^S. OF PRIA/^
.M847
v.9j
GENESIS. — Tin; Rook of BEGINNINGS.
GENEB VTICIN. I., II.
I. Conditioned.
B.
DECJENERATION. III.— XI.
! Scp^ion.
, K.Si,u.
: INTERPOLATION.
III. Tbe New Departure. National.
' THE NATIONS.
REGENERATION. XII.— I..
INDIVIDUALS
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'
THE
ANALYZED BIBLE
BY THE KEV.
G. CAMPBELL MORGAN, D.D.
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
New York Chicago Toronto
Fleming H. Revell Company
London and Edinburgh
Copyright, 191 1, by
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
•^
New York: 158 Fifth Avenue
Chicago : 123 N. Wabash Ave.
Toronto: 25 Richmond St., W.
London : 21 Paternoster Square
Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street
PREFACE
THE Preface to this Volume is found in
the Chapter on Genesis, in Volume I.
of " The Analyzed Bible."
Herein we proceed at once to the more
detailed analysis of what is set forth in bare
outline therein. *
Familiarity with that outline is necessary
to the study of this book.
G. Campbell Morgan.
CONTENTS
GENERATION
PAGE
OF THE MATEEIAL TO MAN ... 16
The Origin 16
The Ruin 17
The Revealed Cosmogony . % . .18
Restoration 19
Rest 23
OF MAN, AS TO NATTJEE AND OFFICE 27
Created .29
Crowned 31
Conditioned 32
Completed 33
7
8 Contents
DEGENERATION
PAGE
OF THE INDIVIDUAL .... 37
The Serpent and Man .... 39
Jehovah 42
Inquisition 42
Sentence 43
Prophecy . . . . . .44
Exclusion 44
OF THE FAMILY 47
The First Family 47
The Families . . . . . .51
OF SOCIETY 55
The Mixture of the Seeds ... 55
The Result of the Mixture . . 58
The Exception 60
THE DIVINE INTEEPOLATION . . 63
The Corruption of the Earth . . 63
The Divine Action 64
Contents 9
PAGE
The Preparation 64
The Destruction 65
The Deliverance 67
The New Departure .... 71
Man in Relation to God ... 71
Man in Relation to Creation . . 72
The Covenant and its Seal ... 73
The Beginnings of the Nations . . 75
OF THE NATIONS . . . ' . .79
Confederacy 79
Confusion 81
Continuity 82
REGENERATION
OF INDIVIDUALS 85
Abraham 85
First Communication of Jehovah . 86
Second Communication of Jehovah . 87
First Deflection of Abram ... 91
10 Contents
PAGE
Third Communication of Jehovah . 95
Fourth Communication of Jehovah . 101
Second Deflection of Abram . . 107
Fifth Communication of Jehovah . Ill
Sixth Communication of Jehovah . 119
Parenthesis. The Story of Lot . . 125
Third Deflection of Abraham . . 131
The Fulfilment of Promise . . . 135
The Separation of Ishmael . . 136
Parenthesis. The Covenant of Abra-
ham and Abimelech .... 137
Seventh Communication of Jehovah 141
Parenthesis. The Seed of Nahor . . 146
Last Things in the Life of Abraham . 149
Death of Sarah 149
Choosing a Wife for Isaac . . . 153
The Final Records of Abraham . . 161
Isaac 165
Introductory 165
Contents 11
PAGE
First Appearance. Continuity of
Covenant 1G7
Second Appearance. Ratification of
Covenant 169
Jacob 173
First Divine Communication. Du-
plicity, and the Over-ruling God . 173
Parenthesis. The Action of Esau . . 178
Second Divine Communication. Suc-
cess, and the Interfering G#d . 183
Third Divine Communication. Inde-
pendence, and the Conquering God 193
Fourth Divine Communication. Com-
promise, and the Restoring God . 201
Fifth Divine Communication. Obedi-
ence, and the Rewarding God . 209
OF THE FAMILY 215
Preliminary 215
Joseph at Home and in Exile . . 219
The Home Life 219
12
Contents
The Dreams 220
The Betrayal 220
Judah's Corruption .... 221
OP SOCIETY
Preparation in Egypt .
Joseph in Slavery .
Joseph in Power .
Joseph and his Brethren
The First Visit .
The Second Visit
. 225
. 225
. 225
. 231
. 237
. 237
. 243
Segregation of Israel .... 255
Joseph and his Family . . . 255
Joseph, his Sons, and his Father . 263
Jacob's Adoption of Ephraim and
Manasseh 263
Jacob's Prophecy concerning his
Sons 269
The Passing and Burial of Jacob . 275
OF A NATION
279
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
A. GENERATION.
i., ii.
I. OF THE MATERIAL TO MAN.
i.-ii. 3
i. The Origin.
i. i
ii. The Ruin.
i. 2a
iii. The Revealed Cosmogony.
i.
2b-ii. 3
a. RESTORATION.
i
i. 2&-31
I. The Agents.
a. The brooding Spirit.
p. The uttered Word.
3.6,
9, ii»
14,
20,
2&-31
24, 26
2. The Order.
a. Light.
/3. Firmament.
y. Separation of Land and Water.
S. The Solar System.
€. Sentient Life. Fish. Fowl.
f. Animals.
»). Man.
Vegetation.
3S
6-8
9-13
14-19
20-23
24.25
26-31
b. REST. ii. 1-3
GENESIS
" The secret things belong unto the Lord
our God : but the things that are revealed be-
long unto us and to our children for ever, that
we may do all the words of this law." In the
book of Genesis the " secret things " are taken
for granted, and the story is told of the origin
of the things that are revealed.
" What is seen hath not been invade out of
things which do appear." In this writing
" what is seen . . . things which do appear "
are set in relation to Him Who is not seen,
and to the forces which do not appear, in such
a way as to show that the seen and apparent
are the evidences of the unseen and the hid-
den.
Our broad scheme of analysis reveals the
book as dealing with generation, the origins
of material things, and the connection of such
with the spiritual in man; degeneration, the
introduction of sin into human history, and
the consequent degradation of humanity; re-
generation, the first Divine movement in
human history towards the Saviour, and the
consequent hope of human salvation.
15
16 Genesis
A. GENERATION.
The first division is intensive rather than
extensive, inclusive rather than exhaustive.
In language characterized by great simplicity
it treats first of the material order as far as
man; and secondly of man, as to his nature
and office.
I. OF THE MATERIAL TO MAN
In the first section which treats of the
material to man, we have three matters in
sequence, demanding our attention; first, an
all-inclusive declaration of origin ; secondly, a
description of a state of ruin, with no account
of its cause; and thirdly, the account of the
cosmogony of the present order.
i. The Origin
The origin of material things is declared in
the words, " In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth." This declaration
stands sublime in its simplicity. It is with-
out date, definition of God, or declaration of
process.
The phrase, " in the beginning," leaves the
actual age of things material undeclared,
Generation 17
allows for much subsequently to be revealed
and discovered, but claims that however long
the periods occupied in the process, the first
fact is not the material, but God. The word
" Elohim " here translated " God," and
occurring at least five-and-thirty times in this
particular section, suggests the embodiment
of all might, and is written in the plural, ac-
cording to the Hebrew usage, which employs
the plural as indicative of superlative dignity
and excellence. The word oara, here trans-
lated " created," is one of three made use of
when referring to the Divine activity in cre-
ation ; but it is the one which in the Old Testa-
ment is never used save of the activity of God,
and conveys the idea of absolute Power, oper-
ating in actual origination.
ii. The Ruin
Immediately following this simple and sub-
lime statement, a picture is drawn of the earth
in desolation and a waste. There is no logical
connection between the first verse, and the
first part of the second verse. The words of
Isaiah are very emphatic in this connection.
" For thus saith the Lord that created the
heavens ; He is God ; that formed the earth and
made it ; He established it, He created it not a
18 Genesis
waste, He formed it to be inhabited; 1 am
the Lord; and there is none else." In another
passage in Isaiah, when foretelling the deso-
lation which will overtake the earth under the
judgment of God, he says, " He shall stretch
over it the line of confusion, and the plummet
of emptiness " ; and these words " confusion "
and " emptiness " are the identical words
made use of in Genesis, " waste " and " void."
The first, " waste," or " confusion," conveys
the idea of utter desolation ; while the second,
" void," or " emptiness," suggests the most
disastrous failure.
We have no account of the catastrophe
which overtook the earth God had created, but
which He did not create waste ; and all specu-
lation is futile.
iii. The Kevealed Cosmogony
The first two movements prepare for the
third. The first affirms the fact that the mate-
rial universe is the creation of God. The
second describes a condition into which this
creation had passed, in order to introduce the
account of the restoration of order, that new
movement of God by which the waste and
desolate earth was restored to fruitfulness and
order as the habitation of man. The account
Generation 19
of the cosmogony falls into two parts, the first
dealing with the activity of restoration; and
the second with the consequent attitude of
rest.
a. RESTORATION
The presentation of the process of restora-
tion reveals first the agents ; and secondly the
order.
*
1. The Agents .
God is revealed in this restoration in the
threefold fact of His existence.
The first declaration is full of poetic beauty
and suggestiveness, especially if it be read
in the Hebrew form, " And the Spirit of God,
hovering upon the face of the waters " ; and
perhaps the thought of the Hebrew word is
best conveyed by the margin of the Revision,
" brooding upon." Thus the desolate and
waste earth is seen swathed about by the
Spirit of God Who is the Medium of the oper-
ation, to fulfilment, of the will of God, as it
is expressed in the words of commandment.
Throughout the whole movement there is
a recurrence of the Hebrew expression, " Then
said God " ; and the Word of God is heard,
20 Genesis
uttering the sublime commandments which
express the will of God, which are immedi-
ately realized through the operation of the
Spirit of God.
Thus God is seen, uttering the thought of
His will in the Word of His mouth; and ac-
complishing His will through the activity of
His Spirit.
2. The Order
The will of God, expressed through His
Word, and realized by His Spirit, produces
an order which is described as proceeding in
stages, culminating in man. The first is that
of the appearance of light; the second the pro-
vision of a firmament, or expanse, separating
waters from waters; the third the separation
of land from water in the earth, and the ap-
pearance of vegetation; the fourth is the ap-
pearance of the solar system as sun, moon,
and stars take up their appointed places in
relation to the earth; the fifth is the produc-
tion of a new order of life, which we may de-
scribe as sentient, in the appearance of fish
and fowl; the sixth is that of the coming of
an animal life on a higher level than that of
fish and fowl ; while the final movement is that
of the creation of man.
Generation 21
In the consideration of this account there
are certain matters which need to be carefully
noted. In the first four stages we find nothing
other than the bringing of order out of dis-
order; nothing new is originated. There is
simply the manipulation by the Spirit of God
of things originally created, in preparation for
a new order of being. Through these stages
the word describing the activity of God sug-
gests only the manipulation of material al-
ready in existence. *
When the power of God proceeded to the
production of a new order of life, which may
be described as sentient, the word bara which
appears in the first verse of the chapter, is
used again. Thus the difference between
the sentient life and all that preceded it, is
declared to be the result of an act of God,
similar to that by which He originated the
material universe.
The final movement is that of the creation
of man ; and so majestic and important a mat-
ter is it, tha't it is described as the result of
some special counsel as within the mystery of
Deity, " Let Us make man." Here again,
while the word used with regard to the first
stages is employed in this reference to coun-
sel, when the actual work is referred to, the
word bara is employed, showing that man
22 Genesis
again is the result of an entirely new originat-
ing activity on the part of God.
Thus the crowning glory of this creation
restoration is man, who is presented to us
in the image and likeness of God, although the
full process is not revealed, nor the deepest
truth concerning man's nature declared in this
first account. Taking the story as it stands,
man is seen as the consummating glory of the
material universe, emotional, intellectual, and
volitional. The fact of his spiritual nature,
which is the deepest secret of all these other
matters, is not here declared, and so far there
is no reference to his moral nature.
It is interesting thus carefully to note the
position of the word "create" (bara) in this
story. It is used of that first activity of God
whereby the material came into being. It is
used of that activity of God by which life
became sentient. It is used of that activity
of God whereby man was made distinct from
everything below him. The word " made "
(asah) is used with the greatest latitude, but
never to indicate absolute origination as bara
is. It always pre-supposes the existence of
things which are to be manipulated into new
forms.
Thus the story of the origin of those things
in the midst of which man finds himself to-
Generation 23
day, affirms that they result from the will and
work of Almighty God ; and a definite order is
revealed, which proceeds from lower to higher ;
and an activity is declared, whereby great
changes are wrought, even in the process of
development, by the direct and new inter-
ference of God.
b. REST
With the creation of man the ultimate
meaning of all preceding him was manifest.
The goal was reached. Contemplating the
process and the issue, God rested on the sev-
enth day, and hallowed it. How long the rest
lasted it is impossible to say. Through all
the description the word " day " is undefined
as to length of period. In the statement which
immediately follows the section, it is declared
that God made earth and heaven in a day,
which cannot mean one day of equal length
with those already referred to, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the Hebrew word is exactly
the same ; because all these days were included
in this one day.
Into this rest of God, man entered; and
it continued until the tempter came, and sin
entered. When subsequently, a seventh of
time was definitely set apart and hallowed, it
24 Genesis
became a reminder of that rest of God and
man, which resulted from the perfect realiza-
tion of Divine purpose by Divine power; and
thus it was also a prophecy of rest to be
reached along similar lines. Fundamentally
the Sabbath for man was a gracious provision
of God, whereby after six days of toil in fel-
lowship with Him, he might rest in the same
fellowship, and in thankful contemplation of
His work.
II. OF MAN, AS TO NATURE AND OFFICE. »• 4-25
i. Created. 4-7
a. FORMED.
b. BREATHED.
c. A LIVING SOUL.
ii. Crowned. 8- is
a. HIS PLACE. 8-14
b. HIS OCCUPATION. 15
1. Dominion.
2. Submission.
iii. Conditioned. 16, 17
a. THE LIMITS OF LIBERTY.
b. THE SACRAMENTAL SYMBOLS.
i. Permission.
2. Prohibition.
iv. Completed. 18-25
a. A HELPMEET NEEDED. 18-20
b. OUT OF MAN. 21,22
c. THE OTHER SIDE OF DEITY. 23-25
Generation 27
II. OP MAN, AS TO NATURE AND
OFFICE
The supreme subject of this section is man.
In the first section the origins of all material
things have been dealt with, and it has been
clearly seen that the ultimate goal was
reached in man.
This is true, whatever theory may be held
as to process. If in some respects the process
was evolutionary, the involved purpose was
man. It is not within the scope of our pur-
pose to discuss these processes. We may,
however, describe what is known as the evolu-
tionary process by quotation.
" The evolution theory of the origin of
species is that later species have been de-
veloped by continuous differentiation of
organs, and modifications of parts from
species simpler and less differentiated,
and that thus all organic existence, even
man himself, may be traced back to a
simple cell."
Now if this be true, it is well to remember
that according to the Biblical statement, evo-
28 Genesis
lution means involution, which means God;
and that involved in the original cell, was
man. Let it also be remembered that accord-
ing to this same Biblical account, differentia-
tion has been by the act of God, and by such
acts as have separated between the nothing
and the something, between life non-sentient
and the sentient, between animal life merely,
and human life; these particular acts be-
ing described by the Hebrew word bar a, to
which we have referred.
On the other hand, if emphasis be laid upon
the direct activity of God, the goal is still
man, and consequently all before him was
preparatory for his coming.
In the present section we have a careful
account of the method of the creation of man,
laying special emphasis upon the essential
fact of his nature, and revealing his conse-
quent relation to the Creator and to creation.
The section is introduced by a summary of all
that preceded the coming of man. The heaven
and earth were created, which is a reference
to ch. i. 1 ; and they were made, which is a ref-
ence to ch. i. 3-19. This is a picture of the
earth waiting for a man; potential, not pro-
lific. The special dealing with man falls into
four parts, in which he is seen created,
crowned, conditioned, and completed.
Generation 29
i. Created
The creation of man is now described in
such a way that the fullest truth concerning
his nature may be known. Three distinct
movements are recorded in the brief but com-
prehensive account. First, " Jehovah God
formed man of the dust " ; second, " Jehovah
God . . . breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life " ; finally, " man became a living
soul."
When the prophet Isaiah was delivering his
messages, on one remarkable occasion, he
made use of three words in describing God's
right in man, " I have created, I have formed,
I have made" (Isa. xliii. 7). The first of
these is the Hebrew word bara, already more
than once referred to. The last is the word
asah, already once referred to. The central
one, " I have formed," is the Hebrew word
yatsar, which signifies to form or fashion as
a potter does the clay.
This first declaration then, refers to that
activity of God which was the first process in
the making of a man, that namely of His use
of material already existing, for the physical
basis. " The Lord God formed man of the
dust of the ground." The Duke of Argyll has
said,
30 Genesis
" The three commonest gases. — oxygen,
hydrogen, and nitrogen — with carbon and
sulphur, are the foundation-stones of
man's body. In slightly different propor-
tions these elements constitute the
primordial combination of matter which
is the abode of life. In the finished struc-
ture there appear besides, lime, potash, a
little iron, sodium, and phosphorus.
These are the constituents of the human
body."
Now all these are found in the dust of the
ground; and thus, by whatever process from
lower to higher, God formed man on the phys-
ical side; that is, the animal basis, but it is
not man in the image and likeness of God.
That physical basis never became man until
the second of these processes followed, which
is described by the words, " Jehovah God
. . . breathed into his nostrils the breath
of life." This is the declaration of the final
Divine act, mysterious and incomprehensible,
wherein God did communicate to that which
He had formed out of the dust, His own life,
so that man became by that final act, a living
soul, in the likeness and image of God.
It is perhaps helpful here to translate that
central declaration of the final Divine activity
Generation 31
thus, " Jehovah God breathed into his breath-
ing places the breath of lives." This suggests
not merely breathing through the nostrils, but
the envelopment of the whole animal organism
with a new quality of Divine life, which cre-
ated a new being ; a combination, strange and
mysterious, of dust and Deity. The crisis of
the beginning of that being came with the in-
breathing of the breath of lives. T^hus man
essentially is spirit.
ii. Crowned
Man, thus created, was placed in a garden.
This garden was of Divine planting, and in
it man was to find his occupation. The nature
of that occupation is at once revealed. Man
is to serve in subjection to the will of his Cre-
ator. He is to reign over all beneath him.
The garden was not the ultimate goal. It was
the opportunity for the exercise of the func-
tions of the life bestowed. Within it there lay
potentially the city. This city, man was in-
tended to build, by the cultivation of the
forces of the garden. His occupation there-
fore was that of dominion in service. He was
to exercise dominion over the earth by dress-
ing and keeping the garden. He was to render
submission to a Divine intention, and thus co-
32 Genesis
operate in a Divine purpose by that self-same
activity of dressing and keeping the garden.
iii. Conditioned
The life of man in its relation to God and
Nature was conditioned by a simple and yet
perfectly clear command. This command in-
dicated the limits of liberty. There were
things which man might do. There were
bounds beyond which he might not go. His
liberty was conditioned in his loyalty to the
law of his God.
Of these fundamental facts the trees of the
garden afforded sacramental symbols. Of all,
save one, he was permitted to eat. This was
permission to live of the fruit of his own toil.
One tree was separated. Of this he might not
eat. It was to stand in the presence of his life,
marking the bounds of his freedom. It was
called the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. Speculation as to what it was, is idle,
and beside the mark. The matter of impor-
tance is that of the principle involved, that
this marvellous being, combining in his per-
sonality elements of the dust which are in
themselves of Divine origin, with the directly
implanted life of God, could only fulfil the
highest function of his being as his will was
submitted to the will of God.
Generation 33
iv. Completed
In this section we see man using his Di-
vinely bestowed powers in the naming of the
living creatures. This was the activity of his
intelligence. He was yet, however, incomplete.
His being demanded a counterpart. In its
very nature it could not fulfil itself save by
co-operation. The ultimate purpose of cre-
ation was not that of a lonely and self-suffi-
cient being, but that of a great society, bound
together by common ties, and acting in such
co-operation as should give expression to the
multiplied mystery of Deity.
The final act of God in the creation of man
was that of supplying his helpmeet. Woman
was formed, not directly from the dust of the
ground, nor directly by a new outgoing of
Deity. She was taken from the man, and is
therefore of his nature, combining the mate-
rial and the spiritual, and being of the man
the complement and perfection. Thus in the
man and the woman, and not in either alone,
the image and the likeness of God are seen.
" God created man in His own image, in the
image of God created He him; male and
female created He them." In God are Father-
hood and Motherhood, parenthood and child-
hood. In these two beings, in their unity as
34 Genesis
the crowning glory of His creation, God Him-
self is revealed. Through all the majestic
processes of the past, God had moved with un-
erring wisdom and unchanging intention to-
wards this self-expression of Himself in
humanity, the ultimate meaning of which will
only be known in the ages to come.
B. DEGENERATION.
iii.-xi.
I. OF THE INDIVIDUAL.
iii.
i. The Serpent and Man.
1-8
a.
THE SERPENT.
la
b.
THE ATTACK.
ib-5
c.
THE FALL.
6
d.
THE ISSUE.
7,8
ii. Jehovah.
9-24
a.
INQUISITION.
9-13
I. The Cry of God.
9
2. The Answer of Man.
10-12
3. The Answer of Woman.
13
b.
SENTENCE.
14-21
i. The Serpent cursed.
14. 15
2. The Woman sentenced.
16
3. The Man sentenced.
17-20
c.
PROPHECY.
15b & 21
1. The Seed of the Woman.
15b
2. The Coats of Skin.
21
d.
EXCLUSION. " LEST."
22-24
Degeneration 37
B. DEGENERATION.
As the first division of the book of Genesis
answers questions arising in the presence of
the created order; the second division replies
to questions arising in view of the facta of sin
and suffering and sorrow. How long man re-
mained in the realization of his life according
to the Divine purpose we have no means of
knowing; certainly not more than a century.
Seth was born when Adam was one hundred
and thirty years of age, and after Abel's death.
Abel was not born until after the Fall, and
seeing that he had attained to manhood's age
at death, it is evident that the period of human
innocence and happiness was not more than a
century.
In this section we have the account of the
beginnings of human degeneration. The story
tells of the degeneration of the individual, of
the family, of society; gives the account of
the Divine interpolation in judgment and
mercy; and then tells of the beginning of
national life and of its degeneration.
I. OF THE INDIVIDUAL
In approaching this section of the book of
Genesis, the old question naturally arises as
38 Genesis
to whether the story is literal or allegorical,
and in order to our study of the book it is
necessary that some brief words be written on
the subject. To make the story wholly alle-
gorical is to cut away the foundation of Bible
history, and to make it necessary to treat
everything subsequently as allegorical. Real
flesh-and-blood men are not begotten by myths.
All that follows in the history of the Bible,
both in Old and New Testaments, has to do
with a race springing from a man. This is
true even of the central Figure of the Bible,
so far as His humanity is concerned. If the
historicity of man is recognized, the facts of
the story must be accepted as true.
On the other hand, to make the story wholly
literal is to deny its fullest value. For in-
stance, if the story be absolutely literal, then
the final result of evil is the bruising of the
heel of a man, and the bruising of the head of
a snake. No one supposes this to be the case.
It is perfectly patent that in this connection
figures of speech are used.
The facts here recorded, as interpreted by
the history which follows, are that we have
an account of spiritual transactions in mate-
rial life. The spirit of evil took material form
in order to reach the essential spirit of man
through his material being. We must there-
Degeneration 39
fore consider the material facts, always watch-
ing for the spiritual significance.
The account of the degeneration of the indi-
vidual falls into two parts; in the first of
which the serpent and man are the central
figures; while in the second everything
gathers around the presence and activity of
Jehovah.
i. The Serpent and Man
The section is introduced by the suggestive
phrase, " Now the serpent," and the first mat-
ter demanding attention is that of the being
thus described. The word translated " ser-
pent " (nachash) is derived from a root mean-
ing to hiss or to whisper, and undoubtedly
refers to a serpent as we understand the word.
It is at once evident, however, that the being
thus described was not, at the time of his
appearance to Eve, a reptile, for it is com-
pared with " beasts of the field," and not with
" creeping things."
Light is thrown upon the story by Paul,
when in writing to the Corinthians he said,
" I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent
beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds
should be corrupted " ; and a little later in the
same connection he declared, " Satan fash-
ioneth himself into an angel of light."
40 Genesis
Bearing this in mind we turn to the
prophecy of Isaiah, and find that in the course
of the burden of Philistia he said, " Rejoice
not, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod
that smote thee is broken : for out of the ser-
pent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his
fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." There
the word " serpent " in the phrase " the ser-
pent's root " is the word used in Genesis. Out
of this comes literally a flying seraph (saraph
m'opheph). In the story of the visitation in
the wilderness the two words are brought into
connection, nachashim saraphim, that is, liter-
ally, serpents seraphs. Once again, in the
great vision of Isaiah the same word is used
(saraph) of the seraphim.
A comparison of these passages will help
us to understand the Genesis story. Eve was
beguiled by the serpent, that is, Satan, who
fashioned himself as an angel of light. In
order to appeal to her through the material,
he took possession of a beast of the field, more
subtle, that is, more cautious than any other ;
and transformed it into the appearance of
a fiery seraph, or in the words of Paul, " an
angel of light." If this interpretation be ac-
cepted, it is at least more easy to understand
the willingness of the woman to listen; and
this is in harmony with the whole Biblical
Degeneration 41
revelation of Satan and his methods. In the
words of our Lord, " he is a liar and the father
thereof," and his method is never that of pre-
senting himself in the naked horror of his evil
nature, or of choosing methods of approach
which suggest that fact.
Thus the spirit of evil taking material form
in order to reach the spirit of man through his
material being, made his attack upon the cen-
tral and vital principle of relationship between
man and God, that namely of faith. The
deepest note in the attack is that of this at-
tempt to reflect on God. An appeal was made
to the curiosity of the woman. She was en-
gaged in a conversation which was aimed at
undermining her confidence in God.
The deepest note in the fall of man is that
of failure of faith, which issued in disobedi-
ence, and proceeded necessarily to death.
Faith being lost, fear immediately suc-
ceeded. There was no change in God to war-
rant the hiding of man from Him. The
change had taken place in man. The two
principles of faith and fear are eternally an-
tagonistic. Either can only flourish at the ex-
pense of the other. So long as faith was the
master principle of life, there was no room
for fear. The goodness of God being called in
question, man attempted the government of
42 Genesis
his own life by acting upon his own choice,
and the first sheaf of the harvest of such action
was that of the fear that hath torment.
ii. Jehovah
Man may hide from God, but he cannot
escape Him, and it is indeed well that he
cannot. In this section we have the account
of the insistence of God upon the necessity for
the maintenance of the authority of His
throne, and a revelation of His determination
to exercise that authority in holiness and in
love. The movement is fourfold ; and consists
of inquisition, sentence, prophecy, and exclu-
sion.
a. INQUISITION
The first cry of God thrills with the pathos
and tenderness of the pain of His heart.
" Where art thou? " Man immediately con-
fessed his fear, and thus was brought to the
confession of his sin.
