who had saved their fathers in the ark. They began to worship idols as
the people did before the flood.
Then Nimrod gathered these wicked people together and went with them to
the plain of Shinar. Nimrod was a grandson of Ham, and a great grandson
of Noah. He was a mighty hunter, and became famous in the earth.
The Lord wanted the people to move in small companies into different
places all over the earth. In this way it could be best settled and
subdued, or cultivated.
Nimrod wanted to build large cities and keep the people together. In
this way he wished to establish a government that would finally rule
the world.
"The beginning of his kingdom was Babel." In this city they decided to
build a great tower that would be the wonder of the world. They thought
they would make the tower so high that they could go to the top of it
and be safe if ever there came another flood.
God had promised that He would never again destroy the world by a
flood, but these people did not believe God. They forgot that if God
could bring a flood on the earth He could also destroy any city and
tower that man could build.
For a long time the work of building this great tower went forward
rapidly. It was finished inside into many rooms, some of which were
used as temples for idol worship.
How long they were at work on this tower we do not know, but it reached
to a great height. The builders were much pleased with their work, and
praised the gods of silver and gold. They believed that these idols
were giving them success.
[Illustration: "Then the people were scattered abroad in the earth."]
Then the Lord interfered with their work. He would teach the people
that He was the true and all-powerful God. He would show to the world
that their idols could not help them nor give them any real success.
It is always best to trust and obey the true God. He alone can give
true happiness and success. Some people now trust in their riches. Some
trust in their strength. Some trust in their education. But almost
every day we hear of some rich man who has lost his wealth, some strong
man who loses his strength by sickness, some educated man who has
failed in his work.
But the man who obeys God and walks in His ways in this world, is sure
of success. He may not be rich, nor strong, nor have great learning,
but he will have true happiness and a reward by and by greater than all
the world can give.
Before building the tower of Babel the whole world spoke one language,
and the people could understand one another easily. But when their work
seemed most successful, the Lord made them speak different languages.
None could understand what the others were saying.
Soon all was confusion. If the workmen ordered brick sent to them, they
got mortar. If they ordered stone, perhaps they got wood. This made the
workman very angry, and their work ended in disappointment and strife.
Then the people were scattered abroad in the earth as God intended they
should be. The tower was then called the tower of Babel, which means
tower of confusion.
Many years afterward the city of Babylon was built around this tower,
and the tower was used as a temple of their god Belus. The tower was
then named the Temple of Belus.
[Illustration: "And he went out, not knowing whither he went."]
[Illustration]
The Call of Abraham.
AFTER the people were scattered from Babel, they became more wicked
than before. Nearly all turned from the true God, and worshiped idols.
Abraham remained true to God; but even his father's household were
beginning to worship false gods. The world then was about as wicked as
before the flood.
Then God chose Abraham to represent Him in the earth. He would call him
the father of the faithful, which means those who have faith, or who
believe God. He would give His truth a new start, as He did when He
chose Noah before the flood.
God would not destroy the sinners, as He did at the flood, but would
call Abraham out from among them. Then through Abraham He would give to
the world the knowledge of the only true God.
But the Lord must separate Abraham from his own kindred and friends,
and teach him, and fit him to be the father of a nation that should
serve Him. Hence Abraham must leave his home, and go where the wicked
lives of his friends and relatives would not lead him away from God.
And God said, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and
from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee." Genesis
12:1.
Abraham obeyed at once. "And he went out, not knowing whither he
went." He loved his home, but he loved to obey God more than he loved
his home or friends. He did not even know where he was going. He simply
trusted God.
The Lord led him to the land of Canaan, or Palestine. Lot, who was his
nephew, was the only one of his relatives who went with him.
Abraham was very rich. He had vast flocks and herds and a large number
of servants to care for them. Lot had also large flocks and many
servants.
When Abraham finally pitched his tents in Canaan, he was distressed
to find the country filled with idolatry. Idols were worshiped in the
temples and groves, and human beings were sacrificed upon the hills.
