The Story of Patriarchs and Prophets
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 11: The Call of Abraham
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After the dispersion from Babel idolatry again became
well-nigh universal, and the Lord finally left the hardened
transgressors to follow their evil ways, while He chose Abraham, of
the line of Shem, and made him the keeper of His law for future
generations. Abraham had grown up in the midst of superstition
and heathenism. Even his father's household, by whom the
knowledge of God had been preserved, were yielding to the
seductive influences surrounding them, and they "served other
gods" than Jehovah. But the true faith was not to become extinct.
God has ever preserved a remnant to serve Him. Adam, Seth,
Enoch, Methuselah, Noah, Shem, in unbroken line, had
preserved from age to age the precious revealings of His will. The
son of Terah became the inheritor of this holy trust. Idolatry
invited him on every side, but in vain. Faithful among the faithless,
uncorrupted by the prevailing apostasy, he steadfastly adhered to
the worship of the one true God. "The Lord is nigh unto all them
that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth." Psalm
145:18. He communicated His will to Abraham, and gave him a
distinct knowledge of the requirements of His law and of the
salvation that would be accomplished through Christ.
There was given to Abraham the promise, especially dear to
the people of that age, of a numerous posterity and of national
greatness: "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
to this was added the assurance, precious above every other to
the inheritor of faith, that of his line the Redeemer of the world
should come: "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."
Yet, as the first condition of fulfillment, there was to be a test
of faith; a sacrifice was demanded. [p. 126]
The message of God came to Abraham, "Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house,
unto a land that I will show thee." In order that God might
qualify him for his great work as the keeper of the sacred oracles,
Abraham must be separated from the associations of his early life.
The influence of kindred and friends would interfere with the
training which the Lord purposed to give His servant. Now that
Abraham was, in a special sense, connected with heaven, he must
dwell among strangers. His character must be peculiar, differing
from all the world. He could not even explain his course of
action so as to be understood by his friends. Spiritual things are
spiritually discerned, and his motives and actions were not
comprehended by his idolatrous kindred.
"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place
which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he
went out, not knowing whither he went." Hebrews 11:8. Abraham's
unquestioning obedience is one of the most striking
evidences of faith to be found in all the Bible. To him, faith was
"the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen." Verse 1. Relying upon the divine promise, without the
least outward assurance of its fulfillment, he abandoned home
and kindred and native land, and went forth, he knew not
whither, to follow where God should lead. "By faith he became
a sojourner in the land of promise, as in a land not his own,
dwelling in tents, with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the
same promise." Hebrews 11:9, R.V.
It was no light test that was thus brought upon Abraham, no
small sacrifice that was required of him. There were strong ties
to bind him to his country, his kindred, and his home. But he did
not hesitate to obey the call. He had no question to ask concerning
the land of promise—whether the soil was fertile and the
climate healthful; whether the country afforded agreeable
surroundings and would afford opportunities for amassing wealth.
God has spoken, and His servant must obey; the happiest place
on earth for him was the place where God would have him to be.
Many are still tested as was Abraham. They do not hear the
voice of God speaking directly from the heavens, but He calls
them by the teachings of His word and the events of His providence.
They may be required to abandon a career that promises
wealth and honor, to leave congenial and profitable associations [p. 127] and separate from kindred, to enter upon what appears to be
only a path of self-denial, hardship, and sacrifice. God has a work
for them to do; but a life of ease and the influence of friends and
kindred would hinder the development of the very traits essential
for its accomplishment. He calls them away from human
influences and aid, and leads them to feel the need of His help, and
to depend upon Him alone, that He may reveal Himself to them.
Who is ready at the call of Providence to renounce cherished
plans and familiar associations? Who will accept new duties and
enter untried fields, doing God's work with firm and willing
heart, for Christ's sake counting his losses gain? He who will do
this has the faith of Abraham, and will share with him that "far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," with which "the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared."
