St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-06-10

TO Know the DIVINE WILL. lQeu came the
message:
.'This man shall not be thine heir; but
he that shall come forth out of thine own
bowels shall be thine heir. Come!
have somewhat to show thee" and lead
ing him forth God brought him to the
mountain top and said: Look now to-
ward heaven, and number the stars, IT
thou be able to number them"
In obedience to Gods word, Abraham
lifted his eyes to the vast stretch OF
heavens, and as his gaze swept from
horizon to zenith and from zenith to the
horizon in every direction, each one OF
the countless hosts of heaven seemed ia
be flashing forth challenge for him to
number them. Bewildered and abashel
at the impossible task, he bowed his
head, and God said, in measured tones:
"So-shall-thy-seed-be..
And Abraham believed God. It was
with 1.-THE step and buoyant heart that he
descended the mountain and retraced
his steps to his abode. Eagerly he sought
his wife's side, and, arousing her from
her slumbers, related all the wonderful!
experiences of the night.
Descendants as the stars of heaven!
Abraham's seed and not Eliezer! How
could it be? Sarah doubted not Gods
promise, but she could not understand
how it could be brought to pass. All
night long she pondered the thought,
and then fell into a fitful slumber, dur
ing which she thought she had fallen
into sore trouble, and saw Hagar. her
Egyptian maid, coming to her help, but
just before she reached her, she awoke
All during the day her mind was filled
with the story of Abraham, and strange
ly enough her dream kept ever recurring
to her in connection Herewith Abra-
ham was not near to confide in, for he
had left early in the day for the mountain
with the heifer and the goat and the
ram. the turtle-dove and the young pi-
geon, as the Lord commanded him in re-
Spouse to his request for sign. And
while Abraham was thus occupied in
that wonderful symbolic service and
vision, Sarah planned how Gods prom
Use was to be realized In accordance
with the common custom of her country
and people, she would give her bond
slave, her maiden, to Abraham as wife,
that by her the son and aeir might be OBJ
tanned.
Thus it came to pass on Abrahams re-
turn late that night that Sarah told him
all that was in her heart.
Ishmael was born. but how little joy
and comfort it brought to Sarah's heart.
He was the child of Sarah's planning,
hut not the child of Gods promise, and
how can there be real joy or comfort
apart from the will and purpose of God?
And the years which followed how bar
rem of spiritual blessing. Thirteen years
and no vision from God, no word from
Him.
Have you ever stepped aside from
Gods chosen pathway for you and then
gone on cropping in the dark, week in and
week out, month in and month out, until
the weeks and months have heightened
into years, and still no real JOY Of fellow
ship with God or revelation from Him
All you could do was to cling in blind
faith to Him and wait. Our missteps
often delay Gods plans, and we do have
to wait in darkness and cheerlessness
until God again comes to us. It is try
ing to faith, but ''the trying Of our faith
worketh patience" and if we "let pa
thence have her perfect work" we shall
be entire and wanting nothing to make
our Christian character complete. And
thus out of mistakes may come blessing.
It was so with Abraham. It may be 80
with you.
One day the faithful Eliezer came to
Abraham and said:
my master, rememberest thou rot
that Ishmael is already II years of age
and naught has been done towards pre-
pairing him as thine heir to take his place
as the head of the house when thou art
gomez?
Sarah overheard the speech. The bit
terness which had come with the birth
of Ishmael had not yet left her heart,
and without knowing why she spoke up
sharply:
'Ishmael shall not be thine heir!'
All effort to induce his wife to explain
her strange speech we're unavailing, and
indicating to Eliezer that he would talk
with him later, Abraham withdrew to
his favorite retreat by Gods altar, there
to mediate. And the Lord appeared to
him there, and said:
Il am God Almighty; walk before Me,
and be thou perfect. And will make My
covenant between thee and Me, and will
multiply thee exceedingly"
And Abraham fell on his face before
the Lord. All the pent-up feelings of the
years gushed forth, the darkness and
doubt were fed away, and, lifting his
voice Of pleading. he said:
ooh that Ishmae1 might live before
Thee"
Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear
thee son; and thou shalt call his name
! Isaac; and I will establish My covenant
| with him for an everlasting covenant
for his seed after him. And as for Ish-
| mael. / have heard thee; behold have
| blessed him, and will make him fruitful
and will multiply him exceedingly; II
princes shall he beget, and VIII make
him a great nation. But my covenant
| will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah
shall bear unto thee"
The voice ceased, and Abraham wa
alone, but as he returned home he fell
that Eliezer had his answer and that hia
own heart echoed the words of Sarah:
''Ishmael shall not be thine heirl"
Il.