Full of Life
Genesis 15:7-9 NLT
Then the LORD told him, “I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession.”But Abram replied, “O Sovereign LORD, how can I be sure that I will actually possess it?” The LORD told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”’
God sees you filled with His life
In Genesis 15:3-6, Abram was convinced that he would have a son as an heir and many descendants. However, Abram is now having doubts and asks God for proof that he will actually own this land where he currently sojourns. As a loving Father, God reassures Abram with something relatable to him.
God instructs Abram to bring him specific animals for a covenant sacrifice. Abram understood covenant sacrifice because it was established as far back as Adam and Eve. Each animal represents a distinct category. When we decipher what each animal depicts, we will understand the concerns on Abram’s mind. Today we will concentrate on the heifer, which always represents sanctification from contact with death. In the upcoming blogs I will discuss the other animals listed and their significance.
Three Year Old Heifer
Heifers are a female bovine who are almost matured and have not had a calf (1&2).
The two times heifers are used in sacrifice are in Deuteronomy 21 and Numbers 19. A heifer sacrifice always addressed situations that concerned contact with death. Anyone touching a corpse was considered defiled, unclean for 7 days. In these cases, a heifer was sacrificed to remove the defilement of death and sanctified the individuals involved.
So if the heifer sanctified people from contact with death, where was death in Abram’s life? The most obvious place was in his and Sarai’s bodies. Abram was in his eighties, he never fathered a child, and his lifespan would need to be increased to complete the assignment of possessing the land God had given him. Sarai also had never bore a child and when she did, she would need her lifespan increased to raise this son. God was reassuring Abram that these areas would be reversed from death to life.
Do you have areas of your life that are contaminated by loss or death?
So much happens in this world such as a death of a loved one, loss of a job, a divorce, or a debilitating illness. God feels your pain and recognizes and acknowledges these losses. He is a life giver and wants to remove the stench of death and breathe the breath of life back into our lives and situations.
An example of someone who experienced many extreme life and death situations was King David. As a musician, he would compose songs expressing his despair, even to the point of giving up his will to live. Always, in the end, God would renew his strength and revive him again.
Psalm 28:1-3, 6-8 NLT
I pray to you, O LORD, my rock.
Do not turn a deaf ear to me.
For if you are silent,
I might as well give up and die.
Listen to my prayer for mercy
as I cry out to you for help,
as I lift my hands toward your holy sanctuary.
Do not drag me away with the wicked--
with those who do evil--
those who speak friendly words to their neighbors
while planning evil in their hearts.
Praise the LORD!
For he has heard my cry for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and shield.
I trust him with all my heart.
He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.
I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.
The LORD gives his people strength.
He is a safe fortress for his anointed king.
Let's Pray:
Father,
Your will for me is to be filled with Your life. When I read about the heifer, I will remember how You bring life to circumstances that are contaminated with death. You are my strength and shield, and I trust you with all my heart. Thank You for bringing joy to my heart again. In Jesus name, Amen.
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