Smoking Firepot and Flaming Torch

During my quiet time, I reflected on God’s incredible promises to Abraham and His covenant with him. It struck me how truly amazing our God is. In Genesis 15, we find a profound account where God symbolically reveals the sacrifice He would one day make. Through this encounter, God reassured Abraham and gave him a glimpse of His unchanging faithfulness and grace.

Let us pick the story from the scriptures here: 

  4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[d] be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, “I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it.” 8 But Abram said,
“Sovereign Lord, how can I know I will gain possession of it?” 9 The Lord told him, “Bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon.” 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two, and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the Lord said to him, “Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. 14 But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward, they will come out with great possessions. 15 You, however, will go to your ancestors in peace and be buried at a good old age. 16 In the fourth generation, your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” 17 When the sun had set, and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. 18 On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants, I give this land, from the Wadi[e] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates—

(NIV Genesis 14:4-18)

In ancient times, covenants were sealed in a manner foreign to us today. The symbolism of the split animals sounds gross to us, but it was in those times when a convent was made between two people, and blood was a signature binding the two parties entering into that covenant.  The cut animals were put on the left and the right, and both parties agreeing and entering into the covenant are supposed to walk through them and in the blood that was spilled, signifying that may it be to me like these animals if this covenant was broken to be torn apart if I failed to keep the covenant. 

But here’s what’s extraordinary. God, knowing humanity’s sinful nature and inevitable failures, took the covenant upon Himself. Abraham saw a smoking firepot and a flaming torch—representations of God’s presence—pass between the pieces. Abraham did not walk through. God alone committed to fulfilling the covenant, unconditionally binding Himself to His promises.

This moment was not just a ritual; it was a profound act of grace. The smoke symbolized God’s mystery and divine power, while the fire represented His purity, holiness, and consuming presence. These symbols echo other moments in Scripture, such as the pillar of cloud and fire that guided the Israelites (Exodus 13:21-22). They show God’s faithful guidance and His purifying work in His people.

The significance of this covenant cannot be overstated:

• The sacrifice: The split animals and spilled blood underscored the seriousness of the covenant, pointing to the cost of sin and redemption (Leviticus 17:11).
• God’s commitment: Only the firepot and torch passed through, symbolizing that God alone would bear the burden of fulfilling the covenant.
• A foreshadowing of Christ: God’s promise to take the penalty for any broken covenant looked ahead to Jesus, who bore the ultimate cost to secure our redemption (Galatians 3:16).

God’s message to Abraham—and to us—is clear: Even when you fail, I will remain faithful. The flaming torch cutting through the darkness reflects God’s promise to illuminate our paths and provide hope in uncertainty. It is a beautiful assurance of His unfailing love.

May we find comfort in the faithfulness of the God who fulfills His promises and goes before us in love and grace.

Shalom and blessings,

Dr. Sam Kurien