String 3: _The Abrahamic Promise_
Some time after Adam and Eve were driven from Eden children were born to
them, who grew to the estate of manhood and womanhood and they in turn
had children. Cain obtained his wife by marrying his sister. Thus the
peoples of earth gradually increased. They all wandered about in the
earth, earning their bread in the sweat of their face. Some of these
children were bad and some were good. God showed his favor to the good,
as he always favors those who are good. Satan exercised his wicked
influence amongst the people and most of them turned to evil.
[93]Noah was a good man and he and the members of his family served the
Lord Jehovah. Sixteen hundred years and more passed from the time of the
judgment in Eden (during which time the people became very wicked) and
there was great violence in the earth. God purposed to destroy all the
wicked of earth; so he directed Noah to build an ark and to take into
the ark the members of his family; and this done, a great flood of
waters came upon the earth and all living creatures were destroyed
except those in the ark. There were only eight persons left on the earth
after the flood. (Genesis 7:21-23; 1 Peter 3:20) Noah and his sons begat
children and the peoples of earth again increased. Amongst them were
some good and some bad. Amongst those who tried to do the will of God
was a man named Abram, which name was later changed to Abraham. He is
spoken of in the Scriptures as the friend of God. Abraham's wife was
named Sarah.
[94]When Abraham was 75 years of age, Jehovah said to him: "Get thee out
of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto
a land that I will show thee: and I will make of thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a
blessing; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed".
(Genesis 12:1-3) Abraham with his wife and others left Haran for the
land of Canaan. When they had reached a point in that land known as
Sichem, the Lord appeared unto him and said: "Unto thy seed will I give
this land". Abraham builded an altar there, and the place has since been
known as Bethel, which means the house of God. Afterward Abraham dwelt
in the plains of Mamre, which is just above the present site of Hebron
in the southern part of Palestine. While there, God made a covenant with
him, saying: "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of
Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates".--Genesis 15:18.
[95]Thereafter, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared unto
him and said: "I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will
multiply thee exceedingly, ... and thou shalt be a father of many
nations. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land
wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting
possession; and I will be their God." (Genesis 17:2,4,8) Some time
later, when Abraham was sitting at the door of his tent, which was
pitched in the plains of Mamre, there stood before him three men,
messengers from Jehovah. In the plains of Mamre, a short distance above
the town of Hebron, still stands a very ancient oak tree. It is about
thirty feet in circumference. It is claimed that this is Abraham's oak,
where he pitched his tent at the time these holy messengers appeared to
him. Of course we cannot believe this is true, because an oak would not
live that length of time. It is interesting, however, to note this
ancient tree standing approximately at the point where Abraham is
supposed to have resided in his tent. Here it was that Abraham prepared
refreshments for his distinguished visitors; and "he stood by them under
the tree, and they did eat". Here it was that the messenger of Jehovah
told Abraham that he and his wife Sarah would be given a son.--Genesis
18:1-14.
[96]In due time a son was born unto Abraham and Sarah and his name was
called Isaac. (Genesis 21:1-3) Afterward, when the son Isaac had grown
up, Jehovah put Abraham to a great test, and in doing so he made a
picture which foreshadowed the redemption of the human race. This record
appears in the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. God said unto Abraham:
"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) It is
interesting here to note that Mount Moriah is inside of the walls of the
present city of Jerusalem. It was the site of the temple of Solomon, and
supposed to be the very spot where Abraham was met by Melchizedek. It is
the place where Abraham was directed to offer and did offer up his son
Isaac.
[97]Providing himself with wood to be used for the fire, Abraham and his
son and servants journeyed for three days from the plains of Mamre to
Moriah; and arriving there, he at once prepared for the burnt-offering.
Isaac was not aware of the purpose of his father to offer him; so he
said to his father: "Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the
lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide
himself a lamb for a burnt-offering." Abraham then informed his son that
he was to be the offering. Then he bound Isaac and laid him upon the
altar and stretched forth his hand and took the knife with which to slay
his son. This was a great test to Abraham's faith. Isaac was his only
son and he loved him dearly; but Jehovah had commanded him to offer him
up as a sacrifice, and because of his love for Jehovah he proceeded to
obey God's command. As he raised his hand to strike dead his only
beloved son, "the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and
said, Abraham, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any
thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me". When Abraham looked he
saw a ram caught in a thicket nearby and he took the ram and offered it
for a burnt-offering.
[98]Then "the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham the second time, and
said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done
this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in
blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed
as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore;
and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed
my voice."--Genesis 22:15-18.
