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TRHCK THROUGH THE BIBLE
"By G. CETPIPBELL PIORQAN, Westminster Chapel, London, England.
Appearing Ebery Week During 1907. {Copyright American Serial ‘Rights Tor by The Golden bAge Publishing Co. All Rights Reserbed.}
GENESIS—THE BOOK OF BEGINNINGS.
A. Generation. 1., ii. B. Degeneration, iii.—xi. C. Regeneration. xii.—l.
“In the Beginning God.” “Now the Serpent.” “Now Jehovah.”
I. Os the Material, to I. Os the Individual, iii. I. Os Individuals. xii.—xxxv. 21
Man. i—ii. 3 i. The Serpent and i. Abraham. xii—xxv. 10
i. Origin. i. 1 Man. 1-8 7 Communications.
ii. Ruin. i. 2a ii. Jehovah. 9-24 a. The Call out. xii. 1-6.
iii. The revealed a. The Call out. xii. 1.16
Cosmogony. b. The Land promised. xii. 7 —xiii. 13.
i. 2b —ii. 3 c. The Land given xiii. 14 —xiv.
d. The Seed promised. xv., xvi.
11. Os the Family. iv., v. e. The covenant. xvii.
i. The first Family, iv. The Son given. xviii.—xxi.
ii. The Families. v. S- The final Testing. xxii—xxv. 10
ii. Isaac, xxv. 11 —xxvi. 2 Communications.
a. Introductory. xxv. 11-34
b. Continuity of Covenant. xxvi. 1-22
c. Ratification of Covenant. xxvi. 23-35
111. Os Society. vi. yj Jacob, xxvii.—xxxv. 21.
i. Intermixture. 5 Communications.
. .. . Degeneracy. a Duplicity and the over-ruling God.
11. Os Man, as to Nature
and Office xxvn., xxvm.
.. . o - Destruction and b. Success and the interfering God.
i Created 4-8 Deliverance. xxix.—xxxi. 3
ii' Crowned 915 c " I n^e P en^ence an d the conquering God.
in. Conditioned. 16, 17 , „ , ~ , . ~ ,
iv Completed 18-25 New Departure, d - Compromise and the restoring God.
National, ix„ x. xxxiii.-xxxv. 1
e. Obedience and the faithful God.
xxxv. 2-21
11. Os the Family. xxxv. 22. —xxxviii.
i. The Sons of Jacob. xxxv. 22-29
IV. Os the Nations xi. Generations of Esau, xxxvi.
1. Confederacy. „ Joseph
xxxvii. |
ii. Confusion. ... j u j a h’ s corruption. xxxviii.
iii. Continuity. m. of Society. xxxix.—l. 21
Shem to . History of Joseph.
Abraham. •• j srae i segregated.
IV. Os a Nation. 1. 22-26
Prophecy of faith.
GENESIS.
C. Regeneration.
In the third division we have the account of
the beginnings of Regeneration ; that is, a movement
which culminated in the Person of the Messiah.
The lines of development correspond to those we
have already noticed in the previous division. As
there, we had, at first, the degeneration of the in
dividual. so here the regeneration of the individ
ual is first dealt with, and, indeed, at greatest
length. We, also, see the movement in its appli
cation to the family, to society, and toward the
nation.
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G. CAMPBELL MORGAN.
The section dealing with the regeneration of the
individual gives us the account of the dealings of
God with three men: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
There is a distinct difference between the divine
communities in these three cases. The differ
ence is to be accounted for by the different quality
of faith exemplified in each man. To Abraham
there were seven communications, each initiating
a new movement. Abraham’s faith was obedient
faith. To Isaac there were two divine communi
cations of God and Isaac’s life. The faith of Isaac
was passive. To Jacob there were five communi
cations and there docs not seem to be any personal
The Golden Age for January 17, 1907.
or direct relation between the communications of
God and Isaac’s life. The faith of Isaac was
passive. To Jacob there were five communi
cations, each of them coming at the close of a
movement in the life of the man, by which God ar
rested and changed the order of his progress. Ja
cob’s faith was restless faith.
