believed the word of God and was counted as righteous. God cut a covenant with Abram to guarantee his commitment to his word. One ancient covenantal ritual was to divide an animal in two (in this case three grazing animals and two birds), and each party would pass between, signifying that this should be done to them if they were to break the agreement (see Jer. 34:18–20). God revealed the future enslavement and deliverance of Abram’s descendants, thus previewing for readers the account in Exodus