[99]In this wonderful picture Abraham was a type of Jehovah, while Isaac
was a type of Jesus, the beloved Son of Jehovah. Abraham's offering his
beloved son on the altar, pictured how God in due time would offer his
only beloved Son as a great sacrifice that mankind might be redeemed
from death and have an opportunity to live. Abraham did not, as indeed
he could not, understand God's purposes, for the reason that Jehovah did
not reveal them to him; but he knew that God had here made a covenant
with him and bound it with his oath; and that by these two certain and
unchangeable things, his word and his oath, God would carry out his
covenant in due time, and that covenant would result in the blessing of
all the families and nations of earth.
[100]The word covenant means contract; and it is the solemn form for
expressing a compact, agreement, or contract between parties, or
particularly on the part of one whereby he promises to do a certain
thing. With Jehovah a covenant or a contract is sacred and inviolate,
because Jehovah changes not. (Malachi 3:6) Having promised it, he will
fulfill it. (Hebrews 6:18) It is always necessary that there be two
parties to a contract. There may be more. Where one party only is bound
to do a certain thing that contract is called unilateral, or one-sided;
and where both parties are bound to perform certain things, the contract
is called bilateral, or two-sided.
[101]It will be observed that this oathbound covenant that Jehovah made
with Abraham contained no conditions or limitations, but was merely a
promise of Jehovah bound by his oath, and is therefore properly called a
unilateral or one-sided covenant; for the reason that God's purpose was
and is to carry out his plan to bless the human race, regardless of what
any one may or may not do. There was no need for him to make any
conditions to the covenant. He merely announced his benevolent purpose
toward mankind. The covenant does not even say that the blessing of the
people will follow upon the condition that Abraham should do a certain
thing, or that the people should seek him. The covenant does not say
that every person will be blessed with life everlasting; but it does
say that all the families of the earth shall be blessed, which means
that every one must in God's due time have a full, fair opportunity for
life everlasting. It means, furthermore, that in God's due time
knowledge will be brought to all in order that every one may avail
himself of the opportunity thus provided for life. It means,
furthermore, that assistance will be given to every one, that he may
profit by this blessed opportunity; and all who prove their loyalty
under the test that will come by reason of the opportunity will be
granted life everlasting.
How was the earth originally peopled? ¶ 92.
Where did Cain get his wife? ¶ 92.
To whom does Jehovah show his favor? ¶ 92.
What effect does Satan's influence have on the people? ¶ 92.
What kind of man was Noah? and whom did he serve? ¶ 93.
Why did Jehovah direct Noah to build the ark? ¶ 93.
How many persons escaped destruction at the time of the flood? and who
were they? ¶ 93.
How was the earth peopled after the flood? ¶ 93.
What man is mentioned in the Scriptures as the friend of God? and what
was the name of his wife? ¶ 94.
What was the age of Abraham when God spoke to him? and what did Jehovah
say? ¶ 94.
What was Abraham's native land? and to what land did he go in obedience
to God's command? ¶ 94.
At what places did Abraham stop in Canaan that are specially mentioned
in the Bible? ¶ 94.
What promise did God make to Abraham at Bethel? and what promise did he
make while Abraham dwelt in the plains of Mamre? ¶ 94.
Describe the place of Abraham's residence at the time Jehovah promised
him a son. Quote the Scriptural account. ¶ 95.
How many sons did Abraham have by his wife Sarah? Give Scriptural proof.
¶ 96.
To what special test did God put Abraham with reference to his son
Isaac? ¶ 96.
Describe in detail the offering of Isaac. ¶ 97.
Repeat God's promise to Abraham at the time of his offering of Isaac.
¶ 98.
Whom did Abraham typify in this offering? and of whom was Isaac a type?
¶ 99.
What did the offering of Isaac picture? ¶ 99.
Did Abraham understand the full meaning of God's promise? ¶ 99.
What is the meaning of the word "covenant"? ¶ 100.
How does God regard his covenants? Give Scriptural proof. ¶ 100.
How many parties are required to make a covenant? ¶ 100.
Where only one party is bound, what kind of covenant is it? ¶ 100.
Where both parties are bound to perform certain things, then what do we
call the covenant? ¶ 100.
Why was God's covenant with Abraham a one-sided covenant? ¶ 101.
What is the important statement of the Abrahamic covenant or promise?
¶ 101.
Whom will the Abrahamic covenant ultimately affect? ¶ 101.
"IS IT COME?"
Poet and seer that question caught,
Above the din of life's fears and frets;
It marched with letters, it toiled with thought,
Through schools and creeds which the earth forgets.
And statesmen trifle, and priests deceive,
And traders barter our world away;
Yet hearts to that golden promise cleave,
And still, at times, "Is it come?" they say.
The days of the nations bear no trace
Of all the sunshine so far foretold;
The cannon speaks in the teacher's place;
The age is weary with work and gold;
And high hopes wither, and memories wane;
On hearths and altars the fires are dead;
But that brave faith hath not lived in vain;
And this is all that our watcher said.
--_Brown_.
[Illustration]