Heroes of Israel. Theodore Gerald Soares
the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of the kings. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abraham of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be God Most High, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand." And he gave him a tenth of all.
And the king of Sodom said unto Abraham, "Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself."
And Abraham said to the king of Sodom, "I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take a thread nor a shoelatchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abraham rich: save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me; Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, let them take their portion."
§7. Abraham's Prayer for Sodom (Gen. 18:17-32; 19:29)
And the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice; to the end that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him."
And the Lord said, "Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."
And Abraham drew near, and said, "Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou consume and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked, that so the righteous should be as the wicked; that be far from thee: shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
And the Lord said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sake."
And Abraham answered and said, "Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five?"
And he said, "I will not destroy it, if I find there forty and five."
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, "Peradventure there shall be forty found there."
And he said, "I will not do it for the forty's sake."
And he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there."
And he said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."
And he said, "Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: peradventure there shall be twenty found there."
And he said, "I will not destroy it for the twenty's sake."
And he said, "Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: peradventure ten shall be found there."
And he said, "I will not destroy it for the ten's sake."
And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.
THE MEANING OF THE STORY
11 (§5). Follow Abraham's journey back from Egypt along the coast road. He reached the district in Southern Canaan that was called "the South." What wealth did he have? What would he need for his cattle? Notice how this caused him to journey from place to place.
12 (§5). On the western plains of America there have been disputes between the cattle men over the rights of grazing. The big men have driven the little men away. Tell the story of this old dispute in Canaan. What plan of settlement did Abraham suggest? How did Lot behave in the matter? What good result came to Abraham?
13 (§5). Look up the word "magnanimous." Could it be applied to Abraham? Have you ever known an act that was magnanimous?
14 (§6). Kings in old times used to make war on their neighbors just for the purpose of stealing their goods. This is the story of one of those plundering expeditions that was made against the country near the Dead Sea. Who had chosen that country for his residence? What was the result of the invasion? How did Abraham hear of it? How many young men did he have in his service? What does this show of the size of his camp? What did Abraham do?
15 (§6). What did Abraham do with the spoil that he captured? Was this magnanimous?
16 (§6). Compare Abraham's conduct with that of the United States in Cuba.
17 (§6). Abraham gave back the property that he had rescued: what should we do with property that we find?
18 (§7). Men of old loved to think of God appearing to them and talking to them. It is a beautiful picture of the silent message that comes to our hearts. What does Abraham learn is to happen to the wicked city of Sodom?
19 (§7). Is Abraham magnanimous in pleading for Sodom? What do the Lord's replies to Abraham's prayers teach us?
20 (§7). What happened to Sodom? Was Abraham's prayer answered?
WRITTEN REVIEW
Think over and write out the three ways in which Abraham was magnanimous. If you watch carefully the conduct of the best people you know you will be sure to see somebody do a magnanimous act before the next lesson. When you see it write it down in your notebook as your review work.
III. ABRAHAM AND ISAAC
THE STORY
§8. Abraham's Devotion (Gen. 21:2, 3; 22:1-19)
A. THE SACRIFICE OF THE FIRSTBORN
And Sarah bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken unto him. And Abraham called the name of his son Isaac. And the child grew. And it came to pass, that God did prove Abraham and said unto him, "Abraham."
And he said, "Here am I."
And he said, "Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went into the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
And Abraham said unto his young men, "Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come again to you."
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife; and they went both of them together.
And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, "My father."
And he said, "Here