In my opinion, this is one of the most important passages of Scripture, and to understand it, you have to understand middle eastern treaties. So back in the day, they'd cut animals in half, and the weaker party would walk through the middle, expressing the belief that the same would be done to the weaker party if they didn't keep up their end of the treaty.
In this passage, Abraham cuts the animals in half, but then God, symbolized by the smoking fire pot and flaming torch, passes through the middle of the animals. In essence, God is taking the risk here, saying that God will keep up the covenant, even though God is by far the stronger party. In essence, even if humans fall short, God is offering to keep the covenant.
Friends, this is the God we worship -- one that takes our burdens upon God. Not because God has to, but because God wants to. God voluntarily takes this on, out of pure love for you and me!
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