The Brinkley argus., 1913-03-14

God more than burnt offerings How SC
 The birth of Isaac ("laughter") 17:19, and the setting aside of the son of the bond woman story so rich with suggestiveness, forms the con nection between the lesson of last week and the one of this week.
 I. Sacrifice Required. God did prove Abraham" (R V) w. 12. Abra- hams ready response Behold me, here am l." gives evidence of his life long habit of obedience. He was ready for sacrifice or service. His habit of taking God at his word prepared him for this final act of testing, and per fecting, of his faith The revised yer sion prove" is better rendering than the authorized version tempt" God does not tempt, 1. e., solicit men to evil Jas. 1:13, but he does prove" men; see Ex 20: 20 and I Peter 1:12. Abraham had been tried before but what father Is there who will not say this was the supreme test, for he is
 
 whom thou cherishest"
 Abraham's Faith.
 Superficial critics have taken occa- sion to make light of a God who would make such a demand upon an earthly father. We need to remember that Abraham had doubtless witnessed hu- man sacrifices In Chaldea and that having seen Gods faithfulness and his past deliverances, he had enough faith to believe that God could in his own Providence deliver Isaac. Fur ther, attention has been called to the exact language of the text, viz, Gods demand was that Abraham "offer" (not "killP') Isaac as sacrifice. The liter al language is make him go up" up on the altar, doubtless in symbol. We read elsewhere, Heb. 11:17 that "Abra- ham offered up Isaac," but we know he did not kill Isaac. Those who stumble at that part of the story miss the great lesson God intended to teach in the record of this incident. How ever, Abraham was ready to do (v. 10) what God himself did actually do when he gave his "only son." John 3:16. Rom. 8:32. Isaac was the child of the promise hence the only son (cf Gen. 21:12) This makes the text more se- we're for Ishmael had been sent of, 21:t4 God today is calling upon fath- CTS to sacrifice their sons, and fathers are sacrificing though not always unto God. We must put our children upon the altar Matt. 10:37.
 IT. Sacrifice Granted. Abraham rose up early" w. 3-10. The writer of Genesis has left us to fill in the emotions and the mental agony that must have surged through Abrahams heart, yet we again see wonderful illustration of prompt obedience, cf Ps. 119:60.
 Abrahams Devotion.
 Attention has been called to Isaac as a type of Christ (cf. John 10:17-18). CD His name, given before birth; CD His birth. supernatural, predicted; (3) His offering, a. by his father; b, volun- tary; c, risen from the dead; (4) His marriage; a. bride selected by his fath- CT; b, servant calls the bride; c, meet ing of bride and bridegroom. In this connection we behold Isaac bearing the wood (v. 6) a reminder of Christ bearing his cross. John 19:17. The test to Abraham's faith was full even to the point that he took the knife to slay his son." when God intervened l~ suggests the urgency of God to save and the devotion of Abraham in that he was not easily turned aside nor looking for way of escaping dis agreeable duty. Abraham was sns tained to the end (Rom. 4:20, 21 R. VI and out of 1t all he is abundantly re warded, w. 15-18 and 26:4-5.
 III. Sacrifice Provided" "A lamb caught in the thicket." w 11-15 Again God spoke to Abraham through "an angel" an old Hebraic way of saying that God made himself known. It has been suggested that at this point the | Hebrew broke away from human sacri | fees There is nothing in this story to sustain any claim that God justifief human sacrifices. but the exact con i trary. for God gave Isaac back to Abraham (Heb 1:19 R. V) and that he is constantly doing to those who | surrender their all and their best to 1 him. Mark l0 29-30; Prov. IL 24-25 Abraham did not leave the mountain until he had offered a sacrifice and who can question but that his heart was filled with great joy and thanks 1 giving unto God. Cor. 9.15 Without the shedding Of blood we cannot ap- proaeh God.
 Abraham Is type of true piety and is constantly held up by New Tes- lament writers as the ideal of religion the reason is that religion never changes it Is the attitude of the soul to God Read Horace Bushnell's ex- perience as related in "Dissolving of Doubts" Some men seem 10 pass through life without much testing. the question Is suggested. are they worth testing. are they of sufficient value Trials are Gods vote Of confidence ' This Is also a great illustration of substitutionary sacrifice. ask Isaac fl he believed it? Ask the question How do we show our faith?"
 Charm in Small courtesies.
 Small klndnesses, small courtesies. smaii considerations. habitually prac-