The spirit of pride was manifest in the at-
tempt both of the man and of the woman to
escape responsibility; he by attempting to
place the blame upon the woman, with a veiled
reflection upon God, in that he said, " the
Degeneration 43
woman whom Thou gavest " ; and she by blam-
ing the serpent.
The infinite justice of God is manifest in
this process of inquisition in that He allowed
the man and the woman to state their case;
and thus traced back the evil to its original
source.
b. SENTENCE
In the sentences pronounced there is evi-
denced the differentiation of strictest justice.
The beast of the field which had been made
the medium of Satanic purpose, was changed
from one form of life to a lower. It thus
became, not consciously to itself, but evi-
dently to humanity, an abiding symbol of the
degradation of the arch-enemy, who had
slandered God.
The sentence upon the woman was that the
distinctive and highest exercise of her nature,
that of motherhood, should be associated with
sorrow and with pain.
The sentence upon the man was that the
highest activity of his life, that of toil, should
be accompanied by weariness; that he should
earn his bread in the sweat of his brow.
44 Genesis
C. PROPHECY
Intermingled with these words of sentence,
and shining with the light of the Infinite Love,
the earliest prophetic word foretelling a Di-
vinely determined deliverance, broke upon
human ears. The seed of the woman coming
into being through birth pangs and travail
would ultimately become the Deliverer, who
through suffering would overcome the de-
stroyer. This prophetic word was emphasized
by the clothing of the man and woman in
coats of skins. For the hiding of the naked-
ness of which they had become ashamed, gar-
ments were given which were provided at the
cost of life.
d. EXCLUSION
Behind all the movements of law, the heart
of Love was supreme. This was finally mani-
fest in the exclusion of Adam and Eve from
the tree of life, in order that they might not
perpetuate the condition into which they had
come as the result of sin.
II. OF THE FAMILY. *v., v.
i. The First Family. *».
a. THE TWO SONS. I, 2
i. Cain. I
2. Abel. 2
b. THE TWO OFFERINGS. 3-7
i. The Human Action. 3. 4a
2. The Divine Discrimination. 4b> 5<*
3. Cain and Jehovah. sb-7
c. THE TWO DEATHS. 8-16
i. Physical, of Abel. 8
2. Spiritual, of Cain. 9-16
a. Jehovah and Cain. 9-15
Investigation. 9, 10
Judgment. 11-14
Mercy. 15
p. Separation. 16
d. THE PROGRESS OF GODLESSNESS. 17-24
i. The First City. J7
2. Seven Generations. l8
3. 77j£ Progress. *9'22
4. 77}? Godlessness. 23> 24
<?. THE NEW SON. 25, 26
ii. The Families. v-
a. THE NEW LINE. 1-5
b. SEVEN GENERATIONS. 6-24
c. FOUR GENERATIONS. 25-32
Degeneration 47
II. OF THE FAMILY
The degeneration of the individual is trans-
mitted, and this section covering a period,
measuring by the ages of the men, of about
fifteen hundred years, reveals the failure of
family life ; dealing first with the first family ;
and secondly, in broad outline, with the fami-
lies succeeding.
i. The First Family
This is a story full of heart-break and dis-
appointment. Eve named her firstborn Cain,
meaning Acquisition, evidently in the hope
that in him there was fulfilment of the promise
that the seed of the woman should bruise the
head of the serpent. How little she knew of
the real nature of her own sin ! This firstborn
was manifestly an inheritor of a fallen nature,
and in all probability from the beginning there
were manifestations of that wayward rebel-
liousness, which ever tends to break the heart
of fatherhood and motherhood; and which at
last brings them to an understanding of the
pain of God over their own sin. The second
son she called Abel, that is Vanity, and
thereby revealed the disappointment which
had come to her through Cain.
The break-up of the family ideal is at once
48 Genesis
apparent. The brothers differed in the deep-
est things of their lives. Cain brought as an
offering the perfect result of his own toil.
Abel also brought an offering which was con-
nected with his calling; but in his offering
there was the evidence of a consciousness of
the need of sacrifice, resulting from a sense
of sin.
The Divine discrimination was manifested in
the rejection of Cain's offering, and the ac-
ceptance of Abel's. The reason for that dis-
crimination is plainly stated by the writer of
the letter to the Hebrews. Abel was a man
of faith; Cain was not. The one was godly;
the other, in the deep things of his life, was
godless. It is not correct to say that one man
was accepted and the other rejected because of
the difference in their offerings. It is true
rather that the offerings were respectively ac-
cepted and rejected, because of the difference
in the men.
The dealing of Jehovah with Cain was that
of a great patience, as He reasoned with him
concerning the unreasonableness of his
wrath, and told him that if he did well, he
would be accepted; and secondly,1 that if he
sinned, yet a sin-offering was provided.
1 It is commonly agreed that the Hebrew word here may
mean " sin-offering," or " sin " ; and the decision as to which
Degeneration 49
The first death in the human race came by
the way of murder. Death itself was the pen-
alty of sin, but it was first executed by the
hand of a sinner.
Again Jehovah came in immediate inqui-
sition and judgment; and the murderer, oring-
ing under the righteous stroke of punishment,
uttered the complaint which had in it the ele-
ment of a craven fear. The sentence was
tempered with mercy in that the immediate
physical death which he feared was postponed.
The action of the man was that of voluntary
separation from God. The sentence, " Cain
went out from the presence of Jehovah " does
not mean that he escaped from the actual
presence of God, for this is not possible to
man. It rather indicates the fact that he cut
himself off from recognition of the Divine gov-
ernment and response to its claims, and Avent
out to live his life in determined independence.
There follows an account of human progress,
notwithstanding human godlessness, which is
most remarkable. It is indeed the beginning
of a history which continues until this hour;
marriage, and children, and the building of
a city without God. Seven generations are
named, culminating in Lamech, who was the
meaning is accepted in this case must depend upon the
general understanding of the passage.
50 Genesis
father of a most remarkable family. In Jabal,
" the father of such as dwell in tents and have
cattle," we see the origination of commercial
enterprise ; in Jubal, " the father of all such
as handle the harp and pipe/' we have the
initiation of the fine arts; in Tubal-cain, who
was " the forger of every cutting instrument of
brass and iron,"' the commencement of me-
chanical skill; whereas in the fact that
Naamah, his sister, is mentioned distinctively,
we have the suggestion of the first movement
towards the enfranchisement of women.1
The whole genius of this progress is crystal-
lized in the song of Lamech. In him wre see
a man repeating the sin of Cain; but now
instead of the cringing fear of Cain, we find the
attitude of daring independence as in poetic
language he defended himself, and boasted of
his safety. The song is the supreme expres-
sion of the confidence of a man in his own
ability to act without God.
A third son was born to Adam and Eve, and
was called Seth, the appointed one, for his
mother found in him compensation for the loss
of Abel. From this son a new line commenced.
Through Abel there was no succession. The
posterity of Cain was subsequently swept
1 All this is dealt with in a most interesting way in Dr.
Dods' volume in the " Expositor's Bible Series."
Degeneration 51
away in the Flood. Through Seth, therefore,
the seed of the woman was preserved towards
the ultimate victory.
ii. The Families *
The monotony of the story of the succession
of families is almost wearisome. Neverthe-
less the chronicle is full of value, first because
it contains a condensed account of fifteen cen-
turies of human history. The ruin of the race
had come through man's belief in the lie of
Satan, " Ye shall not surely die." Quietly and
persistently through the centuries the Divine
sentence was carried out; and as this section
is carefully read, the continued repetition of
the sentence, " and he died," indicates the vin-
dication of God against the lie of evil. God
is always vindicated in the coming and going
of the centuries.
This chapter, with its account of the ages
of these men, is of value as it reveals how early
history was preserved. Adam was yet alive
when Methusaleh was born, and Methusaleh
was yet alive when Noah was born. Thus
only one person forms a link of connection
between Adam and Noah. The story of Cre-
ation and the Fall may have been told by
Adam to Methuselah, and by Methuselah to
52 Genesis
Noah. Add to this the fact that Noah lived
to be contemporary with Terah, and probably
with Abraham, and it is seen how few links
there are needed to complete the chain of con-
nection between Adam and the writing of the
history.
The chapter finally is supremely valuable
as it gives us the brief but beautiful picture
of one man, Enoch, who through conformity
to the will of God in life and conduct was
translated that he should not see death; and
thus God is seen vindicating, even in the
midst of all the darkness, His power to
triumph, by grace, over the consequences of
evil, when man reposes his trust in Him.
Seven generations from Adam through Seth
bring us to Enoch, who thus in all probability
would be contemporary with Lamech, the
seventh from Adam through Cain. From
Enoch four generations bring us to the sons of
Noah.
Thus the degeneration of the family is re-
vealed, while yet over the whole history the
light of the Divine purpose is falling ; and the
hope and assurance of the ultimate victory of
Grace are maintained.
III. OF SOCIETY.
vi. i-io
i. The Mixture of the Seeds.
1-4
a. THE TWO.
1,2
i. The Sons of God.
2. The Daughters of Men.
b. THE DIVINE DETERMINATION. 3
1. Judgment.
2. Respite.
c. THE NEW RACE. 4
i. Immediately.
2. Subsequently.
3. The Nature.
ii. The Result of the Mixture. 5-7
a. HUMAN DEGENERACY. S
i. Wickedness Great.
2. Only Evil Continually.
b. DIVINE INTERVENTION. 6, 7
1. Knowledge.
He saw . . . repented.
2. Emotion.
He grieved.
3. Volition.
" I will destroy."
iii. The Exception. 8-10
a. NOAH BEFORE GOD. 8
b. NOAH IN CHARACTER AND CONDUCT. 9
c. NOAH AND HIS SONS. 10
Degeneration 55
III. OF SOCIETY
With the passing of the centuries the de-
generation of the individual and of the family
became that of society at large. The story of
that degeneration is briefly but graphically set
forth in this section, in which we have an ac-
count of the mixture of the seeds ; of the result
of that mixture; and a portrait in outline of
the man who was an exception to the abound-
ing corruption.
i. The Mixture of the Seeds
The plain declaration of the text is that
there was inter-marriage between the sons of
God and the daughters of men, and that this
was the cause of a yet deeper corruption than
had been known before.
There have been two distinct interpretations
of the meaning of this declaration. One
affirms that this was a supernatural intermar-
rying between angels and women. The other
teaches that " the sons of God " were those
descendants of Seth who dwelt alone, in sepa-
ration from the descendants of Cain, main-
taining the worship and service of the one
God ; while " the daughters of men " were the
descendants of Cain who had followed in the
56 Genesis
wake of their father who went out from the
presence of the Lord, and were living without
any recognition of the government of God.
Again we have to say that it is not within the
scope of our purpose to enter into this discus-
sion, but it is necessary immediately to de-
clare that the first of these views we hold as
utterly unwarranted, and outside the realm of
possibility; involving a conception which is
entirely unnatural, and unwarranted by any
teaching concerning angels or men to be found
within the Divine Library. As in the
genealogy of the Lord Himself in the Gospel
according to Luke, Adam is finally spoken of
as " the son of God " ; so we hold that those
who, in association with Him, retained the
worship of God, and yielded allegiance to
Him, are referred to by the term, " the sons
of God."
After a period then, the seed of Cain and
that of Seth came into contact. On the part
of the sons of God there was a lowering of
the standard of loyalty to Him, as they inter-
married with the daughters of the race that
had turned its back upon Him.
In view of this, the Divine determination
of judgment was declared in the wTords, " My
Spirit shall not strive with man for ever " ;
but a definite period of respite was also deter-
Degeneration 57
mined, that namely of one hundred and twenty
years.
The result from the inter-mixture between
the two seeds was twofold in the race pro-
duced. There was in the first place a definite
strengthening of that which was purely phys-
ical and of the earth. A race of Nephilim, or
giants resulted. The chronicler draws atten-
tion to the fact that subsequently, or in his
own words, " also after that," a similar result
followed a similar activity, " when the sons
of God came in unto the daughters of men,
and they bare children to them." The only
other occasion where Nephilim are referred
to is in the Book of Numbers, where they are
described as " the sons of Anak " (xiii. 33) . As
the Nephilim referred to in our section were
certainly all swept away by the Flood, those
described in Numbers must have been a sepa-
rate race, springing from a similar cause ; but
here it is distinctly affirmed that they were
the sons of Anak. Anak was the son of Arba,
the founder of the city of Kiriath, according
to the book of Joshua (xv. 13) ; and Arba is
distinctly affirmed to be a man in the same
book (xiv. 15). This man is referred to in
Genesis twice as the founder of the city which
was subsequently named Hebron (xxiii. 2,
xxxv. 27). In both cases therefore this kind
58 Genes
is
of inter-mixture resulted in the production of
a strong physical race.
ii. The Result of the Mixture
The principal result was that of the ter-
rible corruption now graphically described.
The outward manifestation is recorded in the
declaration that " the wickedness of man was
great in the earth." This outward manifesta-
tion is accounted for by the fact of an inward
corruption, the terribleness of which is re-
vealed in the statement that " every imagina-
tion of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually." The imagination, or purpose,
or desire, was absolutely evil; as the signifi-
cant words, " every," " only," " continually,"
reveal. There was no admixture of good.
There was neither relenting nor repenting.
The picture is one of utter and hopeless de-
pravity. God was forgotten, or defied; and
the flesh, with its passions and lusts, was reg-
nant.
The story of the Divine intervention then
follows. The action of judgment was the re-
sult of the intimate knowledge of Jehovah. In
view of the widespread and appalling corrup-
tion " it repented the Lord that He had made
man on the earth " ; that is to say, His pur-
Degeneration 59
pose concerning those upon whom He looked
was changed, because of their departure from
His original purpose for them.
In this connection it should be carefully
noticed that beyond this perfect knowledge of
the condition, and this change of purpose,
there was that deeper fact chronicled in words
which startle us as we read, " It grieved Him
at His heart." It is important that in read-
ing this passage we should understand that
the word " it " in both cases, refers to the cor-
ruption of men, " it repented Him," and " it
grieved Him." Thus the sin of man is seen
causing sorrow to the heart of God ; and like a
flash of light upon the darkness, the love and
grace of His heart shine forth.
Nevertheless, in order to an ultimate sal-
vation, it was absolutely necessary that there
should be an immediate judgment. Already
the Divine determination has been considered,
that the Spirit of God should not always strive
with man, but that a respite of one hundred
and twenty years should be granted him. The
declaration was now definitely made that
man must be destroyed " from the face of the
ground," because of his corruption.
60 Genesis
iii. The Exception
Among the prevalent corruption there was
at least one man loyal to God; and that man
became the instrument through whom it was
possible for Jehovah to move forward towards
the fulfilment of the deepest purpose of His
heart.
Noah was a man who found favour in the
eyes of Jehovah. His character is described
in the declaration that he " was a righteous
man, and blameless in his generations " ; and
the whole of his conduct is expressed in the
statement that he " walked with God."
To this man three sons were born, who
shared with him in the immediate work of
such co-operation with God by faith, as consti-
tuted the method of God for the carrying out
of this purpose.
THE DIVINE INTERPOLATION.
vi.
II— X.
i. The Corruption of the Earth.
vi.
11, 12
a. THE FACT.
b. THE DIVINE KNOWLEDGE.
ii. The Divine Action.
vi. 13 — viii. 19
a. THE PREPARATION.
vi.
13-22
I. Declaration to Noah.
13
2. The Ark.
14-16
3. The Covenant.
17-22
a. Judgment announced.
17
P. The Terms of Responsibility.
18-21
y. Obedience.
22
b. THE DESTRUCTION.
vii.
i. The Gathering into the Ark.
i-9
2. The Flood.
10-24
c. THE DELIVERANCE.
viii. 1-19
1. Safety in the Ark.
1-14
2. The Going Forth.
15-19
Degeneration 63
THE DIVINE INTERPOLATION
The story of degeneration is interrupted by
the account of the intervention of God in judg-
ment and in mercy, whereby He gave the fallen
race a new opportunity. This parenthesis de-
scribing this Divine action falls into three
parts; the first being a brief restatement of
the fact of the corruption of the earth; the
second describing the action itself; and the
third telling of the new departure issuing
therefrom.
i. The Corruption of the Earth
The fact of the widespread corruption is
described in brief but pregnant sentences,
" the earth was corrupt . . . and . . .
filled with violence " ; and the reason for this
corruption was that " all flesh," that is
humanity, " had corrupted his way upon the
earth." Here the relation between the condi-
tion of man and the condition of all creation
beneath him is recognized. A fallen man
means a ruined earth. At the centre of this
description of corruption the declaration is
made of the Divine knowledge, " God saw."
64 Genesis
ii. The Divine Action
The story of the Divine action is that of
preparation; of destruction; and of deliver-
ance.
a. THE PREPARATION
With Noah, the man walking in communion
with Him, God held communion, telling him
of the impending judgment, and of its reason.
Moreover He brought this man into co-opera-
tion with Himself for the preservation of a
seed, and the bearing of a testimony to the
godless world.
Minute instructions were given to Noah for
the building of an ark in which he and those
associated with him were to find refuge in the
day of approaching catastrophe. Through the
one hundred and twenty years of respite, dur-
ing which the ark was being built, Noah was
a preacher of righteousness.
God entered into a covenant with this man
in which He first definitely announced the
method of judgment, that He would bring a
flood of waters and destroy everything
wherein was breath; and secondly, indicated
to him the terms of his responsibility, that
he should enter into the ark with his imniedi-
Degeneration 65
ate family, and with those living creatures
chosen for the perpetuation of their kind on
the face of the earth.
The closing declaration, " Thus did Noah,
according to all that God commanded him,
so did he," is a remarkable revelation of his
faith. Through all the period of the building
of the ark he lived and worked by faith, being
assured that in spite of all appearances to the
contrary, the Divine determination must be
carried out. It was a period of strange experi-
ences. Godless men of great physical strength
were, to all outward seeming, flourishing in
material things. There can be no doubt that
for material gain they co-operated with Noah
in the building of an ark which they must
have held in supreme disdain. All the while,
by every blow struck, and every foot of work
completed, space was given to them to repent,
for by the construction of the ark Noah was
a preacher of righteousness. Nevertheless it
would seem as though none profited, and
Noah's carpenters were finally destroyed out-
side the ark which they had helped to con-
struct.
Jj. THE DESTRUCTION
At last the work was completed, and the
man who by faith had completed that which
66 Genesis
in the eyes of the world must have been the
supreme evidence of his folly, entered, leaving
behind him all his material possessions.
Then the stroke of judgment fell. The foun-
tains of the great deep were broken up, the
windows of heaven were opened, and the rain
fell for forty days and forty nights, until the
whole earth was covered, and man and beast,
bird and reptile, save such as were within the
ark, were destroyed.
The question of the righteousness of this
swift judgment can only be raised by such as
fail to notice carefully the corruption of the
race in its nature and extent. The only way in
which it was possible to ensure the eventual
purity of the race was by the destruction of
that which was utterly and irrevocably im-
pure. Love, illumined by light, acts not
1 merely in the interests of the present moment,
but of all the coming centuries. There is a
severity which is of the very essence of tender-
ness ; and the story of the Flood is an instance
of the activity of the love of God.
Questions as to the universality of the
Flood are not relevant to the story as it is
written in the book of Genesis. All that this
story suggests is that the destruction was co-
extensive with the region occupied by man.
The Hebrew word used uniformly for the earth
Degeneration 67
through this section {erets), is sometimes
used of the whole earth, sometimes of a part
of it, in the same way in which we may make
use of the word " land." All that this ac-
count demands is that we should understand
that a corrupt race was swept away, and a
godly remnant spared.
C. THE DELIVERANCE
Upborne upon the billows of judgment, the
ark of salvation rode securely, holding within
it all that was necessary for a new departure.
At last the work of judgment being fully
accomplished, the waters abated; and the
voice that had commanded Noah to enter,
called him forth. What a stupendous moment
it was in the history of the earth and of the
race when this man emerged from the ark,
which had been in the eyes of the world the evi-
dence of his folly, but which in the economy
of God had proved to be the way of his deliver-
ance, and the vindication of his faith !
He who by faith had renounced everything
in obedience to God, in spite of all appear-
ances, now stepped forth, the sole possessor of
the earth.
By his co-operation with God, a new day
had dawned for the race, in which men would
68 Genesis
live, with the testimony of judgment accom-
plished and deliverance wrought witnessing to
them of the issues of sin, and the values of
righteousness, within that government of God
from which no human being can finally escape.
iii. The New Departure. National. ««. 20— x.
a. MAN IN RELATION TO GOD. viii. 20-22
i. An Altar and a Sacrifice. 20
2. An Acceptance and a Promise. 21,22
b. MAN IN RELATION TO CREATION. ix. 1-7
i. The New Duty. Replenish. J
2. The New Government. Dread. 2
3. The New Food. Flesh. 3.4
o. Permission. 3
p. Restriction. 4
4. The New Safeguard. Life for Life. s. 6
5. The New Duty repeated. 7
c. THE COVENANT AND ITS SEAL. ix. 8-17
1. The Parties. 8"10
a. God.
/3. Man.
y. Creation.
2. The Terms. lI
3. The Sign. I2_IS
4. 77i£ Activity. l6> x7
d. THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NATIONS, ix. 18— x.
1. The Three Sources. ix- l8» l9
a. Sliem.
p. Ham.
y. Japheth.
(PARENTHESIS. ix. 20-29
0. The Sin of Noah. 20, 21
/3. The Action of his Sons. 22, 23
Ham. 22
Shem and Japheth. 23
y. The Prophecy of Noah. 24-27
The Curse.
The Blessing.
6. The Death of Noah. 28, 29)
2. The Three Streams. x-
a. Japheth. 1-5
p. Ham. 6-20
y. Shem. 21-32
Degeneration 71
/«
iii. The New Departure. National.
The final movement in this story of the
Divine activity of judgment gives the account
of the new departure issuing therefrom ; deal-
ing in sequence with man in relation to God ;
man in relation to creation ; the covenant and
its seal ; and the beginnings of national life.
a. MAN IN RELATION TO GOD
This brief paragraph is full of significance
as it reveals the first things in the life of Noah,
when coming forth from the ark, he found him-
self delivered from judgment, and established
in possession. His first look was Godward,
and his first act the erection of an altar, and
the offering of sacrifice.
This attitude and this activity were an-
swered by God in a declaration full of grace.
The sacrifice was acceptable to Him as a mani-
festation of Noah's sense of the true way of
approach, and the necessary foundation of fel-
lowship. Jehovah's knowledge of the corrupt
nature of humanity is declared, but hence-
forth He will not deal with sin by judgment
through Nature; and the great promise was
made that the natural order should continue,
the seasons follow each other in regular pro-
cession, and day and night not cease.
72 Genesis
b. MAN IN RELATION TO CREATION
The new order was initiated by the bestow-
ment of a blessing upon Noah and his sons,
which was accompanied by the indication of a
new duty, that of replenishing the earth.
The first note of change is found in the word
which declared man's new relation to the lower
orders. In Eden he had governed by love, and
his own inherent kingliness. Through the loss
of that kingliness resulting from the Fall, he
had lost his true power of dominion ; and now
that dominion must be exercised by a fear and
dread of him, directly implanted by God in all
the lower orders over which man must rule.
In this connection also an important change
was made in the Divine permission for human
sustenance. In addition to the green herb of
the past, animal food was permitted, while
important restrictions were made in that per-
mission, preparing the way for the whole sac-
rificial system to be made known in process
of time.
An addition, moreover, was made to the law
of human inter-relationship. Henceforth man
was himself to hold in his hand a sword of
justice. A sterner rule than that of family
discipline was set up. Life was safeguarded
by the severe enactment that if it were taken,
Degeneration 73
whether by beast or man, the one guilty of
the offence should pay the penalty by the for-
feiture of life. Man, from this time forward,
was himself to insist upon obedience to these
laws.
This brief statement of the new conditions
ended as it began, with the injunction to be
fruitful and multiply. The earth was to be
re-peopled by a race living under these new
conditions.
C. THE COVENANT AND ITS SEAL
In ratification of the promises made in the
new order initiated, an actual covenant was
now made between God and man, and a token
of the covenant chosen and established.
The word " covenant " suggests reciprocal
responsibilities. It reminds man that the
promises of God are conditional, and that the
obedience of man is in that respect conditional
also. God will be free not to fulfil His
promises if man fails in faithfulness to the
terms of His covenant. Man will be free to
act independently of God only when he can
prove that God has failed in the fulfilment of
His word. This covenant was strictly one
between God and man, but the whole creation
was involved.
74 Genesis
This covenant was not now made for the
first time, for it was referred to when Noah
was taken into the counsel of God concerning
coming judgment. It had long existed, though
it had never been expressed in exactly these
terms. The relation between man and God
from the beginning had been that of mutual
obligation. Now, however, an addition was
made in the promise of God to the race as
such, that He would never again destroy by
a flood of waters.
A sign of the covenant was chosen and estab-
lished as such ; that namely of the bow in the
cloud. We do not for a moment imagine that
the rainbow had never appeared until now.
All that is necessary is a recognition that at
this time God appropriated an existing wonder
as the sign and seal of the new terms of the
covenant. It was in itself a beautiful and
appropriate symbol. The rainbow is the child
of sun and rain, and thus is ever significant
of judgment in its relation to love.
That bow was made a sign at which man
looking, should remember the word of God.
It was a sign also to God Himself ; for in grace,
and in order to enable man to understand that
grace, He promised that He would look at the
bow and remember. Thus in the contempla-
tion of the bow in the cloud there was estab-
Degeneration 75
lished a spiritual union between God and
man.
d, THE BEGINNINGS OF THE NATIONS
We now come to the larger outlook \ipon
this new departure. First the sons of Noah
are again named as the sources from which the
one race would flow into different channels,
and so constitute the great nations of the earth.
Then follows a story which can only be
spoken of as sad and awe-inspiring. We have
considered the new beginning, and immedi-
ately are plunged with a startling suddenness
into the story of a new fall. Noah had stepped
out into a most remarkable opportunity. He
stood possessor of a world from which corrupt
men had been swept away. He had entered
into a new covenant with God, the seal of
which was the bow in the cloud. Behind him
there lay the impressive experiences through
which he had passed; and before him the
solemn responsibilities of the coming race. In
the midst of these circumstances Noah yielded
to fleshly appetite, and became drunk.
In the presence of the degradation of their
father, the character of the sons was mani-
fested. One, himself degraded in nature,
yielded to curiosity and whispering. Two of
76 Genesis
them, ashamed of the sin of their father, while
yet reverencing him, attempted to hide him,
and to cover his shame.
The cursing and the blessing which fell from
the lips of Noah were not capricious sentences
which he passed upon his sons. They consti-
tuted rather a clear statement of the tendency
of character. The man in the grip of evil,
moves toward slavery; while men influenced
by purity and love proceed to government and
to blessing. From these men the nations were
to spring.
This story in parenthesis ends with the ac-
count of the death of Noah.
The account of the beginnings of the nations
ends with the story of the dispersion of the
sons of Noah and their families after the
Flood.
The descendants of Japheth moved toward
the islands, or the coast-lands. The descend-
ants of Ham moved toward the plains of
Shinar, and thence on. The descendants of
Shem moved toward the hill country of the
east. It is not possible for us to define very
clearly geographically, the districts occupied
by these different descendants of Noah. It is
perfectly clear, however, that their goings forth
were under a direct Divine guidance, even
though they may not have been conscious of it.
