The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-02-08
SUNDAY MEDITATION
A Study of the International Sunday
INC II
School Lesson appointed for Feb.
Is, 1894. '''

4 Y
Is, 1894 '''
|
Subject. Abraham's Prayer that sodom be
Spared. Gem, rs: 1888.
lone reading these NOES should first carefully
study the paragraph from The Holy Scriptures as
| indicated above.l sds
INTRODUCTION
Studying the Bible, we can get many q hint
from those who have preceded u.s.
| John Ruskin once wrote: BE sure you try
| accurately to understand your Bible and trans
| fer its teaching 20 modern words. by putting
| other names for those that have been super
| seeded by time. Read your Bible, max ing it the
| first morning business of your life TO under
stand some portion OF it clearly, and your daily
! business TO obey 10 in all that you do under
| stand To my early knowledge of the Bible
| owe the best part of my taste in literature and
| the most precious, and, the WHOLE the one
| essential part of my education"
| Napoleon Bonaparte is repued to be the
| author of the following: 81 know men, and I
| tell you Jesus Christ is not q mantle is God
| And His divinity once. admitted, Christianity
| appears with the precision and clearness of
algebra; 1t has the correctness and unity of
| a science. The Gospel is more than a book. It
| is a living thing, active, powerful, overcoming
every obstacle in its way. 1t possesses secret
virtue of iDdescribabe efficacy, warmth that
impresses the understanding and softens the
heart. The soul can never go astray with this
Book for its guide"
Abraham
We are passing few weeks with the founder
of the Hebrew race. and will profit by all we
can learn Of him personally.
correspondent of the st. Louis Republic
gives fact met by travellers in the Enphrates
regions: " Not far from Aleppo is situated the
little town of Orfsh (the ancient Or of the Chal-
dees). which is of great historical interest it
having been the birthplace of the patriarch
Abraham. There are few Jews in the place.
but the Arabs still point out small building.
lying outside Of the town, which they declare to
be the house Wherein Abraham first saw the
light, and which they therefore term Bolt FL
Chaltl tthe house of the friend Of God). 1t is
most improbable that the actual honss should
have stoed for thousands of years, bot there is
no donbt that the building in question is Of
great antiquity. By its present owner an Arab
peasant, as well as the Arabs generally, 1t is
held in utmost veneration. the moro so since it
is feared that within few years it will fall to
the ground victim Of natural decay"
See THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE last week for
Name. Psrentage. Relations, Date Of Birth, and
Place Of Birth We now add to these i've head
inEs 9th and 7th.
6. Vocation. Abraham was a herdman, or
grazier. C13: 2, 5, z; 2I:7.)
z. Religious Education. From JOSH, "a: g we
learn the father Of Abraham was an idolater
The ancient religion of Chaldea was Sabeanism,
the worship Of sun, moon, stars We have an
inkling into the nature of Abraham's early re-
ligious surroundings by q reference to 81: 10,
where we are informed Rachel had taken from
her paternsl home certafns images, which were
objects of family worship. Laban, tho father
OF Rachel, was the son Of Bethuel aud grandson
OF Major, brother Of Abraham. But 81 53
would imply the father Of Abraham (Terahl
knew of the true God. There Laban is the
speaker, and he says: " The God of Abraham,
and the God of Major, the God of their father
[Terahl, judge betwixt us." We would think
Tsrab began to rise ont from polytbeism and
idolatTy to a correct ideal Of tbs true God Re-
spousive to this higher attaiHmen and aapra-
tion there was call fore removal from sur
ronndings upfriendly to their develspment
Hence, Tersh and family would ba inclined to
aecede to the cali of God to rsmovo from Ur to
Harsn. This upward process Of religious
Thought began with Torah. 1t may be, tAers-
fore, that Abraham had never been fully an
idolater The Idrgmga Jonathan gees so far as
TO declare Abrabam was fgEcsd to undergo great
persecution at Ur and Earan en account Of his
opposition to idoatry, and. in fact. Obliged 10
Zee from his native land If we remem Der the
origin of brabaln and the nature OF his religi-
GUS education, We may the more readily apollo
Rize for some of his actions. which could not
pass the test of respectabiity in our days: e. O.,
his marriage with Hagar, jointly with Sarah,
the buying of slaves, etc. His circumcision,
his revelations from God, his upward religious
tendency, his responsibility as the founder Of
the Hebrew race, specially his eminent posi-
ton as the originator of the Jewish religion
all these facts show Abraham was fast parting
with the erroH of the Chaldean worship, fast
forsaking the Corrupt practices of idolatry and
poiytheism fast developing into the clear
light which was yet TO illuminate the world,
fret through the ceremonies of the IsraeIitish
form of religion, and lastly and permanently
through the beautiful system of faith taught
by our Savior.
GEN, 10 $685.
Preliminary
The lesson last week related to the renewal
OF the Covenant between God and Abram-the
change OF the name Abram to Abraham In
the interval we find account of the origin
among the Hebrews of circumcision; the
change of the name Of Abraham's wife from
Sarai to Sarah che prediction of the birth Of
Isaac; the circumcision of Abraham, Ishmael,
and the rest of the family of Abraham.
Abraham is still living at Hebron and his
nephew Lot in Sodom. In the last lesson
Abraham was SO years old. The facts of the
present Lesson occurred soon after. We still
date A. III. 2107
The reputed spot where Abraham pleaded
for Lot is now pointed out to travellers 1t is |
ont about one mile from Hebron. There is at |
the spot beautiful oak tree bearing the name, |
Abraham.
Verse shows the three mon, as they are |
styled, met Abraham @ in the plains of Mamre,"
to wit. at Hebron. rs: 49, When they left |
Abraham attended them for distance on |
toward Sodom. ". 49, Robinson, in Biblical |
says: "There is an eminence about |
one and onc-half hours from Hebron from |
which the region of the plain of Sodom can be |
SEEN" Tradition says: THE place, Caphar |
Barucha, from whence Paula looked Trough a |
deep raviDe TO the Dead Sea-" That sea now |
covers SOdom. Robinson thinks said place is |
probably the village Bni Naim.
Verse says three men," One of the three |
was Jehovah incarnated in some FORM prob |
ably in human appearance like the two That |
one was Jehovah, see VS.. i, l3, IA. H. 10, 90,
20, 26, 30 50. See proof, too, in the fact he
feretod the birth Of Isaac. Notice also that |
him. Then the expression Judge of all the
earth" shows Abraham regarded one of the
three 70 be divine. Ths two who accompanied
him were angels. The two passed. Oh, leaving
Jehovah aud Abraham to commune with each
other. We recall Christ in Gethsemane pass
ing on and meeting God all alone.
The Prayer.
This is the first prayer Of which we have any
record. All that Abraham intercsded for God
conceded. The prayes is based Oh principle
Of fairness. (Nu, I6a2gh 1t would seem
some plan should besdevised by which the
innocent could escape ! If the righteous
were overwhelmed with,the evil the IMPRESSION