charges! ‘He that sent Me is with Me,’ said the Master; and He who
sends His servants now is surely with them also, for the promise
stands, ‘Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the age.’ In all
our efforts for the salvation of men, we are dependent upon the power
of the Spirit of God; for no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but
by the Holy Ghost. But if those of us who work at home are conscious
of this, those who labor in Mohammedan countries realize it most
intensely. Amongst the masses at home, what we have to contend against
mostly is indifference; but there it is deeply-rooted prejudice, aye,
even in many cases, hatred to Jesus as the Son of God. But the battle
is the Lord’s, not ours; we are but instruments to carry out His
purposes. The Spirit has been sent forth from the Father to ‘convict
THE WORLD of sin,’ and we are not justified in making any reservation
in the case of Mohammedans—yea, may we not expect that if there be a
nation or race on the earth more inaccessible than another, more averse
to the gospel, more hardened against its teachings, that there the Lord
will show ‘the exceeding greatness of His power’ by calling out some
from their midst whom He may make ‘chosen vessels’ to bear His name to
others? Has not that been His mode of working in time past?”
3. There is no land in the world and no people (with the exception
of Palestine and the Jews) which bear such close relation to the
Theocratic covenants and Old Testament promises as Arabia and the
Arabs. The promises for the final victory of the Kingdom of God in
Arabia are many, definite and glorious. These promises group themselves
around seven names which have from time immemorial been identified
with the peninsula of Arabia: _Ishmael_, _Kedar_, _Nebaioth_, _Sheba_,
_Seba_, _Midian_ and _Ephah_. We select these names only, omitting
others which have an indirect reference to Arabia or the Arabs, as well
as those promises, so numerous and glorious, concerning the wilderness
and desert-lands. The latter would surely, for the dwellers of
Palestine, have primary reference to Northern Arabia; but our argument
is strong enough without these general promises.[160]
In order to understand the promises given to the sons of Ishmael, Kedar
and Nebaioth, we need first to know the relation which Ishmael bears to
the Abrahamic covenant and the place he occupies in God’s plan for the
nations as outlined in the book of Genesis.
Hagar, the mother of the Arabian patriarch, seems to have occupied a
prominent place in Abraham’s household and appears to have brought to
that position not only mental gifts but also an inward participation
in the faith of the God of Abraham. She was probably added to the
family of faith during Abraham’s sojourn in Egypt and occupied the same
position toward the female servants that Eliezer of Damascus did to the
male servants. It is when she was driven forth into the wilderness by
the jealous harshness of Sarah that we have the first revelation of God
regarding her seed. “The angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of
water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.”[161] And
He said, Whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I
flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the Lord said
unto her, Return to thy mistress and submit thyself under her hands.
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, ... “I will multiply thy seed
exceedingly that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel
of the Lord said unto her, Behold thou art with child, and shall bear a
son and shalt call his name Ishmael [God will hear]; because the Lord
hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man, his hand will be
against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell
in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the
Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also
here looked after Him that seeth me.”
It is plain from the context that the angel of the Lord and the Lord
Himself are here identified; it was the angel of Jehovah, the angel
of the covenant or the Christ of the Old Testament. Why should this
“angel” first appear to the Egyptian bondwoman? Is it according to
the law that the Lord always reveals Himself first to the poorest,
most distressed and receptive hearts or was it the special office of
the covenant angel to seek “that which was lost” from the patriarchal
church at its very beginning? Lange suggests in his commentary that
the “Angel of Jehovah, as the Christ who was to come through Isaac
had a peculiar reason for assisting Hagar, since she for the sake of
the future Christ is involved in this sorrow.” In any case the special
revelation and the special promise was given to Hagar not only but
to her seed. Christ, if we may so express it, outlines the future
history and character of the Ishmaelites as well as their strength and
glory; but He also gives them a spiritual promise in the God-given
name, _Ishmael_, Elohim will hear. Without this the theophany loses
it true character. Ishmael as the child of Abraham could not be left
undistinguishable among the heathen. It was for Abraham’s sake that the
revelation included the unborn child in its promises.
The fulfillment of the promise that Ishmael’s seed should multiply
exceedingly has never been more clearly stated than by the geographer
Ritter: “Arabia, whose population consists to a large extent of
Ishmaelites, is a living fountain of men whose streams for thousands
of years have poured themselves far and wide to the east and west.
