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M atchless m e th o d o f teach ing a m atchless tru th , b y m atch less story! 3. The typical persons: ( 1 ) A F a th e r, A b ra h am ; ( 2 ) an on ly son, Isaac; ( 3 ) a stew ard , E liezer ( “G o d th e H e lp e r” ) , “ o v e r all th a t he h a d ;” ( 4 ) a m aiden , “v e ry fair to lo o k u p o n ,” (v e rse 16 ) R ebekah . 4. The antitypical persons. In re d em p tio n w e h a v e : ( 1 ) A F ath er, G o d ; ( 2 ) an pn ly Son, Jesu s; ( 3 ) a stew a rd (th e H e lp o f G o d ) , th e H o ly Spirit, d isp en ser of all g ra c e ; ( 4 ) a virgin, th e C hu rch (2 Cor. I 1:2). 5. The wooing, winning, and wedding. ( 1 ) It beg in s w ith th e F a th e r (E ph . 1:3, 4 ; Gal. 1 :6 ; Col. 1 :1 3 ) ; ( 2 ) fo r th e Son, now w ith th e F a th e r (G en . 2 2 :1 9 ; J o h n 1 5 :2 6 ; 1 6 :7 ) ; ( 3 ) b y th e Spirit who (a ) m a k e s th e jo u rn ey (A c ts 2 :1 -3 ) in H is ag en ts (A c ts 13 :2 ) ; ( b ) w ith intercession (G en . 2 4 :1 2 -1 4 ; A cts 1 3 :3 ; Rom . 8 :2 6 ) ; (c ) a n d u n d e r P ro v id en c e (G en . 2 4 :1 5 -2 1 ; A cts 16:9, 1 0 ), com es to th e righ t p lace (A c ts 16:1 1-34; 17 :9 , 1 0 ) ; a n d to th e chosen person s (R om . 8 :2 8 - 3 0 ) . ( 4 ) T h e virgin en te rta in s th e S tew a rd {A cts 1 6 :1 5 ), an d says, “ I will go” I f Thes. 1:9, 1 0 ;. Ps. 4 5 :1 0 ; 1 Pet. 1 :8 ). ( 5 ) T h e S tew a rd ( a ) bestow s H is earnests an d gifts (E ph . 1:13, 14; Gal. 5 :2 2 , 2 3 ; 1 Cor. 12:1 — ) ; ( b ) accom pan ies th e b rid e (Jo h n 1 4 :1 7 ) ; (c ) discourses o f Jesus b y th e w ay (J o h n 1 4 :2 6 ; 1 5 :2 6 ; 1 6 :1 3 , 1 4 ) ; ( 6 ) th e B ride an d B rideg room m e e t on th e w ay (G en . 2 4 :6 3 -6 5 ; 1 Thess, 4 :1 3 - 1 8 ) . ( 7 ) T h e y w ere m a rried in S a rah ’s ten t. A n d “ in th e la n d ” th e k ing d om nup tials shall y e t ta k e place, an d Isaac (C h rist) will b e c om fo rt ed b y th e glorious G en tile B ride th a t cam e th ro u g h th e d e a th of S arah (R om . 11 :2 5 -2 9 ). “ A ll Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” * *The first 19 verses of^Hebrews 11 comprise the Re view for March SO.
th e p rom ised lan d . See G enesis 1 2 :6 “T h e C an a an ite w as th e n in th e la n d ” (A c ts 7 :5 ) . “H e gave him n on e inh e ritan c e in it, no, n o t so m uch as to p u t his foo t on (H eb . 1 1 :3 9 ) . "T h e se all received n o t th e p rom ise .” T h is is th e m e an ing of A b ra h am ’s purchase, it w as to show ( 1 ) th a t h e d id n o t own so "much k s a g rav e in th e la n d ; ( 2 ) th a t h e b eliev ed “G o d w ou ld give it to him fo r a possession” (A c ts 7 :5, A . R. V .) ; th is ( 3 ) in v o lv ed th e re su rre c tion, th e b o d y of la n d d em a n d s th e b o d y of flesh. T h e re fo re “A b ra h am rose up from b e fo re his d e a d ’ a n d la id th e sacred d u st to sleep “ till th e Seed shou ld com e” (G a l. 3 :1 9 ; J o h n 8 :5 6 ) . G o d said A b ra h am shou ld h av e the land forever, h e d id n o t g et a foo t o f it as a g ift from G o d ; G o d can n o t lie, A b ra h am m ust rise; w e a re heirs w ith A b ra h am (G a l. 3 :3 9 ) . ' III. Isaac and His Bride. 1. A notable group of chapters. C h a p te r 22 g av e (in in te n t) th e d e a th a n d rising again of Isaac; 23 th e d e a th an d b u ria l o f S a rah ; 24 th e w oo ing an d w e d d in g of Isaac. Paul says th a t 16 is an * allegory” (G al. 4 :2 4 , 2 5 ) . L et u s ta k e th e h in t in u n fo ld ing G enesis 2 2 -24 . T h e ir o r d e r is th a t o f history. ( 1 ) C hrist (Isa a c ) w as offered a n d ra ised ; ( 2 ) Israel (S a ra h ) th e n atio n a l m o th e r d ied an d w as b u ried (E zek. 3 7 :1 , 2, 1 1 ; Rom . 11: 1 5 ) ; ( 3 ) th e F a th e r (A b ra h am ) p ro cu re s a b rid e (th e C hu rch ) fo r C h rist (Is a a c ), now re tu rn ed alive to th e F a th e r’s house. Do you th in k th is ano logy a c c id en ta l an d th e ap p lic a tion fanciful? A s you will. F o r us, w ith this strang e b o o k in h an d , a n d P au l’s h in t (G al. 4 :2 4 , 2 5 ) , w e go on to exp lain : 2. Why the longest chapter in Genesis is devoted to the wooing, winning, and wedding of Rebekah; a n d to say, becau se it sp eak s “ co n cern ing C hrist a n d th e Church.
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