Genesis 15: 7 And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. 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.
Again, The Lord shows us that His thoughts are not like ours, for in making the promise of a great nation to Abraham, He permits situations and providences that may not sit well in the minds of mortals. A lot of what God does, or permits, occurs as a result of Him taking into account our freedom of choice. Thus, God incorporates that human element and He plans around it, all the while not forcing anyone into doing that which they would not otherwise have done.
Thus, His providences must be understood in this context, because, if it were not for the obstacles incidental to our freedom of choice, God would, in many instances, have taken a different route. For instance, it wasn’t His ideal will for the Hebrews to take forty years to enter Canaan, a journey that would normally have taken a few days at the most. But the obstacles presented by the human agents, thus caused Him to work with them on their level, so that His secondary will was accomplished.
The same is true of the nation that would come of Abraham. It was because of their tendency to like idolatry, why they were permitted to go down into Egypt, The Lord by this providence showing them what the worship of idols does to people, so that if they chose to, they might relinquish it. But to the surface reader, it may appear as if God is taking a circuitous route to achieve what He intends to. Thus, as He makes His prediction to Abraham we are to understand that He incorporated the freedom of choice, to fulfill His purposes.
Genesis 15:12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, a 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;16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. 17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces.
May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!