Send the Sleep

“And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.” (Ge 15:12 AV)

 

There is much speculation as to the necessity and meaning of the great darkness which fell upon Abram.  Of particular note is the nature of this darkness being a horror.  The question arises why the LORD, who does nothing but extol the faith of Abram, would cause such a thing to befall this great saint.  There certainly was little need for Abram to correct some callousness toward the LORD.  As far as we can tell, Abram feared and followed the LORD wholly and completely.  Most writers make the connection between the nature of the darkness with the nature of the vision which follows.  That being, the captivity of Israel while in Egypt.  Another writer cross-referenced the deep sleep to Genesis chapter two and the deep sleep which befell Adam.  In other passages, we see reproduction as the by-product.  Through Adam’s deep sleep, he gained Eve.  Through Abram’s deep sleep, he sees the numerical increase of Israel.  What I am more interested in this morning is the personal effect this horribly deep sleep had on Abram and less with the connection, or lack thereof, to the vision which followed.

It is hard to imagine a great darkness that becomes a horror.  I have taken several guided cave excursions.  They are pretty much all the same.  There are a few that I distinctly remember because there was something unique about them.  The first was a tour of Luray Caverns in Virginia.  The reason I remember it so vividly is the organ that was hooked up to the geological formations.  The organ would play music by vibrating the formations.  It was cool.  I also remember Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  The cave from which it gets its name is so large, it is impossible to describe.  I distinctly remember one of the caves which had a unique formation.  Rounded white formations looked like giant snowballs sticking on the ceiling.  This particular cave they transformed into a sit-down restaurant that hosted up-scale events like wedding receptions or company outings.  I also remember the cave which at one time, was a hospital for those suffering from tuberculosis.  It didn’t matter which cave I visited, the guides all do the same thing.  To illustrate just how dark it can be, they advise all artificial light be extinguished and they turn out the lights.  It is horribly black inside.  No light.  No point of reference.  The cave could feel just a few feet wide or as vast as the ocean.  The tourist has lost all control.  Even the minutest of all choices becomes impossible because there is no reference to which one might align their choice.  You are at the total mercy of the guide.

I imagine the main lesson Abram learned that day was the reality of the sovereignty of God.  When that horribly dark sleep came upon him, he had no other reference point but God.  All else was blacked out.  He lay there under the complete control of a God who controls all things and learned the future of Israel would be difficult, but through adversity, it would blossom.  He learned the God whom he came to trust was a God who was subject to nothing or no one.  He learned to surrender to a God who was the only focal point of life at that very moment.  Such is needed from us.  Total and complete surrender which no reference point other than God.