Before Mohammed its tribes were found in all border-Asia, in the East
Indies as early as the middle ages; and in all North Africa it is the
cradle of all the wandering hordes. Along the whole Indian ocean down
to Molucca they had their settlements in the middle ages; they spread
along the coast to Mozambique; their caravans crossed India to China,
and in Europe they peopled Southern Spain and ruled it for seven
hundred years.” Where there has been such clear fulfillment of the
promise of natural increase, is there no ground that _God will hear_
and give spiritual blessing also and that Ishmael “shall dwell in the
presence of all his brethren” in the new covenant of grace?
[Illustration: THE RESCUED SLAVE BOYS AT MUSCAT.]
Thirteen years after the first promise to Ishmael we hear the promise
renewed just after the institution of circumcision, the sign of the
covenant of faith. “And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might
[even yet] live before Thee. And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear
thee a son indeed; and thou shall call his name Isaac: and I will
establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with
his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee....” What
is the significance of Abraham’s prayer for Ishmael? Is it probable
that he merely asks for temporal prosperity and for length of life?
This is the idea of some commentators but none of them explain why the
prayer asks that Ishmael may live “_before God_.” Keil and others, more
correctly we think, regard the prayer of Abraham as arising out of his
anxiety lest Ishmael should not have _any_ part in the blessings of the
covenant. The fact that the answer of God contains no denial of the
prayer of Abraham is in favor of this interpretation.
[Illustration: THE ARABIAN MISSION HOUSE AT MUSCAT.]
In the prayer Abraham expresses his anticipation of an indefinite
neglect of Ishmael which was painful to his parental heart. He asks
for him, therefore, a life from God in the highest sense. Else what
does the circumcision of Ishmael mean? The sealing or ratifying of
the covenant of God with Abraham _through Isaac’s seed_, embraces not
only the seed of Isaac, but all those who in a wider sense are sharers
of the covenant, Ishmael and his descendants. And however much the
Arabs may have departed from the _faith_ of Abraham they have for all
these centuries remained faithful to the _sign_ of the old covenant
by the rite of circumcision. This is one of the most remarkable facts
of history. _Circumcision is not once alluded to in the Koran_, and
Moslem writers offer no explanation for the omission. Yet the custom is
universal in Arabia, and from them it passed over with other traditions
to all the Moslem world. The Moslems date circumcision from Abraham and
circumcise at a late period. The Arabs in “the time of ignorance” also
practiced the rite; an uncircumcised person is unknown even among those
Bedouins who know nothing of Islam save the name of the prophet.[162]
“As for Ishmael I have heard thee.” For the third time we read of a
special revelation to prove God’s love for the son of the bondmaid.
In the pathetic story of Hagar’s expulsion, Ishmael is the centre
figure.[163] His mocking was its cause; for _his_ sake it was grievous
in Abraham’s sight to expel them. To Ishmael again is there a special
promise, “because he is thy seed.” When the water is spent in the
bottle and Hagar turns away from seeing the death of the child, it was
not her weeping but the lad’s prayer that brought deliverance from
heaven. “And the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven and said
unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the
voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him by
thine hand; for I will make of him a great nation. And God opened her
eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle
with water and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad.”
No less does this history show the moral beauty of Hagar’s character,
her tender mother love and all the beautiful traits of a maternal
solicitude than the repentance of Ishmael. God heard his voice; God
forgave his sinful mocking; God confirmed his promise; God saved his
life; God was with the lad. The Providence of God watched over Ishmael.
Long years after he seems to have visited his father Abraham, for we
read that when the patriarch died in a good old age “his sons Isaac
and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah.” No mention is made
here of the sons of Keturah. And twice in the Bible the generations
of Ishmael are recorded in full[164] in order to bind together the
prophecies of Genesis with the Messianic promises of Isaiah for the
seed of Ishmael.
The twelve princes, sons of Ishmael, whose names are recorded “by their
towns and their castles” were undoubtedly the patriarchs of so many
Arab tribes. Some of the names can be distinctly traced through history
and others are easily identified with modern clans in Arabia. Mibsam,
_e. g._, seems to correspond with the Nejd clan of _Bessam_ some of
whom are merchants at Busrah; Mishma is surely the same as the Arabic
_Bni Misma_; while nearly all commentators agree that Duma is _Dumat
el Jendal_ in North Arabia, one of the oldest Arabic settlements.
Aside from conjecture two names stand prominent and well-known in
profane history; _Nebajoth_ and _Kedar_. Pliny in his natural history
mentions them together as the Nabatœi et Cedrei and the Arab historians
are familiar with the names. Undoubtedly the Nabatans are related to
Nebajoth; although this is denied by Quartremere it is affirmed by M.
