and References to the truth of the Divine unity. Witness to the of God. And to that truth history by its prosperity so long as it held the truth in purity, by its overwhelming sorrows and calamities when it lost its purity and defiled itself with the idolatries of the surrounding nations. On the very forefront of Jewish history is this inscription, "The Lord our God is One Lord." 3. He further engaged for his race that they should spirituality exhibit to the world the spirituality of God's claim and service, and the connection of that spirituality with a most refined and sensitive morality. The elaborate and minute ceremonial of Mosaism may seem opposed to such spirituality of religion, but we may not forget that such a spiritual religion as we now have was impossible then; and that the ceremonial, which we think so elaborate, was simplicity itself when compared with heathen systems. The Jewish religion stands out distinct from all others in the fact that no No form of figure, or image, or representation of the Deity was Judaism. found in its Holy of Holies; the central object of worship was God the Spirit, and no attempt to produce any likeness of Him was ever permitted. And as to the answering morality, we can but suggest the contrast between the moral systems of Judaism and those of heathen nations. If we do not find in Judaism all we can commend, at least they had true ideals and noble standards, and failed only as they were ensnared by the vices and idolatries of the Jewish plea heathen. Their prophets, with one voice sounding "righteous through all the ages, plead for "righteousness" as the the Deity in for ness." and proper attendant on spirituality; a refined view of References God cannot fail to work itself out in a high, sensitive, Authorities. delicate morality. God's side. ratification. Such are some of the terms pledged on Abraham's Pledge on side. What God was graciously pleased to pledge on His side is conveyed to us in suggestive symbolical terms: "I am thy shield, and thine exceeding great reward." "In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed." A special Divine protection and guidance, and the unspeakable honour of being taken up into the special service of Jehovah for the execution of His most loving purposes concerning the race. And the Abrahamic covenant was pledged and Ceremony of sealed by a very remarkable ceremony. Some form was gone through at the settlement of all ancient agreements, the mere signing of documents belonging to these later and civilized times. There might be the striking of the hands together, or a present might pass from one to the other. Eating bread and salt together ratified what was called the "covenant of brotherhood." Even now we sometimes have a portion of the soil taken from the land which is to be sold and passed in token from the hand of the seller to that of the purchaser. In some of our counties still an agreement with a servant is ratified with the gift of a shilling. Comparing the scene narrated in Gen. xv. with the passage in Jeremiah (xxxiv. 18), we learn that to ratify a covenant the contracting parties passed through the parts of an animal which had been cut in two and laid on separate sides, implying that Cutting a (Jer. x. xxiv. Covenant 18). and Authorities. References each contracting party prayed to be so cut asunder if they proved unfaithful to the covenant. In the case of Abraham the animals and birds represented all Abraham's possessions. He passed between the pieces as pledging himself, and God condescended also to pass between the pieces, in the symbol of the furnace and the lamp, as pledging Himself-surely a condescension which might well overpower Abraham, and fill him with horror as of a great darkness. Circumcision. The seal or brand of the Lord's servants. The token or seal of the covenant was the rite of circumcision. It is difficult to decide whether this rite was first enjoined on Abraham and copied by other nations variously allied to the Abrahamic, or whether God took a familiar rite, and set it henceforth apart for His special purpose, as He did the rainbow. It is quite certain that the Jews were not the only nation that circumcised their males, but it seems on the whole most probable that the rite was first enjoined on Abraham.. In the case of the other nations we have no knowledge of the time when they began the custom, and we can easily conceive that such a practice would be quickly copied by the fanatics of superstitious religions, and thus become general. Circumcision was the brand marking off Abraham and his descendants as the Lord's, even as the shepherd fixes his brand on each sheep of his flock. It was the Lord's livery-something on the body which should remind them that not only their clothes and possessions, but they themselves were by covenant the Lord's. But such a token and seal was not and needed on God's part, only on man's. Forgetful, References busy, tempted, wilful, self-serving men need to be Authorities. still reminded again and again of the covenant relations:-"Ye are not your own. Ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." NOTES ON GENESIS xv., XVII. Ch. xv. I. EXCEEDING GREAT REWARD: the expression may also be rendered, "Thy reward shall be exceeding great." Ver. 2. LORD GOD: the Hebrew words are Adonai Elohim. Ver. 5. STARS; seeming so multitudinous, and shining so clearly in the Eastern sky. Ver. 6. COUNTED RIGHTEOUSNESS; comp. Rom. iv. 3, 9, 22; Gal. iii. 6; James ii. 23. Ver. 13. FOUR HUNDRED YEARS: the fulfilment of this prophecy is variously reckoned, some dating from the time of this promise, or from the birth of Isaac, while others date from the entrance of the Israelites into Egypt. Ver. 18. RIVER OF EGYPT; either the Wady-el-Arish, which was the southern boundary of Canaan, or with a general reference to the Nile. Ch. xvii. I. ALMIGHTY GOD-Heb. El-Shaddai. Used also in Psa. lxviii. 14; xci. 1; Isa. xiii. 6; Rev. i. 8. It is used thirty-one times in the book of Job. BE THOU PERFECT: in the sense of whole, sincere, complete, thoroughly devoted to the service of God. Ver. 5. ABRÁM, ABRAHAM; so far as we can gather the distinction between these names Ab-ram means "great father," and Abraham, the father of a multitude; and the and References change of the name sealed and assured the promise of a Authorities. numerous seed. Inglis. Ver. 7. A GOD UNTO THEE: Matthew Henry says, "A man need desire no more than this. What God is Himself, that He will be to His people: His wisdom, theirs to guide and counsel them; His power, theirs to protect and support them; His goodness, theirs to supply and comfort them." Ver. II. TOKEN OF THE COVENANT: "The existence of the rite of circumcision among at least a portion of the Egyptians, prior to the days of Moses, is not improbable, though the evidence as yet discovered is scarcely conclusive. Herodotus is the principal authority, but he lived more than 1,500 years after Abraham, and his information on the subject cannot be received with confidence, as he asserts that the Syrians (the Jews) 'learned this practice from the Egyptians. The proof from Egyptian monuments requires further investigation."" Ver. 15. The change of name from Sarai to Sarah appears to indicate that a new and, as it were, public dignity was put upon her on becoming the mother of a nation. Sarai means my princess, and indicates that she was privately Abraham's. Sarah means simply the princess, as if henceforth she bore a public and individual dignity. Ver. 20. ISHMAEL, the progenitor of the most numerous and powerful branch of the Arabian tribes. |