But the Lord appeared to him in the night and said, "Unto thy seed
will I give this land," and, "I will multiply thy seed as the stars of
heaven."
This gave him hope and courage, "And there builded he an altar unto the
Lord who appeared unto him." Genesis 12:7. He did the same as Abel and
Noah. He offered a lamb. This shows that he believed in Jesus who was
to die for the sins of the world.
The Lord prospered Abraham in Canaan, and his wealth, his flocks and
herds, increased wonderfully. By the example of his life the Canaanites
learned of the true God.
Wherever he pitched his tent he built an altar to the true God, and
morning and evening called his large family together to sacrifice and
prayer.
Thus the Canaanites learned of the God of Abraham. They saw that the
Lord was with him. But idol worship had so strong a hold upon them that
few turned to the true God.
By and by there came a great drought in Canaan. The rain ceased to
fall, the streams were dried, and the grass withered. It seemed that
his whole encampment must perish.
Then Abraham journeyed to Egypt where he remained until the rains
again filled the streams and caused the grass to grow in Canaan.
By this visit to Egypt the people there learned of the true God. Thus,
in His own way the knowledge of a promised Saviour was taken by Abraham
to the great countries of Canaan and Egypt.
It was God's plan that through Abraham and his descendants the whole
world should learn of the "good news" of salvation from sin and death,
through Christ who was to suffer for men, and thus buy them back to God
and happiness.
[Illustration: The Departure of Hagar.]
But Abraham had no children, and Sarah, his wife, did not believe that
God would give her a son. So she got Abraham to marry her Egyptian
maid, Hagar. But the Lord said that His promise was not to be fulfilled
through Ishmael, the son of this woman, but through a son whom He would
give Sarah. So after Isaac was born, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away;
for the Lord had said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called."
[Illustration: The Flight from Sodom.]
[Illustration]
The Destruction of Sodom.
ABRAHAM returned from Egypt "very rich in cattle, in silver, and in
gold." Lot was still with him, and their flocks and herds became so
great that they could not find pasture for them all together.
So Abraham said to Lot, "Is not the whole land before thee? Separate
thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou wilt take the left hand, then I
will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will
go to the left."
Abraham was the elder, and the choice should have been his. But he was
not selfish, and so gave the choice to the younger man, his nephew.
Lot selfishly chose the plain of Jordan. This was the most beautiful
and productive portion of all the land of Canaan. And he "pitched his
tent toward Sodom."
But Lot did not stop to consider that Sodom and the other cities of the
plain were very wicked. He thought only of his own interests, and was
soon living in the city of Sodom itself. His daughters married wicked
men of Sodom, and so forgot God. Lot could now see the evil of choosing
his home among wicked people.
At last Sodom and some of the other cities near it became so wicked
that God would not suffer them to remain. He must destroy them from off
the earth. But first the Lord would tell Abraham what He was about to
do.
One day when it was very warm, Abraham sat in the door of his tent.
Soon he saw three strangers coming toward him. He ran to them and asked
them to come and sit under a tree and rest while he prepared some food
for them to eat.
After they had eaten, two of the men went toward Sodom, but the third,
who was the Lord, or Christ, remained to tell Abraham that He was about
to destroy Sodom.
Then Abraham began to plead for Sodom. He made many requests of the
Lord, and finally gained the promise that if ten righteous people could
be found in Sodom the city would be saved.
In his child-like faith Abraham felt safe when this promise was made.
In the household of Lot alone he thought there must be at least ten who
were true to God. But the evil surroundings of Sodom had corrupted even
the family of Lot.
[Illustration: "And the Lord appeared unto Abraham in the plains of
Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; and he lift
up his eyes, and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him; and when he
saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself
toward the ground." Genesis 18:1, 2.
The Three Angels.]
The two angels who left Abraham came to Lot and told him to take his
sons and daughters, and flee from the city. But these young persons,
who were married to the people of Sodom, would not heed the warning.
Early the next morning the angels told Lot to take his wife and the
two daughters who were with him, and hasten out of the city.