Degeneration 77
Christian ethnologists still claim that the races
to-day may be clearly traced back to these
revealed origins. Paul preaching at Athens
declared, not only that God " made of one
every nation of men for to dwell on all thg face
of the earth," but also that He did so, " having
determined their appointed seasons, and the
bounds of their habitation."
IV. OF THE NATIONS. *i.
i. Confederacy. *-4
a. A SETTLEMENT. 1, 2
i. The Place.
2. The Arrest.
b. AN ACTIVITY. 3,4
1. Preparation. Let us make Brick.
2. Process. Let us build
A City.
A Tower.
3. Purpose. Let us make a Name.
Lest we be scattered.
ii. Confusion. 5-9
a. THE DIVINE INSPECTION. 5
b. THE DIVINE INTERFERENCE. 6-9
1. His Understanding of Purpose. 6
2. His Staying of the Process. 7-9<*
3. His Making Void of the Preparation. 9&
iii. Continuity. 10-33
a. SHEM TO ABRAM. 10-26
b. THE MOVE OF TERAH. 27-32
1. Toward Canaan. 37-310
2. To Haran. $lb. z2
Degeneration 79
IV. OF THE NATIONS
This is the final section of the division deal-
ing with degeneration. The process of degen-
eration, from the individual, through the
family and society, has been considered.
Following upon the judgment of God by
means of the Flood, the race entered upon a
new period of its history, and under the guid-
ance of God the descendants of the sons of
Noah were sent forth to the different parts of
the world in order to replenish the earth.
Thus a new national movement was initiated.
This final section tells the story of the degener-
ation of these nations, and it falls into three
parts; the first dealing with the confederacy
of the nations ; the second with the confusion
of tongues; and the third with the continuity
of the Divine purpose through one branch of
the race.
i. Confederacy
In our previous study we saw that the dis-
persion of the sons of Noah was according to
the purpose of God, and the direction of that
dispersion was under His government.
Now we have the account of a movement
against dispersion, which was a definite act of
80 Genesis
rebellion against the government of God.
There is first the story of how the people of
one language and of one speech, journeying in
the east, discovered a plain in the land of
Shinar, and dwelt there. This settlement was
reactionary, an attempt on the part of these
men to ensure solidarity and continuity, by
their own wit and wisdom.
Settlement in the plain of Shinar was fol-
lowed by the building of a city, and then the
proposition that a tower should also be built.
The underlying purpose of the building of
the tower is revealed in the statement of the
people, " Let us make us a name, lest we be
scattered abroad upon the face of the whole
earth." This scattering of the people upon
the face of the earth in order to its replenish-
ing was the purpose of God ; and consequently
the action of settlement was that of a rebellion
against His government.
It is interesting immediately to notice that
this plain of Shinar was the site of Babylon,
which according to Biblical history had here
its beginning, and which plays so large a part
in the whole subsequent story of the conflict
between good and evil, in the processes of the
centuries and millenniums.
Degeneration 81
ii. Confusion
This rebellious purpose of man was frus-
trated by the confusion of tongues. Adopting
language suited to human understanding, the
writer of the story declares that " Jehovah
came down to see the city and the tower,"
which is a declaration of the fact of the Divine
knowledge of the doings of men.
His understanding of their purpose is made
perfectly clear, and an account is given of how
He stayed the process of their rebellious at-
tempt. Men suddenly found themselves speak-
ing in terms which were perfectly intelligible
to themselves, but unintelligible to those to
whom they were addressed; and therefore, of
course, listening to speech that had no mean-
ing to them, while it evidently had meaning
for those who were uttering it. It is not at
all difficult to imagine the confusion that
would ensue.
This is undoubtedly the account of a direct
supernatural intervention, and acceptance of
the story necessitates belief in the possibility
of such definite intervention by God in the
affairs of men. Again it is not within our
scope to discuss the possibility of these things ;
but it is well to remember that any argument
which is valid against the story of the con-
82 Genesis
fusion of tongues at Babel, is equally valid
against the account of the gift of tongues at
Pentecost.
iii. Continuity
At this point the sacred history is narrowed.
The lines of development through Ham and
Japheth are omitted, and the generations of
Shem are given. This process of elimination
constitutes the selection of that branch of the
race from which a man was about to be chosen,
out of whose loins a new nation would spring,
from which, in the fulness of time, the great
Deliverer Himself should come.
With this genealogy the division of the book
of Genesis specifically dealing with the origins
of degeneration comes to an end. Through all
the subsequent history the outworking of the
principle of degeneration will be manifest, just
as through the history already considered, the
line toward regeneration has been clearly
marked.
The final point of interest in this section is
that in its last part we have the record of the
first actual movement toward the adoption of
a simple faith in God as the one law of life.
Terah, born a little over two hundred years
after the Flood, in process of time left Ur of
Degeneration 83
the Chaldees. While it is not positively stated
that this was in response to a call from God,
nor that it was a movement of faith, yet the
fact that the movement was in the direction
of the Divine intention, would seem to% sug-
gest that it was indeed so.
It is to be noticed in this connection, how-
ever, that it is recorded concerning Terah,
"And Terah . . . went forth ... to go
into the land of Canaan ; and they came unto
Haran, and dwelt there." If we may believe
that this movement, which is distinctly de-
clared to have been one toward Canaan, was
indeed in response to a call from God, and a
movement of faith; then it is to be observed
that it was a step in the right direction, but it
lacked persistence. Terah paused half-way,
and dwelt at Haran until he died. The reason
for the halt is not declared, and perhaps it is
wiser not to speculate here beyond that which
is revealed.
The final fact then is that the true man
of faith, who is to be the father of the new
nation, is seen acting so far under the in-
fluence of his father, and bound by the earthly
tie, abiding with him in Haran until the hour
of his death.
C. REGENERATION. xii.-l.
I. OF INDIVIDUALS. xii.— xxxv. 21
i. Abraham. xii.— xxv. 10
a. FIRST COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH, xii. 1-6
1. The Call of Jehovah. *-3
o. The Personal Call. i
0. The Purpose declared. 2
y. The Promise made. 3
2. The Obedience of Abram. 4-6
a. Toward the Land. 4
fi. Into the Land. 5
y. Through the Land. 6
b. SECOND COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH, xii. 7-9
i. The Promise of Jehovah. 7a
2. The Response of Abram. 7^-9
0. An Altar.
p. A Tent and an Altar.
Regeneration 85
C. REGENERATION.
Beginning with the words, " Now, Jehovah
said unto Abram," the last division of ^ne
book of Genesis is a history of the Divine move-
ment towards regeneration. That movement
is traced in its operation in the case of indi-
viduals; of the family; of society; and of a
nation.
I. OF INDIVIDUALS
The first section in this division, which is
by far the largest, deals with the Divine
activity in the case of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob.
i. Abraham
As the matter of fundamental importance
in this book is that of the regeneration of the
individual, in preparation for all that is to
follow; so within that consideration the
supreme subject is the Divine dealing with
Abraham, and the account of that dealing occu-
pies the largest part of this section.
This proceeds in orderly sequence in the
narration of seven distinct communications of
Jehovah with this man; interspersed by the
86 Genesis
account of three equally distinct deflections
from faith on his part; with certain paren-
theses which chronicle collateral events which
have a bearing upon the main story.
a. FIRST COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH
The movement towards regeneration com-
menced in the Garden of Eden. It had never
ceased in the purpose and economy of God.
Degeneration had wrought itself out through
individual, family, social, and national life;
and now begins the actual working of God in
human history towards the victorious Seed
promised in the Garden.
The first movement was that of the calling
of a man who should be the father and founder
of the nation from which the victorious Seed
should come. In this paragraph we have the
account of the call of Abram by Jehovah. In
the closing paragraph in our study of the pre-
vious division of the book of Genesis we saw
Abram acting under the influence of his father,
bound by the earthly tie, and abiding with
Terah in Haran until the hour of Terah's
death. The call of Jehovah now came to him
as a personal call. He was commanded to
sever the ties of all past associations, and to
go forth, governed wholly by the will of God.
Regeneration 87
The personal element and the principle of
obedience are both clearly marked in the direct
nature of the appeal made to Abram, " Get
thee out ... I will show thee ... I will
make of thee ... I will bless thee."
Not only was the call personal, it was also
a clear and distinct revelation of purpose.
This man was called to be the father of a
nation through which " all the families of the
earth " were to be blessed.
The obedience of Abram was immediate. He
succeeded where Terah had failed. " They
went forth to go into the land of Canaan, and
into the land of Canaan they came." The con-
trast with the action of Terah as recorded in
the words, " And Terah . . . went forth
. . . to go into the land of Canaan ; and they
came unto Haran, and dwelt there," is striking.
Abram moved toward the land, entered into
the land, and passed through the land. His
companions on the pilgrimage of faith were
his wife Sarai, and his nephew Lot. This
action was a venture of faith.
b. SECOND COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH
The obedience of Abram to the first call of
Jehovah prepared the way for further develop-
ment. Arrived in the land, He immediately
88 Genesis
appeared to him again, and declared that the
land into which he had come would be given
to his seed.
Every appearance was against the possibility
of the fulfilment of this promise, for " the
Canaanite was then in the land."
Faith immediately rose into a higher
activity, and conquered in spite of appear-
ances. Abram pitched his tent in the land,
and by that act indicated his claim of posses-
sion ; immediately following this, by the erec-
tion of an altar he indicated his allegiance to
Jehovah. Thus the tent and the altar became
the true expressions of the life of faith. The
tent was pitched in the land which Jehovah
had promised. It was, nevertheless, a tent, and
could be moved at the Divine command. The
altar was erected as a symbol of the necessity
for sacrifice in approach to God, and also as
an indication of his confidence in the possi-
bility of fellowship as he walked in the path
of obedience.
c. FIRST DEFLECTION OF ABRAM. xii. 10— xiii. 13
i. Down into Egypt. xii. 10-20
a. The Cause. 10
/3. The Fear. 11,12
7. The Dishonesty. 13
S. The Difficulty. 14-16
e. The Divine Interference. 17
f. The Rebuke of the Pagan. 18-20
2. 5ac& Jo Bethel. xi»- 1-4
a. From Egypt. 1 , 2
p. To the Tent and the Altar. 3, 4
3. Separation from Lot. 5-13
a. 77ie Occasion. 5-7
/3. 77te Counsel of Abram. 8, 9
y. The Choice of Lot. 10, 11
S. The Separation. 12, 13
Regeneration 91
-ft
C. FIRST DEFLECTION OF ABRAM
The next story is that of a deflection on the
part of Abram from the principle of faith. Jt
falls into three parts ; the first being the story
of his descent into Egypt; the second that of
his return to Bethel ; and the third that of his
separation from Lot.
1. Down into Egypt
The cause of the deflection was that of a sore
famine in the land. In the presence of this
difficulty Abram attempted to make personal
arrangements for his own safety by going down
into Egypt. Directly a man steps aside from
the Divinely marked path, even for reasons
which appear to be the most politic, he in-
variably finds it necessary to take care of him-
self in other directions than he intended. Ap-
proaching Egypt, he was filled with fear on
account of Sarai; and he attempted to secure
his own safety, and hers, by declaring that she
was his sister.
The folly of all such attempts is at once
made evident, as we have the startling situa-
tion of the chosen mother of the promised Seed
in the harem of Pharaoh.
Jehovah, however, guarded the issue of His
92 Genesis
own purpose against the mistakes of His in-
strument, Abram, and by plaguing the house
of Pharaoh, wrought deliverance. The final
picture of Abram in Egypt is full of sug-
gestiveness, as he, the man of faith, the instru-
ment of the Divine purpose, was rebuked by
the pagan king for his dishonesty.
2. Back to Bethel
Being thus delivered by the action of God,
Abram set his face again toward the line of
the Divine purpose, and returned to Bethel,
" where his tent had been at the beginning
. . . unto the . . . altar which he had
made there at the first." In this connection
we have a revelation of the victory of faith over
failure. Happy is the man who, having turned
aside from the simple pathway of evident
obedience, in the consciousness of his wrong,
dares to go back to first principles.
3. The Separation from Lot
It was at the crisis of this return from Egypt
that separation took place between Abram and
Lot. The occasion was that of strife between
the herdsmen, but the deeper reason was that
of the different principles governing the lives
Regeneration 93
of the two men. Abram was following God;
Lot had been following Abram; and while he
also, in his deeper life, desired to be loyal to
God, the lack of direct communion with EFhn
resulted in the clouding of his vision, and the
lowering of his ideal.
Abram, with that magnanimity and rest-
fulness which ever result from perfect confi-
dence in the guidance of God, counselled sepa-
ration, and allowed Lot, the younger man, to
choose his own location.
In the hour of crisis Lot made his own
choice, and it was the choice of a man attempt-
ing compromise. The conflict of his desire is
revealed in the phrases, " Like the garden of
Jehovah . . . like the land of Egypt." If
these two things could be made contributory
to each other, then he imagined his success
would be ensured ; and this seemed to be made
possible in the plain of the Jordan, where the
simple life might yet be cultivated in prox-
imity to the cities which were the centres of
commerce. Thus attempting compromise, Lot
pitched his tent in the direction of Sodom.
THIRD COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH, xiii. 14— xiv.
i. The Word of Jehovah. xiii- *4-i7
a. The Command to look. 14
/3. The Double Promise. 15, 16
Possession of Land. 15
Greatness of Seed. 16
V. The Command to Possess. 17
2. The Response of Abram.
a. The Tent moved.
0. The Altar built.
3. The Deliverance of Lot.
a. The Battle of the Kings,
fi. The Trouble of Lot.
y. The Interference of Abram.
His Defeat of Chedorlaomer.
The Coming of the King of Sodom.
The Coming of Melchizedek.
The Ministry of Sustenance.
The Blessing.
The Tenth.
The King of Sodom and Abram.
The Offer of the King.
The Refusal of Abram.
18
xiv.
i-ii
12
13-24
13-16
17
18-20
22-24
Regeneration 95
d. Third Communication of Jehovah
Immediately succeeding the separation be-
tween Abram and Lot. and indeed in close con-
nection therewith, we have the account of the
third communication of Jehovah, with its
record of the word of Jehovah ; the response of
Abram; and the subsequent and consequent
deliverance of Lot.
1. The Word of Jehovah
This third communication of Jehovah to
Abram is remarkable in that it sets Abram in
direct contrast to Lot in every way. Lot, in
response to the selfish desire for his own en-
richment, had chosen for himself, and now
Jehovah declared His choice for Abram. Lot
had chosen by sight ; he " lifted up his eyes,
and beheld." Abram by faith had chosen not
to choose for himself, but to leave himself en-
tirely to the direction of Jehovah; and now
Jehovah brought him into the place of sight on
the basis of his faith. Lot had lifted up his
eyes in answer to his own impulse. Now Je-
hovah commanded Abram, " Lift up now thine
eyes," and he did so in answer to the Divine
command. Lot having thus chosen, obtained,
but was unable to possess. Abram trusting
96 Genesis
God, received from Him the title-deeds to all
the land, even including that which Lot had
chosen for himself.
The first word of Jehovah to him was the
command to look, and this was immediately
followed by the twofold promise, first that he
should possess the land ; and secondly, that his
seed should be multiplied. The last Divine
word was a command to possess the land, be-
cause it was given him by Jehovah.
2. The Response of Abram
Abram immediately moved his tent, and
pitched it at Hebron, and there built an altar
to Jehovah.
In this connection his faith is seen moving
on to a yet higher level. It had enabled him
to abandon what were his undoubted rights in
the magnanimity of his treatment of Lot. It
now triumphed again over appearances as it
moved farther into the land which was
possessed not merely by the Canaanite, but
part of which seemed to have become the
possession of Lot.
The strength of faith is most clearly seen
in this action which depended upon the
promise of a seed, which was to be as the dust
of the earth. The fulfilment of such a promise
Regeneration 97
must at that time have seemed to Abram to
be contrary to the probabilities of Nature.
Nevertheless he moved farther into the land,
to indicate his right therein. *
3. The Deliverance of Lot
Our next picture reveals Lot and Abram
differing in circumstances resulting from the
principles upon which they had respectively
acted. Lot had chosen upon the basis of com-
promise. Abram had accepted the choice of
God. Lot was in trouble through his associa-
tion. He had chosen his position, having
pitched his tent toward Sodom ; and finally, as
the narrative reveals, he had moved into
Sodom. Desiring Sodom's privileges, he had
adopted Sodom's policy, and had become a
sharer of Sodom's peril. Abram, the man for
whom God had chosen, is seen in the place of
separation from the peril, living in quietness
and in prosperity.
The Jordan valley was invaded by Chedor-
laomer, the king of Elam, in association with
three other kings. Against these four, five
kings of that region were joined in battle.
Chedorlaomer was successful, and carried
away spoil from Sodom and Gomorrah, taking
Lot with him.
98 Genesis
The news of the trouble of Lot was brought
to Abram, and while through his loyalty to
faith he was dwelling in safety in this time
of peril, he was capable of strong sympatic,
and at once went to the help of Lot, gaining a
complete victory over the kings, and bringing
Lot and his whole company back again from
captivity.
The deterioration in the character of Lot
is seen in the fact that while even the king of
Sodom expressed his gratitude to Abram, no
word of thanks is recorded as having been
spoken by Lot. Moreover, so much Avas his
heart set on the things of Sodom, that notwith-
standing this experience, he went back, and
again took up his abode there.
After the conflict with the kings the man
of faith was refreshed by the appearance to
him of Melchizedek. Very remarkable is this
appearance at this point. No other reference
whatever is made to this man Melchizedek,
save by a New Testament writer who uses him
in the matter of his priesthood, as a type of
Christ. The meeting between these two men
was remarkable in every way. Melchizedek
brought out bread and wine, and thus exer-
cised a ministry of sustenance and refreshment
in the case of Abram, who was returning from
a conflict inspired by faith, in which he had
Regeneration 99
been victorious, but which had undoubtedly
brought weariness, and the need of such help.
On this man of faith Melchizedek pronounced
the blessing of God Most High: and Abram
responded by giving to this king and priest a
tithe of all the spoil.
The king of Sodom in gratitude to Abram
offered him all the goods which he had rescued
from the foe; and Abram refused the reward,
thereby manifesting his faith anew.
The blessing of Melchizedek had been all
that his heart desired, and it is interesting to
note that in refusing the rewards offered by
the king of Sodom, he quoted the very words
of Melchizedek, " God Most High, Possessor
of heaven and earth."
The lessons of this story are obvious. In
the case of Lot it is seen that the voice of
God disobeyed, becomes unheard, and the most
startling circumstances fail to arouse the con-
science. In the case of Abram it is seen that
a right attitude toward God creates a right
attitude toward all men. He was eager to
help Lot, recognized the superiority of Melchi-
zedek, and was quick to perceive the danger
of receiving gifts from the King of Sodom.
e. FOURTH COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH. xv.
i. The Word of Jehovah. 1
The Affirmation. Safety and Reward.
2. The Response of Abram. 2, 3
Faith asking the Questions of Doubt.
3. The Answer of Jehovah. 4> 5
a. Assurance.
fi. Vision,
y. Prophecy.
Communion.
6-21
0. The Conditions.
6
Abram believed.
Jehovah counted it for Righteousness.
|8. The Exercise.
7-21
The Declaration of Jehovah.
7
The Question of Abram.
8
The Sign.
9-17
Sacrifice commanded.
9
Sacrifice offered.
10
The waiting Worshipper.
11
The Vision of Darkness.
12
The Voice. The Future foretold.
13-16
The Vision of Light.
17
The Covenant.
18-21
Regeneration 101
e. FOURTH COMMUNICATION OP JEHOVAH
The account of the fourth communication
of Jehovah with Abram is exceedingly full of
beauty, as it sets before us the growing but
reverent familiarity of this man of faith with
God. In its consideration we shall notice first,
the word of Jehovah; secondly, the response
of Abram; thirdly, the answer of Jehovah to
that response; and finally, the communion be-
tween Abram and Jehovah resulting there-
from.
1. The Word of Jehovah
That this communication of Jehovah with
His servant was directly connected with the
events we have been considering, is suggested
by the opening words, " after these things " ;
and the graciousness of its message is even
more apparent when this is remembered.
Abram had just passed through two con-
flicts, the first with kings, the second with the
suggestion of enrichment from the treasury of
Sodom.
In both he had been victorious, and now
the Divine voice declared first, " I am thy
shield," which reminded him of the secret of
his victory over the kings ; and secondly, " I
102 Genesis
am . . . thy exceeding great reward," which
reminded him that he had lost nothing
when he refused the reward offered by the king
of Sodom. Jehovah is the shield of men of
faith in the day of conflict, so that they may
rest in Him. Jehovah is the reward of the men
of faith in the hour of temptation, so that they
may wait for Him.
2. The Response of Abram
In response to this declaration the faith of
Abram moved on to a still higher level. It
now became strong enough to speak to God of
the temptation to doubt which was in his heart.
Doubts will inevitably be suggested to the men
of faith, and in the economy of God they create
an opportunity for the determined exercise of
foith. Of this opportunity Abram availed him-
self. The promise of God to him had been
clear and definite, that he should become a
great nation; but he was conscious that hu-
inaoly speaking, his life was far advanced, and
so far he was childless.
3. The Answer of Jehovah
Jehovah answered him with a definite decla-
ration that Eliezer should not be his heir, and
Regeneration 103
the equally definite promise that a son should
be given to him. He then bade him look upon
the stars, thus giving him a sign in the heaven^,
and declaring that his seed should be like those
stars. The point of the illustration here is to
be found in the words, " If thou be able to tell
them." Abram could not do so, but Jehovah
could. So was his seed to be. Looking at the
stars he knew that there was order where he
could not discover it, number where he could
not follow it, purpose where he could not trace
it; and all that constituted the symbol of the
fulfilment of the promise of God to him.
4. Communion
Then follows one of the most mystic and
yet beautiful pictures of communion between
God and man which the book of Genesis con-
tains. The conditions of that communion are
revealed in the declaration, which is really at
once the conclusion of the former paragraph
and the commencement of this. Abram " be-
lieved in Jehovah," that is, very literally, he
built on Him. Jehovah responded to that faith
by counting it to the man for righteousness.
Thus Abraham entered into fellowship with
Jehovah by faith, and Jehovah entered into
fellowship with Abram by grace.
104 Genesis
Jehovah now repeated to Abram the promise
that he should inherit the land, and Abram
asked Him for a sign. This asking for a sign
was not the asking of unbelief. Signs are
never granted to unbelief. They are granted
to faith.
Abram was called to prepare sacrifices,
which he immediately did.
There followed a period of waiting, during
which Abram in the attitude of worship, drove
away the birds that would have settled upon
the carcases.
With the going down of the sun he fell into
sleep, and a horror of great darkness settled
upon him. In that darkness a voice declared
to him the future experience of those who
would spring from his loins. His seed would
leave the land, and go into captivity for four
hiiDdred years, and afterwards return with
great substance. He, however, would pass in
peace to his fathers before these things hap-
pened.
This distinct prophecy was followed by a
significant vision of a smoking furnace and a
lamp ; the furnace symbolical of the trial which
was to come, and the lamp of the light and
leading which would not cease, even in the
midst of the days of difficulty.
At the close of the vision Jehovah made a
Regeneration 105
covenant with His servant, in which He de-
clared that He had given him the land.
It is always a daring thing to seek a sigB.
If it be done in unbelief, it meets with refusal.
If on the contrary it is the request of faith,
the answer may bring some revelation full of
sadness. The man to whom God can tell His
ways must live very near to Him; and even
where this fellowship exists, it is a question
whether it is not better to walk quietly with
Him, than to seek signs from Him.
f. SECOND DEFLECTION OF ABRAM. xvi.
1. The Fact. 1-4
a. The Suggestion. i, 2a
/3. The Consent. 26-4
2. The First Results. s» 6
a. Sarai despised. 5
0. Hagar driven out. 6
3. The Interference of Jehovah. 7-I3
o. 77ze Command to Hagar. 7-9
/S. 77i£ Promise to Hagar. rj^ 13
4. 77j<? I?/W/i 0/ Ishmael. J4-i6
Regeneration 107
f. SECOND DEFLECTION OF ABRAM
The previous history of Abram has made it
abundantly evident that the principle of faith
is the soundest philosophy of life. Faith
builds on God, and is satisfied with Him, and
thus becomes the source of all righteousness.
Faith, therefore, is the highest activity of rea-
son. This truth stands out in startling vivid-
ness by contrast with the story of this second
deflection of Abram from the pathway of faith.
This is the account of the attempt on the part
of Abram, at the instigation of Sarai, to realize
the purposes of God by human contrivance.
Abram began to reap the harvest of his folly
almost immediately in the bitterness that
sprang up in his household, and the ultimate
flight of Hagar through Sarai's harsh dealing
with her.
The far-reaching result of this failure can
only be known by a study of the subsequent
history. The posterity of Ishmael became a
cause of perpetual trouble to the posterity of
Isaac. Where faith fails, evil is wrought, the
issues of which are far-reaching.
There is a very beautiful part to this story,
as it reveals the compassion of the heart of
God. Hagar, helpless and undone, fled in her
misery to the wilderness; and there the angel
108 Genesis
of the Lord appeared to her, and commanding
her to return, promised her that her son should
become a great nation.
Hagar recognized God, and signified that
recognition by naming the well by which she
had in all probability sunk exhausted, Beer-
lahai-roi, that is, The well of the living One
Who seeth me.
FIFTH COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH. xvii.
i. The New Unveiling. J» 2
a. The Affirmation. la
0. The Requirement. ib
y. The Promise. 2
2. The Response of Abram. Worship. 3a
3. The Covenant. 3&-14
o. The Promise of Jehovah. 3^-8
The Fact of the Covenant. 36-4
The Change of Name to ABRAHAM. 5
The Fruit of the Covenant. 6
The Continuity of the Covenant. 7, 8
p. The Responsibilities of Abraham. 9-14
To keep the Covenant. 9
The Sign of Circumcision. 10-14
4. The Promise of the Son. J5-i7
a. The Change of Name to SARAH. 15
0. The Son promised to her. 16
y. Abraham's Joy. 17
5. The Plea for Ishmael. l8_22
a. The Request. 18
/3. The Refusal. 19
y. The Promise for Ishmael. 20-22
6. The Obedience of Abraham. 23-27
The Rite of Circumcision.
Regeneration 111
g. FIFTH COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH
In connection with the fifth communication
of Jehovah with Abram we again have the ac-
count of a lengthened communion, during
which the story alternates between the revela-
tions of Jehovah and the answers of Abram.
1. The new Unveiling
This is now the fifth direct communication
of Jehovah with Abram, and it opens with a
great word, first of affirmation, then of com-
mand, and finally of promise.
The affirmation is, " I am God Almighty."
This is the first occurrence of this particular
title in the book of Genesis, and it is a title
which declares, not so much the might of God,
as His resources; and the idea of the word
would be better conveyed by the title, God All-
sufficient, than God Almighty. The root idea
of the word here employed would warrant us
in saying that the thought is of God as the
God of the breasts, the One from whom all sup-
plies for the sustenance of life are gained.
