The Friend of God

Amongst the many messages of comfort, and true spiritual consolation, there is one which we deem of special importance to us, as it bears in a most direct manner upon the inspiring narrative in the book of Genesis.

The Apostle tells us, whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. In this, as is true of other examples of Paul’s manner in elucidating the deep things of God, we have an exhibition of the truly wonderful phenomena of Divine inspiration, and an insight into the purpose for which the Scriptures were given. For next to their revelation of the character of God, His greatness, His goodness, and His holiness, their chief purpose is to make ready a people prepared to bear the glory and honour of His Name. Therefore we say that in these words of Paul, rightly considered, we have a forcible demonstration of the fact that “God spake all these words.”

To better illustrate our meaning, let us take this statement of Paul’s and apply it to any portion which we may be reading during the year, and do we not find his principle applying? And if we have our senses rightly exercised in true discernment we find that whether our reading be the wondrous story of creation, the records of events that transpired in Noah’s times, the truly beautiful narrative concerning the call and sanctification of the Fathers of Israel, the development and disciplining of the chosen nation, the records of the faithfulness and devotion of Moses and Joshua, of Samuel, of David, of the judges and Prophets of Israel: the beauties and glories of the Psalms; the heart ravishing themes of Isaiah and Jeremiah: the mystic symbol-isms portrayed by Ezekiel and Daniel: the themes of the minor prophets, and above all the testimonies, teachings, and admonitions of the New Testament. To whatever section we go for our daily portions, we tap the rich reservoir wherein is contained God’s bountiful provisions for our spiritual needs, demonstrating to our minds this axiom of Paul’s, that the things written aforetime are for our learning, that the patience and comfort of the Scriptures may be ours to meet our every present need.

From the scant references we have of Abraham’s early life, we would picture him as a man brought up amidst the robust peasantry of his Mesopotamian surroundings, unaffected we might also assume by the sciences and speculations of those times. His life would be for the most part taken up with the pursuits of his calling. This calling we feel assured was a keeper of flocks and herds. This tending and seeking pastures for which would necessitate his being often alone with the rugged grandeur’s of nature, spread out before his vision as we are told characterized the land of Mesopotamia, that well watered and fertile stretch of country which lies between the great and renowned rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates. To Abraham’s contemplative mind there would be presented the mighty wonders of creation, and if we might be allowed a little scope for the faculty of imagination here, we might picture him impressed with the greatness and power of the Being whose Almighty hand had produced the fair fabric he beheld. And with what an overpowering sense of feeling, the gods which Terah, his father served, would by these meditations become to Abraham, of doubtful propriety. And to a mind like we conceive his to have been, the traditions of his idolatrous contemporaries would fall far short of satisfying the awakening impulses which were impelling, him to seek for God, yea, for the-living God. Be these observations of our’s right or wrong, the fact remains that Abraham’s mind was in the receptive attitude when the call of God came to him—“Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, into a land which I shall show thee.” And he obeyed with ready will the call, and Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews 11-8 tells us, he “went out not knowing whither he went,” and again in Romans Paul reminds us that by this act of obedience Abraham became heir of the righteousness, which is by faith.

The circumstances responsible for Abraham’s coming to the knowledge of the character of God, so that he rendered this so ready obedience to His commandments. we would like to know more about, but if we sustain our relationship to Abraham, by which adoption we have obtained through Christ, his righteous son and seed, there is reserved for us the certain joy of hearing from Abraham’s own lips the accounts which led him to a full knowledge of the One who appeared unto him by angelic visitation and made Himself known to him as the Ail Shaddia, or the strength of the powerful ones—or the fountain of life energy of the angelic spirits bright.

It is enough for our comfort and encouragement now to know that he was a man of like passions with ourselves, not chosen from the great or influential families of his times. Not sanctified by the will of God for any reasons, other than that he believed with child-like faith the glad message committed unto him, and obeyed from the heart the Di­vine requirements. If the purposes of God had been such as required the rich and cultured for its progenitors there were plenty of such in the highly respectable society of the land of Mesopotamia of those days. For be it remembered, it was no backward stage of civilization that obtained there in the times we are considering. But to the cultured and wise of worldly society, God did not go for material suited to His purpose, but He found the man necessary to His requirements in an humble and unpretentious flock master.

Here again let us pause to note another fact brought to our attention by Paul in 1 Cor. 1-26: “For ye see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh are called, not many mighty, not many noble are called. But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God bath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty, and base things of the world, and things which are despised hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.—That no flesh should glory in His presence. This brings home to us with renewed significance that great and all important lesson that humility and lowliness of mind is one of the qualities which we must cultivate, if we hope to obtain the Divine favor. For pride is an abomination in God’s sight. These things do hate saith the Lord, a proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. Prov. 6-17.

So by this it is evident, if we hope to gain the mercy promised, we must give daily and unrelenting attention to the suppression of pride, in its every form and cultivate meekness and lowliness of mind, which is the adorning beauty of every true child of God. True it is, such beauty of character ,is out of place in a world such as ours, and those who are by earnest endeavors trying to cultivate it are looked upon as objects of pity, and in some instances even contempt. Nevertheless the firm foundation of God stands secure, and the true children of humble and faithful Abraham, shall yet be manifested in the glory of the spirit nature, and all the children of pride shall have their portion in the corruption that is swiftly coming upon a world sunk deep in the ignorance and foolish pleasure seeking activities, so rapidly increasing around us.

Here we again observe that God is no respecter of persons, but is a respecter of character, and compared to the spirit of the times in which we live, see how far removed is modern social life from the Divine standard. How does each one of us stand in relation to our individual character, compared to the world of which we profess to have no part in, except that of strangers and pilgrims passing through, are we happy in the world’s society, or do we find ourselves at ease in our surroundings? Or is there anything in our lives to distinguish us from those who know not God, and who care not for the honour of His Name? This is the time for examination of ourselves, and the measuring of ourselves by the standard set before us, in Him whose memory we would recall in the memorial bread.

It is incumbent upon us that we be honest with ourselves in this examination, for God knows the inmost thoughts of our hearts, and coming before His throne to offer our worship to Him, let us be mindful of the injunction given us by the Apostle in I Peter 1:15, 16: “Be ye holy in all manner of conversation, as it is written, for I the Lord your God am holy.” The truest incentive to holiness is meekness and humility, and we have no more peerless example of a truly humble disposition recorded in the Old Testament history, than that of Abraham, the man who gained the great distinction of being called “the friend of God.”