72 THE KING’S BUSINESS The International Sunday School Lessons B y J. H . S. Lesson VII. February 16.—The Call of Abram. Gen. 12:1-9 I. Connecting Links. 1. Time: A b o u t fou r h u n d red y e a rs (1 6 5 6 -1 9 4 6 B. C. [ ? ] ) . Sarai, S arah, w ife a n d half-sister of A b ram (G en . 11 :31 , th e “ freewo- m an ” (G a l. 4 :3 1 ) . ( 7 ) Lot, son of N ahor, A b ram ’s b ro th e r (G en .
2. P laces: ( 1) A ra ra t, a region n o rth o f A ssy ria on a m oun ta in of which th e a rk rested . ( 2 ) Shinar, M esopotam ia, “B etw een th e R iv ers,” viz., T igris an d E uphrates. ( 3 ) Babel, “G a te of G o d ” ; to th e H eb rew , “C onfusion” ; m o d e rn B abylon, cap ita l o f N im ro d ’s king dom . ( 4 ) “U r of th e C h a ld e e s,” in B aby lon ia on th e E u p h ra te s ; early hom e o f A b ram ; m o d e rn M ugheir ( ? ). ( 5 ) H a ran , w h e re A b ram ta rried , in M esopotam ia, 2 4 0 m iles n o rth e a st o f Dam ascus. ( 6 ) C a naan, P a le stin e ; a n d its Sichem , Bethel, Ai, th e South, towns, an d a region of C anaan . L o cate all on the m ap an d tra c e A b ram ’s journeys. 3 . Persons. ( 1) Noah, new h e ad o f th e ra c e ; righteous “b e fo re G o d ” (G en . 7 :1 ; Rom . 4 : 3 ) ; “ a p re a ch e r o f righteousness” (2 Pet. 2 : 5 ) ; a w itness to his age. ( 2 ) Shem , H am , an d Ja p h e th , sons o f Noah, p a tri arch s o f th e th re e g re a t divisions of hum anity, Sem itic, Jap h e tic , H am - itic. ( 3 ) N im rod, a “m igh ty hu n te r b e fo re G o d ,” o f m en as well as beasts, as th e m onum en ts show (G en . 1 0 :9 ). H is w as th e first k ingdom (G en . 1 0 :1 0 ). H e fo re sh ad ow ed A n tich rist a n d B ab lyon o f th e end -tim e (R ev . 1 7 :1 7 ; 18; 1, 24. ( 4 ) T e rah , o f U r, th e fa th e r o f A b ram (G en . 1 1 :2 6 ). ( 5 ) A b ram , A b rah am , b y th e flesh th e fa th e r o f th e H eb rew s (J o h n 8 : 3 7 ) ; b y faith “ th e fa th e r o f us (b e liev e rs) a ll” (R om . 4 :1 6 ) . ( 6 )
9 : 5 ) ; a “ righ teou s” m an (2 Pet. 2 :7 ) . See also th e genealogical tab le, c h a p te r ten. II. Archeological Notes. T h e m onum en ts re fe r to N oah ( “G ilgam esh” ) ; to th e “tow e r” ; to th e confusion o f tong u e s; to nam es in th e g en e a logy ; an d co n ta in th e nam es “N im ro d ” a n d “A b ram .” M e sopo tam ia a b o u n d s in ruins of m ud b rick a n d bitum eii. III. Noah and His Sons. 1. Noah. ( 1)H e b e c am e a hu s b a n dm a n (G en . 9 :2 0 ) . A nob le calling; o rd a in ed b y G o d (G en . 3 : 2 3 ) ; a n d a ch ief rem ed y fo r ou r high prices, w an t an d social unrest. ( 2 ) H is fall. H e go t d ru n k (G en . 9 : 2 1). T h e first m an sinned in e a t ing, th e second first in drinking. B o th b e c am e n ak ed (G en . 3 :7 ; 9:21 ). Sin strip s us o f spiritual co v ering, an d exposes to D ivine ju d g m e n t; d runk enn e ss o f m a te ria l com forts, an d exposes to th e c o n tem p t an d ridicule o f m en. T h e w ine, from th e beg inn ing a fte r th e F lood , has caused m o re w ou n d s a n d bruises th a n th e th o rn s an d thistles from th e beg inn ing b e fo re th e F lood . H e e d Gal. 5 :2 1 ; 1 Cor. 6 :1 0 ; Rom . 13 :13 , an d Eph. 5 :1 8 . R em em b e r Noah, Lot, N abal, E lah, B en h ad ad an d B elshazzar (G en . 9 :2 0 , 2 1 ; 1 9 :3 3 -3 6 ; 1 Sam . 2 5 :3 6 -3 8 ; 1 K ings 1 6 :8 -1 0 ; 2 0 :1 6 ; D an. 5 :4 - 5 ) . “W h e th e r ye eat, th erefo re, o r drink, d o all to th e g lo ry o f G o d ”
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