Good Morning Friends,
The Trinity is not foreign to ancient Judaism.The belief that God can exist in more than one “mode of presence” is older than Christianity. It is present in the Hebrew Bible and early rabbinic debates as well. The Hebrew Bible depicts God as multi-present, multiform, and embodied. Classical rabbinic Judaism later suppressed this older theology, eventually declaring belief in a second divine figure heresy. But some theologians think that the ancient Israelite religion was monotheistic but not unipersonal. The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) Does Not Mean “God Is One Person”
“YHWH is one” means: Israel has one God, not many gods. It does not mean God is a single person. This is why the Hebrew Bible can depict:YHWH on earth and YHWH in heaven (Genesis 19:24)The Angel of YHWH speaking as YHWH (Exodus 3)The Name of YHWH dwelling in a messenger (Exodus 23)The Word of YHWH as a distinct agent (Isaiah 55)The Glory of YHWH as a visible, personal presence (Ezekiel 1)
Genesis has a lot of theophanies where God appears. Genesis 15, that we explore today, is one of Scripture’s most intimate and mysterious theophanies of them all. It is not thunder on Sinai, not a burning bush, but a God who comes to a fearful man in the dark and binds Himself to him with a covenant cut in blood and fire. Related to this we ask: What Can We Learn About God Appearing Out Of The Darkness?
Scripture Summary
Genesis 15:1–21 recounts a profound moment in which God appears to Abram, calming his fear with the promise of protection and an heir of his own. God leads Abram outside to behold the stars, declaring that his descendants will be just as countless, and Abram’s trusting response is counted to him as righteousness. God then reaffirms His covenant by instructing Abram to prepare a sacrificial path, but when a deep, dreadful darkness falls, Abram is rendered passive and unable to walk the covenant line. In a striking theophany, God Himself passes between the pieces as a smoking fire pot and flaming torch, symbolizing that He alone will bear the weight of the covenant. The chapter ends with God defining the land He will give Abram’s offspring, sealing His promise with divine presence, fire, and unilateral grace.
Luke 23:44–45 “It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining.”
The passage explicitly says the sky turned dark at Jesus’ crucifixion.
Message: Genesis 15 begins not with Abram seeking God, but with God speaking first out of a vision. Theophany is always initiated by grace. Before Abram can articulate his fear, God names it: “Do not be afraid… I am your shield.” The Word of the Lord is not merely information, it is presence. God comes to Abram. God addresses him personally. God meets him in his anxiety. This is the pattern of divine revelation: God appears not because we are strong, but because we are afraid. Not because we have clarity, but because we are confused. Not because we have faith, but because we need it. Abram does not hide his disappointment at not having a son. He speaks plainly: “O Lord God… what will You give me?” This is not unbelief, it is covenantal honesty. Theophany does not silence the human heart; it draws it out. God appears so that Abram can speak freely. The God who reveals Himself is the God who listens. In Scripture, divine presence creates space for human lament. Theophany is not only about seeing God, it is about being seen by God. God does not merely answer Abram’s fear; He expands Abram’s imagination.He brings Abram outside. He points to the sky. He asks him to count the uncountable.This is revelation through vision, a theophany of stars. Abram believes, and God counts that faith as righteousness. But notice: Abram’s faith rests not on his own ability to trust, but on God’s willingness to appear and speak. Faith is born in encounters.Theophany deepens as God descends into the darkness. A strange ritual unfolds. Animals are cut, pieces arranged, a covenant prepared. Then the text says:
“A deep sleep fell on Abram, and behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.”
This is not the darkness of sin; it is the darkness of holiness. God often appears not in blinding light but in overwhelming mystery.
Abram cannot walk through the covenant path. He cannot secure the promise. He cannot bind God to him.
So God binds Himself.
“A smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.”
Fire and smoke — theophany symbols that will later appear in Exodus. Here they move alone.
God walks the path of covenant death by Himself. He takes full responsibility for the promise. He pledges His own life to secure Abram’s future. This is the gospel in embryonic form: God makes a covenant that only God can keep. Centuries later, the Word of the Lord will appear again, not as fire passing between pieces, but as flesh hanging between heaven and earth.Christ is the final theophany of Genesis 15: the God who walks the covenant path alone, the God who bears the curse, the God who guarantees the promise.
And So, Genesis 15 teaches us that God’s presence is not always dazzling. Sometimes it comes in fear, in questions, in darkness, in waiting. But it is still God. Still speaking. Still binding Himself to His people. Still walking the covenant path on our behalf. Theophany is not merely a moment, it is the heartbeat of redemption.
Pray Lord God, that we truly believe You are the Word who comes to us, the Light who meets us in our darkness, the Fire who walks the covenant path alone. Pray You appear to us again, speak into our fears, expand our imagination and bind our hearts to Your promise. Pray that just as You revealed Yourself to Abram, You would reveal Yourself to us in Christ, the final covenant, the faithful Word, the God who keeps His promises.
Amen.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 