The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-07

I. and when Abram was ninety years
old and nine, the Lord appeared TO
Abram and said unto him. 1 am the Al
mighty God; walk before Me and be
thou perfect" 1t is now twenty-four
years since Abram entered the land of
Canaan (see chapter xii, -. during which
time Lot left him and went to dwell in
Sodom, while Abram removed his tent
and altar to Hebron (xiii. l.. 49,. At this
time the Lord appeared and renewed
the covenant. We next see Abram res
cuing Lot and his goods from the four
kings, and being blessed by Melchizedec
he gives him tithes and is enabled TO re-
fuse the goods of Sodom. In chapter
XIV the Lord comes to him again, and
we have for the first time fear not,
shield, reward. believe, righteousness
and other words. Then follows another
story Of human wisdom and weakness,
and a blank of thirteen years compare
xvi 16, and xvii, u. after which in this
lesson Jehovah appears again, but with
a new name-GOd Almighty, or FL
Shaddai Almighty. or Shaddai, signifies
the all sufficient sacrificing love pouring
itself out for others. Jehovah virtually
said to Abram, You have again listened
to human wisdom, wondered from Me
and failed, now return and walk before
Me sincerely, uprightly, for l am the
powerful, all sufficient one-El Shaddai-
and in Ne alone you will find all your
need.
2 "And 1 will make my covenant be-
tween Me and thee and will multiply
thee exceedingly" Thirteen times do we
find the word covenant in this chap
ter and once I'm XIV, Is, making full
twice seven, Gods perfect number Nine
times He says My covenant empha-
sizing the fact that IL is all of Him. He
fcs tba nj nd HniEhpr of IL and IL
cannot fail. The time will surely come
when, Notwithstanding all their wander
ings, He will yet give them repentance
and remission of sins and Will perform
the truth to Jacob and mercy to Abra-
ham which he has sworn from the days
of old acts V, 81; Zech. xii, 10; xiii, 1;
Mic. vii, 20).
3. "And Abram fell on his face. and
God talked with him, saying" This pO-
sition is suggestive Of weakness, unwor-
thiness, nothingness, on the part of
Abram, but Of worship and alteration
toward God. When Jesus appeared to
John on Patmos, John fell at his feet
as dead. So also Daniel, when he saw
the glory of the Lord, fell on the ground
with his face toward The ground CRev.
/, II; Dan. X, o. Isaiah said. Woe is
me, for / am undone," and Job said, Il
abhor myself lisa. vi. 5; Job xiii g.
A sight of the Lord and His beauty and
holiness delivers us from saying or
thinking anything more about ourselves
and enables US to glory only in the
Lord.
T. las for Me, behold. My covenant is
with thee, and thou shalt be a father
of many nations" The details of the
covenant are more fully unfolded with
every new statement Of II. First, God
would make Of him great nation, then
they should be as numerous as the dust
of the earth, then as the stars of heaven,
then they would have great substance
but now he is TO become a multitude of
nations (see margins). Whatever fulfill
ment Of this there was in the descend
ants of Ishmael and Of the sons of Ken
turah there is doubtless fulfillment to
be manifested in the coming ages. We
do well TO hold fast the promise and
wait with expectation. He will do eX-
ceeding abundantly above all our think
Ing.
s. Neither shall thy name any more
be called Abram for a father Of many
nations have I made thee" Some OF
the scholars may not know that the part
OF the name which signifies father Is