Читать книгу Heroes of Israel - Theodore Gerald Soares - Страница 10

Table of Contents

1 (§1). We begin with the man to whom Israel looked back as their first great hero. What was his name? What was his father's name?

2 (§1). Where did he come from? Look at the map of the Semitic world. You will see two great rivers which join and then flow into the Persian Gulf. It is not always possible to know where ancient cities were located, but it is supposed that Ur may have been on the Euphrates near the point where the rivers join. It is called Ur of the Chaldees, because people of that name lived there. Terah therefore came from the very old country of Babylonia, which was rich and fertile because it was in the valley of the two rivers. What American river has a rich country in all its wide valley?

3 (§1). What route would be taken to go from Ur to Canaan? If you lay a ruler on the map you will see that Jerusalem is almost directly west of Ur. They lay about six hundred miles apart. But there was a very good reason why they could not travel right across that way. What kind of country would they have had to pass through? They had to follow the river for nearly the same distance in a northwesterly direction. This would bring them to a very rich country where it seems they stopped for some time and where Terah died. What was its name?

4 (§2). Evidently most of Terah's tribe were satisfied to stay in Haran, but Abraham felt a great stir in him to continue the journey to the West land. He believed that God wanted him to go there and to become the founder of a great nation that should serve Jehovah. This feeling became so strong that at last it was clear to him that the Lord was calling him. Learn the beautiful passage of the Call of Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) so that you can recite it.

5(§2). What route would Abraham take from Haran to Canaan? Let us look at the map again. There was a caravan road that ran from Haran west across the river, then it turned south and came down through the country of Syria to a very ancient city. Abraham's chief servant came from this city (Gen. 15:2). The road still runs south and then crosses the river Jordan into Palestine.

6(§2). How long would such a journey take? There were no railroads and there are still very few in that country. Travel was very slow. We have an account in Ezra 7:9 of how long it took a company to make the journey from Babylon long afterward. But Abraham's company would move more slowly, for we must think of him as traveling with a great many animals and servants and children. It was very much as the Arab tribes move about to-day.

7(§2). Think of what Abraham left behind when he obeyed God's voice and came into the strange land. What company of people in American history felt that God called them to leave their own country and come into the new land? Is it always safe to obey God? Look up Gal. 3:9 and Heb. 11:8-10 and see why Abraham is called "The Father of the Faithful."

8(§3). What promise did God give Abraham after he came to Canaan? What places did Abraham visit? Locate them on the map of Canaan. What religious act did he perform wherever he went? What act is the same in our lives?

9(§4). Abraham's numerous sheep and cattle required him to journey from place to place. Why was this? Why would dry weather cause him trouble? Notice on the map that when the famine came he was in the south of Palestine. It was only a short journey west to reach a very rich country, which lay in the valley of a great river. Name the country and its river and explain why there was no drought there.

10 (§4). We shall often notice that the old heroes did wrong. Tell the story of Abraham's visit to Egypt. What do you think of his conduct? If we knew only this part of Abraham's story we should not call him a hero. Ought we then to judge anyone by a single act?