Vultures

Abram -- later know as Abraham -- is probably my favorite Bible character. I relate to him. In Genesis 15, God makes a promise to Abram and Abram asks for confirmation. Less about a lack of faith and more about God helping him with his unbelief (see "Lord, I believe help me with my unbelief") and the fact that Abram would need something to look back to and hold on to when the promise seemed distant.

As we move through the passage, Abram is told to prepare a sacrifice and the verses that follow

in Genesis 15:9-11, are what were resonating with me last week and now make sense today: "The Lord told him, “Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” ¹⁰ So Abram presented all these to him and killed them. Then he cut each animal down the middle and laid the halves side by side; he did not, however, cut the birds in half. ¹¹ Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away."

Vultures -- I had never seen that before. Birds of prey. Birds that come to steal what someone or something else has conquered (or in this case prepared for a sacrifice). It is interesting to me that Abram had the sacrifice prepared and ready. And, yet, he had to chase away vultures. I got to thinking today. What vultures appear in my life? I am prepared to give more than normal. I am prepared to walk in faith. I am prepared to embrace God's promises. And, in come the vultures of fear, doubt, and disbelief. We must fight against vultures in our lives. And, perhaps, we would do well to listen to Jesus' word about some other birds (not vultures): "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" (Matt. 6:26 & 27).