This is probably more than most of ya'll can see,but did you know that God used Abraham and His covenant with Abraham to bring Jesus into the earth and to have the right to sacrifice him? I'm sure that one will leave most saying, WHAT!
RJY66 tells it right. Ray Vanderlaan clarifies the covenant cutting thus. Since Abraham swooned/fell into a deep sleep, God alone passed between the split-in-two animals (represented by the smoking fire pot.) What that means, in contrast to the usual agreement that if either one violates the covenant (agreement) what happened to the animals would have to happen to the violator, God would pay the price either way. This is specifically why Jesus was/is our sacrifice for sin. God paid the price for Abraham's and thus his faith descendents' violation of covenant, violated by our sin. He is our peace, if we accept and identify with Jesus -- saving faith.
