The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-08-31

flesh and had resorted to human wis
dom and schemes to fulfill the promise
of God. God permitted him to live by
his own plans and devices until he
longed for some divine word more than
for the very breath of life. This is
the word that came to him: II am FL
Shaddai."s
!. A New Name for God.-It is very
difficult for us upon whom the sun of
all the divine perfection shines, who
possess the perfected revelation, to
comprehend the slow and difficult
process by which God became known
to men. To the generations of Adam
and Noah, He was known as Elohim,
the creator and preserver of life. It
required millenniums to find a few
men who believed In a personal God,
transcending every form and fashion
of creation, and possessing infinite
wisdom, power and goodness. Not I'M
til Abraham obeyed the call of such \
God, and followed it through strange
and difficult circumstances. did God
find man who was prepared to under
stand fuller revelation. When the
magnanimity of the patriarchal char
acter was manifested after the battle
of the kings by Abraham's refusal to
accept gifts from the king of Sodom.
God revealed Himself to Abraham
bearing new name. II am Ell Elyon,
possessor of heaven and EARTH" Then
when the patriarch was ready for a
further disclosure Of the divine char
acter, this time through penitence and
contrition, came this, II am Ell Shad-
dai, the God who Is enough"
You will notice that both of these
names for God are compounds of the
original name Elah, the singular Of
Elohim. This new name by which God
was to be known was both a rebukA
and an encouragement The man Of
faith who stepped aside from trusting
God to fulfill the sacred covenant Of
f1eshy devices needed rebuke. Infinite
love must chasten sin. 1t was an en-
couragement-for the many-breasted ,
God can supply every need. Not one
word of all He had promised shall
fail. To know God as Ell Shaddai is
to catch the spirit of the Panama
builders as some one expressed it.
SCOT any mountains that cannot be
tunneled any rivers that cannot be
crossed? We specialize in the impos-
sible." This is the battle cry of the
man who has heard the infinite whis-
per in his soul, II am Ell Shaddai."
"All things are possible to him that
believeth."
II. A New Necessity for Abraham
"Be perfect" Impossible, yes, for a
weak vaciIlating mortal, but not for a
man who knows Ell Shaddai. Here Is
sufficiency. 1t is challenging impera-
tive. Dared Abraham respond in the
venture of faith, or did he weaken
through doubt and hesitate in fear?
Did he really believe God is Almighty?
BE perfectv' If he had cried, II cam
not" he would have made provision
for the flesh he would have made an
apology for weakness; he would have
flung back to God the denial of His
power TO meet every need. But did
this happen? Instead faith exultingly
shouted it's battle cry and went for
ward to this divine IDEAL
However, we must needs ask, What
did God require of the patriarch with
this imperative, "Be perfect? Did He
mean sinlessnesS, an abSolutiOn of hui
man character? It seems hardly pos
sible that this was the intention of
to
in the New Testament idealism Of the
revealed wlll of God for His children,
much less in the dim twilight of the
patriarchal dispensation. Abraham
fully understood what God meant. BE
perfect" was q call to exchange his
confidence in his own powers for the
inexhaustible sufficiency of God. 1t re-
lated to heart attitude rather than at
tainment.
Gods eternal call to every child OF
Adam Is found in these words. Moth
ing short of perfection could satisfy :
Gods heart or make fellowship with
man possible. The secret of this re-
quirement is found in the three words
-"Walk before me-" If this condition
is met, the imperative changes to
positive indication. walk before me
and We shall be perfect" The word
walk" always symbolizes conduct. 1t
needs no argument to prove that if we
conceive of our daily activities wrought
out in the immediate conscious pres
ence of God, we will be perfect. In !,
His presence, only one heart attitude
cor,d be possible-an attitude of utter
dependence, desire to please Him
an: a, determination to will His will.
II ever mortal man has reflected the
divine perfection, 1t has always and
only been when he was acpr mSensi-
tive to the presence of g -