The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
"God Calls Abram.' (Gen. xii,
-9.)
prepared for The Republic by ]. E. Gilbert. D.
D.. Secretary Of American Society OF Religious

sss si kss9ss By of si
1NTRODUCTION-Acc to the COM
monty received chronology. the events Of
i our present lesson were a little more than
Sunday CB. c. 2s4s to 1920. OF this time
the Scriptures make only brief record. The
genealogical tables Of Noah's sons are
deluge the post-diluvian race feared
similar calamity which it sought to avert
by building city and tower about which
contrary cont s' to I the plan Of God. Who would
have the earth repopulated Gen TX. y.
He therefore confused their language, SO
one community. Thus the people began
those m!grations which have continued I'M
til the present time. The early distribution
revealed disposition. possibly under di-
vine guidance, to form three great races.
whose peculiarities are now recognized by
ethnoogists
coMMASp-Nerse paTh, h, in Inter 20
| (Acts xvii. 26) did not arrest the downward
movement. Judging by the historic frag-
Of s5 those s the rsoh Of
| posterity, and idolatry was introduced. This
| probably resulted from intellectual infirmity
| attending moral degeneracy. But in the
! midst of the universal darkness there was
! one whose views of God were more exalted
| than those of his contemporaries. This
i home was in Ur Of the Chaldees Gen. xi.
! al We are not told whether he gradually APP
| pretended the unity and spirituality Of God.
! or whether 1t was suddenly revealed to him.
| but he was selected to be the leader in a
| new religious movement. and. as a prel!m-
| mary, was commanded to separate himself
| from his kindred.
PROMISEIVerses and 3)-The AL
| mighty seldom calls men to new lines OF
| action without presenting a reason and a
motive. In commanding Abraham to leave
his native land he promised that which
| would appeal to his highest nature and
awaken his liveliest hopes. That promise
was in three parts: a. 1t offered personal
| life and establish his name in honor Gen.
XIV. $50, what every man desires (g me
promise declared that from Abram should
come a great nation; that is; his postsrity
| should be numerous. and should form q
separate political community. q Kings Ill.
81. and g. Through, Abram and his seed the
49,. Or. more briefly; In the removal OF
Abram from the land of his fathers God
! proposed to raise UP people for the gooa
| OF the world. There was race-wide pur-
pose in the command.
DEFENsE-Werse 9-one other point
needed to be covered to gain the hearty as
kinsfolk Josh xiv. o.. Difficulties. and.
possibly, enemies. will be encountered in
taking up an abode among strangers. 1t
had not learned to live for each other and
to build brotherhood for mutual good.
Besides: to go with a religious conviction I Ito,
M We m hGRe Abam ess.e
such an Undertaking. choosing to abide in
| present safety rather than to face future
heeS Which Inn may have Occupied his mind.
He would defend the man ne had called
and sent. He would be a friend to all who
befriended Abram and ne Tom h1 curse nr a.,
was enough to give any heart feeling OF
security. 1t was many times repeated to the
| descendants of Abram. lex. xiii. :2)
l EHnnITC- 4 and hl-(SOd'S conn
mand and promise Of blessing and defense
came to Abram in the city of Or. 1t ap-
pears that when he set out Tor new coun-
try his father accompanied him Gen. xi.
SD. and that the company went as FAR as
| Haran, and there halted until the father q
death It is believed that Terah . was not
not fitted to have part with his son in the
new enterprise. But after his death. obe-
dent to the early call. relieved OF all IN
him his nephew. Lot. and the substance
gathered in the late sojourn in Haran. It
was patriarchal household OF many many SOUS ssas
undertook this second journey. Under the
direct guidance Of God. who had promised
to show the land to be settled. they moved
ably thousand miles and entered Canaan,
afterwards called "the land Of promise
the snd y eaaasn mdwas s
Jordan and the Great Sea. and equidistant
from the northern and the southern boun..
! Qary, were TWO InOuHtdlnS, EDdl anu
Gerizim between which lay a beautiful and
fertile plain This spot had long been cele-
brated as the favorite resting place Tor
those caravans Gen. xxxvii. 25), that passed
with merchandise between Egypt and Syria;
There Abram halted, to feed his nocks ana
enjoy needed rest and to learn further the
| will OF God concerning his future. How long
he sojourned is not recorded The place be-
came afterwards by the fact Of the tempo
rary residence. one Of interest to his de-
scendants There Jacob tarried on his re-
| turn from Padan Aram. (Gen. xxxiii, I'D
| There Israel assembled under Joshua after
the conquest, in obedience to the command
OF Moses (Deut Ii, 3O. to hear the law. and
there Gideon's little band subdued the hosts
of INDIAN Judges vii. u, and delivered the
! land from enemies.
COvENANT-(Verse D-Thus far Abram
had walked by faith. (Heb. ri. 81 He had
journeyed over the sands OF a semitropical
country, not knowing his estimation. but
trusting the promise At every step there
| had been steady look into the distance
| for the land of permanent possession and a
/ constant expectation OF some divine dis
| closure, But now the long delayed hope Is
! to be realized. While tented on the plain Of
] Moreh the Lord appeared unto him. wheth-
! er in bodily form or spiritual influence 1t
| matters not Gen. xvii, L. And then war
| ranty deed was given by the Almighty to
| Abrams seed, covering the whole land, of
| which this was the geographic center Here
the man Of faith found the home of his pos
tertty: and In recognition OF the favor OF
/ God thus shown. and In PROOF OF the piety
Tor which he was chosen. Aoram builded an
| altar and offered sacrince He established
/ d. ~ 1n tha roll 80