What did God promise Abraham in the covenant in Genesis 15?
God promised Abraham that out of him would come a nation, which He would put into a land and give a government with Himself as king. In Genesis 15, God deeded the whole Middle East to Abraham and foretold his seed would be strangers, serve, and be afflicted four hundred years.
Les explains that in Genesis 15, shortly after God gave Abraham the covenant, God promised that out of Abraham would come a nation of people, that He would put them into a land, and give them a government, with Himself as their king. When Abraham asked in verse 8 how he would know he would inherit the land, God descended to man's level and went through the ancient rite of real estate transfer, deeding the whole Middle East to Abraham. In that same covenant, God also gave prophecy: Abraham's seed would be a stranger in a land not theirs (Egypt), would serve and be afflicted four hundred years. Les notes the four hundred years refers to the sojourning, not necessarily the entire affliction.