The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-01-09
TEE N SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS. FOR JANUARY 6 BY
TEE REV., w. HENDERSON. q
Subject: God the Creator. Gen. 4:
1-25-Golden Text, Gen. III
Memory Verses, I to Com

Meinory verses, 1 10 -
mentary.
Whatever may be our opinion as
to the historicity Of the story which
is the subject of this lesson, upon
this we are all agreed: that the beau
ttful word picture which so simply
tells itheistory of Gods creative work
in the, days of the infancy of the
world states the central, ultimate
and greatest fact of the universe of
God. In the beginning God created
the heaven and the earth. Twenty
five times in the first twenty-five
verses Is the name of God used. What
a sublime, what a scientific, what a
philosophic record this is. If it be
an allegory it is the profoundest allie
CORY that the world has ever read.
These twenty-five verses reveal God,
firstly, as a fact in the earliest his
tory OF: the universe: Gin the begin
ming God" Secondly, they reveal
God as a creative foree-"in the be-
ginning God created" Thirdly, they
reveal God as a creative personality
-"and God said," "and God saw"
land God made" ~
The fact of God is the ultimate
statement of the wisest and the most
searching philosophy. Whether we
call God a force, an energy, a Great
ing power or a personality, we must,
IN sound sense and as the result Of
universal experience, admit, Him as
a fact. This lesson presents God,
secondly, assweshaye seen, as a Gre
alive force. Out of chaos. by the ex-
ercise of4His, oWnswin, God created
the world. But the Genesis story
delineates God to. us as something
more than a mere creative force. It
takes us into the realm of the per-
sonalityof God and it introduces us to
a Creator who4speaks, who sees, who
thinks, who wills. And it gives to
us a God who is atcreative personal
ity.r 1y. ~
It Is noticeable also. as in the
eighteenth verse, that Genesis gives
to us.a photograph Of, a God who is
possessed Of moral attributes-"and
God saw that it was good" A God
without moral capacity would be I'M
able to make a, moral distinction as
between good and bad. A God who
did not know the right, and who
failed to exercise righteousness,
would be unable to distinguish moral
worth either in His own actions or in
the works'of men.
The Genesis record. despite all diff
ferenceso of opinion as between theo-
logical schools will be forever, as It
has been and Is to-day, the simplest,
most easily understood, as we'll as a
profoundly philosophic, statement Of
the fact Of a personal, moral, cre2-
tive God.
r This we should not forget, this we
should not fail to, force home upon
the attention of all students Of the
Scripture Inescapeably this lesson
teaches the fact Of God. l..
The following notes may be found
to be of value: J..jRs ~. an.
VS.. 1. "In (the) beginning No
article in Hebrew is given. But it is
here properly supplied. The first
verse tells in general language what
God did. The rest of the verses par
t~icularize from this generalization.
+. Created" This is a special term
for the new and unique. 1t does not
VI hCCCoSiLy imply ClSdIiOa 4IOA1
nothing. God likely in the idea of
the writer is conceived as beginning
with primeval chaos. The writer
does not go back further than that.
But either view may be held from
| the context. That is to say, there is
reason to believe either that God is
| pictured as making the world out of
nothing or out of formless matter.
VS.. q. without form and void
The R. v. gives waste and void
These two words represent our
."chaos." -. y.-.
Deep" Primeval abyss.
Moved upon" r. V. twas brood
ing upon" This word suggests a
generative process.
VS.. g.. "Said." Gods word is alb.
solute. Thus the words of a god
were considered in that day to be
unalterable. wa. s. r
Light" Not the sun, moon,
stars, etc., but generic light, cosmie
light.
There was light" A creative ACT
of God. It was a definite act and moi
a mere emanation from God. Do.
VS.. 4. Divided" A further pic
turing Of the act Of God in bringing
chaos into shape. q. - j.
VS.. S. "Called-day." The name
God gave 1t is important. Names
were very important among the early
Jews. They never mentioped the
| real name of God. They used the
symbols, but they! used a different
word having the same consonanta
symbols to designate Him.
Notwithstanding" The Jew:
reckoned from the evening in count
ing the hours Of their day. That
may explain the context. R. V. Ano
there was evening and there wa:
! morning, one day. "
DAY" This author thought OF {
day in the narrow use Of the word
This does not prevent US holding tt
an evolutionary theory Of creation l
we SO are impressed by scientific
knowledge. The writer Of this stor!
is not relating scientific, but relig
ious truth. He is pointing to thu
fact of God.
VS.. 6. "Firmanent," expanse. VS.
II. Grass" general vegetation
Herb" grain.
VS.. "A. Lights, sun, moon ant
stars. Subdivisions of the light o
VS.. 8. "Signs," astronomical.
VS.. 20. Fowl" birds, insects, fly
ing things. VS.. 81. whales" SCI
monsters.
VS.. "a. Beast" wild beasts
CATTLE" domestic animals; creep
ing things" reptiles3
Letter Drlrts 1000 Miles. :
With a pint bottle for a mail pouch
a letter committed to the sea by a
Monterey (Va.) man has been safely
" ~ ~ A-1N,ror& fhn rYri.