The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-06
TODAY'S BIBLE TALK

ID . Ill 
 women au6 children begin today . first time, the International lessons
 Sssn s ss. s:. ne wifi i1 .s: :ss:sns a of 1924 and 1925 to complete the
 The new course, which begins today. periods. The first runs through six months and will cover the old Testa- msnt; the second psriod require. nine % of Christ; the third is to be . none month study of tho Acts and the
 The Age Herald has arranged with
 MT. Baiies of the Birmingham bar,
 superintendent of the adult depart
 mont of the Birmingham Sunday
 Cosmopolitan Bible class. to prepare
 . short layman's talk on each lesson in this course.
 A Chosen Leaaer ana . Close. Land.
 (0enesis 12f1-7s 1ss 17-1s.
 Gen. 13:1 Now Jehovas said unto Abram. Get thee out of thy country. and from thy kindred, and from thy fatner's house. unto the land that I VIII show thee: and I will make of thee . great nation, and will bless thee. and make thy name great; and De thou 2 blessing: 2 and wiN bless snee; ana make thy name great; and them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will curse; and In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed. So Abram went, as Jeho- yah had spoken unto him and Lot went with him: and Abram was sew parted out of Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife. and Lot his brothers son, and all their substance that they had gathered. and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Ca naan they came. 6 And Abram passed through the land unto tho place of Shechem, unto the oak of Morefn. And the Canaanite was then in land, ' And Jehovah appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there blilded he an altar unto Jehovah. who appeared unto him. -s-s
 Ch. is:l7 And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; IS seeing that, .Abrahams shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and
 
 may keep the way of Jehoavh, to do righteousness and Justice; to the end that Jehovah may bring upon Abra- ham that which he hath spoken of him.
 From Another Viewpoint.
 This. first lesson of the New Year presents Abraham from another and greater viewpoint. Twice last year, he was the subject of the interna- tional lesson. In April he was studied as the Man. In October he was con- sidered as the first of those ap- pointed to carry out the purpose of of the earth. Today's passage pre- sents him as the father of the He- brew people.
 Tn this character. many people of many minds will place the emphasis in many different ways. Those who have left family and home land, may be stronly drawn to think of him as pioneer.
 There will be those who may think of him mainly as missionary. The commission that Abraham carried in his pocket or had tucked under his leathern girdle. provided, not for in- dividual effort among the polytheists of Canaan; 1t rather made him the responsible founder of the Hebrew race.
 Then again, the thought of Abra- ham the faithful, the friend of God, will be much in tise fore. Abraham Is known and honored of men, as the friend of God. Clearly, the manner of his life. earned him the title.
 Again, Abraham as head of the family. will be stressed. Undoubt- edly history has vindicated his wis., dom in emphasizing the value of re- ligious harmony in the household. He sought wife for his only son, Isaac. who could kneel at the family al- and call upon Jehovah, the God of Abraham. Isaac and Jacob.
 The Great Covenant.
 But perhaps the majority of those who shall think upon the scripture Idea of Abraham, the grantee, and the great holy covenant made by and between him and Jehovah.
 Here was a real contraot--the third great covenant of history. The first one had been between the first couple and Jehovah, in the Garden of Eden. There they were placed in the country of eternal summer. where weariness, grief and death were un- known. These two preached the first covenant, they disobeyed it's mandate, and brought the first exile. caused the first murder, ana mans first dis- c1aimer of being his brothers keeper.
 Punishment had to come. The flooG washed the earth clean of their guilty descendants. One only, Noah. was saved. With him the second great covenant was signed, sealed and delivered. =. ..
 Papini has drawn with a masters hand. a picture of the scene. when the third great covenant, more sol- emn than the other two. was made: It was 1928 years before Christ. Abraham, 75 years old. the patriarch of Nomad shepherds. with his cara vans, armies, flocks and herds, had spread the tents near a well. at Haran, there in the twin valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers Sometimes an angel came to visit him and before delivering the mes- sage, sat with him at his table. "Or,