A Covenant

Covenant: "an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons

to do or not do something specified" ~ American Heritage Dictionary

Have you ever slowed down and thought about when God made the covenant with Abram in regards to inheriting the land?  Genesis 15:7 - "I am the Lord, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it." Abram had left his family, his inheritance.  How was this new land supposed to ever be his?  How would one man take it?  God confirms his promise through means of a Covenant.  In this type of covenant, several animals that had been cut in 2 would be laid out on either side of a path.  The two people making the covenant would walk through the path symbolizing their  promise to remain true to their word.  In this covenant, however, it was God alone who passed through the path: "When the sun was down and it was dark, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch moved between the split carcasses" (v. 17).  This means that Abram had no end to uphold!  It was God's promise and nothing that Abram did or didn't do would change what God promised! This was an unconditional promise.

* Thanks to Elmer L. Towns & his book A Journey Through the Old Testament for his insight. (Thomson Custom Publishing, 2002. pp 92-97)