8 And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? 9 And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. 10 And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. 11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away. 12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him. 13 And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; 14 And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance (Genesis 15:8-14).
This is a difficult exchange to understand and yet it contains a easily recognized prophecy. Abraham is questioning God as to how he is to know what his inheritance will be. God answers Abraham with a prophecy. The prophecy is that the nation that arises from Abraham’s offspring would be held in a land not their own for 400 years. This is a reference to the time of Israel’s slavery in Egypt. This prophecy was given many hundreds of years before it was to be fulfilled.
This is a difficult exchange to understand and yet it contains a easily recognized prophecy. Abraham is questioning God as to how he is to know what his inheritance will be. God answers Abraham with a prophecy. The prophecy is that the nation that arises from Abraham’s offspring would be held in a land not their own for 400 years. This is a reference to the time of Israel’s slavery in Egypt. This prophecy was given many hundreds of years before it was to be fulfilled.
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