2 Corinthians 4:17; Romans 8:18.
The call from heaven first came to Abraham while he dwelt
in "Ur of the Chaldees" and in obedience to it he removed to
Haran. Thus far his father's family accompanied him, for with
their idolatry they united the worship of the true God. Here
Abraham remained till the death of Terah. But from his father's
grave the divine Voice bade him go forward. His brother Nahor
with his household clung to their home and their idols. Besides
Sarah, the wife of Abraham, only Lot, the son of Haran long since
dead, chose to share the patriarch's, pilgrim life. Yet it was a
large company that set out from Mesopotamia. Abraham already
possessed extensive flocks and herds, the riches of the East, and
he was surrounded by a numerous body of servants and retainers.
He was departing from the land of his fathers, never to return,
and he took with him all that he had, "their substance that they
had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran."
Among these were many led by higher considerations than those
of service and self-interest. During their stay in Haran, both
Abraham and Sarah had led others to the worship and service
of the true God. These attached themselves to the patriarch's
household, and accompanied him to the land of promise. "And
they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land
of Canaan they came."
The place where they first tarried was Shechem. Under the
shade of the oaks of Moreh, in a wide, grassy valley, with its
olive groves and gushing springs, between Mount Ebal on the [p. 128] one side and Mount Gerizim on the other, Abraham made his
encampment. It was a fair and goodly country that the patriarch
had entered—"a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths
that spring out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat, and barley,
and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and
honey." Deuteronomy 8:7, 8. But to the worshiper of Jehovah, a
heavy shadow rested upon wooded hill and fruitful plain. "The
Canaanite was then in the land." Abraham had reached the goal
of his hopes to find a country occupied by an alien race and
overspread with idolatry. In the groves were set up the altars of
false gods, and human sacrifices were offered upon the neighboring
heights. While he clung to the divine promise, it was not
without distressful forebodings that he pitched his tent. Then
"the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will
I give this land." His faith was strengthened by this assurance
that the divine presence was with him, that he was not left to
the mercy of the wicked. "And there builded he an altar unto
the Lord, who appeared unto him." Still a wayfarer, he soon
removed to a spot near Bethel, and again erected an altar, and
called upon the name of the Lord.
Abraham, "the friend of God," set us a worthy example. His
was a life of prayer. Wherever he pitched his tent, close beside it
was set up his altar, calling all within his encampment to the
morning and evening sacrifice. When his tent was removed, the
altar remained. In following years, there were those among the
roving Canaanites who received instruction from Abraham; and
whenever one of these came to that altar, he knew who had been
there before him; and when he had pitched his tent, he repaired
the altar, and there worshiped the living God.
Abraham continued to journey southward, and again his faith
was tested. The heavens withheld their rain, the brooks ceased
to flow in the valleys, and the grass withered on the plains. The
flocks and herds found no pasture, and starvation threatened
the whole encampment. Did not the patriarch now question the
leadings of Providence? Did he not look back with longing to
the plenty of the Chaldean plains? All were eagerly watching to
see what Abraham would do, as trouble after trouble came upon
him. So long as his confidence appeared unshaken, they felt that
there was hope; they were assured that God was his Friend, and
that He was still guiding him. [p. 129]
Abraham could not explain the leadings of Providence; he
had not realized his expectations; but he held fast the promise,
"I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a
blessing." With earnest prayer he considered how to preserve the
life of his people and his flocks, but he would not allow circumstances
to shake his faith in God's word. To escape the famine he
went down into Egypt. He did not forsake Canaan, or in his
extremity turn back to the Chaldean land from which he came,
where there was no scarcity of bread; but he sought a temporary
refuge as near as possible to the Land of Promise, intending
shortly to return where God had placed him.
The Lord in His providence had brought this trial upon Abraham
to teach him lessons of submission, patience, and faith—
lessons that where to be placed on record for the benefit of all who
should afterward be called to endure affliction. God leads His
children by a way that they know not, but He does not forget or
cast off those who put their trust in Him. He permitted affliction
to come upon Job, but He did not forsake him. He allowed the
beloved John to be exiled to lonely Patmos, but the Son of God
met him there, and his vision was filled with scenes of immortal
glory. God permits trials to assail His people, that by their
constancy and obedience they themselves may be spiritually
enriched, and that their example may be a source of strength to
others. "I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil." Jeremiah 29:11. The
very trials that task our faith most severely and make it seem that
God has forsaken us, are to lead us closer to Christ, that we may
lay all our burdens at His feet and experience the peace which
He will give us in exchange.
