Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-02-20
CHOOSING COUNTRY OR CITY,
The international Sunday School
Lesson for February 20 10, "Ab-
raham and Lot" Gen. IS: lib.

1 NO JVteTUdIloUdl SUNDAY 0CVOO
| Lesson for February 20 10, "Ab
raham and Lot" Gen. IS: 1-18
(By William T. Ellis.
A great man who was rich and
, also wise; a little man who had
grown wealthy under his rich rela.
tive's shadow and who then played
the fool when he started out indie
pendently-these are the characters
in the famous story which more than
twenty-five million Sunday school
folk will study this week.
When a point of decision and sep
aration was reached, one man chose
the country, with its open spaces and
it's time to think about God and the
eternal verities; the other wanted to
get rich quickly, and he chose to be
near the most wicked city in the
world, soon moving into it. The
first man is one of the heroes of his
tory; the other barely escapes in
fanny. The story is study in sue
cess and it's elements.
OF course the reader recognizes
Abraham, the pioneer, the pilgrim,
the progenitor; and his selfish
nephew, Lot. Back in Canaan, after
the unfortunate episode in Egypt,
they faced the future and chose
their separate ways.
The Man Who "Came Back"
Abraham's principles had taken q
short vacation while he was In
Egypt. In a moral slump, of which
he" was ever after ashamed, he had
lied about his wife. BY one of those
half truths, which are the worst
kind of lies, he had said she was his
sister, and allowed Pharoah to take
her, thus saving his skin at the cost
of his honor Pharaoh was plagued
because of the possession of Sarah,
and when the truth was learned he
was glad to get rid of this visitor
from the east. .....
This experience in Egypt. and of
Egypt stands for the world, had
shamed and disciplined Abraham.
He had learned his lesson. Morally
he "came back" a real instance of
the eternal truth that God gives the
man who is down a chance to get
up ...
Gathering together their goods.
Abraham and Lot with their fam
lilies started on the slow pilgrimage
back to southern Canaan, which in
the text is called 1.-The south" just
as all Arabia is called ."the east by
the people of Syria Perhaps the
through Sinai and Petra, the same
which the Children of Israel follow.
ed centuries later when they came up
out Of Egypt. Possibly he crossed
over from what is now Suez, and
then along the common route
along the eastern coast of the
Mediterranean. Far up above Sidon,
on the seashore road, one day met
a cavaran of camels whose owners
were taking them down to Egypt to
SELL They followed the immemorial
coast route.
In form, the pilgrimage of Abra.;
ham and Lot was not different from
that which may be seen today in the
same country. Slow footed, awkward
camels bore the tents and rugs and
primitive housekeeping utensils. The
flocks of sheep were pastured as they
travelled. 1t was the traditional
picture of partriarchal nomad.
An Ancient Rich Man.
No Wall Street rumors affected Alb
raham's wealth. Instead Of stocks he
had stock, and he could see his wealth
with his eyes every day. In addition to
his sheep and camels and horses and
donkeys, he had store Of bullion
which was carried on the camels that
were kept nearest to the sheik himself
and stored in his tent at night. The re-
tainers were not only shepherds and
~ I,,r1, nd I,,,f
were warriors as we'll. Abraham had to
be prepared to defend his property all
along the way; even as when l crossed
the Jordan poor Arabs attached them
selves to my cavaran, helping in the
pitching of the tent and other labor in
return for the protection afforded
them. ..-.. -..
With riches so close to nature, it
was very natural for Abraham to be-
lieve that his prosperity was by the
favor of Jehovah, just as Job, con-
trariwise, felt that the loss Of his
flocks and herds was a clear mark of
divine displeasure.
The Place Of Memory.
Travellers in Ireland may occasional
ly see returned American standing
over a heap Of stones that was once a
cottage and musing over the home that
he left In boyhood. The eXile's heart re-
turns TO It's place OF sacred memories.
Abraham went back to Bethel There
he saw still standing the altar he had
erected to Jehovah when they conven-
anted together. What memories surged
through his mind! How his soul was
anguished with remorse for his lapse in
Egypt! A chastened, spiritualized man
at the old altar he renewed his vows
once more to Jehovah.
This spiritual experience meant more
to Abraham than his travels or his ac-
emulation of wealth. The state of
mans relationships with God is the
supreme fact about that man. The old
inquiry, rs it well with thy soul?"
which is too sacred to be made flip
PANTY or by the casual stranger, is
really the most profound question that
can be asked concerning any person.
No other form of welfare is comparable
with the welfare Of the spirit Not
clearing house reports, but the returns
of religion constitute the real index Of
Il nations welfare. Ill.,
Such experiences Of the soul as Alb
raham had undergone are the sort of
thing that makes man grow. 1.-THE
Independent" recently had an article on