The first communication to Abram was of the
nature of a call to leave his own country, and to
set his face toward a new one, under new condi
tions of life. “The Lord said unto Abram, get
thee out of thy country .... unto the land that
I will show thee.” It may be that this initial
call was really to Terah. It is certainly declared
that Terah moved, taking Abram and Lot with
him. The first intention, however, was not imme
diately realized. Coming to Haran, Terah remained
there. After his death, Abram moved on, and came
into the land of Canaan.
Tn the second communication God promised him
the land for possession, and he proceeded in faith
and obedience.
By the third communication the land was sol
emnly given ito Abram under interesting and remar
kable circumstances. The herdsmen of Abram and
Lot had quarrelled; and the former, with the mag
nanimity of a great soul, allowed Lot to make his
choice. When he had departed God said to Abram:
“Lift up now thine eyes,” and thus to the man
who was content not to choose, but, rather, to leave
himself free for the following of faith, the whole
of the land was given.
In the fourth communication God promised him
a seed, which should become a great nation.
In connection with the fifth communication God
entered into a solemn covenant as between himself
and Abraham.
The sixth communication was in connection with
the actual coming to Abraham of his son.
The seventh, and final communication, was that
by which God finally tested this man in the matter
of faith, and because of his obedience was able to
lead him into closer and more conscious fellowship
with himself.
By these seven communications God led Abraham
step by step through more trying circumstances
toward higher experiences; and because he follow
ed, to larger possessions. In the process of the
story we find on the part of Abraham deflections
from faith.
In a time of difficulty he went down into Egypt,
and by so doing fell, not merely from the simplicity
of faith, but from truth. The method, however,
is clearly indicated as being a divine appearing, an
obedient answer, and a consequent advancement.
In the story of Isaac we have, first of all, an ac
count of the pastoral simplicity of his life. In the
midst of this quietness there came to him the first
of two divine communications in which God told
him that the covenant made with Abraham was
continued to him. The second communication was
for the purpose of ratifying this self same covenant.
Isaac was a man, quiet, restful and passive. His
deflections from faith were fewer than those of
his father. His restlessness was less than that
of his son. There are no actions of magnificent
or daring triumph. God never broke in upon his
life with the thick darkness or the alarming strug
gle by Jabbok, but with quiet messages showing
that he, too, was included in covenant privilege and
purpose. Isaac, the man who dug wells, and lived
by them, was necessary in the divine economy as
well as Abraham, the man who blazed the way,
and became the pioneer of faith; as well as Jacob,
the man of restless activity, who never found final
anchorage until he was crippled.
The dealings of God with Jacob were of an en
tirely different nature, because he was an entirely
different man. Through all the story it is evident
that he was a man who believed in God. That was
the deepest fact in his life. He was, nevertheless,
a man of restless activity, and the five communi
cations to him were all for the purpose of checking
him, correcting his methods, and keeping him in the
pathway of the divine will.
The first of these culminated a method of duplic
ity, followed in order to obtain a blessing. By
deceit wrought upon his father under the instiga
tion, and with the connivance, of his mother, he
obtained the blessing which God meant him to
have. He believed that it was in the purpose of
God for him, but unable to follow and to wait,
by manipulation of events, and by the exercise
of cunning, obtained his father’s benediction. As
his face was set toward a new country, in conse
quence of his duplicity. God appeared to him, and
with great tenderness, knowing the deepest in him,
bridged the gulf between his material life and the
spiritual realities, by the vision of the ladder and
the angels.
Arrived in the land of Laban, -by quick wit and
ready resource he won his way to material prosper
ity against all the meanness of his uncle. There
was great danger lest such a man should become
satisfied with success in an alien land, and God
appeared to him the second time, and commanded
him to return.
The self-reliance and independence of Jacob is
seen in the method of his return. He made his ar
rangements with Laban, and built a watch-tower
at Mizpah. He then went forward to meet his
brother, and, so far as possible, prepared for every
contingency. Then followed the third divine com
munication. God set himself against Jacob’s in
dependence, and in the mystery of that long night,
revealed himself as the conquering One, who breaks
in order to make, who cripples in order to crown.
Having come back into the land, immediately he
compromised with the circumstances by which he
found himself surrounded, with the result that
sorrow entered his house in the wake of sin. Again,
God appeared to him for purposes of restoration,
commanding him to get back to Bethel.
In The last part of this section the faith of
Jacob seems to have become obedient, and the fifth
communication of God immediately followed.
Subsequently there is an account of another word
(Concluded on Page 12.)
