The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-30
TODAY'S BIBLE TALK
By GEORGE LEWIS BALES

By GEORGE
Editors Note: The Age-Herald has
arranged with Mr.. Bales of the Bfr-
ningham bar and teacher of the Cosmo-
politan Mems class Of the First Baptist.
church at the Strand theatre to prepares
! a short Bible talk each Sunday. These
talks are based upon the passages of
scripture selected by the international
current series of lessons
The Second Look
History is the story of what people
have, done. 1t, is read mainly in the
lives of men and women who have
thought most, labored most, and served
most. This is strikingly true of Bible
history.
The International Sunday school les
son committee groups the assigned
studies into periods of three months.
The Sunday school boards of the various
denominations therefore publish these
lessons mainly in the ''quarterlies.
We have finished the first quarter
of the current course. The lessons
upon which these Bible talks are based,
have covered thus far in 1924, the
history which, is read in the lives of
Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Caleb,
Joshua, Gideon, Samuel, Saul, David
and Solomon. y
Abraham
Abraham was born about 1874 B.
G. Therefore the history of the Jew
ish people begins just, about as far be-
yond the birth of Christ, as we are
on this side of that event-from which
all time is reckoned both before and
after.
One day, as the old patriarch sat
| in the doorway of his tent, messen-
ger from Jehovah came to bring him
commission and promise. Abraham
was to lead his tribes with all their
camels, herds of cattle and flocks OF
sheep and goats up out of Mesopo-
tamia-the land between the rivers
the land where the Garden of Eden
was, westward over near the coast of
the Mediterranean sea. h -
| When Abraham came to Canaan, he
found in there few cities and villages.
He left these undisturbed. He and
his people were shepherds. They lived
in tents out in the open fields, where
they could find good grazing places
for their camels, sheep and cattle.
Jehovah had chosen Abraham as the
means of establishing a chosen race,
whose mission 1t should be to propa-
gate the conception of one God ; to give
the world its Bible and it's Christ
Lift up your eyes from this place.
Jehovah said to Abraham, "and look
eastward and westward and northward
and southwark and all the land you can
see, all the mountains and valleys and
plains, will give you and your chill
dren. Your descendants shall be as
many as, the dust of the earth. Rise
| up, and walk through the land WHEREBY
er you please and possess it, for it is
yours"
Jacob
After Abraham died, Isaac, his son,
took his place. Isaac and Rebekah
had two children, Esau and Jacob. 1t
was the law in those daS when. d
man died, his oldest son received twice
as much of his fathers property as
did his brothers and sisters. This was
called the "birthright.' For nearly
1000 years the story about Esau ex-
changing his property-right for a bowl
of oatmeal has been told the children
of every civilized country on earth, for
the purpose of illustrating the foolish
ness of thinking more of present physi-
cal comfort than of lasting happiness
and well being.
After cheating his brother, Jacob
fled the country and went to live with
his mothers people. There he hired
out to his uncle Laban and labored
many years for the hand of Rachel,
his beautiful cousin, only to be forced,
after seven years toll, to- take Leah
instead.
Later Jacob starts with the property
he has acquired and a great number
of followers with their families and
heads. back toward the land of Canaan
whence he had fled. 1t was on his
return visit that he met and wrestled
with an angel of Jehovah, who upon
leaving him said "Your name shall
no more be called Jacob, but Israel,
that is, he who wrestles. with God.'3'
Jacob came to Shechem in the middle
of the land of Canaan, and there set
UP his tents. At the foot of the noun
tain he dug a well. This is the place
where Jesus sat and talked with the
woman hundreds of years after that
time. Travellers visit the spot and
drink water at that place even to this
day. 49, .-.-'
Joseph
Joseph shines out as one of the few
faultless characters of the Bible. 1t
is familiar. story how his Jealous
brothers one day sold him to- band
of traders who carried him into Egypt
lie was bought by man named Poti-
phar.- 1t was in the household of
this master that Joseph was subjected
to the greatest temptation that can come
to normal man. He withstood the
temptation. This was perhaps the
longest step toward making him the
prime minister of Egypt, the then
greatest country on earth.
The same famine which made Joseph
prime minister, caused his own brothers
to, come into the Nile valley to buy
wheat. AS a result his father Jacob
and all his people came to Egypt to
make their home. Their coming was
the beginning of 400 years of slavery.
the darkest period in the history of
the Jewish people.
Moses
Moses who had become fugitive
from justice after Staying an Egyptian
saw the burning bush and there re-
ce1ved his commission to lead Israel out
of Egypt, back to the land of Canaan
1t was the night when two million
souls were made ready for the march
out from Egypt and slavery, that oc-
Cured the passover, one of the most
sacred events in history of the Jewish
race. Moses led them back in the
vicinity of the place where he had seen
the bush on fire, and upon the heights
OF Sinai standing near he received the
Ten Commandments.
He led the people back to the gates
OF Canaan and was. prepared to 90 in
and possess the country. But the
great majority of >his followers mutt
MED and because of their little faith
were turned back into the wilderness
where they floundered for 40 years.
AT the end of. that time, he brought