This affirmation prepares the way for the
commandment that Abram is to walk before
God and be perfect. It is in the strength of
112 Genesis
the resources of God that man is able thus to
walk.
The final word is that of the promise of the
covenant between God and His servant.
2. The Response of Abram
This word of God gave Abram an enlarged
conception of Him. Having known that He
was his reward, there now stretched before
him a vaster territory than he had known ; and
in response to this revelation he fell on his face
in the attitude of worship, faith rising to a yet
higher level as it appropriated the greater
revelation.
3. The Covenant
The Divine response to this attitude of wor-
ship was that of the yet more detailed decla-
ration concerning the covenant; and as in his
adoring prostration there had come to him an
enlargement of life, that enlargement was sig-
nified by the change of his name to such a form
that henceforth its very appearance and its
every utterance would remind him of the great
promise of his God.
In connection with this change of name from
'Abram, which signified an exalted father, to
Regeneration 113
Abraham, which signified the father of a mul-
titude, he was promised that the fruit of the
covenant should be the making of a great na-
tion, and the coming of kings. Moreover, the
covenant was to be continuous in its value, as
Jehovah declared that He would establish it
between Himself and the seed of Abraham
throughout their generations.
Having thus declared the terms of the cove-
nant on the Divine side, Jehovah charged His
servant that he also, and his seed throughout
their generations, must be true thereto.
This covenant was to be sealed by the symbol
of circumcision, which was to be the outward
and visible sign of an inward and invisible re-
lationship. It may be observed, in passing,
that it is well that we should remember that
while this rite was indeed the sign of a
spiritual relationship, it was not capricious
and cruel, as some have imagined. On the con-
trary, it was hygienic and beneficent. Medical
science in recent years has agreed to the value
and wisdom of the rite.
This command was most emphatic and
stringent. Not only those born in the house,
but those bought with money were made amen-
able to its requirement.
114 Genesis
4. The Promise of the Son
Having thus declared the terms of the
covenant, and indicated its sign, Jehovah
changed the name of Abraham's wife from
Sarai, the meaning of which is uncertain, to
Sarah, which signifies a princess, promising
him that she should become the mother of na-
tions.
At this point we find what is perhaps the
key to the whole of this chapter, for in re-
sponse to this promise, Abraham again fell
upon his face in an attitude of worship, while
in his heart he laughed, and expressed his won-
der at the promise made.
There is no evidence that the laughter was
that of unbelief, as it undoubtedly was in the
case of Sarah subsequently. The questions
which he asked are not evidences of failure
of faith. The most natural interpretation of
the story is that his laughter was that of a
great gladness at the bare idea; and even if
the questions which he asked seemed to suggest
doubt, it should be recognized that the fact of
asking them on his face before God, in the attL
tude of worship, is the supreme evidence of
the triumph of his faith.
Regeneration 115
5. The Plea for Ishmael
In this attitude of adoring joy Abraham
gave utterance to something which was evi-
dently occupying his mind.
Ishmael had grown up to be a boy of thirteen
years of age, and evidently and naturally had
found his way into the heart of the old man.
Abraham asked God if Ishmael might be the
one through whom the promise was to be ful-
filled.
There was nothing in the answer of Jehovah
that suggested discipline, but rather a great
tenderness, and the re-affirmation of the Di-
vine purpose. God is ever patient with us
when the heart clings in affection to some
method which is not His own. He never
allows the man of faith, however, to have his
own way. There is a kindness which would
be cruel. There is an apparent cruelty which
is of the essence of kindness. God ever adopts
the latter as the method of His procedure.
While it was impossible that Ishmael should
be the instrument for the fulfilling of the Di-
vine purpose, He nevertheless promised Abra-
ham that he, Ishmael, should become a great
nation.
116 Genesis
6. The Obedience of Abraham
When this period of communication with
Jehovah ended, Abraham acted in immediate
obedience in the circumcision of Ishmael, and
all his household, those born in the house, and
those bought with money.
h. SIXTH COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH. xviii.
1. The Appearance of Jehovah. 1> 2a
Three Men.
2. The Hospitality of Abraham. 2°-8
o. Worship. 2b
p. The Asking Permission. 3-50
y. Consent given. $b
S. The Feast. 6-8
3. The reiterated Promise. 9-15
a. The Definite Declaration. 9, 10a
p. Sarah's Unbelief. iob-12
y. The Rebuke. 13-15
4. Co-operation. 16-33
a. The Confidence of Jehovah. 16-19
p. The Secret told to Abraham. 20, 21
y. The Intercession of Abraham. 22-33
The first Plea. (Fifty.) 22-26
The second Plea. (Forty-five.) 27, 28
The third Plea. (Forty.) 29
The fourth Plea. (Thirty.) 30
The fifth Plea. (Twenty.) 31
The sixth Plea. (Ten.) 32, 33
Regeneration 119
ll. SIXTH COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH
In this sixth Divine appearance to Abra-
ham, different phases of relationship between
God and Abraham are revealed. Taken as a
whole it presents a remarkable picture of fel-
lowship. Jehovah visited Abraham ; Abraham
provided hospitality for Him; Jehovah reiter-
ated His promise to Abraham ; and finally Je-
hovah and Abraham are seen in co-operation
with regard to Sodom.
1. The Appearance of Jehovah
Three visitors are spoken of in connection
with this manifestation to Abraham, but One
is evidently supreme. The three are spoken of
as men, while One is subsequently called Je-
hovah. The two named in the next chapter are
called angels.
There can be no reasonable doubt that the
third is the Angel-Jehovah Who appears fre-
quently in the history of the Old Testament.
2. The Hospitality of Abraham
The picture of Abraham providing for these
visitors lovingly and gladly of his best, is a
very beautiful one; beautiful in its revelation
120 Genesis
of his love and loyalty, but more beautiful still
in its manifestation of the grace of Jehovah,
Who is willing to be the Guest of such as en-
tertain Hin .
3. The reiterated Promise
We next see Abraham receiving, instead of
giving. Jehovah repeated His gracious prom-
ises to him with more of detail, and that
patiently, notwithstanding the laughter of
Sarah, which laughter was tenderly rebuked.
The true life of faith is never taken un-
awares by the goings of God. On the contrary,
it is ever ready and eager to make what pro-
vision it can for any manifested need.
4. Co-operation
Jehovah now made a communication to His
faithful servant, and the reasons for His doing
so are stated. Abraham in the Divine economy
was the deposit of blessing to all nations. It
was fitting, therefore, that he should know the
meaning of the Divine dealing with Sodom.
Through this declaration made to him, his chil-
dren would subsequently know that the de-
struction of Sodom was no mere incident, but
the distinct punishment of unrighteousness.
Regeneration 121
Abraham was thus provided with an explana-
tion of something about to happen, which
would enable him to use it as a warning of
vast importance. *
The answer of Abraham to the confidence
of Jehovah reveals the reason of the interces-
sion which followed. This was based, not so
much on his desire to save Sodom or any that
were in it, though these matters also had a
place in his thought. It was born rather of
a consciousness of the strict justice of God,
and an anxiety for the vindication of His char-
acter among the nations. He declared that
God could not destroy the righteous with the
wicked, and announced his reason for such
declaration in the question, " Shall not the
Judge of all the earth do right? " To Abra-
ham such a proceeding would appear to be un-
righteous, and he therefore declared that God
could not do it.
Upon the basis of this conviction he inter-
ceded, and God graciously listened to him, as-
suring him as his intercession proceeded, that
his conviction was right, and that the city
would be spared if ten righteous could be
found therein.
It is a wonderful picture of the patience of
God. He will always listen to honest interces-
sion, even though He knows that His ways are
122 Genesis
infinitely better than the fears that prompt
our prayers. Moreover He answers our spoken
requests; and when we have exhausted the
limit of our own hope, He goes beyond it, and
saves the two or three in whom any trace of
the recognition of Himself is to be found, out
of the fire.
(PARENTHESIS. THE STORY OF LOT. xix.
1. The Visit of the Angels to Sodom. *m*i
a. Lot receives them. 1-3
P. The Wickedness of the Men of Sodom. 4-9
y. The Angels rescue him. 10-13
2. The Plea of Lot with his Sons-in-law. 14
3. The Escape of Lot. 15-23
a. Hastened by the Angels. 15-17
/3. Permitted to go to Zoar. 18-23
4. The Divine Judgment. 24-28
o. The Cities destroyed. 24, 25
/3. Lot's Wife. 26
y. Abraham's Vision. 27, 28
5. The Secret of Lot's Escape. 29
6. The Sin of the Daughters of Lot. 30-38)
o. Moab.
(8. Amnion.
Regeneration 125
PARENTHESIS. THE STORY OF LOT
1. The Visit of the Angels to Sodom
This story is a sequel to that of the sixth
communication of Jehovah with Abraham. In
that, as we have seen, three men appeared, One
of Whom was evidently supreme. In this we
see two of them who are now described as
angels, coming to Lot. The contrast is strik-
ing. Lot is seen sitting in the gate of Sodom.
By this time he occupied a position of
authority, for the phrase is almost equivalent
to saying that he had become chief magistrate
of the city. This was not the promotion of
faith. Success in the eyes of Heaven is of a
different kind, and this is revealed in the con-
trast between the attitude of the angels to-
ward Abraham, and their attitude toward Lot.
With the man of faith all three could eat ; here
the two would hardly enter his dwelling.
Lot knew the sin of his own city, and with
great boldness attempted to deliver the men
of the city from proposed wickedness, and his
visitors from their attempted attack. His de-
fence, however, was quite useless, for the men
of Sodom had not been influenced by him to-
ward goodness, and therefore anger was
aroused against him.
126 Genesis
This story of Lot is full of the most solemn
warning. First, he chose selfishly; then he
pitched his tent toward Sodom; then he en-
tered in ; and finally he occupied a position of
chief responsibility. The utter worthlessness
of all this success is manifest. The man who
attempted to compromise with principle was
hated of Sodom, had lost his personal peace;
his testimony was paralyzed, and he was ut-
terly unable to influence the city toward right-
eousness. He was delivered from the threaten-
ing of the city by the angels whom he was at-
tempting to defend.
2. The Plea of Lot ivith his Sons-in-Law
His failure is even more strikingly and sadly
revealed in the fact that he had not only lost
his influence with the city, but with the mem-
bers of his own family. He had given his chil-
dren in marriage to the sons of Sodom, and
now " he seemed unto his sons-in-law as one
that mocked."
3. The Escape of Lot
Yet once more the determination in the char-
acter of this man is vividly portrayed. In
sight of judgment he lingered, and was only
Regeneration 127
-&
saved as angel hands laid hold on him, and
practically forced him forth. Even when thus
compelled to flee from the coming judgment,
he attempted to make selfish arrangements for
the future, pleading that he might be permitted
to go to Zoar, and his request was granted.
The insidious power of the world is utterly
appalling.
It must be remembered that notwithstand-
ing all this failure, the New Testament de-
scribes this man as " just Lot." His deepest
desire was right. His failure was due to his
making an attempt at compromise. Such an
attempt is always disastrous in the life of
faith.
4. The Divine Judgment
The destruction of the cities of the plain
was due to an utter corruption following upon
godless prosperity. The stroke of Divine judg-
ment did not fall until the cup of inquity was
full. An opportunity was created for the
manifestation of their guilt in the visit of the
angels. In the attitude of the men of Sodom
toward these visitors, the whole unutterable
pollution flamed forth.
Another evil result of Lot's sojourn in
Sodom is revealed in the fate which overtook
his wife.
128 Genesis
The picture of Abraham is very beautiful.
He had interceded for Sodom, and now stood
in the place where he had met Jehovah, look-
ing toward the cities of the plain. From that
position of safety, and yet of pity, he saw the
smoke of the burning.
5. The Secret of Lot's Escape
As Abraham looked upon the burning cities
his prayers were not unanswered, for " God re-
membered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the
midst of the overthrow." Thus the deliver-
ance of Lot was not due to anything in his
own life, but to the prevailing intercession of
the man of faith.
6. The Sin of the Daughters of Lot
The last paragraph in this sad story is a
very terrible one, revealing the final effects of
the failure of Lot. His daughters, utterly de-
moralized, were guilty of griveous sin ; and in
the passing of the centuries, the result of that
sin was a perpetual scourge to the men of faith,
in the hostility of Moab and Ammon.
THIRD DEFLECTION OF ABRAHAM. xx.
i. The Sojourn in Gerar. J
2. The Dishonesty. 2
3. God and Abimelech. 3-7
o. Appearance and Warning. 3
0. The Plea of Abimelech. 4, 5
y. The Answer of God. 6, 7
5. Abimelech and Abraham. 8-18
o. The Rebuke of the Pagan. 8-10
p. The Confession of Abraham. 11-13
y. The Gifts of Abimelech. 14-16
S. The Prayer of Abraham. 17, 18
Regeneration 131
l. THIRD DEFLECTION OF ABRAHAM
After his victory over the kings, Abraham
journeyed south, and took up his abode in
Gerar. This was the centre of a race of men
who in all probability had driven out the
original possessors of the land, were becoming
more and more warlike, and were afterwards
to become known as the Philistines.
As Abraham approached, an old fear re-
curred, and he practised again that dishonesty
with regard to Sarah, which had brought him
into trouble in Egypt.
Through the medium of a dream, God
warned Abimelech of his peril ; and in his plea
of integrity and innocency addressed to One
Whom he recognized as the supreme Lord,
there is an evident revelation of the influence
produced by the destruction of Sodom and Go-
morrah. This is clearly manifest in the form
of his question " Lord, wilt Thou slay even
a righteous nation? " The answer of God
recognized the integrity of the man's heart,
and affirmed His care for him, warning him as
to what his course of action ought to be.
Again we have the picture of the pagan king,
that is, a king outside the covenant of promise
and revelation, rebuking this man of faith.
The nobility of Abraham is manifest in his
132 Genesis
open confession of what he had done. The ac-
count of the incident closes with the gifts of
Abimelech presented to Abraham, and the
prayer of Abraham offered for Abimelech.
These deflections from the pathway of a
simple and obedient faith in the life of Abra-
ham did not occur in the greater things of his
life, but rather in the application of the prin-
ciple of faith to the smaller details thereof.
This was the second time that Abraham at-
tempted in his own wisdom, to steer clear of a
danger which he feared ; and on each occasion
he ran upon the very rocks he dreaded. The
results were that the man who stood as a wit-
ness for Jehovah, was driven to the practice of
deceit, failed in the testimony he ought to have
borne, and consequently suffered the degrada-
tion of being censured by these men.
Our deflections from faith occur most often
through our failure to allow God to undertake
in the small matters of life. Some business
worry, or home difficulty, or personal danger,
drives us to acts that dishonour the Master.
That is the man of supreme faith who waits
for God in the commonplaces, as well as in the
crises.
;. THE FULFILMENT OF PROMISE. xxi. 1-7
i. The Birth of Isaac. x"3
2. The Circumcision of Isaac. 4
3. The Joy of Sarah. 5-7
*. THE SEPARATION OF ISHMAEL. 8-21
i. The Action of Sarah. 8"10
2. The Grief of Abraham. "
3. The Command of God. I2> *3
4. 77ie Obedience of Abraham. *4
5. 77k? Action of God. 15-21
o. 77t<? Hopelessness of Hagar. 15, 16
0. The Care of God. 17-19
y. The Growth of Ishmael. 20, 21
(PARENTHESIS. 22-34
THE COVENANT OF ABRAHAM AND ABIMELECH.
1. The Plea of Abimelech. 22> 23
2. The Terms of the Covenant. *4-33
a. The Difficulty. 24-26
0. T/i* Sign. 27-30
y. 77ie Friendship. 3J-33)
Regeneration 135
;. THE FULFILMENT OF PROMISE
At last, in God's set time, and in spite of
all natural difficulties, the long-promised soft
was born, and was named Isaac, which means
laughter. When the boy was eight days old,
he was circumcized, according to the terms
of the covenant between Abraham and Jeho-
vah.
In this connection it is interesting to notice
carefully the language of Sarah, " God hath
made me to laugh ; every one that heareth will
laugh with me." She had laughed before, with
the laughter of incredulity, and God had re-
buked her. Now she laughed again, and de-
clared, " God hath made me to laugh," a strik-
ing revelation of the loving tenderness with
which God ofttimes turns the incredulous
laughter of a fearful heart into the glad laugh-
ter of realization. In all the merriment of
unbelief there is an admixture of bitterness.
There is some laughter that is more sorrow-
ful than any tears. When God causes the
heart to laugh, it is always the expression of
a full and generous satisfaction. And yet
again, laughter God-created is contagious.
" Every one that heareth will laugh with me."
136 Genesis
Jv. THE SEPARATION OF ISHMAEL
There is something vivid and startling in
the story which follows. Ishniael, at the time
about sixteen years of age, in all probability
realized that with the birth of Isaac, his hope
of succession had passed away; and it seems
as though he had indulged in merriment at the
expense of Sarah and Isaac; the word trans-
lated " mocking " carrying the idea of making
sport.
This attitude of Ishmael was the reason of
Sarah's demand that he and his mother the
Egyptian should be cast out.
The demand filled the heart of Abraham with
grief, because of his love for Ishmael.
In this crisis of difficulty he received the
definite command from God to do as Sarah
demanded, because that in Isaac his seed
would be called. At the same time God
promised that Ishmael should become a nation,
because he also was the seed of Abraham.
Abraham immediately obeyed the Divine
command. Then follows the tender and beau-
tiful story of God's care for Hagar and
Ishmael.
This picture of Hagar's going forth with
her son is full of pathos. It was necessary,
and is of great value in its revelation of the
Regeneration 137
fact that whatever stands in the way of the
purpose of God must be cast out. The princi-
pal value of the story is the part the casting
out of Ishmael played in the history of Abra-
ham. His presence in the household was a
menace, both to its peace, and to Abraham's
simple acquiescence in the way of bringing
about the Divine end.
In his obedience we see faith triumphing
magnificently, for in spite of personal inclina-
tion, and in simple obedience to the command
of God, he sent the child of the bondwoman
forth; and thus leaned back wholly and only
upon the Divine provision for the fulfilment
of the promise.
PARENTHESIS. THE COVENANT OF ABRAHAM
AND ABIMELECH
The account of the covenant which Abraham
made withAbimelechis interesting as it reveals
an apparent approximation to definite recogni-
tion of God on the part of Abimelech. It was
certainly based, so far as Abimelech was con-
cerned, upon the clear recognition of the fact
that God was with Abraham. In the case of
this man, therefore, there was a fulfilment of
the Divinely declared purpose of the calling of
Abraham, that in him others should be blessed.
138 Genesis
It is by no means certain that the word
" Abraham " in verse thirty-three is correct.
As a matter of fact it is inserted as exposi-
tion, not occurring in the actual text; and it
is quite as likely, and more so, that Abimelech
planted the tree.
This at least seems certain, that notwith-
standing the previous failure of Abraham's
faith, which had brought about his rebuking
by Abimelech, the deeper fact of the existence
of his faith in God had influenced this man,
and brought him into covenant relationship
with God through Abraham.
There seems to be no reason to think that
in this covenant made upon the basis of the
recognition of God, there was anything con-
trary to the purpose of God. The friendship
existing between these two men as the result
of that covenant, based upon that recognition,
affords an illustration of the influence which
might have been growingly exerted by the peo-
ple of faith, had they been true to God.
/. SEVENTH COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH, xxii. 1-19
1. The Call of God. i» 2
a. The Purpose. To prove. 10
p. The Test. Isaac. \b, 2
2. The Response of Abraham. 3-1°
o. The Journey. 3, 4
/3. The Word of Faith. 5
y. The Inquiry of Isaac. 6, 7
S. The Answer of Faith. 8
e. The Act of Faith. 9, 10
3. The Interference of God. "» I2
o. The Arrest. 1 1
/S. 77«? Approval. 12
4. 77j<* Action of Abraham. I3, 14
a. 77i? Sacrifice. 13
p. T/ie Confession. 14
5. 77ie Ratification of Covenant. J5-i9
a. T/;e Recognition of Faith. 15, 16
/3. TVie Promise of Blessing. 17, 18
y. The Return of Abraham. 19
(PARENTHESIS. THE SEED OF NAHOR. xxii. 20-24)
Regeneration 141
I. SEVENTH COMMUNICATION OF JEHOVAH
The account of the seventh communication
of Jehovah with Abraham is one that will al-
ways be attractive, not only on account of its
own interest, but also because it so constantly
finds its counterpart in the experience of the
life of faith. In the history of Abraham it
was a trial without apparent reason, coming
suddenly, and without explanation, and of the
most desolating nature. It was, moreover, the
hour of a supreme triumph. In the history
of Abraham's personal faith it is certain
that here we reach the highest height. He
passed through the fiercest fires, endured
the greatest pressure, as his faith was put
to the most tremendous strain, and he
triumphed.
The story is told with great simplicity and
clearness. We have in orderly succession, the
call of God, the response of Abraham, the in-
terference of God, the consequent action of
Abraham, and the resulting ratification of
the covenant.
1. The Gall of God
The first declaration is that of the purpose
of God in this experience. " God did prove
142 Genesis
Abraham." The time of this proving must
be carefully noted. It was " after these
things." Ishmael had been sent out, and the
last hope for the realization of the Divine pur-
pose, apart from the Divinely arranged plan,
was gone. This fact made the test all the more
severe.
The fact that God did prove Abraham is in
itself suggestive. He confers honour when He
proves. He did not prove Lot ; Sodom did that.
God proves the man who is proof against
Sodom.
The test was the severest possible. God
asked for Isaac, the one on whom the love of
Abraham was supremely set; but more, the
one through whom, and through whom alone,
the promises of God to Abraham could be ful-
filled to all human appearance.
2. The Response of Abraham
The obedience of Abraham has often been
described as though it was obedience at the
cost of great suffering. There is no trace in
the Scripture narrative to warrant that view.
That is what we might expect to find, and what
would be found in the case of any man who
was walking by sight, A natural reading of
this story suggests rather that in the case of
Regeneration 143*
Abraham the strength of faith completely
overcame all such consciousness of suffering.
His obedience was active, ready, and quick;
and this because of his absolute faith in God.
Rising early in the morning, he made all
preparation, and took his journey toward the
place appointed.
Arrived there, his word to the young men
was a most remarkable revelation of his faith.
" Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the
lad will go yonder ; and we will worship, and
come again to you." The verb " come again "
is first person plural, as well as the verbs " go "
and " worship." We will go . . . we will
worship ... we will come again. The
writer of the letter to the Hebrews referring
to this, declared he counted that God was able
to raise him from the dead; and that is the
explanation of this word of faith addressed
to the young men. The man who really be-
lieves in God is ever able cheerfully to obey
Him, because present sacrifice is set in the
light of the necessity for the fulfilment of de-
clared purpose. Abraham rested in God rather
than in any blessing He bestowed, even though
that blessing were Isaac.
The inquiry of Isaac concerning the lamb
brought forth an answer from Abraham, which
again was a revelation of his faith. " God will
144 Genesis
provide Himself the lamb for a burnt offer-
ing."
The hour for the activity of faith arrived.
Abraham's purpose was perfectly manifested
in the altar built, his son laid upon it, and his
hand uplifted. His intention undoubtedly was
to slay his son in obedience to the voice of
God, which asked that he should be offered for
a burnt offering.
That intention was nerved by the certainty
of faith that God was bound by His covenant
to raise up seed through that son. To any one
acting in obedience to sight only, suffering
would have been inevitable, and sacrifice im-
possible. Faith saw beyond the sacrifice, and
was able gladly to obey. We have no right
to interpret this story by natural affection
which is sense-bound. It must be interpreted
by its own simplest statement, and everything
in the story testifies to the quick readiness of
Abraham's obedience. There is not a single
trace of reluctance on the part of Abraham at
any point.
3. The Interference of God
In the moment when the offering was actu-
ally and absolutely made in the will and pur-
pose of the man of faith, the hand of Abra-
Regeneration 145
ham was arrested by the call of the angel
of Jehovah, and the word of Divine approval.
.4. The Action of Abraham
The obedience of Abraham was manifested
as conspicuously in the fact that he did not
slay his son, as in his willingness to do so.
Lifting his eyes, he beheld a ram caught in
the thicket, and immediately slew and laid it
upon the altar in the stead of his son. He
named the place Jehovah- jireh, thus testifying
to the fact that the faith that prompted obedi-
ence was vindicated in experience. This is the
perpetual experience of those who eome to
such an hour of triumphant faith. vThe only
responsibility is that of obedience. All other,
such as the fulfilment of purpose, is not upon
the man of faith, but upon the God in Whom
his faith reposes.
5. The Ratification of Covenant
This obedience on the part of Abraham was
followed by the repetition to him of all the
great and gracious promises made in connec-
tion with his calling out from Ur of the Chal-
dees, and his coming into the land. His faith
was recognized, and the great promises of
X
146 Genesis
blessing were repeated. The blessing resulting
from his faith was to fall upon him, upon his
seed, and through that seed upon all the na-
tions of the earth. In new strength and new
light resulting from this great experience,
Abraham returned to Beer-sheba.
Obedience to the call of God, whatever that
call may be, is the whole duty of man. The
only principle which is equal to the fulfilment of
that duty is that of an absolute faith in God.
Such faith not only triumphs over suffering,
but in the proportion of its strength, cancels it.
PARENTHESIS. THE SEED OF NAHOR
This is a brief paragraph, the value of which
will be discovered later. It gives the account
of the posterity of Nahor, the brother of Abra-
ham, as far as Rebekah ; and thus prepares the
way for the story of the winning of the bride
of Isaac, which almost immediately follows.
m. LAST THINGS IN THE LIFE OF ABRAHAM, xxiii.— xxv. 10
i. Death of Sarah. xxiii.
o. The Death recorded. i, 2
0. The Procuring of the Grave. 3-18
The Request for a Burying-place. 3, 4
The Response. 5, 6
The Request for Machpelah. 7-9
The Response. 11
The Contract. 12-18
The Price offered and accepted. 12-15
The Price paid. 16
The legal Ratification. 17, 18
•y. The Burial. 19, 20
Regeneration 149
m. LAST THINGS IN THE LIFE OP ABRAHAM
In this section we have the account of cer-
tain matters completing the personal history
of Abraham, and preparing the way for that
of Isaac. They are those of the death of Sarah ;
the choosing of a wife for Isaac ; and the final
records of Abraham.
1. Death of Sarah
Here Abraham is seen in the midst of cir-
cumstances of natural sorrow which reveal his
character. Sarah, who had ever been to him
a princess, was taken from his side; and in
her removal he lost what undoubtedly had
been the strongest human prop to his faith.
She had accompanied him all along the path-
way of obedience from Ur of the Chaldees. She
had shared his darkness and his blessing. She
had doubtless sometimes been the cause of fear
and of faltering; but more often she had
strengthened him.
In this hour of his sorrow, Abraham is seen
as a man full of the dignity that results from
faith. He was first of all a mourner. These
are his first recorded tears. Faith never kills
affection, and the man was keenly alive to the
150 Genesis
loss he had sustained. Yet sorrow is held in
check by faith ; he " rose up from before his
dead."
