In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abraham.
In Biblical times, when a covenant was made between two parties, there was a formal way to go about establishing that covenant.
If it was a covenant between a greater and a lesser party, like Abraham and God, then the lesser party would kill a number of animals and cut them in half, letting the blood of the animals drain into a type of ditch, creating a blood path.
This blood path would then be walked through by both parties, signifying that the covenant being made was binding, and that the punishment for breaking it would be death.
Basically, as you walked through the blood you were saying, "If I don't hold up my part of the covenant, then my blood will run like the blood I walk through."
In Genesis 17, we see the terms of the covenant laid out by God. He says to Abraham: "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant with you and will greatly increase your numbers."
So, the terms of the covenant between Abraham and God are as such: God greatly increases Abraham's numbers and blesses him, if Abraham walks before God blamelessly.
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Blamelessly.
The word means wholly, perfectly, and is often used in the Bible to signify a lamb without defect.
Basically, God is saying to Abraham: your part of the covenant is to be perfect.
So it comes as no surprise that after Abraham sets up the blood path, he "fell into a deep sleep, and a thick darkness came over him."
The phrase "thick darkness" in the original Hebrew means "dark terror."
Abraham was terrified to enter into this covenant with God.
Why?
Because Abraham knew.
Abraham knew that he could never walk perfectly before the LORD no matter how hard he tried, and therefore as soon as he walked through that blood path, he was destined for death.
He could never do it. For Abraham, this was an impossible covenant.
...
But then something interesting happens.
The Word says that after the sun had set, as Abraham was sleeping/fretting in terror, "a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed before the pieces."
A smoking fire pot, with a blazing torch.
Smoke. and fire.
These are the two images God's uses to signify the manifestation of His presence in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Smoke and Fire, One, then two.
God walks through the blood path TWICE.
...
But why?
The answer to that question is nothing short of astounding.
God walked through the blood path twice,
because He too, knew.
God knew that Abraham and Abraham's descendants could never walk blamelessly before Him.
Never never ever.
God knew that if it was left up to us, the covenant would be broken, and we would fail.
God knew that if this thing was going to work,
if we were ever to be blameless and saved and blessed,
that someone far greater than us would be needed.
Yes. God knew.
God knew that He would have to do it for us.
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"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." -- romans.
"For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." -- 1 peter.
"I have loved you with an everlasting love." -- God's promise to us, jeremiah.
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