A Ragamuffin Kind Of Love
In the Old Testament scriptures, God visited the unlikely ragamuffin and refugee, Abraham, in his tent. He established a covenant with him in a common ceremony in that part of the ancient world. The parties would cut a sacrificial animal in half and walk between the two halves to make their agreement concrete. Abraham cut the sacrificial animals in half. As the sun set, God passed between the halves as a "burning fire pot," which was just a way to visualize God. This all sounds like a gruesome practice. But in the ancient world, there were no police or lawyers to come after you if you did not keep your word. To make an agreement was a serious affair, because your word was the currency you exchanged. Halved sacrifice and all. God put his word and reputation on the line with Abraham making a covenant by telling him he would be the father of a great nation and that He would be with them always - and they would have a home. God passed through the sacrificial halves