The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1923-10-05
THE JUDGE
REVIEWS
THE LESSON

Subject: Abraham: A blessing TO th'
whole world.
Golden Text: an thee shall all the
families Of the earth be blessed
Genesis xii:3.
"In barking back several thousand
years to find a missionary to study
about. when we have so many good
modern examples. may seem a far
fetched way to introduce a series OF
missionary studies" remarked the
Judge in opening the Brotherhood SEES
sion. But in beginning the study OF
any subject it is we'll to begin at the
beginning If you have to go back as
far as old King Tut. And in this les
son we are going back several Cen
turtles before King Tut was ven
thought of by his ono parents. Think
back as many years before Christ, as
we are living after Christ. namely.
1928 b. C., and that will just about
give us the date when the patriarch
Abram was called TO leave home and
the great empire of the East, and a
remarkable monarch by the name of
Hsmmerabi was sitting on the throne.
He wa a first class monarch of a
first class power, and Babylonia had
developed a great civilization. There
is extant today a great civil code,
called the Code of Hammerabi." and
in it are many remarkable parallelisms
to the Mosaic code. 1t seems that
Hammerabi was a just and an able
ruler for his time. and interested in
the welfare of his people. So Abram
lived in a civilized nation, and the
world OF men was milleniums old.
he was born under the regime of
Hammerabi. The old theory upon
which many of us were brought up
that Adam was created only six thou
sand years before the Christian era is
an exploded hypothesis, whether Bill
Bryan thinks so or not. That type of
orthodoxy which asks us to believe
things simply because our ancestors
believed them. and that in the face of
inoontestable proof to the contrary,
is an insult to reasonable intelligence,
and t. rational faith.
Now, gentlemen" continued the
Judge, I'VE need the historical back
ground in order to interpret correctly
to our time the genius of Abraham
And when we think of him as being
born in a highly developed society. of
presumably cody parents, and possess
sing inherent qualities of character.
which. under the touch of the Devine /;
blossomed forth in a life the /
fragrance of which has been waited {
down to us on the breezes of time. h
then he becomes a living. vital force. u
helpful, and understandable. He is one I
the greatest spirits of all time. and +
his life story given to us in the book :
Genesis ought to be read, studied, a
and pondered upon by all who love a
nobility, courage, integrity and divinity i
in human relationships. d
I'VE will now note, briefly, the ele-
ments so mixed in him that Nature
might stand up and say to all the
This was a mani"
AS usual the Judge used the black n
board. Chalk in hand, he asked the a
members of the class for suggestions I
for an analysis of Abraham's life :
which would bring out his great mis-
qualities, thus exemplifying
he truth of the golden text, an thee
hall all the families of the earth be
blessed" The response was good on
he part OF the men. and the black
analysis was as follows:
g. Abraham's faith exempli6ed:
a. Belief in Gods promise (Gen.
xii:4)
b. Obedience to Gods command
(Gen. xxii).
Abraham's courage illustrated:
a. In accepting the life of a pio-
neer (Gen. xiii.
b. His battle with the four kings
(Gen. XIV.
Abraham at home:
a. His hospitality (Gen. XVIII.
b. His affection for his family
(Gen. xxii:2 and xxiii:l).
c. Provides for the happiness of
Isaac (Gen. xiv, "the most beauti-
full love story ever w~ritten.")
Abraham, the Ideal Missionary:
a. Called of God" (Gen. xiii
b. Friend OF God" Games il:
231 L