His action was inspired by faith. He
did not take Sarah back to Ur, but bur-
ied her in the land which God had given
him.
His dealing with the sons of Heth concern-
ing the burying-place reveals the true and
necessary independence of one who is depend-
ent upon God. The land was a gift to him
from God, but he would not receive part of
God's gift as a gift from the sons of Heth. He
asked them for a burying-place, and their re-
sponse was a revelation of the high esteem in
which he was held by the people of the land.
Having obtained their consent, he then
definitely asked for the field containing the
cave of Machpelah. Ephron readily consented,
and then the contract was entered into be-
tween them; Abraham offering, and Ephron
accepting, a definite price.
There he buried Sarah, and thus his first
actual possession in the land was a grave. In
this fact there is a teaching and a prophecy.
God ever begins where man ends. The sor-
rows of life reveal a man's true character as
nothing else can. Faith weeps beside its dead,
and then moves out to fulfilment of duty as
Regeneration 151
it puts a check on sorrow. Faith takes hold
on earth's greatest despair, death ; and makes
it the occasion of a possession which holds
within itself all the future.
2. Choosing a Wife for Isaac.
xxiv.
a. The Commission.
1-9
The Oath asked.
i-4
The Discussion.
5-8
The Oath taken.
9
/3. The Mission.
10-61
The Meeting with Rebekah.
10-27
The Journey.
10
The Prayer.
n-14
The Answer.
15-25
The Thanksgiving.
26, 27
The Arrangement with Bethuel and Laban.
28-61
The Reception.
28-33
The Statement.
34-49
The Consent.
50-60
The Journey.
61
y. The Marriage.
62-67
Isaac sees Rebekah.
62, 63
Rebekah sees Isaac.
64,65
Eliezer's Report.
66
The Marriage.
67
Regeneration 153
2. Choosing a Wife for Isaac
This chapter is complete in itself, and con-
stitutes a perfect idyll. Its colouring is
Eastern and gorgeous, but it is nevertheless
full of teaching concerning principles of ac-
tion. Its place in the history we are consider-
ing must not be overlooked, for that history
forms a background, giving a true interpreta-
tion of the doings of the figures seen in the
foreground. There are three clearly defined
movements in the story ; the commission ; the
mission ; and the marriage.
ex. The Commission
Abraham was now well stricken in years.
Sarah was dead. Isaac, the son of promise,
was still unmarried. In the choosing of a
bride for his son, Abraham acted upon the one
principle of faith. It was of the utmost impor-
tance that he should not marry the daughter
of a Canaanite. Such a marriage would un-
doubtedly have meant an alliance which would
have given him a human right in the land ; but
faith declined a disobedient mixture which
might have been prompted by policy merely.
Neither must Isaac return to Haran. There
can be no going back for the seed of faith, even
154 Genesis
if the woman sought will not come to him. It
is necessary that a wife should be secured from
his own kindred, and directly under the Divine
guidance, and that she should be willing to
accept the principle of faith, and prove her
acceptance by leaving her own kindred, and
joining the pilgrim of faith in the far country.
In commissioning his servant to seek such
a wife, Abraham asked him to commit himself
to the enterprise by a solemn oath, and after
discussion, Eliezer did so. Abraham had per-
fect confidence in God in this matter also, as
is evident from his word to Eliezer, " He shall
send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take
a wife for my son from thence."
fi. The Mission
The influence of Abraham's faith is seen in
the method adopted by his servant. Having
come " to Mesopotamia, unto the city of
Nahor," he first of all prayed to God. Having
done this he proposed a test, seeking the guid-
ance of God through that test. He asked that
the woman who should be the chosen of God,
should in response to his request for water,
say, " Drink, and I will give thy camels drink
also."
This test was not capricious. It is a clear
Regeneration 155
revelation of this man Eliezer's appreciation
of character, and his conception of the kind of
wife that would be fitting for his master's son.
Such an answer as he asked for would reveal
a nature characterized by hospitality, sim-
plicity, and humility.
His prayer was answered by the coming of
Rebekah, " very fair to look upon " ; simple
and direct of speech, eager and ready to serve.
He immediately marked his recognition of the
Divine guidance by bestowing presents upon
her, and bowing his head in the attitude of
adoring gratitude before God.
This is all very Eastern, and the method of
choosing a bride for another has of course
passed away. Yet surely there are underlying
principles of present and permanent applica-
tion. Marriage for the people of faith should
ever be entered into within the compass of
the recognition of the Divine government and
guidance. Moreover, the choice of husband or
wife by the children of faith should ever be
based upon character.
Eliezer now entered the home of Bethuel,
being welcomed by Laban, whose words were
those of gracious hospitality, which the narra-
tive leaves us no room to doubt were prompted
largely by the valuable presents which his sis-
ter had received. Conscious of the importance
156 Genesis
of his mission, Eliezer declined to eat until he
had told his errand. He then laid before the
family the real meaning of his mission ; telling
them how Abraham had sent him ; how he had
sought the guidance of God; how in the
coming of Rebekah there had been granted to
him the fulfilment of the sign he had asked;
and, finally how, in the presence of that an-
swer, he had bowed his head and worshipped.
As Laban appears before us, his masterful-
ness is at once manifest in the way he acted
as host in the house of his father, and in the
very fact that his name is mentioned before
that of Bethuel, in the consent given for the
departure of Rebekah. Finally Rebekah her-
self was asked, and her answer, " I will go,"
was surely the answer of faith. In giving it
she was following in the footsteps of Abraham,
as she turned her back upon her country, and
her kindred, to share the fortunes of one whose
very existence was the outcome of faith, and
whose life-principle was also that of faith.
Her going with Eliezer was the going of faith.
However much Rebekah failed in after-life,
there is no reason to doubt that in this story
we see her hearing, not in the same way in
which Abraham did, but nevertheless quite
surely, a call of God, and obeying it in a sim-
plicity full of beauty.
Regeneration 157
Again the Eastern colouring is picturesque
and beautiful as we see the cavalcade passing
back over the long distance, carrying Rebekah
towards her new home.
y. The Marriage
Isaac, the man of quiet, passive faith, was
meditating in the field at eventide, and from
that position he saw the advancing company.
There Rebekah first saw him, and in answer
to her inquiry was informed by Eliezer that
this was indeed his master's son. She veiled
herself, and approached the meeting. The
faithful servant reported to Isaac all the things
that he had done; and thus the mission was
accomplished in the marriage of Isaac and
Rebekah.
Apart from all the details of the far-away
land we have a beautiful picture of an ideal
marriage. It is that of the union of a man and
woman upon the basis of identity of principle.
By faith Isaac waited, and by faith Rebekah
obeyed. It was, moreover, a union of opposites.
In Rebekah, faith was adventurous and bold;
in Isaac, it was meditative and meek. Two
lives were made one upon the basis of response
to a common principle. Two natures, utterly
different, yet complementing each other, were
158 Genesis
made one in order to the fulfilment of Divine
purpose.
Alas ! that in the days to come, through fail-
ure, each will be seen degenerating through
response to the purely natural within them,
ungoverned by the principle of faith ; degener-
ating, until Isaac will love a son upon the basis
of receiving venison to feed his fleshly desire ;
and Rebekah will stoop to counselling, and ar-
ranging deceit for another son, in order to the
accomplishment of that purpose upon which
her faith takes hold.
In the present picture the shadows have not
yet gathered ; and the faith of Abraham is seen
rewarded in the union of his son Isaac, a man
of passive faith, with Rebekah, a woman whose
faith was adventurous and bold.
The final Records of Abraham, xxv. i-io
a. His Re-marriage. 1-4
His Wife. 1
His Children. 2-4
p. The Separation of Isaac. 5, 6
The Gift to Isaac. 5
The Sending away. 6
■y. Death and Burial of Abraham. 7-10
His Age. 7
His Passing. 8
His Burying. 9, 10
Regeneration 161
3. The final Records of Abraham
The final things concerning Abraham are
grouped in this passage, because he is now t*o
pass out of sight ; and the history is to gather
round Isaac, and proceed to Jacob. We have
first the record of the fact that he married an-
other wife, named Keturah ; a list of the chil-
dren born to him of that marriage, and some
of their descendants, is given.
Then we have the account of an action by
which he separated Isaac from all these, and
from all other of his descendants. This he did
by the bestowment of all his possessions upon
Isaac, with the exception of certain gifts to
these descendants. Bestowing gifts upon
them, he sent them away from Isaac into the
east county, thus leaving him in possession.
The last fact recorded is that of his death,
and his burial. This is the account of the pass-
ing of one of the most remarkable lives ever
lived. It was a life spent in the realm of the
supernatural, in the region of vision, and
under the constraining sense of the reality and
power of the spiritual. Abraham lived not for
the flesh, not even for the mind, but for the
spirit.
The whole story is told in the suggestive
words that he died " an old man and full."
162 Genesis
The words " of years " are supplied, and limit
rather than illumine the suggestiveness of the
declaration. As it stands, it is practically a
declaration of the fact that his life was satis-
fied and rounded out to a beautiful completion.
A very striking testimony to his character is
that of the fact that Isaac and Ishmael united
in the work of laying him to rest in the cave
of Machpelah. They were united by a common
love for their father, whose affection for them
had been very great.
The ending of a life often reveals the deepest
truth concerning its real value. Comparing
the first movements of the faith of Abraham
with his final experiences, creates the convic-
tion that had he seen the end, in all probability
he would never have dared to make the begin-
ning. He started to find a land and to found
a nation, depending wholly upon the promises
of Jehovah. He died with no possession other
than a grave, and with no further sight of his
own posterity than that of his son Isaac, and
his two grandsons, Esau and Jacob, who at
the time of his passing would be about fifteen
years of age.
Yet he died " full," satisfied. The vision
of the pathway is not granted to the men of
faith. It would not be possible for them to
understand it. They need the discipline of life
Regeneration 163
to prepare them for the developments that
await them. Their present duty is very clear.
It is that they trust, obey, expect. Where
these responsibilities are fulfilled, the end is
full of satisfaction, even though to the sight
of those who are not acting upon the principle
of faith, it may seem to be disappointing, and
characterized by failure.
ii. Isaac. xxv. h — xxvi.
a. INTRODUCTORY. xxv. 11-34
i. Isaac blessed by God. "
2. Generations of Ishmael. I2"18
o. Ishmael. 12
p. The twelve Sons. 13-16
•v. Death of Ishmael. 17
6. The Country of Ishmael. 18
3. Generations of Isaac. J9-28
a. Isaac. 19
, p. The two Sons. 20-28
4. The Bartering of the Birthright. 29-34
b. FIRST APPEARANCE. CONTINUITY OF COVENANT.
xxvi. 1-22
i. The Appearance. I_5
a. The Occasion. 1, 2a
p. The Warning. 26
Y. The Promise. 3-5
2. Deflection. 6-1 1
o. TAe Deception. 6-7
p. 77ie Rebuke of the Pagan. 8-10
y. 77ie Charge of Abimelech. 11
3. Prosperity. I2"22
a. T/i£ Culture of the Land. 12-14
/3. The Opposition of the Philistines. 15-17
y. The Digging of the Wells. 18-22
c. SECOND APPEARANCE. RATIFICATION OF
COVENANT. xxvi. 23-33
1. The Appearance. 23-25
a. The Occasion. 23, 24a
p. The Declaration. 24b
y. The Answer. 25
2. Covenant with Abimelech. 26-33
o. The Request. 26-30
p. The Covenant. 31
y. The Well. 32, 33
3. Trouble with Esau. 34. 35
Regeneration 165
ii. Isaac
We now come to the section dealing more
especially with the life of Isaac; and here we
find a man of entirely different type from that
of Abraham. In the case of Abraham we have
seen faith obedient; and to him the appear-
ances of God were all for purposes of initi-
ation. Isaac was a man in whom faith was
passive; and the two Divine appearances
chronicled were for purposes of ratification.
The story may be divided into three parts, the
first being introductory ; the second giving the
account of the first appearance of Jehovah;
and the third, that of His second appearance.
a. INTRODUCTORY
The section opens with the declaration that
after the death of Abraham, the blessing of
God rested upon Isaac. Coupled with that
affirmation is the statement that he dwelt by
the well Beer-lahai-roi. This statement in it-
self is suggestive of the character of the man.
He was quiet and meditative, content to abide
by the wells, where his flocks might be well
watered. He was evidently a man passive
rather than active, whose faith was likely to
produce quietness rather than initiation.
166 Genesis
The generations of Ishmael are now given,
together with the account of his death.
In order to give the generations of Isaac, the
narrative at this point goes back fifteen years
prior to the death of Abraham and records the
birth of Esau and Jacob. Before their birth
Jehovah made a distinct communication to
their mother of the fact that the elder would
become the servant of the younger; and this
direct word from God must not be forgotten
in subsequent considerations of the actions of
Isaac, Rebekah, and Jacob.
The two brothers, Esau and Jacob, are
placed before us in this paragraph in strong
contrast. The first was wild and romantic ; the
second, as the margin reads, harmless, or per-
fect, dwelling in the tents. This is a very in-
teresting statement at the beginning of a story
in which so much will be seen of Jacob, which
is mean and contemptible. Here we have a
revelation of his temperament. He was quiet,
and desired more the peace of the tent, than
the excitement of movement. In the light of
this, the long journey and prolonged absence
from home will be seen to be the result follow-
ing his deceit, which was in itself distasteful to
him.
Degeneration in the character of Isaac is
evidently marked in the statement that his love
Regeneration 167
for Esau was caused by the fact that he ate of
his venison.
In the story of the birthright, neither Esau
nor Jacob is to be admired. The one was pro-
fane, in that he allowed the lower side of his
nature to master him ; and sold his birthright
in order to appease his physical hunger. The
other was mean, in that he took advantage of
that hunger to obtain the birthright.
b. FIRST APPEARANCE. CONTINUITY OP
COVENANT
We come next to the account of the first
direct communication of Jehovah to Isaac. Its
occasion was that of a time of difficulty, such
as had caused his father to go down into
Egypt. Jehovah warned him against repeat-
ing the folly, and the warning note was empha-
sized by the declaration of the continuity of
the covenant, which had been made with his
father, and the repetition of the great promises
uttered to him.
Strangely enough, though he was thus saved
by direct Divine intervention from his father's
mistake, and the sin which followed it, he
nevertheless repeated the folly of his father in
Gerar in connection with Abimelech. It is by
no means certain that this Abimelech is the
168 Genesis
same. It is quite probable that he was the son
of the one with whom Abraham made a cove-
nant. As in the case of his father, this man
of faith was rebuked by the man outside the
covenant, who then charged his people that
Isaac was not to be molested.
After this appearance, Isaac gave himself to
the culture of the land, and increased greatly
in wealth.
The Philistines, with whom Abraham had
dwelt, began to manifest a certain measure of
hostility, filling up wells which the servants of
Abraham had dug. The quiet patience of Isaac
is manifested in the matter of these wells. He
first proceeded to dig again the wells of his
father Abraham. His servants then dug a new
well, for which the Philistine herdsmen con-
tended, and he called it Esek, that is, conten-
tion. Persevering, they dug another, and there
was yet more strife. He named the second
Sitnah, thus indicating the increasing diffi-
culty of the situation, for the name means en-
mity. Once more they dug, and no contention
followed.
Regeneration 169
C. SECOND APPEARANCE. RATIFICATION OF
COVENANT
There now occurred a change. Isaac re-
turned from Gerar to Beer-sheba, and Jehovah
immediately made the second direct communi-
cation to him. It would seem as though this
communication was the result of his return to
his proper abode. It was of the nature of the
ratification of the covenant.
Isaac immediately responded in such way as
to indicate his fidelity of heart to the principle
of faith. He built an altar, pitched his tent,
and dug a well.
This second appearance of Jehovah to Isaac
was followed by a visit from Abimelech, who
in company with his friend Ahuzzath and
Phicol, the captain of his host, sought the
establishment of a covenant. To this Isaac
responded, by preparing them a feast, and en-
tering into the covenant which they desired.
One brief word reveals the fact that Esau
was giving himself up to a wild and reckless
life, which was devoid of the principle of faith
in God. He married daughters of the land,
and caused grief to the hearts of his father and
mother.
Isaac was pre-eminently the man of peace,
and his principal physical activity, that of the
170 Genesis
digging of wells, was, as is so often the case,
symbolic of his temperament. Notwithstand-
ing his failure, the general impression is that
of the faith of the man ; and from his story we
learn how faith operates in the case of quieter
natures. Such men dig wells which are for
the blessing of subsequent generations.
iii. Jacob. xxvii. — xxxv. 21
a. FIRST DIVINE COMMUNICATION. DUPLICITY AND
THE OVER-RULING GOD. xxvii.— xxviii.
1. The Deceit of Rebekah and Jacob, xxvii. 1-41
o. The Blessing obtained. 1-29
Isaac's Request of Esau. 1-4
The Deceit of Rebekah. 5-17
The Deceit of Jacob. 18-24
The Blessing. 25-29
p. Isaac and Esau. 30-41
The Coming of Esau. 30-32
The Revelation. 33-37
The Prophecy of Isaac. 38-40
The Anger of Esau. 41
2. The Flight of Jacob. xxvii. 42— xxviii. 9
o. Rebekah's Fear and Advice. 42-45
/3. Rebekah's Arrangement. 46
y. Isaac's Action. xxviii. 1-5
The Charge. 1, 2
The Blessing. 3, 4
The Dismissal. 5
/PARENTHESIS. THE ACTION OF ESAU. xxviii. 6-9 \
( Observation of Action in Case of Jacob. 6-8 I
\ Ishmael's Daughter taken as Wife.
The Divine Appearing. xxviii. 10-22
o. The Dream. 10-17
The Resting-place. 10, 11
The Vision. 12
The Voice. 13-15
The Blessing promised. 13, 14
The Presence promised. 15
The Awaking. 16, 17
The Nearness of Jehovah. 16
The resulting Awe. 17
(3. The Action of Worship. iS, 19
The anointed Pillar. 18
The new Name. 19
y. The Vow. 20-22
The Terms. 30, 210
The Promise. 21b, 22
Regeneration 173
iii. Jacob
The history now passes to centre largely
around Jacob; and at once we find ourselves
in the presence of a man of another tempera-
ment, and shall see faith operating no longer
in the case of a man obedient, by way of ini-
tiation; nor in that of a man passive, in an-
swer to ratification; but rather in that of a
man restless, and yielding to correction. The
history of Jacob consists of the account of five
Divine communications with the man, in each
case rendered necessary in order to correction.
These five communications may thus be classi-
fied; duplicity, and the over-ruling God; suc-
cess, and the interfering God; independence,
and the conquering God ; compromise, and the
restoring God; obedience, and the rewarding
God.
a. FIRST DIVINE COMMUNICATION. DUPLICITY,
AND THE OVER-RULING GOD
In this we have the account of the deceit of
Rebekah; the flight of Jacob; and the Divine
appearing.
174 Genesis
1. The Deceit of Rebekah and Jacob
In this section four persons stand out be-
fore us, Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob, and
not one of them is admirable.
Isaac was now even more degenerate and
seems to have been wholly occupied with his
stomach, and anxious for another meal of
venison before he died.
Rebekah did not share the sleepiness of her
husband. She was keen, alert, acute; and in
this connection was revealed at her very worst.
She knew the purpose of God for Jacob, but
was not content to wait. By the most despi-
cable deceit she attempted to secure the bless-
ing to Jacob. She was aware of Isaac's love
for Esau, and against that she plotted. Her
wrong was not that of desiring to fix the bless-
ing upon Jacob, for this she knew to be accord-
ing to Divine intention ; it was wholly that of
the method which she adopted.
Esau was still the same wild, dashing, im-
pulsive hunter. Jacob was the only one in
whom one trait of excellence was manifest.
He at least raised a protest, and did not desire
to appear to his father as a deceiver ; but even
here the motive was low, for he was afraid
of the personal curse that might follow a dis-
covery; and in any case there was no real
Regeneration 175
excuse for his yielding to the suggestion of
his mother, for he was not a child, but a man,
bordering on seventy years of age.
The deceit of Jacob, actually practised, cre-
ates a pitiful and pathetic picture. He came
into the presence of his father with a positive
lie upon his lips ; to be followed by a blasphe-
mous lie in explanation. He declared that he
was Esau; and accounted for the speed with
which he had procured the venison, by declar-
ing that Jehovah had helped him. He ap-
proached his father silently, lying as he held
out his hands to him, and repeating his lie
when questioned.
A lie is ever prolific in its propagation. One
succeeds another in quick succession, each
made necessary by its predecessor. How much
more would be gained if men would only learn
the ease and simplicity of truth.
Watching the scene, with all the facts in
mind — which, of course, were not present to
the mind of Isaac — a great sense of the over-
ruling of God inevitably possesses the soul.
The words of the covenant blessing were gen-
erous and gracious as they fell from the lips
of Isaac. He imagined that contrary to the
declared purpose at the birth of the boys, he
was pronouncing these words upon Esau. It
was not so, for over-ruling the duplicity and
176 Genesis
sin of the actors in the scene, God compelled
the words of blessing to rest upon the man of
His choice. Failure of faith expressing itself
in deceit, must inevitably bring, as the sequel
will show, sorrow upon sorrow. It can not,
however, finally interfere with the accomplish-
ment of the purposes of Jehovah.
The harvest was swift and sure. A lie can
not long maintain the appearance of truth.
Deceit must be known as deceit. With the
coming of Esau there was discovery, and im-
mediate and inevitable results followed.
Isaac trembled exceedingly. It was a strange
trembling, and in all probability had in it
more of the sense of the overruling majesty
of God than of the disappointment of his own
wrong purpose. This would seem to have been
so from the fact that Isaac refused to change
what he had done, or to unsay what he had
said. Therein his faith was manifest. Indeed,
this is the one instance of his faith referred
to by the writer of the letter to the Hebrews.
Through failure of faith he had attempted to
fasten the covenant blessing upon Esau.
When he discovered what had really happened,
in faith he yielded to the clear over-ruling of
God.
From the heart of Esau there came a ter-
rible wail; thrilling with disappointment,
Regeneration 177
vibrant with passion, and followed by bitter
tears. He was now reaping the harvest of
the selling of his birthright for a mess of pot-
tage. He had long abandoned himself to the
passions of the flesh, even though, as it would
seem, he felt some interest in his father's bless-
ing. In the consciousness that he had lost
that which he coveted, he broke out into a
paroxysm of anger and grief.
2. The Flight of Jacob
Still the sheaves of harvest were gathered.
The hatred of Esau for Jacob naturally cre-
ated anxiety in the mind of Rebekah. She
began at once to arrange to send Jacob out
of the reach of danger. In all probability she
never saw him again, for, although we have
no record of her death and burial, it would
seem likely that she had died before his return.
For Jacob the harvest consisted in this en-
forced absence from his home. As we saw
in a previous study, he was a quiet man, and
a dweller in tents, differing from Esau in this
particular. To him, home meant far more
than to his brother; and this severance there-
from, and this flight to Paddan-aram must
have cost him much. That Rebekah suffered
in all those after-years is evident from the
178 Genesis
words with which she sent him away. Her
plan was that he should tarry with Laban a
few days only, and she distinctly declared her
intention to send for him again. This she
never did. We constantly attempt to comfort
our hearts with the idea that we can manipu-
late the results of sin, so as to make them less
hard to bear; and then we have to prove,
through long and bitter experiences, that this
is not so. There is only one moment in which
we can save ourselves from sin, and that is
before we commit it.
Isaac took farewell of his son, charging him
to seek a wife from Paddan-aram, and pro-
nouncing upon him the words of blessing.
PARENTHESIS. THE ACTION OF ESAU
Esau, observing the action of Jacob, and
hoping to please his father, took a wife of
the daughters of Ishmael.
3. The Divine Appearing
We now come to the first of the direct
Divine communications to Jacob. Deceit had
wrought itself out at last, so that Jacob was
in flight from Beer-sheba. Weary with the
Regeneration 179
journey, he arrived at Luz; and during the
sleep of the night he was given a dream.
The vision of the ladder and the angels was
suggestive of the possibility and actuality of
communication between heaven and earth.
Yet that which impressed Jacob does not seem
to have been this part of the vision, but the
fact that Jehovah appeared to him, and spoke
to him.
The message was full of infinite grace.
Jehovah declared Himself to be the God of
Abraham, and of Isaac, and then repeated to
Jacob the promise of the land, and of the seed ;
adding to this the promise of His own presence
with him in his wanderings; and the declara-
tion that he should yet again be brought into
the land.
The vision and the voice that came to him
in that dream accomplished their end, for on
awaking Jacob declared his new consciousness
of the presence of God. It is remarkable that
he did not speak of that Presence as of a visit,
but rather as of an abiding fact. He sug-
gested, moreover, his conviction that God had
been there before the vision was granted, for
he said, " I knew it not." It is not to be won-
dered at that such a communication filled him
with a sense of awe, compelling him to ex-
claim, " How dreadful is this place ! "
180 Genesis
In the morning he acted in such a way
as to manifest the two sides of his nature. His
deep religious conviction and faith were indi-
cated by his setting up of a stone, his anoint-
ing it with oil, and his naming of the place
Beth-el, which signifies the house of God. His
restless activity and keen managing meanness
were manifested in the bargaining spirit in
which he expressed himself. Jehovah had
promised to be with him, and now he said that
if this promise were fulfilled he would give a
tenth of all he possessed to God.
It was faith assuredly, but it moved on a
low level. Such faith will not bear compari-
son with that which enables a man to turn his
back upon kindred and friends, not knowing
where he is going. Nevertheless, it is evident
that by this appearance of Jehovah to Jacob
he was arrested, and the spirit of his coming
to the house of Laban was changed. There
were yet many lessons for him to learn; and
long years elapsed before, in perfect submis-
sion, he worshipped, leaning on his staff. This
much, however, was gained. The memory of
the midnight vision, and the consequent cer-
tainty of the Divine presence abode with him.
ECOND DIVINE COMMUNICATION.
SUCCESS, AND THE INTERFERING GOD
xxix.
— xxxi. 3
i. The Sojourn with Laban.
xxix.
— xxxi. 2
a. Arrival.
xxix. i -i 9
The Place of the Flocks.
1-3
Jacob's First View.
1, 2a
The Method described.
2b, 3
The Converse with the Shepherds.
4-8
Inquiry after Laban.
4-6
His Advice to them.
7,8
Jacob and Rachel.
9-12
Jacob watering the Flock.
9, 10
The Greeting.
ii, 12
Jacob and Laban.
13-19
The Meeting and Hospitality.
13. 14
The Bargain of Service.
15-19
Laban's Proposition.
15
The two Daughters.
16, 17
Jacob's Offer.
18
Laban's Acceptance.
19
8. The Fourteen Years.
xxix. 20-
-xxx. 24
The first Seven.
xxix. 20
The Marriage.
21-29
Leah. Laban's Deceit.
21-27
Rachel.
28, 29
The second Seven.
30
The Children.
xxix. 31-
—xxx. 24
Of Leah.
xxix. 31-35
Reuben.
Simeon.
Levi.
Judah.
Of Rachel.
xxx. 1-8
By Bilhah. Dan.
Naphtali.
Of Leah.
9-13
By Zilpah. Gad.
