The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-03-13


and not sacrifice and tho knowledge OF
God more than burnt ofrerings"-IIow.
66
The birth Of Isaac ('laughter")
1919. and the setting aside OF the son
OF the bond woman, a story so rich
with suggestlveness, forms the con
nection between the lesson OF last
week and the one OF this week.
/ Sacrifice Required. God did
prove Abraham" (R W w 10 Abra-
hams ready response. Behold me.
here am l." gives evidence OF his life
long habit OF obedience. lie 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 q, solicit men to
evil Jas ia. but he does prove"
men, see TX o. 20 and Peter Ii2,
Abraham had been tried before but
what father is there who will not say
this was the supreme test. for he Is
called upon to give up his, "only son.
whom thou cherishest"
Abrahar's Faith.
Superficial critics have taken occa.
sion to make light OF God who would
make such a demand upon an earthly
father We need to remember that
Abraham had doubtless witnessed hu.
man sacrifices In Chaldoa and that
having seen Gods faithfulncss aud his
past deliverances. he had enough
faith to believe that God could in his
own Providence deliver Isaac Fur.
Their attention has been called to the
exact language 81 the text. VIZ Gods
demand was that Abraham offer" mot
kill'D Isaac as sacrifice The liter.
al language Is make him 20 up" up-
on the altar doubtless In symbol We
read elsewhere Heb ll.i7 that "Abra-
ham offered up Isaac" but We know
he did not XIII Isaac Those who
stumble az that part OF the story miss
the great lesson God attended 10 teach
il the record OF this incident How.
ever Abraham was ready 20 do " i0l
what God himself aid actually do when
he gave his only son" John 2.t6.
Rom - Isaac was the child OF the
promise hence the ouly sou tcf Gen.
- l2l This makes the text more Sc
we're for lshmael had been sent on
- - God today Is calling upon faith.
ers to sacrifice their sons. and fathers
are sacrificing though not always unto
God We must put our children upon
the altar Matt r37
II Sacrifice Granted. Abraham
rose up early" w $40 The writer
o. Genesis has left Us 20 nh in the
emotions and the mental agony that
must have surFed through Abraham's
heart. yet We again see a wonderful
illustration Of prompt obedience. CT.
Ps ll9 60
Abrahan,'s Devotion.
Attention has been called TO Isaac
IA type OF Christ tCf John 10 .17.lSl.
40 His name given before birth: (2D
Ills birth supernatural predicted: 90
Ills offering a. by his father: b volun-
tary; c risen from the dead: 90 Ills
marriage: a bride selected by his faith
or; b servant calls the bride. G meet.
ing OF bride and bridegroom In this
connection We behold Isaac bearing
the wood " 81 a reminder OF Christ
bearing his cross John 1917. The
test TO Abraham's faith was full even
to the point that he took the knife to
STAY his son when God interviewed.
The repetition. Abraham Abraham"
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 a dis
agreeable duty. Abraham was sus-
tanned to the end Rom 4 90. air. W
and out OF II all he IL abundantly re-
warded. Wv 1918 and 26.45.
III Sacrifice Provided" "A lamb
caught In the thicket" w 1t.l5. Again
God spoke to Abraham through IAN
angel" an old Hebraic way OF saying
that God made himself known II 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 justifies
human sacrifices. but the exact con
trary, for God gave Isaac back to
Abraham Heb. l:19 r. W aud that
he IL constantly doing to those who
surrender their all and their best to
him, Mark 10 1890: Prov. 11:2t25.
Abraham did not leave the mountain
until he had offered a sacrifice and