The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1907-02-08
ABRAM CALLED
TO BE BLESSING
Sunday School Lesson Tor Feb 10, 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper.


and make thy name great; anc thou
shalt be a blessing. Gen 1872
TIME.-Abraham was born about 1000
Il. G. Ussher's date lin margin of our
Blbles). 1896 is not far from right So
Hommel He was probably contempor-
airy with Hammurabi, whose date is put
PLACE.-Abraham originated in ur
of the Chaldees, the ruins of which.
called Mugheir are now being excavated.
Il is near the Euphrates, 100 miles from
scRIIPTTRE OUTLINE or ,,r AgRA-
Hi An?e'ify s B GfRsils Gem snd esf
3. His Marriage: Gen. 1923: / Pet. 3:6;
Gen. 1873; 3l 4. His Children: Gen.
1872: 24:S5 6. Journeyings: Gen. 1881.
Neh. 9;7; Gen. 12:l-9; Josh. 2:S; lisa: 5l:2:
Gen; 1910; 2O1. 4. Names of Places;
with Abram. s. Religion of His Ances-
tors: Josh 2i:2. 8. Deeds: Gen. 1881;
1873, 3; H:lS-2O; Heb. 7l-l0; Gen. Is; H-4;
and promises Gen. l2l-3; i3:14-l7; 15;1-lS;
Gen. 1918; 22l2; 1855; Neh. 81, s.; Pisa.
1856; Rom. All; Gal. 1853; Heb. 11:S-l9;
Jas. 2:2l-24: Chron. 2O;7 lisa. lis.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The real. essential, enduring prog
ress of the world is moral, spiritual,
religious. This is progress worth re-
cording in the Book of Cod In this
progress Abraham stands out as a
lighthouse landmark, lighted by God.
and shining down all the ages. He is
the third of the representatives of
eras in the history: Adam-Noah-
Abraham.
His first name was Abram, "exalt-
ed father and changed later in a
vision from God to Abraham. father
OF a multitude" The derivation of the
name is unknown. Professor Sayce
says that the name Abram (Abu-ramu,
the exalted father") is found on
early Babylonian contract tablets.
V. /. Nov the Lord had said"
Omit had" Am. h. The Lord said,
first at Ur (Gen. 11:3D, and now
again in Haran. where he was at the
beginning of this chapter. Terah, Alb
raham's father, led the first migration
from Ur to Haran, nearly 600 miles
northwest up the Euphrates, on the
road toward Palestine.
Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred" Why must he get
away from these influences? Because
only in a new country. free from the
restraints of old customs and old
friends, could the family and religion
OF Abraham best develop. Unto a
land that | will show thee" Here
was another test of his faith And
the difficulty was greatly enhanced
by the fact that he did not know
where he was going.
V. 2. 81 will make of thee a great
nation" Great and good motives are
involved in this promise. Personally
| il would compensate for the loss OF
| his own country. This promise was
| fulfilled in the Hebrew race. which
has had a greater religious influence
than any other. and which still exists;
but more completely i'm the spiritual
sons of Abraham. the whole Christian
church (Gal. 1920. So Christ says
| of Abraham. He rejoiced to see my
day; and he saw il. and was glad"
| John $500. And | will bless thee. "
No earthly good can be so great as
| the blessing of God
"And make thy name great"
Known. honored, loved through all the
| centuries, and by multitudes of peo-
| pie. To one who is really worthy Of
il. It is a great blessing to be the
hero, the example, the ideal of many
people.
And thou shalt be a blessing" A
blessing in myself, and a source OF
blessing to others. IL is more blessed
to give than to receive.
v. 8. And | will bless them that
bless thee" Abraham's cause was
to be so identified with Gods cause
that whatsoever favored Abraham fav-
ored God and his kingdom. So far as
we are the true children of God this
is true also of us.
"And curse him that curseth thee"
This is the other side of the same
promise. Abraham in character,
works. and representative position as
the founder of the church was so
identified with God that whatsoever
hated and opposed him hated and op-
posed God The good man is not
alone. Touch him, and you touch
God"
I'm thee shall all families Of the
earth be blessed" AS they have
been. by the race he founded, by the
spiritual training of that race, by the
religious influences and the word of
God given through his descendants,
and most of all by Jesus Christ. the
Messiah, who was of Abraham's seed.
We, too, have great and precious
promises, in Jesus Christ, of better
| things and a better country than Alb
raham had. Great lives are trained
by great promises
V. 4. so Abram departed. with
all that he had (V. 81, 'and into the
land of Canaan they came"
Canaan-"Lowlands.n was original
ly the low land on the Mediterranean
coast, but afterwards included the
whole of Palestine to the Jordan.
Practical Points.
Each one OF us is called to go on
pilgrimage. like Abraham's, from sin
and a worldly life TO "a city which