Of Leah.
xxx. 14-20
Issachar.
Zebulun.
Dinah.
21
Of Rachel.
22-24
Joseph.
The Six Years.
xxx. 25 — xxxi. 2
The Proposition to return.
25, 26
The new Arrangement.
27-34
The Success of Jacob.
35-43
The Disaffection of Laban.
xxxi. i, 2
2. The Command of God.
a. The Disturbance. " Return."
8. The Promise. "I will be with thee."
xxxi. 3
Regeneration 183
b. SECOND DIVINE COMMUNICATION. SUCCESS,
AND THE INTERFERING GOD
This section deals with the next period in
the life of Jacob, in which for twenty years
he was a sojourner in the " land of the chil-
dren of the east," and during which he
amassed his great wealth. It was the period
of his dealings with Laban. On the human
side it is the story of the conflict of two strong,
astute men. There is little to admire in the
methods of either. Of the two, however, as
we shall see, Laban was by far the more to
be despised. The section chronicles the events
of the sojourn with Laban ; and briefly records
the Divine communication which put an end
to the period.
1. The Sojourn with Laban
The history of these years may be divided
into three parts ; that dealing with the arrival ;
that telling the story of fourteen years; and
that giving the account of the last six years.
a. Arrival
Arriving in the neighbourhood of Laban's
home Jacob found himself in the midst of pas-
184 Genesis
toral conditions, which are described briefly
but clearly. He came upon a field in which
a well was situated, and three flocks of sheep
were reposi: g, waiting for the hour of water-
ing. The method by which this was done is
described. When all the flocks were gathered,
the stone was rolled from the mouth of the
well, the sheep were watered, and the stone
was replaced.
Jacob at once entered into conversation
with the shepherds by making inquiry after
Laban, in response to which they told him that
Laban was known to them, that he was well,
and that he would soon be able for himself to
see his daughter Rachel, who was in the habit
of bringing her father's sheep to the water.
Not knowing their custom of waiting till
all the flocks were gathered, and perhaps desi-
rous to have them out of the way before the
arrival of Rachel, he urged them to water their
flocks and depart. While he was still in con-
versation with them, Rachel arrived with her
sheep. The story of this meeting is the one
touch of beauty in the chapter. There is no
doubt that it is a pure love story, and all the
subsequent history of Jacob shows how dear
to his heart was this woman of the pastoral
life, the shepherdess of her father's sheep.
The introduction to her was that of his ac-
Regeneration 185
tion in rolling away the stone from the mouth
of the well, and watering the flock which she
brought. This was followed by his greeting,
and his making known of his relationship to*
her. As all the experiences of his leaving
home, and the long journey crowded upon
him, and as he was conscious of being near to
his mother's people, he was overcome by emo-
tion.
Rachel hurried back, and told her father
Laban of the fact of the arrival of Jacob ; and
Laban immediately hastened to meet him, and
to welcome him with all the tokens of glad-
ness. After a month's sojourn with them,
Laban proposed that Jacob should enter into
some definite arrangement with him as to the
service he should render.
Laban's two daughters, Leah and Rachel,
are introduced to us at this point, and the his-
torian declares that the former was a plain
woman, while Rachel was beautiful in form
and feature. Laban's proposition was Jacob's
opportunity; and he offered to serve Laban
for seven years for Rachel. This offer Laban
accepted.
/?. The Fourteen Years
The story of fourteen years is told as to
the actual events with some brevity, while for
186 Genesis
purposes of the subsequent history the account
of the children which were born to Jacob dur-
ing the second half of the period is given in
greater fulness. The account of the first seven
years is dismissed in one brief statement
which is, nevertheless, full of beauty. They
were years in the life of Jacob full of bright-
ness, in which all the arduous work, which he
afterwards described with some bitterness
when chiding with Laban (xxxi. 38-40), was
transfigured by his love for Rachel.
At the end of the story of the first seven
years we have the account of the marriage.
There can be no doubt that Laban, with the
shrewdness which characterized him, had seen
at the beginning how much he would gain
from the services of Jacob, and that therefore
he had readily promised him Rachel to wife.
The true nature of the man is first manifested
in the brutal deceit he practised upon Jacob
at the end of the seven years. Love is, how-
ever, stronger than all opposing forces, and
Jacob served again another seven years for
Rachel. It is to be carefully noted that he
married her a week after his marriage with
Leah; and thus the second seven years were
years in which Jacob lived with Leah and
Rachel, as his wives.
As we read the story of the birth of the chil-
Regeneration 187
dren of Jacob we must not forget that we are
looking at things in a far-distant time, and,
therefore, must make all necessary allowances
for the imperfect light in which these people
lived. Such allowance, however, will not pre-
vent our seeing how much that is here chron-
icled, contradicted the principle of faith. It
is the story of domestic trouble and heart-
burning, out of which arose actions which
were utterly out of keeping with the life of
simple faith in God. Through all the story
there is nevertheless manifest the conscious-
ness of the Divine over-ruling. The interpre-
tation of the Divine government was often at
fault, as when Rachel imagined that the son
born to Bilhah was in any sense an answer
to prayer. That answer came with the birth
of Joseph.
There were first born to Leah four sons,
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Then fol-
lowing an Eastern custom, Rachel gave her
handmaid Bilhah to Jacob, and two sons were
born, Dan and Naphtali. Then Leah, follow-
ing the lead of Rachel, gave Jacob her hand-
maid Zilpah, and two sons were born, Gad and
Asher. There was evidently a period of
estrangement between Jacob and Leah under
the influence of Rachel. A domestic incident
of the most trivial kind was the occasion, un-
188 Genesis
der the same influence, of reconciliation.
Then there were born to Leah two sons,
Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter Dinah,
who is mentioned because of the part she
played in a subsequent event. Finally Joseph
was born to Rachel.
This story of the birth of the children is
full of interest, and reminds us that the days
during which children are being born into a
family are days of vital importance. The his-
tory of these sons of Jacob, so full of sadness
and failure, is hardly to be wondered at, in
the light of the events recorded here.
y. The Six Years
At the birth of Joseph, Jacob attempted to
break away from Laban. Laban, however,
knew that the sojourn of Jacob with him had
resulted in great gain, and for motives of abso-
lute selfishness he was anxious to retain him ;
and a new arrangement was made between
them, Jacob on his side being equally anxious
for gain.
Laban at once attempted to make impos-
sible the enrichment of Jacob according to this
new arrangement, by setting three days' jour-
ney between the cattle ring-straked, speckled,
spotted, and the rest; giving the former into
Regeneration 189
the hands of his sons, and the latter into the
care of Jacob. It was without question a
mean and dastardly attempt to frustrate the
possibility of Jacob's gaining from the com-
pact.
The sequel shows how far he under-esti-
mated the shrewdness of his nephew; and it
is chronicled that Jacob increased exceed-
ingly.
The procedure is not admirable on either
side, but watching the movement as between
two schemers, it is impossible to avoid a feel-
ing of satisfaction that Jacob was one too
many for Laban. Comparing Jacob through
all this history with Abraham, it is perfectly
clear that the faith of the former moved on a
much lower level than that of the latter.
Abraham, for instance, had been content to let
the scheming Lot choose, and to give him all
the advantage. Jacob, always believing in
God, was yet not willing to commit these mat-
ters of worldly possession to Him.
The attempt of Laban and his sons to pre-
vent the success of Jacob having failed, they
were angry, and their dissatisfaction mani-
fested itself in their attitude towards Jacob.
190 Genesis
2. The Command of God
It was in the midst of Jacob's most con-
spicuous success, and with the shadow of the
disaffection of his uncle resting upon his path-
way, that there came to him the second Divine
communication. That communication was of
the nature of a command, clear and definite, to
return immediately to the land of his fathers.
It was accompanied with words of gracious
promise, " I will be with thee."
Thus for the second time, at the moment
when it was necessary, in order that this man
might be directed into the pathway of the
Divine purpose, God appeared, disturbing him
in the very hour of his greatest success, and
turning his feet into the way of that purpose.
c. THIRD DIVINE COMMUNICATION. INDEPENDENCE, AND
THE CONQUERING GOD. xxxi. 4— xxxii.
T\
he Controversy with Laban.
xxxi
. 4 — xxxii. 2
a.
Jacob's Conference with Leah and Rachel.
4-16
Jacob's Story.
4-13
Of Laban's Displeasure.
4. 5
Of his Fidelity.
6
Of Laban's Deceit.
7a
Of God's Interference.
76-13
The Answer of Rachel and Leah.
14-16
ti-
The Departure.
17-21
y-
The Pursuit.
22-24
The seven Days' Journey.
22, 23
The Divine Warning.
24
s.
Jacob's Conference with Laban.
25-54
Laban's Complaint.
25-30
As to the Going.
25-29
As to the Gods.
30
Jacob's Answer.
31.32
As to the Going.
3i
As to the Gods.
32
The Search for the Gods.
33-35
Jacob's Complaint.
36-42
As to the Search.
36, 37
As to his Treatment.
38-42
Laban's Answer.
43. 44
Recognition of Relationship.
43
Proposition of Covenant.
44
The Covenant of Separation.
45-54
«.
The Separation.
xxxi.
55 — xxxii. 2
Laban to his Place.
xxxi. 55
Jacob. The Angels of God.
xxxii. 1, 2
D
iplomacy concerning Esau.
xxxii. 3-21
a.
The Messengers sent.
3-6
The conciliatory Message.
3-5
The Approach of Esau.
6
P.
The Preparation.
7-21
The Division of his Property.
7.8
Prayer.
9-12
The Preparation of the Presents.
13-21
The Night of Conflict.
xxxii. 22-32
a.
The Sending Away of his Wives and
Children
22, 23
fr
The Struggle.
24-30
The Wrestling.
24.25
The Yielding.
26
The New Name.
27-30
V-
The Sunrise.
31.32
Regeneration 193
C. THIRD DIVINE COMMUNICATION. INDEPEND-
ENCE, AND THE CONQUERING GOD
In this section we are dealing with the great'
crisis in the life of Jacob, and it falls into
three parts; the first describing the contro-
versy with Laban; the second Jacob's diplo-
macy concerning Esau ; and the last, the night
of his conflict with the heavenly visitor.
1. The Controversy with Laban
Calling his wives to him, Jacob laid the case
before them as between their father and him-
self, He drew their attention to Laban's evi-
dent displeasure, called them to a recognition
of the fact that he had served Laban with all
fidelity, reminded them that Laban had many
times practised deceit toward him, and
claimed that God had not suffered Laban to'
harm him.
Rachel and Leah acquiesced in Jacob's de-
cision to depart, signifying their sense of the
change in their father; and declaring that he
looked upon them as strangers, and had
wronged them.
Thus after at least twenty years of absence,
Jacob set his face again toward home. Flee-
ing thence he had been a poor man ; returning
194 Genesis
thither he marched, the possessor of vast
wealth. The same streak of cunning which
had ever been manifest in his nature, is seen
in the stealth with which he broke away from
Laban.
Much may happen in twenty years. There
is one thing, however, that can never happen.
Wrongdoing cannot be undone, and Jacob
was going back, as the sequel will show, with
a consciousness of fear in his heart, because
Esau his brother was yet alive. We shall,
however, utterly fail to understand Jacob, or to
do him justice, if we do not recognize the fact
that the principle of faith was the inspiration
of his return to his own land. He went back
in obedience to a Divine command. Judging
from material standards there was no reason
for his going other than the suspicion and
jealousy of Laban and his sons; and Jacob
had already learned by experience that he was
always able to outwit them. The call of God
was supreme to him, notwithstanding all the
cunning and deceit of his nature.
Rachel departing, had stolen the teraphim,
or household gods of her father; and the se-
quel, notwithstanding the protestations of
affection on the part of Laban, makes it per-
fectly clear that this was the real reason of
his hot pursuit. He travelled seven days, and
Regeneration 195
'S
finally overtook Jacob in Mount Gilead. On
the way God appeared to him in a dream by
night, and warned him not to speak to Jacobs
" either good or bad." Notwithstanding this
warning he followed him, but there is no doubt
it had its effect upon him.
The conference between the two men is de-
scribed at length. Laban suggested that he
objected to the manner of the going, and that
he would fain have sent them away with
rejoicings. Jacob replied that he was afraid
of Laban. In all probability they were both
lying. Laban's final protest was against the
taking of his gods ; and there followed a search
for them, which through the deceit of Rachel
was unsuccessful.
At last Jacob's answer flamed forth, and he
found relief in telling Laban all he thought of
him. The outburst of auger is most refreshing
as for once at least Jacob spoke the language
of honesty. He complained first of the search,
which Laban had made (and in this connec-
tion it must be remembered Jacob did not
know the gods were hidden) ; and, secondly,
of the treatment that he had received from
Laban, during the period he had been with
him.
Laban's answer lacked the honesty of Ja-
cob's outburst, as he affirmed his affection,
196 Genesis
and suggested that there should be a covenant
made between them.
That covenant was entered into, and " Miz-
pah " ends the story. It was a heap of stones,
the emblem of suspicion, and the indication of
the fact that there were to be no further deal-
ings between them. Mizpah was the monu-
ment of separation, erected upon the basis of
mutual suspicion. Two men called upon God,
not to ratify a comradeship, but to watch over
each on behalf of the other, as a policeman
watches a thief. Laban does not again appear
in the history, and thus the last sight we have
of him is the interesting spectacle of a man
kissing his sons and daughters, after having
wronged them through all the long years.
Thus Laban passed back to his own place,
and Jacob moved onward; and at this point
there was granted to him a vision of the angels
of God. Full of interest has been this account
of the connection between these men; but its
last message is that partnership on the ground
of selfishness, invariably issues in mutual sus-
picion and separation.
2. Diplomacy concerning Esau
There is the closest connection between the
story of Jacob's dealing with Esau and that of
Regeneration 197
his night of conflict. The whole constitutes
one of the great passages of the Bible familiar
to all the children of faith. %
Jacob was returning to his own land, and
the same conflicting principles are manifest.
He was going in obedience to the distinct com-
mand of God, and yet the method of his going
was characterized by confidence in his own
ability. This is specially evident in the elabo-
rate and carefully calculated preparation he
made for his meeting with Esau. He sent mes-
sengers forward with a conciliatory message,
and they returned with the alarming report
that Esau was on his way to meet him, accom-
panied by four hundred men. We have no
actual evidence in the record that the purpose
of Esau was hostile, but it is evident that the
conscience of Jacob made him interpret the
advance in that way.
He immediately prepared for the meeting,
first by dividing his property into two com-
panies, so that if Esau fell upon the one, the
other should have the opportunity of escape.
Having thus divided the property, he gave
himself to prayer, and it is impossible to read
the prayer without seeing the profounder
things in the nature of this man. It is full of
beauty. In the presence of God he declared
that he was acting in obedience to His will,
198 Genesis
that he was conscious of his own unworthiness
of all His goodness toward him ; and definitely
prayed for deliverance from the hand of his
brother; confessing his fear on behalf of him-
self, and the mother with the children ; ending
all by pleading the promise of Jehovah.
How constantly a man in the deepest of his
nature, is better than his outward actions
would seem to suggest; and, moreover, how
constantly the best in a man is revealed in the
hour of his praying !
Having thus prayed, he prepared presents
for Esau, arranging that they should reach
him in relays. He hoped thus to break down
his hostility, and prepare for hospitable re-
ception.
3. The Night of Conflict
This return to the land was an event of
great importance, and at last in the quiet still-
ness of the night, God appeared to Jacob in the
form of a man.
He was actually alone, having sent his wives
and children over the Jabbok. The long
struggle of the night was that of the wrestling
of the heavenly visitor with Jacob, during
which God demonstrated to him his own weak-
ness, appealing to his spiritual consciousness
Regeneration 199
by a positive touch upon his physical being.
In reading the story we are not to imagine for
a moment that it would have been difficult for
that heavenly visitor to have immediately over-
come the resistiDg strength of Jacob. It is
important rather that we should see that he
was allowed to bring all his strength into play,
in order that he might learn the deepest les-
sons.
It is certainly the story of Jacob's victory,
but that victory was won in the moment when
he became conscious of the superiority of the
power which had laid its hand upon him ; and
yielding to that power with strong crying and
tears, claimed and received it as his own. In
that moment of yielding, with the flush of
morning upon the eastern sky, there was given
to this man a new name, suggestive of a new
royalty. He was henceforth to be known as
Israel, God-governed, rather than as Jacob, a
supplanter.
The story is indeed old, and yet ever new.
There are very few who have not in the course
of the life of faith, spent a night of loneliness,
in which they have risen through defeat into
new power. The cripplings of such occasions
are the crownings of men. The limp of Jacob
was a life-long disability, but it was the patent
of his nobility.
FOURTH DIVINE COMMUNICATION.
AND THE RESTORING GOD.
COMPROMISE,
xxxiii. — xxxv. i
The Meeting with Esau.
a. The Approach.
Of Esau.
Of Jacob.
Himself.
Handmaids and Children.
Leah and Children.
Rachel and Joseph.
p. The Meeting.
y. The Conference.
The Presentation of Wives and Children.
The Acceptance of Present by Esau.
The Refusal of Help by Jacob.
S. The Separation.
Esau to Seir.
Jacob to Succoth.
xxxm. i -i 7
i-3
ifr-3
4
5-i5
5-7
8-i i
12-15
16, 17
16
17
2. The Dwelling in the Land.
a. To Shechem.
The Land bought.
An Altar erected.
(3. The Pollution of Dinah.
Dinah's Curiosity, and Seduction.
Jacob's Silence.
The Suit of Shechem.
The Action of the Sons of Jacob.
The deceitful Proposition.
The Consent of the Hivites.
The Cruelty of Simeon and Levi.
The Fear of Jacob.
The Protest of his Sons.
3. The Command of God.
Back to Bethel.
xxxiii. 18 — xxxiv.
18-21
xxxiv.
1-4
5
6-12
13-29
13-17
18-24
25-29
30
31
xxxv. I
Regeneration 201
d. FOURTH DIVINE COMMUNICATION. COMPRO-
MISE, AND THE RESTORING GOD
»
The account of the fourth Divine communi-
cation consists of the story of the meeting with
Esau; an account of the first sojourn in the
land; and finally, of the definite command of
God which resulted in the return to Beth-el.
1. The Meeting with Esau
In the flush of the new morning Jacob went
forward to the meeting with Esau. Esau ad-
vanced with four hundred men, according to
the report of the messengers that Jacob had
first seen.
Jacob went to meet him, following upon the
droves of cattle which he had sent forward, as
presents to Esau. In his approach to his
brother, he himself led the way, followed im-
mediately by his handmaids and their chil-
dren, and finally by Rachel and Joseph. How
strange a mixture this man was is made evi-
dent here again. It is clearly to be seen that
a fear of his brother still lurked in his heart,
and there is a touch of nobleness discernible
in his first going forward to meet Esau, having
set his loved ones behind in three companies.
202 Genesis
His love of Rachel is here again manifest as he
put her in the last company, so that if perad-
venture Esau should still meet him in anger
and fall upon the first, she might have the
better opportunity of escape.
The chief interest of the study, however,
centres in the attitude of Esau. Instead of an
angry man, Jacob met a brother. While we
have in a previous consideration recognized
the fact that there is nothing in the text to
warrant us in believing that Esau's defence
was characterized by hostility, it is neverthe-
less more than probable that such was the case,
but God, Who Holds in His own power the dis-
posing of all hearts, while manifestly He had
been dealing with Jacob by the brook, had
in all probability unconsciously to Esau, pre-
pared his heart for the meeting with his
brother. After twenty years of separation,
when these men came together, they did so
with affection and with emotion.
It is an interesting illustration of the fact
that in proportion as a man finds his way into
the will of God, he finds his way to a pathway
prepared for him. All Jacob's preparations
for the appeasing of Esau would evidently
have been of no avail, for he did not desire
the presents ; but God had solved the difficulty
for the man who had been brought into sub-
Regeneration 203
mission to Him, in the long struggle of the
lonely night.
In the conference between the brothers, the
children of Jacob, and his wives were pre-
sented to Esau; he accepted the present of
Jacob under pressure ; but Jacob emphatically,
although courteously, refused any help from
Esau.
They separated, Esau journeying to Seir,
and Jacob a little distance on to Succoth,
where he halted for a while. The making of
booths for his cattle was in itself a suggestive
action, for they were for purposes of safety
against marauders, rather than for protection
from the weather.
2. The Divelling in the Land
How long Jacob remained at Succoth we
are not told, but moving from there, he crossed
the Jordan, and encamped in the neighbour-
hood of the city of Shechern. There he bought
a parcel of ground, and erected an altar. This
tarrying at Shechern was undoubtedly a mis-
take. The word spoken to him by Jehovah in
Paddan-aram, commanding him to return, had
been quite explicit, " Return unto the land of
thy fathers, and to thy kindred " ; and there
can be no doubt that he ought at once to have
continued his journey at least to Beth-el, the
204 Genesis
place where God had first appeared to him,
and made His covenant with him; and in all
probability the full terms of the command in-
tended that he should have passed immedi-
ately to Hebron, where Isaac was still living.
There is nothing more perilous than to stop
short of the place to which God is calling, and
the story which follows is that of a sad and
tragic reaping from this halt.
Dinah at this time could not have been more
than a mere girl ; and the record makes it per-
fectly clear that her departure from the camp
of her people was simply due to curiosity, and
her desire to see the daughters of the land,
that is, to observe the habits of the women
of another country and another people. It
was during this escapade that she was seen by
Shecheni, the son of the prince of the land;
and if we may read into the ancient story
much that we know of human nature in more
modern times, it is easy to follow the move-
ment of this fresh and artless girl through
frivolity to defilement.
Jacob heard the story, but maintained si-
lence concerning it.
It is evident that this man Shechem had
genuinely fallen in love with the girl, from the
earnest suit he and his father paid to Jacob
for her hand.
Regeneration 205
The story of the action of the sons of Jacob
is, as to the method adopted, as evil as that of
the failure of their sister. They made to these
men a deceitful proposition, suggesting that
if the whole of them would submit to the rite
of circumcision, their sister should be given
to Shecheni to wife. The devotion of Shecheni
to Dinah, and the great influence of his father
and himself over his people, is evidenced by
the fact that the whole of the citizens of She-
chem submitted to the rite. Then the cruelty
of Simeon and Levi manifested itself in their
murder of these men, while all the sons of
Jacob shared in the spoiling of the city.
The complaint of Jacob was utterly un-
worthy of a man of faith. It breathed a spirit
of selfish fear from first to last. There was
no word of jealousy for the honour of God,
and no word of rebuke at this point for the
cruelty of his sons. He came to the conscious-
ness of that later, as his final words concern-
ing them will reveal. At the moment he was
simply filled with cowardly fear. The moment
in which faith ceases to be the simple prin-
ciple of life, self is enthroned ; and instead of
the calm courage which is the result of obedi-
ent faith, there ensues the miserable fear of
personal suffering.
In the answer of his sons to his fear there
206 Genesis
is a tone of healthy protest against the wrong
which Shechem had done their sister. That,
however, was no justification for the method
of punishment which they had adopted. This
whole story constitutes a startling revelation
of how the fruits of a man's disobedience may
be gathered in the history of his family. How
often, alas! children have been harmed incal-
culably, because parents, while believing in
God, have yet tarried at some Shechem of
worldly advantage, instead of centring all
their interests around Beth-el and the altar.
3. The Command of God
The background of conditions which we
have considered throws into clear relief the
meaning of the Divine intervention at this
point. God does not abandon His children to
the evil circumstances which result from their
own folly. Jacob was commanded to leave
Shechem, to go to Beth-el and dwell there,
to make there an altar to God; and the com-
mand was joined to the reminder that there
God appeared to him when he fled from the
face of Esau his brother. Thus the fourth
Divine communication was the means of his
restoration to the pathway of the Divine pur-
pose.
e. FIFTH DIVINE COMMUNICATION.
OBEDIENCE, AND THE REWARDING GOD. xxxv. 221
I. Purification. 2-4
o. The Call to the Camp. 2
/3. The Purpose.
3
y. The Obedience.
4
Obedience.
5-8
a. The protected Journey.
5
|3. The Altar built.
6,7
y. Death of Deborah.
8
The Appearing of God.
9-13
a. Ratification of Name.
9, 10
p. Ratification of Covenant.
II, 12
The new Name.
11a
The Command.
11b
The Promise.
IIC, 12
The Seed.
IIC
The Land.
12
V. The Passing of the Appearance.
13
The Response of Jacob.
14. 15
a. The Pillar.
/3. The Offering,
y. The Name.
The Death of Rachel. ^2l
o. The Birth of Benjamin. 16-18
/3. The Death and Burial. 19, 20
y. The Journey of Israel. 21
Regeneration 209
e. FIFTH DIVINE COMMUNICATION. OBEDIENCE,
AND THE REWARDING GOD
The response of Jacob to the command to
return to Beth-el was immediate, and led up
to the fifth communication.
1. Purification
He called upon his own household, and all
who were associated with him, to put away
strange gods, and to mark the purification of
the camp by ceremonial cleansing and chang-
ing. He distinctly declared that his purpose
was to erect at Beth-el an altar unto God. The
obedience of the people associated with him
was prompt, as they handed over to him their
strange gods and their earrings, both of which
in all probability wrere spoils resulting from
the sack of Shechem.
2. Obedience
Having thus purified themselves, they took
their journey to Beth-el, protected by the
terror of God which rested upon the cities
through which they passed. Arrived at
Beth-el, Jacob erected his altar, calling it
El-beth-el or the God of Beth-el, or more lit-
erally still, the God of the house of God.
210 Genesis
Here Deborah died and was buried. It will
be remembered that she came from Laban's
country with Kebekah, when in response to
the call of Eliezer, she journeyed to become
the bride of Isaac. This incidental reference
to her would suggest that Rebekah was dead
ere Jacob returned into the land, but that on
his return he was joined by Deborah for the
sake of his mother.
3. The Appearing of God
It was in this hour of obedience that there
came to Jacob the fifth and final communica-
tion of God, so far as his personal history is
concerned. In the subsequent history God
spoke to him again, but the word had special
reference to his sons, and therefore is not in-
cluded in the account of the dealings of God
with Jacob himself. The name Israel was
again pronounced. It would seem as though
Jacob had never entered into the experience
of the blessing won by the Jabbok during the
time that he tarried at Succoth, and then in
the neighbourhood of Shechem. In that night
of wrestling the vision had come to him, but
it had not been translated into victory in the
details of life.
How often this is so ! In some great crisis
Regeneration 211
of revelation a larger life is seen, its laws
appreciated, its claim intellectually yielded to,
while yet it is not wrought out into the details
of life; and sometimes its greatest value is
only gained through a subsequent experience
of failure.
By this second declaration his right to the
name Israel was ratified, and there immedi-
ately followed a ratification of the Divine
covenant. It is full of interest to notice that
this ratification of the covenant commenced
with the declaration of a special name
of God. It is the name El Shaddai,
which He had first used to Abraham in
connection with the changing of his name.
It signifies that God is all-sufficient for the
needs of those who put their trust in Him. In
the night of wrestling the name of Jacob was
changed to that of Israel, but when he asked
the name of God he was not answered. Now
that in the pathway of obedience he had found
his way into a fuller experience of what his
new name suggested, the name which signifies
the absolute sufficiency of God was that by
which He declared Himself to him.
