The mysterious covenant God enters while Abram sleeps is prefigures a time when Israel was captive in Egypt yet not consumed by it.

The mysterious covenant God enters while Abram sleeps is prefigures a time when Israel was captive in Egypt yet not consumed by it.
An important part of the everlasting, single-side, faith-based contract God made with Abram involved this strange and graphic “vision” of animals cut in pieces, scavengers, darkness and God appearing as a smoking oven and a torch. Many scholars explain this away as a common form of ancient deal-making.
Some claim they’ve had “a vision from the LORD,” telling them a new teaching or to do this or that. However, in the Bible a vision accompanies “words of the LORD.” In other words, God speaks then He shows — gives “vision” — to understand what He has said.