But Lot lingered, for he was sorry to know that some of his children,
his friends, the beautiful city, and all his wealth must be destroyed.
So the angels took hold of them and hastened them out of Sodom.
Then the angel said to them, "Escape for thy life; look not behind
thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest
thou be consumed." And then the angel adds, "For I can not do anything
till thou be come thither."
The angel had said, "Look not behind thee." But the treasure of Lot's
wife was in Sodom. She did not heed the warning of the angel. She loved
her beautiful home and the riches of Sodom more than she loved God. She
proved unworthy of the deliverance that the angels of God had brought
to them, and she turned and looked back to see if God really meant what
he said. That very moment she became a pillar of salt, dead and white
like a marble statue.
When Lot and his daughters were far away, the Lord rained a horrible
tempest of fire and brimstone upon the cities of the plain, and they
were utterly destroyed. The very ground where they stood is now covered
by the Dead Sea.
Thus God showed His hatred of their awful wickedness. They loved sin,
and were not thankful that God had paid the great price of the life of
His only Son in order to save them from doing wrong, if they would only
ask Him for help to do right. Holding on to sin they perished with it,
as many will perish in the last great "lake of fire" "prepared for the
devil and his angels." That fire is not being prepared for man; heaven
is being fitted up for him. Oh that all would accept it!
Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions; I go to prepare a
place for you." Which place are we preparing ourselves for? We are to
make the choice.
[Illustration]
Abraham and Isaac.
GOD had promised Abraham that he should be the father of a great
nation, and that the land of Canaan should be their home. This was not
to come through Ishmael, but through another son.
God had also promised that "in thy seed shall all nations of the earth
be blessed." Genesis 22:18. Paul says, in Galatians 3:16, that the
"seed" here mentioned is Christ; so Genesis 22:18 is a promise that
Christ shall come through the family of Abraham. In Christ all nations
of the earth are blessed, although not all of them accept the blessing.
Abraham was called "The friend of God," because he loved and served the
Lord so faithfully.
He had a son named Isaac, whom he loved very much. God had told Abraham
that Isaac should be his heir, or have all that was Abraham's when he
died. All the blessings promised to Abraham were to come to his son
Isaac.
But a great trial was to come to Abraham to test his faith in God. The
Lord said to him, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou
lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for
a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
Genesis 22:2.
What a terrible test this was! How could God's promise be fulfilled
if Isaac should die? But Abraham did not distrust God nor question His
command. He believed that if Isaac should die God would "raise him up,
even from the dead." Hebrews 11:19.
Early the next morning Abraham took Isaac and two of his servants and
prepared for the long journey. They cut the wood and bound it to the
back of his beast, and started for the place of sacrifice.
None but Abraham knew of the awful command of God. His heart was very
sad as they journeyed three days in silence.
[Illustration: Ascent of Mount Moriah.]
On the third day they came in sight of the mountain God had appointed
as the place of sacrifice.
"And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I
and the lad will go yonder and worship.
"And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon
Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they
went both of them together." Genesis 22:5, 6.
As the two walked on in silence, Isaac finally asked, "My father,"
"behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering?"
This was the first time this question had been asked on the journey.
What pain it must have brought to the heart of the loving father! He
could not tell him yet, so he said, "God will prepare himself a lamb
for a burnt offering."
[Illustration: "Lay not thine hands upon the lad."]
At last they came to the appointed place. They built an altar and
placed upon it the wood. Abraham must now tell his son the command that
God had given. He could keep it no longer.
Isaac heard the message of his fate in sorrow, but he did not resist.
Abraham was a hundred and twenty years old, and weak from grief. Isaac
was twenty years old, and strong and vigorous. He could have escaped
if he had desired to do so, but he, too, had faith in God, and was
obedient to his parents.
Isaac let his aged father bind him down to the wood upon the altar,
just as Jesus was to let Himself be nailed to a cross of wood. The last
good-bye had been said, and the last tender words spoken. Then Abraham
raised the knife to slay his son.
But before the stroke could fall, an angel calls to him from Heaven,
"Abraham, Abraham!" And the patriarch answers, "Here am I."
