How Am I To Know - Genesis 15:7-11

Genesis 15:7-11 ESV 

And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”

He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half.

And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Abram seeks understanding and assurance of what the Lord is doing. The Lord will give him a sign. 

The animals chosen for this covenant will later be used for the burnt offerings of the sacrificial system introduced by Moses. The animals were cut, the birds were not. 

The offerings to God would put the people in right standing with the Lord. They would be protected from their enemies just as Abram drove away the birds of prey that would feed on the carcasses of the covenant. The hand of Lord would be on chosen people.