This declaration was followed by a com-
mand to be fruitful and to multiply; and the
promise was made that a nation, and a com-
pany of nations, should be born of him, that
212 Genesis
kings should come out of his loins, and that
the land should be given to him and to his
seed.
4. The Response of Jacob
To this revelation Jacob responded by the
erection of a pillar, and the pouring out of a
drink-offering. It was upon this occasion that
he named the place Beth-el. It will be remem-
bered that on his previous sojourn here, on
his way to Paddan-aram, he had said, " This
is none other than Beth-el, and this is the gate
of heaven," but it was now that he definitely
changed the name from Luz to Beth-el.
5. The Death of Rachel
Immediately following this experience
Jacob passed through the darkness of the
greatest personal sorrow of his life. On the
journey Rachel died in giving birth to one
whom she named, The son of my sorrow, but
whom his father called, The son of the right
hand. She was buried at Bethlehem, and
Israel continued his journey.
II. OF THE FAMILY. xxxv. 22— xxxviii.
i. Preliminary. xxxv. 22 — xxxvi.
0. THE SIN OF REUBEN. xxxv. 22a
b. THE SONS OF JACOB. 22^-26
c. THE DEATH OF ISAAC. 27-29
d. THE GENERATIONS OF ESAU. xxxvi.
i. In Canaan. 1-8
a. The Wives. 1-3
Adah.
Oholibamah.
Basemath.
^. The Sons. 4, 5
Of Adah. Eliphaz.
Of Basemath. Reuel.
Of Oholibamah. Jeush, Jalam, Korah.
y. Departure from Canaan. 6-8
2. In Seir. 9-19
a. Eliphaz. (Of Adah.) 10a
/3. Reuel. (Of Basemath.) iofc
y. Sons of Eliphaz. 1 1
By Timna. Amalek. 12
8. Sons of Reuel. 13
e. Jeush, Jalam, Korah. (Of Oholibamah.) 14
£. Dukes of Eliphaz. 15, 16
i). Dukes of Reuel. 17
0. Dukes of Jeush. 18
3. The Dukes of the Horites. 20-30
4. The Kings of Edom. 31-43
Regeneration 215
II. OF THE FAMILY
We now come to that section of the book of
Genesis in which we see the movement toward
the regeneration of the family. It is a striking
fact that the main impression of this whole
section is that of the corruption of the family
of Jacob. In the midst of it, however, there
is the wonderful story of the eldest born son
of his beloved Rachel, maintaining his purity
in the midst of the most trying circumstances,
and against fierce temptation; and thus
becoming a link in God's chain of movement
toward the advent of the One through Whom
the word spoken to Abraham should be ful-
filled, that in him all the families of the earth
should be blessed.
This section falls into three parts, the first
being preliminary; the second giving us a
picture of Joseph at home and in exile; and
the third telling the appalling story of Judah's
corruption.
i. Preliminary
This preliminary section briefly records the
sin of Reuben, in consequence of which the
birthright was taken from him, and given to
Joseph (1 Chron. v. 1).
216 Genesis
Then follows a list of the sons of Jacob ; the
account of the death of Isaac ; and the genera-
tions of Esau.
This record of the generations of Esau is
at once startling and solemn as a revelation
of the prolific progeny of that profane person
Esau. Faster than the seed of promise, multi-
plied the sons of the flesh. The most interest-
ing aspect is, of course, that of the relation to
Israel. One brief and pregnant sentence in
the chapter flashes its light along the coming
centuries. " Of Esau is Edom." What Edom
meant to Israel the subsequent history reveals.
Though personally Jacob escaped the anger
of his brother, the great harvests resulting
from his deceit were reaped in the after-years.
Oh these harvests of the centuries! When
will men learn the awful and stupendous
greatness of life? The deed of good or evil,
of truth or falsehood, done to-day, is not
ended, though it is done. There is, indeed,
nothicg small. This sense of infinite values
touching minutest details is lost to men gen-
erally, and is only restored with the bestow-
ment of age-abiding life, which, among other
things, is the consciousness of this very fact
that the things of the passing moment are
irrevocably linked to the undying ages.
ii. Joseph at Home and in Exile. xxxvii.
a. THE HOME LIFE. 1-4
i. The Place. 1
2. His Calling and Companions. 2
3. The Love of his Father. 3
4. The Hatred of his Brethren. 4
b. THE DREAMS. 5-1 1
1. The first Dream of the Sheaves. 5-8
a. The Dream. 5-7
0. 77; e Effect. 8
2. 77i£ Second Dream of Sun, Moon, and Stars. 9-1 1
a. 77ie Dream. 9
0. 77t<? Effect. io, 11
c. THE BETRAYAL. 12-36
i. The Journey to his Brethren. 12-17
a. .Sent to Shechem. 12-16
0. On to Dothan. 17
2. 77i£ Conspiracy. 18-22
a. The Plot. 18-20
/3. Reuben's Interference. 21, 22
3. 77t£ Capture. 23, 24
0. Stripped of the Coat. 23
p. Ca.?i info the Pit. 24
4. 77te Sale. 25-28
a. Judah's Advice. 25-27
p. Carried to Egypt. 28
5. The Deception. 29-32
a. Reuben's Concern. 29, 30
fi. The Lie. 31, 32
6. 77ie GrtV/ 0/ Jacob. 33-35
a. 77i<? bloody Coat. 33
j3. 77;e stricken Man. 34, 35
7. 77z£ Coming to Egypt. 36
a. So/d into Slavery.
0. The House of Potiphar.
iii. Judah's Corruption. xxxviii.
a. HIS MARRIAGE TO A CANAANITE. 1, 2
b. THE CHILDREN. 3-5
c. TAMAR. 6-30
i. Married to Er. 6, 7
2. Married to Onan. 8-10
3. Waiting for Shelah. 11
4. £?>r 7>a/> /or Judah. 12-26
5. T/j£ .BzW/} 0/ Perez and Zerah. 27-30
Regeneration 219
ii. Joseph at Home and in Exile
From this point, though Jacob appears
more than once again in the sacred narrative,
the history centres round Joseph ; and in many
respects there is no more remarkable figure
upon the page of Old Testament history. In
the present section he is seen as the object of
his father's love, a love which may certainly
be accounted for by the fact that he was the
firstborn of Rachel, but which was also due to
the ingenuous simplicity of his disposition,
and the strong integrity of his character.
There are three movements in the picture ; the
first being that of the home life; the second
that of his dreams; and the third that of his
betrayal by his brethren.
a. THE HOME LIFE
Jacob was now dwelling in the old home-
stead, in the land of his father's sojournings;
and there Joseph, being seventeen years of
age, was occupied in feeding the flocks, in com-
pany with the sons of Bilhah and of Zilpah.
His father's love for him was specially indi-
cated by the coat which he wore. The word
employed for " coat " suggests the long-sleeved
garment which was worn by the heir, a posi-
%
220 Genesis
tion which Joseph occupied by the will of his
father, after the sin of Reuben, already re-
ferred to. In consequence of this he was hated
of his brethren.
O. THE DREAMS
Naturally imaginative and romantic, and
given to dreams, God through this avenue sug-
gested to him his coming position and power.
With simple artlessness he told the dreams to
his brethren. The character of Joseph, as sub-
sequently revealed, makes it impossible to
believe that he had ulterior motives in so
doing. The construction which his brethren
placed upon them was undoubtedly the true
one ; but they arrived at the conclusion as the
result of the position he occupied among them
by the appointment of his father; and their
interpretation of his feeling by their own
jealousies.
C. THE BETRAYAL
The story of his betrayal is graphically told,
and needs no detailed repetition. Sent by his
father to seek them, he travelled to Shechem,
and on to Dothan. They entered into a con-
spiracy to slay him, but Reuben, the one most
Regeneration 221
implicated in Jacob's preference for Joseph,
interfered to deliver him out of their hands,^
proposing that he should be cast into a pit from
which he intended presently to rescue him,
and send him back to his father. Having done
this, unknown to Keuben, they sold him to a
company of Ishmaelites, who carried him to
Egypt. The picture of Jacob in his grief is
very real. In the meantime Joseph was sold
into slavery, and came into the house of Poti-
phar, an officer of Pharaoh's.
Surveying this story from the standpoint of
the Divine purpose, it is a simple instance
of the over-ruling of the wrath and malice of
men by God in purposes of mercy and grace.
iii. Judah's Corruption
The story of the corruption of Judah imme-
diately follows, and again is so graphically
told as to need no detailed exposition. It car-
ries its own lessons of the frailty of human
nature, and of the far-reaching effects of sin.
Its placing at this point in the history is
suggestive and full of importance. So far the
setting forth of the first movements in the
working of regeneration have been almost ex-
clusively occupied with individuals. There
is gradually emerging into view the larger
222 Genesis
purpose of the regeneration of the family and
of society. The conditions which made pos-
sible the sin of Judah, and that sin itself,
reveal the necessity for another new departure.
There is a marked tendency towards the cor-
ruption of the chosen people by unhallowed
intercourse with the peoples of the land. If
there had been no Divine over-ruling, and
they had been left to themselves, in all
probability the chosen seed would have been
utterly corrupted, and the very purposes of
regeneration through them frustrated.
While Judah was thus sinning, Joseph was
already in Egypt. Glancing ahead for a
moment, we see the purpose of his being there
in the economy of God. Preparation was al-
ready being made for the segregation of the
chosen people for a long period, in which their
separation from or mixture with other people
was secured by the rigid exclusiveness of the
Egyptians. Another and an almost startling
value of this terrible story of corruption is
that it introduces to us Tamar and Perez, who
are both named in the genealogical table of
our Lord, which is found in the Gospel of
Matthew.
in. OF SOCIETY.
xxxix. 1. 21
i. Preparation in Egypt.
a. JOSEPH IN SLAVERY,
i. His Success.
o. Purchased by Potiphar.
Blessed by Jehovah.
Trusted by Potiphar.
xxxix. — xlv.
xxxix., xl.
xxxix. 1-6
3-6
2. His 1 emptation.
7-10
a. The Suggestion refused.
7-9
p. Persistence.
10
y. The Slander.
11-19
3. His Imprisonment.
xxxix.
20 — xl.
a. The Favour of Jehovah.
xxxix. 20-23
Imprisoned by Potiphar.
20
Trusted by the Keeper.
21-23
p. The Dreams of Prisoners.
xl.
Imprisonment of Butler and
Baker.
1-4
Their Dreams and Sadness.
5-8
The Butler's Dream.
9-15
The Dream told.
9-1 1
The Dream interpreted.
12, 13
Joseph's Plea.
14. 15
The Baker's Dream.
16-19
The Dream told.
16, 17
The Dream interpreted.
18, 19
The Fulfilment.
20-22
Joseph forgotten.
23
Regeneration 225
III. OP SOCIETY
We now begin the history of Joseph in
Egypt which is so full of interest, dealing as
it does with the Divine method in the regener-
ation of a Society threatened with corruption,
and leading on to the movement toward the
regeneration of national life. This division,
which is the last of the book in detail, falls
into two main parts, the first dealing with
the preparation in Egypt for the coming of
the children of Israel ; and the second with the
segregation of Israel in order to the accom-
plishment of Divine purpose.
i. Preparation in Egypt
The account of the preparation in Egypt is
centred in Joseph, and falls into three sec-
tions ; the first dealing with Joseph in slavery ;
the second with Joseph in power; and the
third with Joseph and his brethren.
a. JOSEPH IN SLAVERY
The story of Joseph in slavery deals with his
success; his temptation; and his imprison-
ment.
226 Genesis
1. His Success
Through the malice of his brethren he had
been sold into slavery, and we now see him in
the house of Potiphar. Here, at the very com-
mencement of the record of his life and work
in Egypt, the statement is made which gives
us the secret of all his wonderful success, " Je-
hovah was with him " ; and immediately we
are impressed by the fact that to that state-
ment another is linked, " his master saw that
Jehovah was with him." In these statements
we have the picture of a man in circumstances
full of difficulty, because they were those
which are always calculated to degrade life.
He was a slave, held by another man as his
property. Nevertheless in these very circum-
stances he so lived as to demonstrate to his
master the fact that he was a man having
communion with God. This conviction in the
mind of Potiphar resulted in the promotion
of Joseph to a position of trust. While it is
perfectly true that godly men must suffer per-
secution sooner or later, it is equally true that
the life of simple godliness commands the
respect and trust even of ungodly men.
Regeneration 227
2. His Temptation
The story of his temptation is graphically
told. It was a temptation subtle and fierce,
presenting itself as it did through one who
was supposed to be infinitely his superior in
social position. His quiet and heroic victory
is a revelation of the strength of a man who
lives in habitual communion with God, even
under stress of temptation which is at once
subtle, sudden, and strong. Having failed to
lead him into sin, his temptress became his
slanderer.
3. His Imprisonment
a. The Favour of Jehovah
Again Joseph found his circumstances
changed as Potiphar sent him to prison. Im-
mediately the same affirmation is made, as at
the commencement, " Jehovah was with
him " ; and the fact was manifest in the prison
as in the household of Potiphar, with practi-
cally the same result of promotion to a posi-
tion of trust. The story is a radiant revelation
of the wonderful truth that God is always
loyal to the man who is loyal to Him.
Whether in slavery or in prison, in prosperity
228 Genesis
or in adversity, Jehovah was with Joseph, and
in that sacred and gracious fellowship he was
triumphant over circumstances.
/?. The Dreams of Prisoners
The methods of God are generally those of
the over-ruling of the simple things of life.
There is no study more fascinating in the
Divine Oracles, or in human experience, than
that of the wonderful mosaic of the Divine
government. There are no forces nor facts
upon which God does not lay His hand in quiet
strength and majesty, and make them tribu-
tary to the accomplishment of His purpose.
He now wrought in the case of Joseph with
great certainty and exactness, through the un-
certain and inexact medium of dreams.
Prisoners of Pharaoh were troubled in the
night, and through such troubling God pro-
ceeded in the carrying out of His designs.
Soon after the imprisonment of Joseph the
chief butler and the chief baker at Pharaoh's
court in some way offended their lord, and in
consequence were committed to the prison.
The captain of the guard put them under the
care of Joseph. After a period of imprison-
ment they dreamed dreams which filled them
with sadness. Joseph inquired the reason of
their sadness, and they told him their dreams.
Regeneration 229
In this connection he is still seen as a man
entirely dependent upon his God, in that he
declared to them that interpretation be-
longed to Him. In that dependence he inter-
preted their dreams, foretelling the restora-
tion of the butler to power, and the condemna-
tion of the baker to death.
Three days after this, his interpretation was
vindicated, and his prophecy fulfilled.
There is a beautifully human touch in the
request which Joseph made to the butler,
" Have me in thy remembrance when it shall
be well with thee " ; showing that a man may
be living in true fellowship with God, triumph-
ing in many ways over the limitations of his
position, and yet conscious of the irksomeness
of restrictions which, on the human side, he has
no right to be enduring. He was conscious
of the limitation of his life, and evidently
sighed, as every healthy man must do, for
liberty, and the larger possibilities which
would come therewith.
There is another human touch, quite as
natural, in the words, " chief butler . . .
forgat him.'' How good it is to remember that
God did not forget him.
b. JOSEPH IN POWER. xli.
i. Interpretation.
i-37
a. Pharaoh's Dreams.
1-8
The First, of the Kine.
i-4
The Second, of the Corn.
5-7
The Helplessness of Magicians.
8
0. Joseph's Interpretation.
9-32
The Butler's Confession.
9-13
Joseph sent for.
14
Pharaoh and Joseph.
IS. 16
The Request.
The Answer.
Pharaoh tells his Dreams.
17-24
Joseph interprets.
25-32
Seven Years of Plenty.
Seven Years of Famine.
y. Joseph's Advice.
33-37
The Appointment of Officers.
The Conserving of the Plenty.
2. Exaltation.
38-45
a. Appointment.
38-41
p. Insignia.
42,43
y. Favour.
44.45
3. Administration. 46-57
o. The Seven Years of Plenty. 46-53
The garnered Corn. 46-49
The two Sons. 50-52
Manasseh.
Ephraim.
The End of the Seven Years. 53
fi. The Seven Years of Famine. 54-57
Supply for Egyptians. 54, 55
Supply for other Countries. 56, 57
Regeneration 231
b. JOSEPH IN POWER
We now pass to the consideration of how,
under the government of God, Joseph came
into the position of power in Egypt ; and the
section may be divided into three parts,
dealing in turn with Joseph's interpretation,
exaltation, and administration.
1. Interpretation
Still the Divine activity proceeded, this time
through the dreaming king and the remember-
ing butler. Pharaoh was troubled by his
strange dreams concerning the kine and the
corn, and the more so, because neither the
magicians of Egypt nor the wise men could
interpret to him the meaning of these dreams.
It was at this time, two years having passed
away, that the butler remembered Joseph ; and
he confessed to Pharaoh his fault, recounting
his experience in the prison, and how that Jo-
seph had accurately interpreted, both his own
dream, and that of the chief baker.
Pharaoh immediately sent for him, and as
he stood before the king, he maintained the
same attitude of dependence upon God, boldly
proclaiming that dependence. In answer to
the king's statement that he had heard that
232 Genesis
when Joseph heard a dream he could interpret
it, he replied, " It is not in me : God shall give
Pharaoh an answer of peace." The king then
told his dreams to Joseph; and without hesi-
tation, and with great clearness, he interpreted
their meaning to him, adding to his interpreta-
tion his advice that he should appoint officers
and conserve the plenty of the first seven
years, in order to supply the need of the
second seven. It is noticeable how definitely
Joseph announced that the character of the
years was within the government of God, and
that the dreams had been given to Pharaoh
by God.
2. Exaltation
The dreams being thus interpreted, Pharaoh
immediately recognized in Joseph " a man in
whom the spirit of God is " ; a very remark-
able description as coming from the lips of
this man.
This recognition was followed by the ap-
pointment of Joseph to the first place of power
in the kingdom, next to that of the king him-
self, with the clear declaration of the fact that
the appointment was made because the king
recognized that he had spoken under the direc-
tion of God.
Regeneration 233
This appointment was followed by the con-
ferring upon Joseph of the insignia of office;
as Pharaoh placed his own signet-ring upon the
hand of Joseph, arrayed him in fine linen,
placed about his neck a gold chain, and
caused him to ride in the second chariot,
while the couriers proclaimed him and called
upon the people to make obeisance before
him.
He conferred upon him the name Zaphe-
nath-paneah, which means Abundance-of-life,
and gave him to wife Asenath, who was the
daughter of an Egyptian priest in On, which
was the city of the sun, the great educational
centre in Egypt. These actions on the part of
Pharaoh were of the nature of favours con-
ferred upon Joseph.
3. Administration
Thus, when only thirty years of age, Joseph
stood in the position of practically supreme
power in Egypt, and commenced that masterly
administration of affairs which resulted not
only in the succour of Egypt, but in the mate-
rial salvation of his own kin; and in their
being brought into the place of separation
from corruption, and prepared for emergence
234 Genesis
into national life in fulfilment of the council
of Jehovah.
During the seven years of plenty there were
born to him his two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim.
Thus the story of the activity of Jehovah
through this man Joseph moves forward. In
slavery, in prison, at the court of the king,
Jehovah was with His servant. This fact was
recognized in turn by Potiphar, the chief
keeper of the prison, and Pharaoh himself;
and in each case the result was that Joseph
was placed in a position of power, in the house
of his master, in the prison of his confinement,
and in the realm of the king.
True godliness will manifest itself. No-
thing but genuine godliness ever commands
respect.
Thus the great regenerative movement pro-
ceeded, and things were surely developing to-
ward the accomplishment of the Divine pur-
pose. One of the chief values of these Old
Testament histories is the revelation of these
underlying principles. This story of Joseph
is not merely that of a condition of affairs
which obtained millenniums ago. In all essen-
tial values it is a story of the hour in which
we live. In the midst of the movements of
our own age, though men may be utterly un-
Regeneration 235
conscious of it, the Divine purpose is being
wrought out through human history; and all
forces, material, mental, and moral, are being
compelled to contribute toward the consum-
mation upon which the heart of God is set.
c. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. xlii.-xlv.
i. The first Visit. xiii.
a. The Sending of the Ten. 1-5
p. The Meeting with Joseph. 6-25
The Obeisance of the Ten. 6
The first Interview. 7-16
The Inquiry and Answer. 7
The Charge and Answer. 8-13
The Demand. 14-16
In Ward. 17
The second Interview.
The Demand of Joseph.
The Consultation of the Ten. 21, 22
The Emotion of Joseph. 24a
The Hostage. Simeon. 24b
The Command of Joseph. 25
y. The Return of the Nine. 26-38
The Discovery on the Way. 26-28
The Report to Jacob. 29-35
The Wail of Jacob. 36
The Offer of Reuben. 37
The Refusal of Jacob. 38
10-24
18-20
Regeneration 237
C. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
The seven years of plenty having run their *
course, those of famine immediately fol-
lowed in accordance with the prediction of
Joseph. Through his executive ability, Egypt
was provided with corn sufficient, not only
for its own needs, but to enable it to supply
other peoples. Under this necessity his breth-
ren came down from Canaan to procure corn
from Egypt; and the account of his meeting
with them after more than twenty years falls
into two parts ; the first dealing with their first
visit ; and the second with their second.
1. The First Visit
The account of their first visit to Egypt tells
how ten were sent by their father, of their
meeting with their brother Joseph, and of how
nine returned to Jacob.
a. The Sending of the Ten
The words of Jacob to his sons, " Why do
ye look one upon another? " make it evident
that the famine in Canaan was severe, and had
produced distress there. In sending them to
Egypt he kept Benjamin by him. Evidently
238 Genesis
his sorrow over the loss of Joseph was yet
fresh in his heart, and he was not sure of the
trustworthiness of his older sons.
A The Meeting with Joseph
At last, in fulfilment of the dream of long
ago, these brethren of Joseph bowed down in
his presence. Immediately recognizing them,
he treated them as strangers, and " spake
roughly to them," demanding whence they
came. On receiving their answer that they
had come from the land of Canaan to buy food,
he charged them with being spies. In the
course of their answer, when questioned about
themselves, they said, " We are . . . twelve
brethren . . . one is not." Even though
they did not know Joseph, they were conscious
of their guilt. It would seem as though the
wrong done to their brother long ago had
haunted them through the j^ears, the sense of
it recurring with new force in any hour of
danger. Though they had no idea that the
Egyptian governor was their brother, the
memory of the sin sprang vividly up when
they found themselves in peril of complica-
tions.
Upon their confession that they were
twelve, Joseph instituted no inquiry as to the
Regeneration 239
one to whom they referred when they said, he
" is not " ; but demanded that they should dis-
prove the charge he had made against them,
by producing their youngest brother. He cast
them into prison for three days, at the end
of which time he granted them permission to
go, carrying corn with them, providing that
they left one of their number as hostage for
their reappearance with their youngest
brother.
Of course, not knowing that he could under-
stand their language, they talked together in
his presence of the wrong they had done to
Joseph, and declared their belief that their
present position was a judgment on them for
their sin.
Hearing them thus engaged in conversation,
all the memories of the bygone days came back
vividly to Joseph, and he was moved to tears.
He retained Simeon as hostage, and sent
them on their way, having commanded that
the money which they had brought should be
placed in their sacks.
y. The Return of the Nine
Thus nine of them returned to their father
Jacob. Discovering their money in their
sacks on the way, they were filled with even
240 Genesis
greater consternation, being unable to under-
stand what it portended.
Arrived in Canaan they carefully reported
to their father all that had passed in Egypt.
When he heard that the governor had de-
manded the presence of Benjamin, he broke
out into a wailing rebuke of his sons, declar-
ing, " all these things are against me."
This was not the language of faith, and yet
surely no one can criticize him, for the outlook
was dark enough. Had he been a man of sim-
pler faith, perchance he might have been able
to say, " all things work together for good."
This was actually so, for those things which
seemed to be against him were working to-
gether for the restoration to him of his long-
lost son, and for the moving forward toward
completion of those gracious purposes for
which he and his father stood. We may
surely learn, as we listen to the wail of Jacob,
that it is never wise to measure the facts of
any hour by the limitations of our own vision.
Reuben offered that his two sons should
remain with Jacob as guarantee of the safety
of Benjamin, but the old man was obdurate,
and declared that he would not spare him, see-
ing that his brother was dead, and he only was
left. In these words his abiding love for
Rachel is clearly manifest.
The Second Visit.
xliii. — xlv.
a.
The Consultation with Israel.
xliii. i -14
The Necessity through Famine.
1
The Charge of Israel.
2
The Speech of Judah.
3-5
The Complaint of Israel.
6
The Reply of the Nine.
7
The Offer of Judah.
8-10
The Consent of Israel.
11-14
p.
The Return to Egypt.
15-34
Official Reception.
15
The Reception in Joseph's Home.
16-34
The Command of Joseph.
16, 17
The Fear of his Brethren.
18-24
Their Appeal to the Steward.
18-22
His Reassurance.
23.24
The Meeting with Joseph.
25-30
The Presentation.
25, 26
Joseph's Inquiries.
27, 28
Joseph's Emotion.
29. 30
The Feast.
31-34
y-
The Departure from Egypt.
xliv. 1-3
The Command of Joseph.
1, 2a
The Corn.
The Money and the silver Cup.
The Going.
2b, 3
s.
The Arrest and Return.
4-i3
The Charge.
4-6
The Denial.
7-9
The Finding of the Cup.
10-12
The Return.
13
Regeneration 24.3
2. The Second Visit
The story of the second visit is longer, and
even more full of interest. It may be divided
into seven parts, dealing respectively with the
consultation with Israel, the return to Egypt,
the departure from Egypt, the arrest and re-
turn, the revealing interview with Joseph, the
action of Pharaoh, and the return to Israel.
a. The Consultation with Israel
The continuation of the famine pressed
hardly upon the Hebrews, and made it neces-
sary that there should be another journey to
Egypt to procure corn. All the old character-
istics of Jacob manifest themselves in this
story.
Judah reminded his father seriously and
plainly that the governor in Egypt had de-
clared that they should not see his face unless
their brother were with them; and told him
that they were willing to go on condition that
Benjamin accompanied them, and on no other
condition.
Then the cunning of Israel was manifested
in his question, " Wherefore dealt ye so ill
with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet
a brother? " They all replied that they had
244 Genesis
been asked the definite question, which was
not strictly true, for they themselves had de-
clared to Joseph " thy servants are twelve
brethren . . . and behold, the youngest is
this day with our father."
Judah again urged his father to consent to
the going of Benjamin, promising to stand
surety for his safe restoration.
And once again the old spirit manifested
itself in his arrangement to send a present,
and so to appease the man. If things were
against him as he had declared, he had not
wholly lost confidence in his own ability to
manipulate them to his own advantage. Thus
all unconsciously, he was revealing himself by
his perpetual method of attempting to deal
with men. He always seemed to think that the
great end was to gain something, and evi-
dently he believed that this was the motive
of the Egyptian governor, and that, therefore,
he might be bribed into complacency. How
often we but reveal ourselves in our estimates
of others!
ft. The Return to Egypt
The picture of Joseph here is full of beauty.