Then the angel said, "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou
anything unto him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou
hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." Genesis 22:12.
What a joyful command! How easy it was to obey it! Then Abraham saw
a ram caught in the bushes. This he took and offered upon the altar
in the place of his son. Then they journeyed back to their home with
joyful hearts. The Lord blessed Abraham still more because he had
obeyed Him.
[Illustration: The Lord Directs Abraham's Servant In Selecting a Wife
for Isaac. Genesis 24.]
Abraham was willing that Isaac should die, believing it to be best,
just as God was willing that Jesus should die for us, knowing it to be
best.
Isaac was willing to lay down his own life, just as Jesus was willing
to lay down His life for us.
Abraham was spared the awful sorrow of seeing his son die. Another
victim was found. But no one could take the place of Jesus. His Father
and all the angels in Heaven had to see His dreadful death; and it was
all for us.
[Illustration: Jacob Deceiving His Father.]
[Illustration]
Jacob and Esau.
ISAAC had two sons, named Jacob and Esau. Esau was a little older than
Jacob, and was a hunter of wild animals. Jacob was a shepherd, and
cared for his father's sheep.
Esau, the daring hunter, was very dear to his father; but Rebekah loved
Jacob most because he was so kind and careful.
God had said to Rebekah that "the elder shall serve the younger." So
she knew that the Lord would especially bless Jacob, and finally give
him the birthright, which meant that he was to have a double portion of
his father's wealth, and also become the head of the family when his
father died.
The birthright usually went to the eldest son, but the birthright in
the family of Isaac must go to the son who would obey God. He was to be
the father of God's people,--the children of Israel.
Jacob loved God, and was willing to obey Him. He greatly desired the
blessing which the birthright would bring to him. But Esau did not love
God nor care to serve Him. He would rather live the wild, free life of
a hunter, and do as he chose, than have the birthright.
Jacob did not trust God as he should, for he feared that Esau would
have the birthright because he was the eldest son of Isaac. So he
studied all the time to find some plan to get it away from Esau.
[Illustration: Jacob's Dream.]
One day Esau had been in the fields hunting, but had found nothing.
On the way home he became very hungry. Coming to the tent of his
brother he found him preparing his dinner of pottage. "And Esau said to
Jacob, Feed me I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint."
Jacob forgot that he ought to be kind to his brother. He only thought
that this was the chance he had been looking for. "And Jacob said, Sell
me this day thy birthright."
"And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die; and what profit shall
this birthright do to me?" So he sold his birthright to his brother for
a good dinner.
You see Jacob took a mean advantage of his brother when he was faint
and hungry. This made it easier for him afterward to do another great
wrong, and deceive his father. One wrong act always makes it easier to
do another.
When Isaac was very old he became blind. He was still determined to
give the birthright to Esau. So one day he told him to go into the
field and kill a deer and make some savory meat, and then he would
bless him.
But Rebekah heard it, and she was afraid the Lord would let Esau have
the birthright. She thought she must do something to help the Lord keep
His promise that Jacob should be head of the family.
So she told Jacob to kill two young goats, and she made savory meat,
such as Esau made from venison. Then she dressed Jacob in Esau's
clothes, and sent him in to deceive his blind father.
This was very wicked, for Jacob told lies to his father to make him
think that he was Esau. So through falsehood Jacob got the blessing
which made him head of the family.
When Esau returned and learned what Jacob had done, he was very angry.
Fearing that his brother would kill him, Jacob fled from his father's
house, and went to Mesopotamia, where his mother's family lived.
He felt very sorrowful on his journey. He was afraid that his sin was
too great to be forgiven. But one night he confessed it all to God, and
then laid his head on a stone for a pillow, and went to sleep.
In the night the Lord gave him a beautiful dream. In it he saw a ladder
which reached from earth to heaven. On this ladder there were angels
ascending and descending.
