This song is about the Abrahamic Covenant in its larger application/foreshadowing—that of freeing all of humankind from sin and death through Christ.  In Genesis there is an account of God commanding Abram to sacrifice animals and birds and to divide them in half and create a walkway with the halves of their bodies.  Then God caused Abram to fall into a deep sleep and a burning pot and torch passed through the walkway Abram created.  This is highly significant in the context of that type of ancient covenant...the custom of that time was for two parties who wanted to enter into a covenant with each other to set up the ceremony like God commanded Abram in this passage.  Then each party would pass between the sacrificed animals, and in doing so they were pledging, "If I fail to keep my part of this bargain, may what has been done to these animals be done to me."  Notice that in this passage from Genesis God caused Abram to sleep—only He passed through the animals.  In effect, He was saying, "If I fail to keep my part of this bargain, may what has been done to these animals be done to me.  And also, if you fail to keep your part of this bargain, may what has been done to these animals STILL be done to me."  He knew we couldn't follow the law.  He knew we had to have Jesus.  He knew before he ever said, "Let there be light."  But He created us anyway.

Melancholy Celebration

Hurst Peacock