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not happily ever after

Genesis 15:11-13
11 And when the fowls came down upon the carcases, Abram drove them away.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
13 And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

We are reading about a gruesome scene, God is directing Abraham to sacrifice animals, placing each half opposite the other along a path. It's the stage for a blood covenant. The loosing party would walk between the slain animal bodies saying; "If I do not fulfill this covenant, I will be sacrificed like these animals." It's brutally blunt in its meaning. We can only imagine the thoughts going through Abraham's head.

In today's verses it gets stranger still; Abraham has to chase vultures away from the sacrificed animals. Then he passed out and God speaks to him; "Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall AFFLICT them four hundred years;" SPOILER ALERT! God is sharing the plot line of His plan, Abraham's descendents will be slaves held captive by the Egyptians for 430 years! Those that are blessed and beloved of God are often afflicted by wicked men and as God promises He stands up for them and saves them from their oppressors. 

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