The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-02-27
THE N D SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTs FOR FEBRUARY "a, BY
THE REV. I. w. HENDERSON.
Subject: Gods Covenant With
AbraIn, Gen. 1871, 5-16-Golden
Text: Gen. 15:G-Memory

Text: Gen. 15:G-Memory
Verses: 5, 6.
The lesson is full of promise. It
has also a fulness of textual per-
plexities. Two stories of the events
are, evidently, interviewer. Other
stories of a remarkably similar char
acter' are to be found in Genesis 13
and II. The record we are to study,
and the others also, tells a single
tale. The apparent differences are
| minor. They do not affect the cen
trail, controlling promise-story: as a
| consequence Of and as a reward for
righteousness Jehovah covenants with
Abram that his descendants shall be
beyond compute.
The lesson is replete with prom
Uses. They are obvious. A single
reading will reveal them. We shall
concern ourselves, however, not with
the multiplicity of divine assurances,
but with the single promise which,
in it's out.reach and duplicates, con-
Germs humanity for all. time.
This promise was given by a pro-
ven God to a man of faith. The God
who, as an expression of His joy in
and love for His trusting servant, de-
clared His intention to make him the
father of a multitude of nations was
not a God whose word had eve yet
been validated in experience. Abram
had tried God and had found Him
| true. In Ur and Haran and Canaan
and Egypt, at home and abroad, in
prosperity and in adversely, Abram
| hnI found Gn1 m hn DC OnnH &C HiG
word, and to be solicitious for his
welfare. And the Almighty had
found Abram to be a man of faith
and Of religious tenacity. He had
found him to be a nan above his
generation. fit to become the medium
of a larger gospel and to assume a
commanding position in his own time.
The promise, in the face of the age
and childlessness Of Abram, was one
that called for the largest faith in Or
der to believing acceptance upon
Abrams part. 1t was, from his point
of view, a thing unthinkable. The
| tremendousnesS Of the promise was
such that we should have been aston
ished had he not asked, rather than
that he did ask, Jehovah for a sign.
1t was a big promise even to a mar of
surprising faith. And, after all,
Abram, student of divine things as he
was, was yet a man.
The promise was e logical one It
was perfectly possible, however stu
pendous it vas The eternal laws Of
God, controlling in heaven and upon
earth, we're a guarantee Of its fulfill
ment. The word of Christ, seek We
| first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness, was as valid before
and in the day Of Abraham as it is
in our time. A vital faith in
God is the first need and the surety
Of a prosperous, constantly charging,
Notwithstanding life. The sort Of
faith that Abram had, the sort of life
that Abram lived, the sort Of concep-
ton of Jehovah that Abram enjoyed,
carried to it's logical conclusions
must of necessity eventuate in the
worldwide power that God predicted.
If faith in God and righteousness are
the essentials which underlie all sue
cessful life then of necessity Abrams
faith had to be rewarded after the
fashion that God promised. Individ-
ual and national lasting prosperity is
founded on morals. A righteous ma
ton is a people assured Of advance
ment. A godly man Is one whose in
fuence never dies.
Thou shalt be buried in a good
old age" says Jehovah to Abram.
And there never was a falser adage
than this, "the good die young" A
good man never dies. And If he
lives in accordance with all the laws
of God, natural al we'll as spiritual,
it is a certainty that, all things being
| equal. he will be the last man to be
translated out Of this life.
Let us learn from this story of. the
career of Abram to have faith, to be
godly; let us learn of the surprising
faithfulness of our Father. Thus
may we be influential forever, thus
shall we learn the secret of longev-
ity, thus shall we, too, see visions.
VS.. 1. Word" This is the usual
language of the Old Testament in
prefacing these visions. VISION"
This was a characteristic method of
revelation in those days. Shield"
The Psalms so speak of God fire.
uuently. Reward" Better, "Thy
reward is exceedingly great" The
reward evidently comes because Of
the acts of Abram that precede the
lesson. The acts are summed up in
two words at the forepart of the
verse: these things" Abram had,
we remember, erected affairs, obeyed
Jehovah, done we'll by Lot.
VS.. 6. Believed" Paul in Rom.
4:3; Gal. 3:6, bases his doctrine of
justification on this. In Jas. ALL
"a, we see another use of this Scrip
ture. Here it is used to support a
contention for the saving value OF
| good works.
VS.. ~. Sun" It was night in
verses l and 5. There is nothing to
show that "a day has interviewed.
| Likewise there is nothing to show
that a day has not interviewed. 1t Is
| possible that the material here set
| forth is the result of a compilation
of two stories of the same event.
| But such a supposition Is not at all
necessary in order to get sense out
of the verses, and some sequence.
"Sleep." The sort that came on
Adam.
VS.. IS. Age" One hundred and
sixty-fve years.
VS.. 16. Fourth" One hundred
and twenty years. This does not CO.
incide with 400 years. 1t is likely
| that two stories are interviewer. A
| generation may have been 100 years
in that day. In that event the diff
| Guilty unravels itself.
~ H. Do--- G-I~-r -4aI