He was now, so far as worldly position was
concerned, one of the greatest of men, occupy-
Regeneration 245
ing a place of honour, and even of interna-
tional influence. Yet the springs of his true
life were not dried up. His emotional nature
was quick and active. This in itself is a sure
evidence that he was a man living in fellow-
ship with God. The perils of powerful posi-
tions are in some senses subtler and more
mighty than those of slavery or of prison. Ad-
vancement, with the greater ease and more
luxuriant circumstances attendant upon it,
too often serve to deaden the finer emotions of
the soul. Even in such circumstances, how-
ever, a man is safe if Jehovah is with him.
Having officially received them, he com-
manded his steward that they were to be taken
to his house, and that a feast was to be pre-
pared for them.
This action on his part filled them with ap-
prehension, and they feared that it was a trap
to capture them as bondmen. They appealed
to the steward, declaring the honesty of their
coming and their intention. He immediately
reassured them, declaring that he had their
money, and that the treasure which they had
found in their sacks was the gift of God to
them.
At the hour of Joseph's return he received
them kindly, and inquired after their father.
When he saw Benjamin, his heart was full,
246 Genesis
and he left them and entered into his own
chamber and wept. The rush of emotion
which drove him into secrecy for weeping was
as surely evidence of his true greatness, as
were the statesmanlike qualities which had
served him in the administration of the af-
fairs of Egypt in the hour of difficulty. It is
to be noticed that at this feast there was a
clear line of separation between the Egyptians
and the Hebrews, because the Egyptians con-
sidered it an abomination to eat with those
who were shepherds. All this was part of the
Divine plan for the separation of the Hebrew
people, and will be seen more clearly as we
proceed.
y. The Departure from Egypt
After the feast, by the command of Joseph,
their sacks were filled with food, and again
their money fastened in the mouth of the
sacks, while his own silver cup was placed in
the sack of Benjamin. In the morning of the
following day they started on their homeward
journey. Criticisms of Joseph's actions with
regard to the placing of money and his cup
in the sacks of his brethren have sometimes
been offered. Surely such criticisms, to put
the matter in the mildest form, reveal a lack
Regeneration 247
of humour on the part of the critics. The
story is really natural and beautiful. Such
methods are only possible to a man who re-
tains the heart of a boy. Joseph was deliber-
ately preparing for a dramatic ending, and
one can imagine his quiet enjoyment of the
temporary perturbation of his brethren, as he
moved forward toward the moment when he
would reveal himself, and be able to pour out
upon them all the pent-up love of his heart.
d . The Arrest and Return
They were quickly followed by Joseph's
steward, and in spite of their protestations of
innocence, their sacks were searched; and on
the discovery of the silver cup in the sack of
Benjamin, they were taken back to the city.
e. The revealing Interview with Joseph. xliv. 14 — xlv. 15
The first Conversation. 14-17
The Obeisance of the Eleven. 14
The Question of Joseph. 15
The Submission of Judah. 16
The Decision of Joseph. 17
The Plea of Judah. 18-34
The Story told. 18-29
The Fear for his Father. 30-32
The Offer as Substitute. 33, 34
The Answer of Joseph. xlv. 1-15
He made himself known. 1-3
The Exclusion of his Court.
His Emotion.
His Declaration.
Their Fear.
He spoke to them- 4-13
Declared the Rule of God. 4-8
Commanded them to bring Jacob. 9-13
He embraced them. 14, 15
{. The Action of Pharaoh. 16-20
His Pleasure. 16
His. Command to Joseph. 17-20
i). The Return to Israel. 21-28
The Gifts of Joseph. 21-23
The Warning. 24
The Report to Jacob. 25-28
Regeneration 249
f. The revealing Interview with Joseph
Again in the presence of Joseph these men
made obeisance, in fulfilment of the dream of
his youth.
There is a nobleness and a beauty in the
plea of Judah on behalf of his father. In the
background of his eloquent appeal there was
evidently a keen consciousness of the sin of
the past, and a desire so far as might be to
atone, or at least to prevent any further catas-
trophe darkening the last days of the old man.
With a splendid devotion to this high purpose,
he asked to be allowed to take the place of
Benjamin, in the mouth of whose sack the cup
of the governor had been found.
At last the moment for which Joseph had
been planning arrived, and he determined in
this hour of their greatest perplexity and dis-
tress to make himself known to them. A man
of so great a heart could not do so without be-
traying his emotion, and his first action was
that of commanding that every man other than
his brethren should leave his presence. He
then broke out into loud lamentation, which
even the Egyptians of the house of Pharaoh
heard. How astonished his brethren must
have been, seeing that as yet they could not
know the reason of his tears. In a voice
250 Genesis
broken with emotion he at last said, " I am
Joseph ; doth my father yet live? " It is not
to be wondered at that they could not answer
him, and he then more carefully declared that
he indeed was Joseph their brother, whom
they had sold into Egypt.
In this account of Joseph's revelation of
himself to his brothers, the chief value for
us is to be found in his recognition of the gov-
ernment of God in the history of the past. He
distinctly declared to them, " It was not you
that sent me hither, but God." This capacity
for ignoring secondary causes is one of the
surest signs of greatness, but it is only pos-
sible to men of faith. Yet how great it en-
ables a man to be! Recognizing the Divine
over-ruling, Joseph was able to forget the
action of his brethren, when they sold him into
slavery. The same power was manifest long
after in Paul, who, speaking after the manner
of men, was a prisoner of Nero, never referred
to himself as such, but always described him-
self as a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Super-
latively and finally was this manifested in
Christ, when He said to Pilate, " Thou
wouldest have no power against Me, except
it were given thee from above." It is a con-
sciousness only possible in the life of habitual
communion, the condition of such com-
Regeneration 251
muuion is purity of heart. " Blessed are the
pure in heart, for they shall see God," over-
ruling all circumstances.
Having thus declared his conviction con-
cerning his presence in Egypt, he commanded
them to depart, and to bring Jacob back with
them. The picture of Joseph and Benjamin,
locked in each other's embrace, is full of
beauty. Having also embraced his brethren
it is said, " And after that his brethren talked
with him." The sure evidences of his love set
them free from fear, and made communion pos-
sible.
<?. The Action of Pharaoh
The importance of the position Joseph occu-
pied in Egypt is clearly seen in the attitude
of Pharaoh toward his father and his brethren,
who, when it was reported to him, " Joseph's
brethren are come," was pleased; and com-
manded Joseph to send for the whole com-
pany of his own people, and lay before them
the good of the land of Egypt. He moreover
instructed Joseph to send wagons in which
to bring the whole company down.
V. The Return to Israel
Thus, accompanied by the caravans of
Egypt, and laden with presents, they returned
252 Genesis
to their father. Very significant was the word
Joseph addressed to them as they departed,
" See that ye fall not out by the way." He evi-
dently knew them well.
With what peculiar joy old Jacob must have
heard the news that his son was alive!
Though at first his heart fainted, yet his spirit
revived, and there is a beautiful tenderness in
his words, " It is enough ; Joseph my son is
yet alive : I will go and see him before I die."
Thus he was beginning to discover that the
things which he had declared to be against
him, were really for him, under the govern-
ment of his covenant-keeping God. How good
a thing it is for all of us that when our faith
wravers, God does not change His mind or
purpose concerning us, but moves right on
in infinite Love toward the final good. How
much of feverish unrest should we be spared
if these stories of the past might only teach
us to repose our confidence in God, rather than
in circumstances, and quietly to wait His
time!
ii. Segregation of Israel. xivi.— 1.21
a. JOSEPH AND HIS FAMILY. xlvi.,xlvii.
i. The Coming front Canaan. xivi. — xivii. 10
a. The Journey of Israel. xivi. 1-7
Sacrifices at Beer-sheba. 1
The Divine Appearance. 2-4
The Journey. 5-7
0. The List of the Children of Israel. 8-27
Sons of Leah. 8-15
Sons of Zilpah. 16-18
Sons of Rachel. 19-22
Sons of Bilhah. 23-25
Totals. 26, 27
y. The Meeting with Joseph. 28-30
Judah sent forward. 28
Joseph and his Father. 29, 30
S. Joseph's Charge to his Brethren. 31-34
The Charge. _3i-34a
The Reason. 34&
t. Jacob and Pharaoh. xlvii. 1-10
Joseph reports to Pharaoh. 1
The Deputation of Five. 2-6
The Question of Pharaoh. 3a
The Answer of the Five. 3b, 4
The Command of Pharaoh. 5, 6
The Presentation of Jacob. 7-10
2. The Settlement in Goshen. xlvii. n-31
o. The Appointment. 11, 12
(Parenthesis. i3-26>
Administration of Joseph. J
j3. The Prosperity. 27
y. The Covenant between Jacob and Joseph. 28-31
To bury him in Canaan.
Regeneration 255
ii. Segregation of Israel
The story of the going down of Jacob and
his sons into Egypt must be read in the light
of that whole Divine movement which we are
attempting to keep in mind in the study of
this book, for it is distinctly a part of the pro-
gramme of God. It may be divided into two
parts, that first dealing with Joseph and his
family; and secondly that dealing with
Joseph, his sons, and his father.
a. JOSEPH AND HIS FAMILY
The section dealing with the family of Jo-
seph and their coming into Egypt falls into
two parts, the first telling the story of the com-
ing from Canaan; and the second giving an
account of their settlement in Goshen.
1. The Coming from Canaan
The first stage of the journey of Israel was
to Beer-sheba, where he offered sacrifices to
God, and where God appeared to him, and
charged him not to be afraid, making him a
threefold promise. The first note of that
promise was that He would make of him a
great nation there, that is, in Egypt. How
256 Genesis
much lay concealed in that word, Jacob in all
probability, did not understand. To him the
promise would be interpreted as meaning
great in numbers, and that it had such inten-
tion there can be no doubt; but history shows
that it meant far more, for through discipline
and suffering, the nation was to be made great
in other ways than numerically. God only re-
veals to men at any given time so much as
they are able to bear.
Yet in case any fear should come to the
heart of His servant, He promised him sec-
ondly, " I will go down with thee " ; and
finally, " I will . . . bring thee up." It is
interesting to note that on this occasion God
still spoke to him by his old name, Jacob;
recognizing that he had not even yet experi-
mentally entered into all that was in the will
of God for him; and indicating the fact that
notwithstanding his failure to realize all, God
would still continue to guide.
Having thus sacrificed to God, and received
his message, Jacob rose up ; and accompanied
by his sons, their little ones, and their wives,
they journeyed in the wagons which Pharaoh
had provided, into Egypt.
Next in order we have a full list of those
who thus went down with Jacob into Egypt.
Three-score and six actually accompanied
Regeneration 257
him. Joseph and his two sons, who were also
counted as belonging to the house of Israel,
were already in the land; and Jochebed, the
mother of Moses, born after arrival, was prob-
ably also counted in the seventy of the total.1
Judah was sent forward to show the way
to Goshen, where Joseph met them; and the
meeting between himself and his father was a
glad one.
Joseph's charge to his brethren in view of
their presentation to Pharaoh was most care-
ful, and was undoubtedly part of the Divine
purpose for the segregation of the people. He
charged them to be careful to declare them-
selves to Pharaoh as shepherds. This would
ensure the maintenance of the line of separa-
tion between the Egyptians and the Hebrews,
because " every shepherd is an abomination
unto the Egyptians."
The picture of Jacob before Pharaoh is char-
acterized by a striking dignity. One of the
most interesting lines of study in the history
of Jacob is the way in which he alternated
between faith and fear. When presented to
Pharaoh the deepest side of his nature was
manifested, that of his faith in God, and his
1 The reference in Acts vii. 14 to seventy-five souls would
include some of his kindred, who were not " out of his loins "
(Gen. xlvi. 26).
258 Genesis
consciousness of his own position in the Divine
economy. This was seen in his patriarchal
blessing of Pharaoh. He was receiving from
Pharaoh a place in which to dwell, and yet he
pronounced a blessing upon him. The less is
ever blessed of the greater, and there would
seem to have been in the action of Jacob a
consciousness of Divine over-ruling inspiring
his action. This is the true attitude of the
people of faith. They ever recognize that they
are channels of blessing to those with whom
they come in contact. Such consciousness,
however, does not create the tone of officious
superiority, but rather inspires the desire to
confer blessing. The true dignity of a godly
people amongst ungodly men is that of the
bestowment of blessing, and never that of the
assumption of secular authority.
2. The Settlement in Goshen
The formal presentation to Pharaoh being
over, Israel and his sons were given a posses-
sion in the land, and Joseph made provision
for their need.
In this section we have a glimpse of Joseph
as the administrator of Egyptian affairs. His
policy must be judged by the times in which
he lived. We need only notice in passing that
Regeneration 259
it was a policy which ensured at once the in-
terests of the king, of the nation, and of the
people themselves. It was one of unification
and consolidation. The point of particular
interest for us is the bearing of it on the his-
tory of Israel. By the centralization of
authority in one head, he precluded the
possibility of the harassment of the Hebrew
people by the Egyptians, and the rivalries of
petty princes. Of course, it is equally true
that by this very action he made possible what
subsequently happened, the enslaving of the
whole people by the will of the supreme
Pharaoh. Thus again the hand of God was
seen operating through Egyptian policy for
the immediate safety of His people; and ulti-
mately for the long discipline of slavery and
suffering through which they were to pass.
Thus settled in Goshen, the Hebrew people
entered upon a period of prosperity. In this
section it is again interesting to notice the in-
terchange of names made use of. In referring
to the whole of the people it is declared that
Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, and it is
said of them, " they gat them possessions . . .
were fruitful . . . multiplied." Referring to
the man it is said that Jacob lived in the land
of Egypt; but when the reference is to his
coming death, he is described as Israel. Thus
260 Genesis
the conflicting forces within him are manifest.
He was still Jacob, the schemer and the sup-
planter, even though he dwelt in the land
which he possessed through no plan of his own,
but wholly by the government of God. It
would seem as though never until the end did
he fully realize his Israel life, and in this con-
nection it is interesting to notice that the
writer of the letter to the Hebrews only speaks
of his faith as manifest, when dying, he blessed
his sons, and worshipped; and even then he
speaks of him as Jacob.
In the present section both his faith and his
fears are manifest; his faith in that he chose
to be buried with his fathers; his fear in that
he made Joseph swear so to bury him.
b. JOSEPH, HIS SONS, AND HIS FATHER. xlviii.— 1. 21
i. Jacob's Adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh. xlviii.
o. The Coming of Joseph. 1, 2
0. The Words of Jacob. 3-7
The Promise of God. 3. 4
The Claim of the Two. 5
The Remainder of Joseph's Sons. 6
The Reference to Rachel. 7
y. The Reception of the Boys. 8-14
Brought to Israel. 8-12
Presented by Joseph. 13
The crossed Hands. 14
S. The Blessing of Joseph. 15, 16
In the Name of God. 15
On the Boys. 16
e. The Protest of Joseph. 17-20
The Right of the Firstborn. 17, 18
The Foresight of Faith. 19. 20
C The last Words to Joseph. 21, 22
The Presence of God. 21
The extra Portion. 22
Regeneration 263
b. JOSEPH/ HIS SONS, AND HIS FATHER
In this section we have three divisions deal-
ing respectively with Jacob's adoption of
Ephraim and Manasseh; Jacob's prophecy
concerning his sons; and Jacob's passing and
burial.
1. Jacob's Adoption of Ephraim and
Manasseh
Here again we are arrested by the inter-
change of names. Jacob was sick, but hearing
that Joseph was coming to see him, it was
Israel who strengthened himself and sat upon
the bed. And yet again Jacob spoke. In what
he said to Joseph concerning his sons there
was still evident the planning of the schemer,
who in his own foresight would make arrange-
ments for the retention of Joseph and his seed
within the covenant of promise.
And yet how wonderfully the Divine over-
ruling is seen even in this matter, for in this
determination of Jacob to adopt Ephraim and
Manasseh, provision was made for the re-
demption of Joseph from Egypt. He had mar-
ried an Egyptian woman, and occupied a place
of peculiar power in Egypt. What more
likely than that his sons would be brought up
264 Genesis
as Egyptians? The action of Jacob claimed
these boys as his own, and thus retained the
succession of Joseph within the border of that
people whom God had created, and was pre-
paring for the carrying out of His own pur-
pose.
He first declared to Joseph the promise
which God Almighty had made to him, that
he and his seed should have the land of Canaan
for an everlasting possession. He then
claimed the two sons born to Joseph before
his own arrival in Egypt, declaring that the
other sons of Joseph should remain to possess
their inheritance in their own land.
Very touching was his reference to Rachel,
as he talked to Joseph, showing how she still
occupied the supreme place in his affection.
In all the remainder of this particular story
the name used is Israel, and the whole attitude
and action of the man was that of faith. In
the presentation of the boys Joseph was care-
ful to take Manasseh, the elder, by the left
hand, so that the right hand of Jacob should
rest upon him in blessing. Israel immediately
crossed his hands, thus laying the right hand
upon the head of Ephraim, and the left upon
that of Manasseh. He then uttered the actual
words of the blessing, in which one hears
nothing save the language of triumphant confi-
Regeneration 265
dence, " The God which hath fed me all my
life long unto this day, the Angel which hath
redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads ; and
let my name be named on them, and the name
of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let
them grow into a multitude in the midst of
the earth." There was a fine note of dis-
crimination running through the words of this
blessing. He did not himself claim to have
walked before God. His fathers Abraham and
Isaac had done that. He did claim that He
had always fed him, and that he had been re-
deemed from all evil. When he said, " let my
name be named on them," he was undoubtedly
referring to the name Israel.
Joseph protested against the crossing of his
father's hands, and attempted to move the
right hand of the old man from the head of
Ephraim to that of Manasseh, because Manas-
seh was the firstborn.
It is evident that Israel had acted entirely
under a Divine impulse in the crossing of his
hands; and that the right hand lying on
Ephraim's head and the left upon Manasseh's
was the carrying out of a Divine purpose. It
was a moment of high inspiration, in which
Israel foresaw in clear outline the things
which were to come. In the crossing of those
hands, and the transference of the principal
266 Genesis
blessing from the elder to the younger, he was
acting as the visible agent of the God of elec-
tion. Yet let it be immediately noted, and that
carefully, that in the light of subsequent his-
tory it is proven that this election of God was
not capricious, but in harmony with the char-
acter of the two men.
The last words of Israel to Joseph were first
those in which he declared that God would be
with him, and would bring him again into the
land of his fathers; and secondly those in
which he told him that he had given him a por-
tion above his brethren in material possession
in that land.
Notwithstanding all his faults and failures,
this son of Isaac and Abraham was indeed a
child of faith, and an instrument through
whom it was possible for God to carry forward
His purposes.
2. Jacob's Prophecy concerning his Sons. xiix. 1-27
a. The Assembly. 1, 2
0. The Messages. 3-27
Reuben. 3, 4
The Firstborn.
Unstable.
Simeon and Levi. 5-7
Cruelty.
Divided and scattered.
Judah. 8-12
Kingship.
The Sceptre till Shiloh.
Zebulun. 13
By the Sea.
Commerce.
Issachar. 14, 15
Indolence.
Service.
Dan. 16-18
Judgeship.
Treachery.
Gad. 19
Oppressed.
Victorious.
Asher. 20
Prosperity.
Supply.
Naphtali. 21
Freedom.
Speech.
Joseph. 22-26
Fruitfulness. 22
Persecuted. 23
Strengthened. 24
Blessed. 25, 26
Benjamin. 27
Fierceness.
Victory.
Regeneration 269
2. Jacob's Prophecy concerning his Sons
The last action of Jacob before his depar-
ture was that of gathering his sons about him,
and foretelling their future. It is full of in-
terest as it reveals a connection between action
and issue. Jacob's forecast of the future was
largely on the ground of what he had already
seen in these men. In some cases the allusions
are difficult to follow, and consequently the
connection is not easy to discover. In other
cases both are unmistakable.
In speaking of Keuben he declared that pre-
eminence of privilege does not necessarily issue
in pre-eminence of position. Passion un-
curbed by principle, runs riot in the life ; and
the destined throne is never reached, nor the
sceptre grasped.
Of Simeon and Levi he declared that cruelty
of character ever issues in division and scat-
tering. His statement was evidently in
memory of their action in the case of the men
of Shechem; and the correctness of the fore-
cast is demonstrated by all that followed ; and
thus the vital importance of the great prin-
ciples is made clear. Passion for right can
never express itself in actions of cruelty, with-
out evil resulting. The most distinguished son
of the house of Levi in subsequent history was
270 Genesis
Moses himself, and he was shut out from the
land of possession, because out of conviction
of right and consecration thereto, he yet mani-
fested " a provoked spirit, and spake unad-
visedly with his lips."
Looking at Judah, his father saw the shin-
ing of the central hope of all Israel; and he
described him as of the lion nature, the per-
petual type of kingship. In the distance he
saw the glory of Another, Whose name Shiloh
signifies peace; and it was toward that ulti-
mate Prince of Peace that he looked with long-
ing desire, rejoicing in Judah, because through
him Shiloh would come.
His words concerning Zebulun were brief,
indicating the commercial supremacy which
would characterize his future.
In Issachar he saw the diplomatist, who, in-
spired by indolence and love of rest, would
bend to service in order to secure quiet-
ness.
In Dan, the cunning and the mean, he saw
the line of judgeship, and also the manifesta-
tions of treachery.
Suddenly in the midst of these forecasts a
great sigh seems to have escaped from the old
man, " I have waited for Thy salvation, O Je-
hovah." For the presence of these words here
it is not easy to account. It may be that after
Regeneration 271
the vision of Shiloh he had looked again at the
weakness of his sons; and, therefore, his soul
poured itself out in a great cry for the coming
of the true Deliverer.
Resuming, he spoke of Gad as one who would
be oppressed, and who yet would eventually
be victorious.
For Asher he predicted prosperity, and am-
ple supply.
In Naphtali he saw a lover of freedom, from
whom godly words would flow.
When speaking of Joseph, the son of his
love, he employed the most tender and beauti-
ful language. First describing him in his
fruitfulness, as " a fruitful bough " ; and then
revealing the secret of that fruitfulness, he
was " a fruitful bough by a fountain " ; he
finally described the expression of the fruit-
fulness in declaring that " his branches run
over the wall.'' It is indeed a perfect picture
of a fruitful life. Fruitful in nature, taking
hold upon the well-springs of fruitfulness, it
exceeded all the bounds of expectation in its
realization.
Yet Joseph had been the object of persecu-
tion, and had passed through suffering.
Through all, his strength had been maintained
by the Mighty One of Jacob; and abounding
blessings were finally pronounced upon the
272 Genesis
head of the man who was separate from his
brethren.
The word concerning Benjamin is perhaps
the most perplexing ; brief as it is, and reveal-
ing him as characterized by fierceness and
victory.
3- The Passing and Burial of Jacob, xlix. 28 — 1. 21
o. His Charge to his Sons as to Burial. 28-32
(3. His Passing. 33
y. The Grief of Joseph. 1. 1-3
8. T/ie Burial. 4-13
The Permission of Pharaoh. 4-6
The Cortege. 7-9
The Lamentation. 10, 11
The Burial. 12, 13
e. The Return to Egypt. 14-21
The Fear of the Brethren. 14-18
The Promise of Joseph. 19-21
Regeneration 275
3. The Passing and Burial of Jacob
Again Israel strictly charged his sons that
they were to bury him with his fathers in the
cave in the field of Machpelah, with Abraham
and Sarah, with Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah.
This is in itself significant of his faith in God,
and his passion for identification with the
purposes of God. Had he followed merely the
dictates of human affection, he would cer-
tainly have chosen to be buried with Rachel ;
but in this last outlook he accounted associ-
ation with Abraham and Isaac in the sleep of
death of more value. Thus in faith Jacob
passed unto his people.
Joseph was filled with grief, and fell upon
the face of his father with weeping, and with
embraces.
Then follows the account of a strange and
wonderful sight, that of the burial of Jacob
with Egyptian pomp in the land of promise.
Evidently all the externalities were Egyptian,
for the Canaanites watching said, " This is
grievous mourning to the Egyptians." Yet
so completely was it Hebrew that his own sons
carried him into the land of promise, and bur-
ied him in Machpelah by the side of the dust
of the great father and founder of the nation,
Abraham.
276 Genesis
Thus at last, after a career checkered from
the beginning, Jacob entered into rest. The
study of his life reveals little to his own credit,
but much to the glory of the grace of God.
And yet there was never wanting in his history
evidence of the presence of that principle of
faith, which is the basis of Divine operation.
The story shines from beginning to end with
the light of solemn warning, and of tender en-
couragement. Well will it be for us if we
may avoid his mistakes; and yet amid all
our failure and shortcoming it is good to
remember that He Who is with us, is not
alone the Lord of hosts, but also the God of
Jacob.
After the sepulture, Joseph and his breth-
ren returned to Egypt; they, filled with fear
lest now that their father had departed, he
should visit upon them the sin of long ago.
How little they knew of the heart of their
brother ! Again with splendid magnanimity he
triumphed over their fear, and over his own
consciousness of the evil they had wrought
him, by new affirmation of the fact that God
was the supreme Governor. He said to them,
" Ye meant evil against me, but God meant it
for good."
It is always the prerogative of the man
whose life is lived in close relationship to the
Regeneration
throne of God, to be magnanimous towards
those who, while attempting to harm him, do
nevertheless carry out the Divine intention of
blessing.
IV. OF A NATION. l. 22-26
i. Growth and Prosperity. 22, 23
ii. The Prophecy of Faith. 24, 25
iii. Death and Burial of Joseph. 26
Regeneration 279
IV. OF A NATION
This final paragraph is of the nature of a
page of prophetic history. We have observed
the regenerative movement in the individual,
in the family, and in society. In order to the
accomplishment of the Divine purpose there
must be a nation among the nations of the
world, the depository of blessing for the
sake of all the nations. Genesis does not
give us the picture of that nation, but the
movement towards it is seen in this final
paragraph.
We have first an account of the growth and
prosperity of the people. Joseph dwelt in
Egypt long enough after the death of his
father to see the children of Ephraim to the
third generation.
Then, conscious of the approach of the hour
of his own passing, he declared to his brethren
that God would surely visit them, and bring
them back again into the land which He sware
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and he
charged them that when they should return
to that land, they were to carry up his bones
with them. By that charge he also identified
himself with the faith of his fathers, and de-
clined ultimate association with Egypt.
At the age of one hundred and ten years he
280 Genesis
passed into rest, and they embalmed him, and
put him in a coffin in Egypt.
Thus ends the book of Genesis, and it is evi-
dent that it is indeed a book of beginnings,
and not of consummations. To leave every-
thing at this point is to end what commenced
with the majestic declaration, " In the begin-
ning God," and the account of the creative
movement of God, in "a coffin in Egypt."
Genesis demands a way out of Egypt for that
coffin, or else the faith of the man whose bones
rest therein, was of none effect. The name of
the next book is in itself the answer to that
demand — Exodus. The going out is to follow,
and the coffin to find rest in the land of
promise. ^Regeneration is not complete, but
its gracious operation moved forward, and all
that men of faith by faith have seen, must
finally be accomplished.
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