Chwolson and is the universal opinion of the Arabs themselves.
Now it is these very two names, whose identity no one questions, that
are the centre of glorious promises. It is generally known that the
sixtieth chapter of Isaiah is the gem of missionary prophecy in the
Old Testament; but it does not occur to every one that a large portion
of it consists of special promises for Arabia. “The multitude of
camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah, (Sons
of Keturah, Gen. xxv. 1-5); all they from Sheba (South Arabia or
Yemen) shall come; they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall
show forth the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar shall be
gathered together unto thee; the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto
thee: they shall come up with acceptance upon mine altar and I will
glorify the house of my glory. Who are these that fly as a cloud and as
doves to their windows?”
These verses read in connection with the grand array of promises that
precede them leave no room for doubt that the sons of Ishmael have a
large place in this coming glory of the Lord and the brightness of His
rising. It has only been delayed by our neglect to evangelize Northern
Arabia but God will keep His promise yet and Christ shall see of the
travail of His soul, among the camel-drivers and shepherds of Arabia.
And then shall be fulfilled that other promise significantly put in
Isaiah xlii. for this part of the peninsula: “Sing unto the Lord a new
song and His praise from the end of the earth ... let the wilderness
and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar
doth inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from
the top of the mountains.” It is all there, with geographical accuracy
and up-to-date; “_cities in the wilderness_” that is Nejd under its
present government; Kedar forsaking the nomad tent and becoming
villagers; and the rock-dwellers of Medain Salih! “And I will bring the
blind by a way they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have
not known: I will make darkness light before them and crooked things
straight.” The only proper name, the only geographical centre of the
entire chapter is _Kedar_. In two other prophecies,[165] which have no
Messianic character, Kedar is referred to _as synonymous with Arabia_.
Another group of missionary promises for Arabia cluster round the names
_Seba_ and _Sheba_. “All they from Sheba shall come; they shall bring
gold and incense and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord.”
(Is. lx. 6.) “The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea all
kings shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him.... He
shall live and to Him shall be given of the gold of Sheba; prayer also
shall be made for Him continually and daily shall He be praised.” The
Messianic character of this psalm is generally acknowledged.
Where are Seba and Sheba? Who are they? Three Shebas are referred to in
genealogy and prophecy. 1. A son of Raamah, son of Cush; 2. A son of
Joktan; 3. A son of Jokshan son of Keturah. But all of these find their
dwelling-place in what is now Southern Arabia. The Joktanite Sheba
is the kingdom of the Himyarites in Yemen.[166] The kingdom of Sheba
embraced the greater part of Yemen; its chief cities and probably its
successive capitals were Seba, Sana (Uzal), and Zaphar (Sephar). Seba,
the oldest capital, is identical with the present _Marib_, northeast
of Sana; for EzZejjaj in the Taj El Aroos dictionary says, “Seba was
the city of Marib or the country in the Yemen of which the city was
Marib.” Ptolemy’s map makes plain what the Romans and Greeks understood
by Seba and Sheba. The Cushite Sheba settled somewhere on the shores
of the Persian Gulf. In the _Marasid_ Stanley-Poole says he found “an
identification which appears to be satisfactory—that on the island
of Awāl, one of the Bahrein islands are the ruins of an ancient city
called Seba.”
The same authority holds that the Keturahite Sheba formed one tribe
with the Cushite Sheba and also dwelt in Eastern Arabia. Sheba has
always been a land of gold and incense and we are only beginning to
know a little of the opulence and glory of the ancient Himyarite
kingdom in Yemen from the lately discovered inscriptions and ruins.
In the same psalm that gives these promises to Southern and Eastern
Arabia we have this remarkable verse: “He shall have dominion also from
sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that
dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him and His enemies shall lick
the dust.” _The_ river referred to is undoubtedly the Euphrates[167]
and the boundaries given are intended to include the ideal extent
of the promised land. Now it is, to say the least, remarkable that
modern Jewish commentators interpret this passage together with the
forty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel so as to include _the whole peninsula
of Arabia_ in the land of promise. I have seen a curious map, printed
by Jews in London, on which the twelve restored tribes had each their
strip of territory right across Arabia from the Red Sea to the Gulf and
including Palestine and Syria.
