lord though we do not see the fulfillment of our faith immediately.
15:9And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. - Ideas on the sense plane for which the symbols mentioned stand must be sacrificed, or given up.
15:10And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. 15:11And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. - All subconscious resistance to the working of Divine Law must be denied. The “birds of prey” are the mortal thoughts reflected from without. These “birds of prey” steal our vital forces unless we watch and drive them away.
15:12And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon him. - The darkness referred to symbolizes the fear which arises in the subconsciousness at the introduction of Truth.
15:13And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 15:14and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. 15:15But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. - Faith descends into the subconsciousness and there carries on a redemptive work which eventually results in increase of substance throughout the organism.
15:16And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again; for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full. 15:17And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. - The “Amorites” are a race inheritance and their seat of action is the generative function. They can only be overcome through purifying the consciousness with the “flaming torch” of Spirit.
15:18In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: - For those who are faithful in purifying themselves both in thought and deed, Jehovah gives the abundant increase of substance in mind and body.
April 15, 1951: Genesis 15:1-6
In what respect is Divine Mind a “shield” and an “exceeding great reward”? As we become conscious of its all-permeating presence, Divine Mind quickens our perceptions. Quickened perceptions reveal to us the availability of all wisdom, through which we can overcome fear and become master of every condition of our life. The sense of peace and security that we then experience, in contrast with the fearfulness of the sense nature, is our great reward.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 12-08-2013