God has always tried His people in the furnace of affliction.
It is in the heat of the furnace that the dross is separated from
the true gold of the Christian character. Jesus watches the test;
He knows what is needed to purify the precious metal, that it
may reflect the radiance of His love. It is by close, testing trials
that God disciplines His servants. He sees that some have powers
which may be used in the advancement of His work, and He puts
these persons upon trial; in His providence He brings them into
positions that test their character and reveal defects and weaknesses
that have been hidden from their own knowledge. He [p. 130] gives them opportunity to correct these defects and to fit
themselves for His service. He shows them their own weakness, and
teaches them to lean upon Him; for He is their only help and
safeguard. Thus His object is attained. They are educated,
trained, and disciplined, prepared to fulfill the grand purpose
for which their powers were given them. When God calls them
to action, they are ready, and heavenly angels can unite with
them in the work to be accomplished on the earth.
During his stay in Egypt, Abraham gave evidence that he was
not free from human weakness and imperfection. In concealing
the fact that Sarah was his wife, he betrayed a distrust of the
divine care, a lack of that lofty faith and courage so often and
nobly exemplified in his life. Sarah was fair to look upon, and
he doubted not that the dusky Egyptians would covet the beautiful
stranger, and that in order to secure her, they would not
scruple to slay her husband. He reasoned that he was not guilty
of falsehood in representing Sarah as his sister, for she was the
daughter of his father, though not of his mother. But this
concealment of the real relation between them was deception. No
deviation from strict integrity can meet God's approval. Through
Abraham's lack of faith, Sarah was placed in great peril. The
king of Egypt, being informed of her beauty, caused her to be
taken to his palace, intending to make her his wife. But the Lord,
in His great mercy, protected Sarah by sending judgments upon
the royal household. By this means the monarch learned the
truth in the matter, and, indignant at the deception practiced
upon him, he reproved Abraham and restored to him his wife,
saying, "What is this that thou hast done unto me? . . . Why
saidst thou, She is my sister? So I might have taken her to me to
wife. Now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way."
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Abraham had been greatly favored by the king; even now
Pharaoh would permit no harm to be done him or his company,
but ordered a guard to conduct them in safety out of his dominions.
At this time laws were made prohibiting the Egyptians
from intercourse with foreign shepherds in any such familiarity
as eating or drinking with them. Pharaoh's dismissal of Abraham
was kind and generous; but he bade him leave Egypt, for
he dared not permit him to remain. He had ignorantly been
about to do him a serious injury, but God had interposed, and [p. 131] saved the monarch from committing so great a sin. Pharaoh saw
in this stranger a man whom the God of heaven honored, and he
feared to have in his kingdom one who was so evidently under
divine favor. Should Abraham remain in Egypt, his increasing
wealth and honor would be likely to excite the envy or covetousness
of the Egyptians, and some injury might be done him, for
which the monarch would be held responsible, and which might
again bring judgments upon the royal house.
The warning that had been given to Pharaoh proved a
protection to Abraham in his after-intercourse with heathen peoples;
for the matter could not be kept secret, and it was seen that the
God whom Abraham worshiped would protect His servant, and
that any injury done him would be avenged. It is a dangerous
thing to wrong one of the children of the King of heaven. The
psalmist refers to this chapter in Abraham's experience when he
says, in speaking of the chosen people, that God "reproved kings
for their sakes; saying, Touch not Mine anointed, and do My
prophets no harm." Psalm 105:14, 15.
There is an interesting similarity between Abraham's experience
in Egypt and that of his posterity, centuries later. Both
went down into Egypt on account of a famine, and both
sojourned there. Through the manifestation of divine judgments
in their behalf, the fear of them fell upon the Egyptians; and,
enriched by the gifts of the heathen, they went out with great
substance.
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"Abraham in Canaan"
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