Isaac Da Costa, the great Dutch poet, who was of Jewish descent gathers
together in his epic, “Hagar,” some of these Bible promises for the
sons of Ishmael.[168]
“Mother of Ishmael! The word that God hath spoken
Never hath failed the least, nor was His promise broken.
Whether in judgment threatened or as blessing given;
Whether for time and earth or for eternal heaven,
To Esau or to Jacob....
The patriarch prayed to God, while bowing in the dust:
’Oh that before thee Ishmael might live!’—His prayer, his trust.
Nor was that prayer despised, _that_ promise left alone
Without fulfillment. For the days shall come
When Ishmael shall bow his haughty chieftain head
Before that Greatest Chief of Isaac’s royal seed.
Thou, favored Solomon, hast first fulfillment seen
Of Hagar’s promise, when came suppliant Sheba’s queen.
Next Araby the blest brought Bethlehem’s newborn King,
Her myrrh and spices, gold and offering.
Again at Pentecost they came, first-fruits of harvest vast;
When, to adore the name of Jesus, at the last
To Zion’s glorious hill the nation’s joy to share
The scattered flocks of Kedar all are gathered there,
Nebajoth, Hefa, Midian....
Then Israel shall know Whose heart their hardness broke,
Whose side they pierced, Whose curse they dared invoke.
And then, while at His feet they mourn His bitter death,
Receive His pardon....
Before Whose same white throne Gentile and Jew shall meet
With Parthian, Roman, Greek, the far North and the South,
From Mississippi’s source to Ganges’ giant mouth,
And every tongue and tribe shall join in one new song,
Redemption! Peace on earth and good-will unto men;
The purpose of all ages unto all ages sure. Amen.
Glory unto the Father! Glory the Lamb, once slain,
Spotless for human guilt, exalted now to reign!
And to the Holy Ghost, life-giver, whose refreshing
Makes all earth’s deserts bloom with living showers of blessing!”
* * * * *
“Mother of Ishmael! I see thee yet once more, Thee, under burning
skies and on a waveless shore! Thou comfortless, soul storm tossed,
tempest shaken, Heart full of anguish and of hope forsaken, Thou, too,
didst find at last God’s glory all thy stay! He came. He spake to thee.
He made thy night His day. As then, so now. Return to Sarah’s tent And
Abraham’s God, and better covenant, And sing with Mary, through her
Saviour free, ‘God of my life, Thou hast looked down on me.’”
But Arabia, although it has all this wealth of promise, is not a
field for _feeble_ faith. Yet we can learn to look at this barren
land because of these promises with the same reckless, uncalculating,
_defiant_ confidence in which Abraham “without being weakened in faith,
considered his own body now as good as dead” (R. V.) “but waxed strong
through faith giving glory to God.” The promises are great because the
obstacles are great; that the glory of the plan as well as the glory
of the work may be to God alone. Arabia needs men who will believe as
seeing the Invisible. Six hundred years ago Raymond Lull wrote: “It
seems to me that the Holy Land cannot be won in any other way than that
whereby Thou, O Lord Jesus Christ, and Thy Holy Apostles won it, by
love and prayer, and the shedding of tears and blood.”
A lonely worker among Moslems in North Africa recently wrote: “Yes
it is lives poured out that these people need—a sowing in tears—in a
measure that perhaps no heathen land requires; they need a Calvary
before they get their Pentecost. Thanks be unto God for a field like
this: in the light of eternity we could ask no higher blessedness than
the chance it gives of fellowship with His Son.”
The dumb spirit of Islam has possessed Arabia from its childhood for
thirteen hundred years; “he teareth and he foameth and gnasheth with
his teeth and pineth away.” “And He said unto them this kind can come
forth by nothing but by prayer and fasting.” “_If thou canst believe,
all things are possible to him that believeth._” (Mark ix. 14-29.)
Life for Arabia must come from the Life-Giver. “I believe in the Holy
Ghost,” therefore mission-work in Arabia will prove the promise of God
true in every particular and to its fullest extent. “O that Ishmael
might live ... as for Ishmael I have heard thee.”
“Speed on, ye heralds, bringing
Life to the desert slain;
Till in its mighty winging,
God’s spirit comes to reign
From death to new-begetting,
God shall the power give,
Shall choose them for crown-setting
And Ishmael shall live.
“So speaks the promise, bringing
The age of Jubilee
To every home and tenting,
From Tadmor to the sea.
The dead to life are risen,
The glory spreads abroad,
The desert answers heaven,
Hosannas to the Lord!”
Appendix I
A CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE