Boo!

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. (Genesis 15:12-15 ESV). There are all kinds of celebrations at this time of the year. Some folks do “spooktaculars,” others will use the theme of a “fall festival.” One thing is certain, this is the time of the year, whether you "celebrate" Halloween or not, everyone's attention tends towards the spooky, creepy, and downright scary. I've heard some people say they like a good scare every now and then. Not so with me. I can do just fine without having being scared by the fictional creeps or the real ones! With this in mind, I see an interesting story in our reading today. This is a powerful chapter telling a key part of the story of Abraham. The chapter begins with the Lord telling Abram not to be afraid. In his heartbreak, Abram pours out his soul reminding the Lord of the promise to give Abram an heir. A promise as yet unfulfilled as Abram and his wife, Sarah, continue to grow old. God renews His promise to Abram, telling him that his descendants will be a numerous as the stars in the sky. Abraham believed God and it struck the balance between faith and fear. The Lord goes on to instruct Abram to prepare a sacrifice. The offering on Abram's part and acceptance of the offering on God's part would be the ratifying moment of a great covenant between Abram and God. The Lord would forever be the God of Abram and his descendants, and Abram and his descendants would forever be God's people. In this powerful moment, this ratifying and recognizing of this great covenant of friendship, grace, and love, an interesting thing happens: As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. God Himself showed up to validate the covenant, and with Him came … terror? It reminds me of the scene where Isaiah received his call (cf. Isaiah 6). The wonderful, glorious, loving, living God shows up and the first thing out of Isaiah's mouth is, "Woe is me, for I am ruined." So what can we make of all this? Certainly, God does not want us to be "afraid" of Him. He does not want us to cower before Him. However, we should never take for granted His deity. He is powerful. He is mighty. Stars fall from His fingertips. He creates worlds with the words from His mouth. He alone holds all of life in His hands. It makes me reflect on the phrase "a good scare." Maybe we all need to have that kind of scare that calls our attention to who God is and His grace toward us! That would indeed be a good scare.