Dreaming of Jerusalem

Recently I've been studying Genesis 15 and have been trying to understand the meaning behind the incident where the Lord establishes his covenant with Abraham. The word for "covenant" in Hebrew means literally "to cut the meat". Here is the entry from Strong's Hebrew Dictionary:

בּרית
berı̂yth
ber-eeth'
From H1262 (in the sense of cutting (like H1254)); a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh): - confederacy, [con-]feder[-ate], covenant, league.

I came across a website that has shed some light on this story for me. Here is the entry:

The Smoking Fire-Pot and Flaming Torch of Genesis 15
- Pat Adamson

An interesting discussion ensued from one of our Torah Studies. We were looking at Genesis chapter 15 and the possible symbolism behind the covenant HaShem enacted with Avraham. The covenant here involves the promise of a specific parcel of Land to Avraham and his progeny.

The initial covenant in Genesis 15 involves a common form of treaty agreement in the Ancient Near East called a “suzerain treaty.” This agreement involved the ruler of a great kingdom who would make a treaty with the ruler of a lesser, or weaker, kingdom. The greater king would promise protection and blessing in exchange for the lesser king’s vow of obedience and loyalty. Historians tell us it was common for these treaties to involve animals for sacrifice whereby the animals were cut in half, allowing the blood to pool. Both covenant parties were to walk between the slaughtered pieces, through the blood, symbolically proclaiming their intent to uphold the covenant to its fullest. During the procession, each covenant member would say, “May I be as these if I fail to uphold my side of the covenant!” This was obviously a very serious oath, implying the death penalty if compliance was not upheld.

In Genesis 15:10-11, the language of the text indicates that Avraham was anticipating a similar suzerain treaty ceremony.

Following G-d’s lead, Avram expected to take the oath as an equal covenant member, but instead, the usual covenant protocol was set aside and HaShem caused a deep sleep (Heb: "tar-dey-mah") to fall upon Avram. (Interestingly, this same Hebrew word, “tar-dey-mah” is used in Genesis 2:21 when G-d caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep.) In Genesis 15:17-18 a strange, mystical event takes place:

“After the sun had set and there was thick darkness, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared, which passed between these animal parts. That day ADONAI made a covenant with Avram: "I have given this Land to your descendants - from the Vadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River-” Genesis 15:17-18 (CJB)

It appears that HaShem caused Avram to fall into a deep sleep in order to craft a unilateral covenant agreement in which G-d alone would pass between the animal pieces. Jewish commentaries here see the smoking fire-pot and flaming torch as a reference to the presence of HaShem. So, in a mystical scene of covenant enactment, the flaming torch and smoking fire-pot pass between the pieces in order to seal the covenant. It’s not hard to connect the symbolism here with the pillar of fire and smoke that would later lead Israel through the desert wilderness. It’s also possible to connect the brazen and golden alters used in the Tabernacle services: With the brazen alter, sacrifices were consumed by fire, and on the golden alter, incense was burned (smoke) as a sweet aroma before Adonai.

While the symbolism may not be entirely clear, what is clear from the message in Genesis 15 is that G-d alone would be responsible to fulfill this covenant, including any penalty if Avraham or his offspring should turn away from following Adonai. In effect, G-d was saying that He would pay the ultimate price for the sins of Israel.

The spiritual implications here, in view of Yeshua’s sacrifice for Israel (and the world) are nothing less than profound. G-d was in Yeshua, reconciling the world to Himself! There is no greater gift or selfless act, than what HaShem has done for those who place their trust in Him.

The only other aspect to this story that I am struggling to understand is why were those particular animals chosen for this ordinance? What would contemporaries of Abraham have understood by this? If anyone out there reading this blog post has any light to shed on this please comment!

For the past week or two I've been reading the new Hugh Nibley book "One Eternal Round". There is a paragraph or two that talks about figure 2 in facsimile number 2 (the hypocephalus) on pages 109 - 110 that I thought was really interesting. Here it is:

"Any point on the rim of a speeding wheel is going either up or down, and no matter how fast the vehicle is moving, that point must stand dead still when it touches the earth - or else the wheel would be skidding. One might call it a singularity, moving up and down at the same time. Yet it is clearly displayed in the important 17th chapter of the Book of the Dead. There we see the sun on the horizon, but it is neither yesterday nor tomorrow...

"The same idea is expressed in Facsimile 2, Figure 2, the two faced god that represents the sun at the zenith and symbolizes the joining together of Re and Osiris... The two come together at, and only at, the indefinable instant of time when the sun reverses its course from a southerly to northerly direction. The Egyptian text explains that this is indeed the combined oneness of Re (who looks forward to the day) with Osiris (who is looking back on it). At that moment his two faces are in both worlds at once, and on some hypocephali the figure is drawn with a double body as well. But it is only for an unthinkable instant, the passing of time from past to future, the fatal paradox or the moment in which we are all living."

I also thought I would add Joseph Smith's commentary on this figure:

"Fig. 2. Stands next to Kolob, called by the Egyptians Oliblish, which is the next grand governing creation near to the celestial or the place where God resides; holding the key of power also, pertaining to other planets; as revealed from God to Abraham, as he offered sacrifice upon an altar, which he had built unto the Lord."

In BYU Studies, vol. 17 (1976-1977) p. 268 Michael Rhodes gave a translation of facsimile 2 and this is what he had to say about figure 2:

"A two-headed deity wearing the double-plumed crown of Amen, with Ram's horns mounted on it. On his shoulders are jackalheads, and he is holding the jackal standard of Wepwawet. To his right is an altar with offerings on and around it. In most hypocephali, he is holding the ankh, or symbol of life, in his right hand. Also to his right a line of hieroglyphics reading: "The name of this Mighty God.

"P.J. de Horrack considers this to be Amen-Re; the two heads illustrating the hidden and mysterious power of Amen combined with the visible and luminous power of Re. fn William Petrie agrees that it is Amen-Re, but sees the two heads as representing the rising and setting sun. fn That the deity is a form of Amen is clear from the fact that he is wearing the double plume crown mentioned in chapter 162 of the Book of the Dead, but why he has jackals' heads on his shoulders and is holding a jackal standard is not so evident. The jackal is generally is used as a symbol of Anubis and Wepwawet, both funerary gods. Anubis being specifically the god assigned to guide the dead through the afterworld to the throne of Osiris. Perhaps due to the funerary character of the hypocephalus, it was thought that Amen should also carry emblems indicative of his power over that realm as well.

"Again, we can compare here the significance ascribed to these characters by Joseph Smith. Where the hypocephalus depicts the two-headed deity holding the symbol of life or power over death, Joseph mentions "holding the key of power." Where an altar is shown, Joseph identifies the principle of "sacrifice upon an altar" as revealed by God to Abraham. A hidden power seems to be associated with the name of the two-headed God, who probably serves as a guide for the dead bring them into the presence of God. This might concur with Joseph's explanation that this figure "stands next to Kolob," as a guide surely must do if the is going to be able to lead the dead to God."

This is a short clip from the film "Faith of an Observer". Hugh Nibley tells the story from the Midrash of when Abraham was promised his son Isaac.