A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture/Part 1/Chapter 9
Chapter IX.
THE CALL OF ABRAM.
[Gen. 1-9.]
AMONGST the wicked there was one just and upright man.
He was called Abram[2]. The Lord chose him in order that
through him and his posterity the true faith[3] and hope in the
promised Redeemer might be preserved and propagated on the
earth. He said to him: “Go forth out of thy country and from thy kindred, and out of thy father’s house[4], and come into the
land which I will show thee, and I will make of thee[5] a great
nation. I will bless thee, and magnify thy name, and thou shalt
be blessed, and in thee shall all the nations of the world be
blessed.” [6]
The father of Abram had gone from Ur in Chaldea, and taken up his abode in Haran[7], with his relatives; but as idolatry had at last made its way even into that family, the Lord called ‘Abram forth from amongst his kindred. Abram believed the word of the Lord, and instantly set out for Chanaan, taking with him Sarai, his wife, and Lot[8], his nephew, and his servants and his herds of cattle. After a long journey, he arrived in the land of Chanaan, and came to Sichem (Fig. 5). He was then seventy-five years old. Chanaan, on account of its beauty and fertility, was called a land flowing with milk and honey. There the Lord appeared again to Abram and said to him: “To thy seed will I give this land.’’ Henceforth[9] Chanaan was also called the Promised Land [10]. Abram, wishing to show his gratitude, raised in that
place an altar to the Lord. ,_fig._5.jpg)
Fig. 5. View of Nabulus (Sichem).
COMMENTARY.
The second promise of the Messias. The words: “In thee shall all the kindred of the world be blessed” , contain the second promise of the Messias. The second promise is more explicit than the first, for it says that the Divine Redeemer shall be born of the seed of Abram.
Necessity of faith. With good reason we are told so explicitly that Abram believed God, for faith is the first and most necessary of virtues. Faith brought Abram into the Promised Land; and it is only through faith that we can attain to the promised land of heaven.
Grounds of faith. Abram believed in God, and in His word, because God is the very truth.
The characteristics of faith. The faith of Abram had all the characteristics of true faith, being entire, firm, steadfast, and living. His faith was entire, because he believed all that God told him. It was firm , because he doubted nothing, but believed unreservedly in the words of the Lord. It would have been quite natural for him to ask how it was possible for a great nation to spring from him who yet had no child; but he gave ear to no such thought, and simply stood firm by the word of God. His faith was steadfast , because he did not allow it to be shaken either by the ridicule and arguments of his unbelieving relations, or by the difficulties and dangers of the journey before him. Finally, his faith was living , because he acted up to it, and did all that God required of him.
Obedience to God. Abram’s cheerful obedience to God was a fruit of his living faith. God’s command to leave his home was not an easy one to obey, for the natural love of home and kindred is a very strong one. Moreover, God did not tell him whither He was going to lead him. He was commanded to go into an unknown country, among strange people, and was entirely ignorant as to his future fate. Nevertheless, he obeyed God’s command promptly and cheerfully. “By faith Abram obeyed to go out into a place which he was to receive for an inheritance, and he went out not knowing whither he went” (Hebr. n, 8). He has given us a grand example of obedience, which we ought to imitate. “He that believeth God, taketh heed to the commandments” (Ecclus. 32, 28).
Application. God has not asked of you anything so hard as He asked of Abram; and yet how often you disobey Him! Whenever you tell lies, or fly into a passion, or neglect your prayers, or do not do as your parents tell you, you are disobeying God. Be sorry for your disobedience, and when you say your morning prayers, make a resolution to obey promptly and cheerfully those who are set over you.
Having a firm faith, Abram trusted himself cheerfully to the guidance of divine Providence. A childlike confidence in the Providence of our Heavenly Father is a great support and comfort to us in all the circumstances of our lives. Unhappy he who has not got this confidence! We do not know what will happen to us in the future; but we do know that our Father in heaven cares for us, and that not a sparrow can fall to the ground without His knowledge and consent. So whatever happens to you, say: “Whatever God does, is well done, even though I cannot understand it.” Say constantly: “God’s will be done!” “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!”
- ↑ People of Israel. Hitherto we have been engaged in a brief study of the primitive history of man. In the last chapter we were told that the larger portion of mankind fell away from God into the grossest idolatry. Of those heathen nations whom God “gave up to the desires of their heart”, we hear no more in Sacred History, with the exception of chance accounts of those with whom the people of Israel came in contact. Henceforth Scripture relates only the history of the people of Israel, to whom God revealed Himself again and again. This history is divided into six sections: I. The time of the patriarchs, 2. the age of Moses, 3. Josue and the judges, 4. the kings, 5. the Babylonian captivity, 6. the time after the Babylonian captivity. The first section, therefore, treats of the patriarchs, or first parents of the children of Israel, and covers a period of 600 years, namely from 2100 to 1500 B. C. It begins with the narrative of the call of Abram which contains the account of how God chose him to be the father of the whole Israelite people (and of the Divine Redeemer).
- ↑ Abram. Living in the midst of idolaters, he had remained faithful to God. It was on account of his faithfulness that God favoured him, by revealing Himself to him, and by choosing him to be the father of the faithful.
- ↑ True faith, i. e. the faith in the true God which had been handed down ever since the days of Adam.
- ↑ Thy father's house. God commanded Abram to do this, because idolatry prevailed in his own country, and even among his own kindred. He wished moreover to test Abram’s obedience and trust in Him.
- ↑ Make of thee. i. e. thy descendants shall be a great nation.
- ↑ Blessed. From Abram was to descend the Redeemer who would bring grace and blessing to all mankind.
- ↑ Haran. On the upper Euphrates. See Gen. 11, 31 — 32.
- ↑ Lot. i. e. his brother’s son. Lot’s father was dead.
- ↑ Henceforth, i. e. from the time God promised it to Abram’s descendants.
- ↑ Promised Land. We Christians call it the Holy Land, because it was there that our Lord lived, laboured and suffered. In geography it is called Palestine. This important country is situated at the east end of the Mediterranean Sea, and occupies a very small space in the eastern hemisphere. It is only about 140 miles long from north to south , and 40 miles broad, and is about as large as Wales. It is bounded on the north by the mountains of Lebanon; on the south by the deserts of Arabia; on the west by the Mediterranean; and on the east by the Syrian deserts. God, in Ilis wisdom, appointed this land to be the abode of His chosen people, because it was so well suited to their peculiar vocation. The land of Chanaan is pretty well shut in on all sides by mountains, sea and deserts, and this seclusion made it more easy for the people of God to keep themselves aloof from heathen nations, and preserve intact the true faith. On the other hand Chanaan was situated in the centre of the then known world, so that it was easy to spread among all nations, first, the promise of the Redeemer, and later on, the preaching of the Gospel.