IT is with a sense of relief that one turns from the dark picture of Cain, and the “dwellers on earth,” and the sad history of Lot, to the bright one of Abraham, the last of the three characters named in a previous paper.
In Gen. 11:2727Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. (Genesis 11:27) we read of his birth, and from Josh. 24:22And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. (Joshua 24:2) we learn that Terah, the father of Abram, was an idolater, dwelling in Ur of the Chaldees. God calls Abram to come out, and he does so, as we have already seen.
At Haran, however, he and those with him pause, and God has again to speak. Haran is not the promised land, and once more Abram has to go forth, until at length he comes to the land of Canaan, and here God appears to him, and says, “Unto thy seed will I give this land.” Gen. 12:77And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him. (Genesis 12:7).)
What now is the next thing told us of Abram? Why, in this same verse (7) we read: “And there bulled he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him.” He becomes at once a worshipper; he is filled with the thoughts of God’s wondrous dealings with him, and his heart flows out in worship. Oh! can we not learn a lesson? If we have obeyed the call, referred to before, of Matt. 11:2828Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28), what has been the effect upon us? And note this difference: Abram was called of God to come to a promised land; you and dear fellow-christian, have been called to a blessed, Person. He says, “COME to ME.” He, the holy and spotless Lamb of God, died to put away the sin that was the obstacle which kept us away from God, and now, having put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, He calls us to Himself. Oh, how much, more cause have we to worship than even Abram had! We are not only brought to Him, but united to Him, are made members of His body, and, as such, are privileged to meet, every first day of the week, around the table of the Lord, Christ Himself in our midst, to praise and worship Him. Do we value this precious privilege? or do we allow the least little thing to hinder us from being present? Let us take the lesson Abram’s life would teach us.
The rest of chapter 12 records failure: Abram being pressed by famine, instead of relying upon God to supply his need, goes down to Egypt and falls into sin. It is ever thus when we get off the path of faith, we fall into sin; and, but for the longsuffering and patience of our God, where should we often be? But God follows Abram, and brings him back again, to the very place where he had at first pitched his tent and where his altar was. (Chap. 13:3, 4.) And then Abram is in a fit state for God to reveal Himself to him again, as we shall soon see.
We have noticed in the history of Lot, how Abram gives his nephew the choice of land, being quite content to leave himself in God’s hands. Is he disappointed? Or is he left without the blessing? Let us look at verses 14-18. As soon as Lot has separated from him, the Lord speaks to him, and tells him to look north, south, east, and west: “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever;” and again Abram worships.
This is ever God’s way, He gives us infinitely more than we are ever called on to give up for Him; the Lord Jesus Christ says, in answer to Peter who had said, “Lo, we have left all, and followed thee,” that he shall receive manifold more; ah, dear fellow-christian, in however small a way it may have been, yet have we not proved this true, the more we cleave to Christ, turning’ away from the world, the more precious we find Him and the deeper our happiness—would that we knew more of it!
Chapter 14 gives the account of Abram’s victory over the conquerors of Sodom and Gomorrah, and his rescue of Lot; on his return, Melchisedec, king of Salem, a wondrous type of Christ (see Heb. 5:6-106As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 7Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec. (Hebrews 5:6‑10)), meets him, and blesses him in the name of the Most High God possessor of heaven and earth; and Abram gives him tithes of all.
The king of Sodom then offers to Abram the recovered goods; but the servant of the Most High God will receive nothing at the hands of the world (of which, as we have seen, Sodom is a type), not even a shoe-latchet will he have; Abram will be rich only by the bounty of God, for he adds, “lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.” (Ver. 23.)
And now how beautiful are the opening words of chapter 15. “After these things,” when Abram, entirely separate from the world, is living in faith and dependence on God, the Lord appears to him, and says, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”
What blessed words, how they must have rejoiced Abram’s heart to hear, what rich compensation for everything else! But this is not all: God promises him a son, and confirms it by the smoking furnace and burning lamp in the sacrifice; and in verse 18 again promises to him the land, and to his seed, from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates.
In chapter 16. Abram and Sarah fail, and seek to make good the promise in their own way, instead of waiting for God to accomplish His own word, in His own time.
But in spite of his failure, God again promises him a son (chap. 17.), and makes a covenant with him, changing his name from Abram to Abraham, which means a father of a great multitude; and from then on to the end of his life we see how Abraham lived in communion with God; and to him the Spirit of God in scripture twice gives the wondrous title of the “Friend of God,” (2 Chron. 20:77Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever? (2 Chronicles 20:7); Jas. 2:2323And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. (James 2:23).)
Yet wondrous as this is, the portion of the believer now is infinitely more so. We are told in 1 John 3:1-31Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. (1 John 3:1‑3), that we are the sons of God, and in the first chapter of that same Epistle (ver. 3) we learn, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Why do we know so little of it? Even because the things of this world come in, and we too often walk in darkness instead of the light of His presence; the Holy Spirit that dwells in each believer (1 Cor. 6:19, 2019What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19‑20)) cannot take of the things of Christ, and show them unto us (John 16:13-1513Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16:13‑15)) if our minds and hearts are running on the earth, and the things of this life. Oh, let us see to it that we obey the apostle Paul’s injunction, “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” It was only “after these things,” when Abraham would receive nothing from, and have nothing to do with, Sodom, that God did thus commune with
In the end of chapter 18 we find Abraham, who is, as it were, above the scene in company with the Lord, looking down on those guilty cities, and thinking of the erring Lot, when he hears of their coming doom, intercedes on their behalf. Lot at the same moment is in Sodom, the very place where judgment is to fall, and little knows of the deliverance which he is about to experience in answer to his uncle’s prayers.