THE KING’S BUSINESS
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R ev. 18 :4 ) ; from k in d re d a n d co u n try “un to a la n d th a t I w ill show th e e .” See M ark 10 :29 . T h u s “ By faith A b ra h am w h en h e w as called to go Out in to a p la c e w hich he shou ld a fte r receive fo r a n in h e rit ance, ob ey ed a n d h e w e n t out, n o t know ing w h ith e r h e w en t” (H eb . I 1 :8 ). “T ru st a n d o b ey ” w as his m o tto . A t G o d ’s w o rd h e le ft th e things seen fo r th e th ing s unseen. ( 3 ) G o d has fulfilled, th o u g h n o t y e t filled full, th a t w o rd . A b ram saw th e lan d (G en . 1 3 :1 4 - 1 8 ) ; b e g a t th e g re a t n a tio n (2 Sam . 2 4 :9 ) ; w as blessed (G en . 1 2 :2 ; 1 4 :1 9 ; 1 7 :1 9 ) ; his n am e is great, w ith half th e race, M oh amm edan , Jew , Chris tia n ; h e b ecam e a blessing, to th e believers he is “ th e fa th e r o f us a ll” (R om . 4 : 1 6 ) ; Israel’s friends, o r foes, h av e b e e n blessed o r cursed, as H e sa id ; an d all th e fam ilies of th e e a rth a re b lessed in A b ra h am ’s Son Jesus. T h is seven -fo ld prom ise G o d h as k ep t. ( 4 ) W e can trust H is w o rd , “T h e re 's a land th a t is fa ire r th a n day, A n d by faith w e can see it a fa r.” th e F a th e r’s house, th e m an y m an sions; a n d can affo rd like A b ram to b e m e re passers th ro u g h th e world (v . 6 ) ; “pilgrim s a n d so jou rn ers” (H e b . 1 1 :9 - 14) “going on still tot- w a rd th e (g en ia l) S o u th ” (v . 9 ). W e shall n o t b e te rrified n p r d e te rre d b ecau se “ th e C an a an ite is in th e la n d ” (v . 6 ; Jo h n 1 5 :1 9 ; 17 :1 4 -1 6 ; Eph. 6 :1 2 ; Ps. 3 7 :9 , 1 0 ). W e shall bu ild no “ city ,” a ttem p t to m ak e no n am e in th e e a rth , “b u t g o ing on still” shall n ightly “ P itch o u r te n t a day’s m arc h n e a re r hom e,” setting up ou r a lta r (1 J o h n 1 :9 ; 1 Pet. 2 :5 ) a n d calling on th e n am e of th e L o rd (v . 8 ) . ( 5 ) T h u s A b ram is a ty p e o f th e sinner’s state, his call, his faith, his obed ience, his w alk, his justification, his w o rsh ip a n d his rew ard.
chiefest events, excep ting th e in car nation . Kings, conquests, d isco v e r ies a re n o th ing in com parison. (2 ) T h e course o f m an k in d as tra c ed ab o v e culm inating in ido la try , A b ram w as called to p re se rv e th e know ledg e o f th e one tru e G o d , a n d p re p a re th e w ay fo r red em p tion . ( 3 ) It o p en ed a new age, th e fou rth d isp en sa tion o f which th e ruling princip le w as grace, b u t lim ited to a p a rticu la r fam ily, th e A b raham ic, a s ou r age is grace universally o f fe red to all families, th e A g e o f Law divides, like a p aren thesis, th e two. 2. Its Process. ( 1) “T h e G o d of g lo ry a p p e a re d ” (A c ts 7 :2 ) . C om p a re Exod. 3 :2 ; Jo sh u a 5 :1 3 -1 5 ; Ezek. 1 :1 -2 8 ; Luke 2 :9 -1 3 ; 9 :2 9 -3 1 ; Jo h n 1 2 :2 8 ; A c ts 1 3 :2 ; 2 6 :1 3 -1 8 ; R ev. 1 :1 1 -1 6 ). Ur, A b ram ’s city, w as d e v o te d to th e M oon-god, as Ephesus to D iana (A c ts 1 9 :2 8 ), a n d he, doubtless, an ido la te r. H is fa th e r T e rah , says trad itio n , m a d e ido ls (Jo sh u a 2 4 :1 4 , 1 5 ). H e w as called “ from ido ls to serv e th e living an d tru e G od , a n d to w a it fo r H is Son from h e a v e n ” (1 Thess. 1:9, 1 0 ). ( 2 ) “T e ra h to o k A b ram ,” etc. (G en . 1 1 :2 9 -3 1 ). P e rh a p s A b ram first c o n v e rte d his fa th e r a n d they m ig ra ted tog e th e r. L ike m o st w a k e n e d sinners th ey w ere slow to “ fol low fully” a n d th ey d e lay ed a t H a ra n (w hich, say some, m ean s “business,” an d som e “ d ry ” or “p a rc h e d ” ; a n d business h ind ers m any, an d d ries th e springs o f sp ir ituality. A b ram w ou ld first b u ry his fa th e r (M att. 8 :2 1 , 2 2 ) . T h e L o rd d em a n d s “im m ed ia te a n d u n co n d i tio n a l su rre n d e r” like P au l’s (A c ts 2 6 :1 9 ) . P e rh a p s grief, d e a th , as w ith m any, b ro u g h t A b ram to o b e d ience ; an d th e n again, th e L o rd said, “G e t th e e o u t,” etc. (v . 1 ). So to L o t in S o d om (ch. 19 :16 , 1 7 ), a n d us in th e w o rld (2 Cor. 6 :1 7 ;
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