God's covenant with Abram
Genesis 15; Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6
God promised Abram offspring as countless as the stars; Abram believed, and God counted it as righteousness.
He believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness.
Genesis 15:6 (World English Bible)
Abram was still childless. God took him outside and told him to count the stars. Abram believed God, and Genesis says God credited his faith as righteousness. Paul quotes this verse as the heart of the gospel: people are made right with God by faith, not by works (Romans 4).
God then sealed the promise in an ancient covenant ceremony, passing alone between the halves of the sacrifices as a smoking fire pot and flaming torch. He also foretold that Abram's descendants would be strangers and slaves in a foreign land for 400 years before returning.
Places
Dating notes
Ussher places Genesis 15 in 1912 BC, right after the events of Genesis 14 (“after these things,” 15:1).