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JANUARY 6, 1934 A CHOSEN LEADER AND A CHOSEN LAND Golden Text: “And I will bleas them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Gen. 12:3 Lesson Text: Gen. 12:1-7; 18:17- 19. The patriarchal era begins with Gen. 11:27. Prior to this time the Bible records the history of the human race. Subsequent to this time the Old Testament is mostly oc cupied with the history of a single family. Universal cor ruption not only preceded the flood, LESSON but also followed it. Even the family EXPOSITION of Terah were idolaters. Josh 24:2. Dr. E. W. Parr God had promised, however, that there should never be another flood and the nations are left to go on in the chosen way of wickedness. Abraham is chosen to be the head of a new dispensation as Noah was. The world was not taken away from Abraham as it was from Noah, but Abraham, the chosen man, is taken away from the world. The same covenant of grace that God gave to Adam and ratified to Noah, is renewed with Abraham with a new element added. For the first time in Scripture we come to the principle of separation. Abraham and his descendants are to come out from the world and be separated unto a life of faith and holiness to walk with God. Abraham was not a Jew. Moses was the head of the Jewish nation but Abraham is the father of all who believe. (Rom. 4:11, 16). The giving of the law seems a sort of parenthesis (Gal. 3 :17 ), typified by Ish- mael, who was only in Abraham’s house for a while (Gal. 4 :24 ). Isaac was the heir of the promise who remained in the house forever. “In Isaac shall thy seed be called.” In the Old Testament, the separate family is followed by the separate nation (Num. 2 3 :9 ). In the New Testament we have the separate church. Separation is God’s thought and plan for His people in both Testaments. Federation is Satan’s substitution. Paul, the apostle of the mystery, considered himself to be separated unto the Gospel of God. (Rom. 1 :1 ). Faith is usually said to be the key to the life of Abra ham. It is indeed for he is the father of the faithful.. His faith, however, is seen in this, that he was willing to be separated from everything for the sake of God. Abraham’s training may be traced through a series of ten separations. First—God called him to leave his country. Chaldea was the great nation of the world at that time. It'represented the world. Abraham went out from Ur of the Chaldees at God’s command to a land of which he knew nothing (Acts 7:2-3). This was the heroism of faith, and the be ginning of Abraham’s separation. Second—Abraham was separated from his father Terah . at Haran. When Abraham left Chaldea a considerable com pany seems to have gone with him, among which was his -father Terah. As they traveled on, they came to Haran. It might have been a fertile country and Terah wanted to stay there. It was not the land that God had given him, but Abraham was not prepared to leave his father and he stayed with him. Some time passed during which God had nothing to say to Abraham. Thus far his obedience was only partial. God is patient with his servant and he takes Terah away. “Terah died in Haran.” The last link that bound Abraham to the old life is broken and he is ready to go the whole way.
Third—Abraham is separated from Canaan as a home. When Abraham came into Canaan, we are told that he pitched his tent and builded an altar. These two words summarize his history, the tent and the altar. The Canaan- ite occupied the land. It belonged to Abraham only in promise and prediction. He had no home there. His tent testified that he was a stranger and a pilgrim and his altar was a monument of his faith in God. Fourth— He was separated from Egypt. When pressed by famine he went down to Egypt. Perhaps his faith was not strong enough to trust God to keep him in the land of Canaan. While in Egypt he gets into trouble and falls into sin, and although he prospers materially he suffers spirit ually and God has nothing to say to him while there. His first happy day comes when he goes out of Egypt to the “place of the altar which he had made at the first” and again he calls upon the name of the Lord. He had learned his lesson. Fifth—He was separated from Lot. Lot did not die in Haran. He went all the way to Canaan. Lot had come out from Chaldea, but he had not come out from the world. When the herdsmen of Abraham and Lot were quarrelling over the pasturage, Abraham gave Lot the choice. Abra ham acted like a separated man and Lot like a selfish man. Lot chose the fertile country and pitched his tent toward Sodom. He soon becomes a resident and then a public official. (Gen. 19 :1 ). Abraham chose God for his portion and Lot tried to serve both God and Mammon. As a result Lot is involved in the ruin of Sodom, finds it hard work to intercede for himself (Gen. ,19:20), and when saved at last, it is for Abraham’s sake (Gen. 19: a»9). Sixth—After separation from Lot comes separation from Ishmael. God promised Abraham a son, but after years of weary waiting, his faith fails. At Sarah’s instigation, he takes Hagar to wife and Ishmael is born. Abraham loves the child but for thirteen years God has nothing to say. After the child grew up, instead of being a comfort, there was only trouble in the house and Ishmael had to be sent away. It was a sad day for Abraham, but it was necessary. Seventh—Abraham was separated from himself at Gerar. He feared for his life on account of Sarah. He therefore denied his relationship to her and said that she was his sister. On the strength of this Abimelech took Sarah into the royal harem. God had to interfere and prevent the wrong from being carried out. Abraham was taught by this experience that truth is better than life. It is not true that all that a man hath he will give for his life. It may be true that all that a man hath he will give for his wife. He will lay down his life gladly to protect her from harm and preserve her from dishonor. God had to inter pose and do for Abraham what he had neither faith nor courage to do for himself. His life was saved and Sarah’s honor also, but the lesson that Abraham had to learn in the humiliating experience was to be separated from self and count not his life dear unto himself in comparison with things that are more dear. Eighth—Abraham was separated from Isaac. Isaac was the child of the promise. He was the joy and comfort of Abraham’s old age. God tested Abraham to see if he was willing to separate himself even from Isaac, the child of promise (Gen. 22 :2 ). Abraham stood the test (v. 3). Dear as Isaac was, he will give him up if God demands. His trust is in the Giver, not the gift, in the Promiser rather than the promise. Ninth-^Abraham was separated from Sarah. “It came to pass after all these things that Sarah died.” It was a
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