At the top of the ladder Jacob saw his Saviour, who told him that He
was the God of Abraham and Isaac, and that He would be his God, and
make him the father of a great nation. This was because Jacob was sorry
for his sins. The Lord promised to go with him on his journey, and
finally bring him back again, and that his children should have the
land of Canaan for their home.
From this place Jacob journeyed until he came to the home of Laban, his
mother's brother. Here he worked hard twenty years.
One night the Lord came to him in a dream, and said, "Arise, get thee
out of this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred." Then Jacob
prepared immediately to return to Canaan.
[Illustration: Jacob and Rachel.]
[Illustration]
Jacob Returns to Canaan.
JACOB had become very rich in sheep and cattle, and had many servants
to care for them. His journey back to Canaan was slow. He was very sad
because of his sin in deceiving his father.
As he neared his old home he learned that Esau was coming against him
with four hundred armed soldiers. Jacob had no soldiers, and was much
afraid.
Then Jacob divided his band into two companies, thinking that at least
one might escape. He then sent servants with splendid presents to Esau,
hoping thus to touch the heart of his brother.
Jacob had now done all that he could do. Then he went by himself to
spend the night in prayer. He knew that God could touch the heart of
his brother, and this was his only hope.
While praying he suddenly felt a hand laid upon him. He thought it was
an enemy seeking his life. He put forth all his strength to escape, but
could not. Jacob struggled and wrestled until near morning.
Then the stranger touched him on the hollow of his thigh, and his thigh
was put out of joint. Then Jacob knew that he had been struggling with
an angel, and not with a man. It was the Lord, his Saviour.
[Illustration: The Meeting of Jacob and Esau.]
Jacob ceased to struggle, and clung to the Angel. He knew he must
have divine help or perish. Unless God should work for him, his brother
Esau would overcome and destroy him.
But Jacob's faith must be fully tested. The Angel said, "Let me go, for
the day breaketh." With the realizing sense of his sins and of his deep
need, he clung to his Lord the closer, and cried, "I will not let Thee
go, except Thou bless me."
And "he had power over the Angel, and prevailed; he wept and made
supplication unto Him; he found Him in Bethel." And the Angel said unto
him, "What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And He said, Thy name shall
be called no more Jacob, but Israel [A prince of God]; for as a prince
hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed."
If we come to God as Jacob did, with confession, with tears, and a
perseverance that will not be denied, we can prevail with Him also.
The Lord sent an angel to soften the heart of Esau. At sight of Jacob
"Esau ran to meet him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and they
wept."
Jacob journeyed to the Jordan, which he crossed, and "came in peace to
the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan." Here he erected
an altar which he named "El-elohe-Israel," which means, "God, the God
of Israel."
[Illustration: Jacob and the Angel.]
[Illustration: The Two Dreams of Joseph.]
[Illustration]
Joseph in Bondage.
JACOB had twelve sons. The ten elder sons were shepherds. They often
went far from home to find grass and water for their father's flocks.
Joseph and Benjamin, the two younger sons, remained at home with their
father.
The elder sons were quarrelsome, and gave their father much trouble.
But Joseph was gentle, kind, and truthful. And Jacob "loved Joseph more
than all his children." To show his love, Jacob made him a beautiful
coat of many colors. These things made his brothers jealous, and they
hated him.
But the Lord was pleased with Joseph because he loved to do right and
obey his father. God had a great work for Joseph to do. So He gave him
two dreams which came true many years afterward.
In his first dream Joseph saw himself and his eleven brothers in the
field binding grain into bundles, or sheaves. And his bundle arose and
stood upright, and his brothers' bundles bowed down to his bundle.
Probably Joseph did not know what his dream meant. Had he known, he
would not have told it to his brothers. When he did tell it to them
they hated him more than ever, and said, "Shalt thou indeed rule over
us?"
Some time after this Joseph dreamed another dream. In this dream he
saw the sun, moon, and eleven stars. And they all bowed down to him. He
told this dream to his father and to his brethren. And his father said
to him, "Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow
down ourselves to thee to the earth?" But years after, when the famine
came, the father, brothers, and their families had to depend on Joseph
for even the food which they ate.