"And he said, Where is the lamb? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a lamb" (Gen. 22:8).

At the command of God, Abraham severed all his connections with his home and his native land, and went forth in simple faith, "not knowing whither he went."

Abraham's outstanding characteristic was faith. He is presented to us as the pre-eminent example in this respect -- "The Father of the Faithful." Faith that hesitated at nothing and rose triumphant above every obstacle and natural sentiment and desire.

It is one thing to be so vividly convinced of God's closeness and reality as to be able to defy universal opinion and -- dropping everything -- to follow an unseen Voice through strange, wild lands for 1,000 miles with no idea of the destination or perils of the way.

It is an even far greater thing to wait more than twenty-five years in that alien land for even the first beginnings of the fulfillment of the promise that had drawn him forth. What were Abraham's thoughts as year after year rolled by, each one making the realization of the promise appear even less possible? He waited in faith.

Then, finally, when he was ninety-nine, God appeared to him again and said the promise of a seed was about to be fulfilled, (Gen. 17:16). Genesis 17:17-18 --

"Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before Thee!"

Does this mean that Abraham's faith wavered? Paul says of this very occasion --

"And being NOT WEAK IN FAITH, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb. He staggered not at the promise of God through unbeliel, but was STRONG IN FAITH, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what He had promised, He was also able to perform" (Rom. 4:18-21).

Why then, after God has just specifically promised a son to Sarah, did Abraham laugh, and then say,

"Shall a son be born to him that is an hundred years old? ... O that Ishmael might live before Thee!"

The Scriptures show us the conflict of Abraham's faith -- the tremendous strain that was continually placed upon it -- and the way in which it rose above every trial. Not without stumblings, but with constant renewal. God can distinguish between failure, and the working out of an inner struggle -- although often man cannot. Abraham's faith did not operate effortlessly or automatically. He did not wait with serene and placid unconcern. He had to extend every effort to steel his faith against the natural tendencies of doubt and discouragement, and impatience and weariness of waiting.

Faith had already carried him far, but still it was an effort of the Spirit against the flesh. How much finer and more inspiring Abraham's faith appears when we see its inner struggle! How much closer we feel to him!

The example of Abraham would be valueless to us if his faith were something that took over mechanically like an automatic pilot and guided him without effort. It was something that he himself had to put to use by diligent application and prayerful effort. And he did, and won out, and so became the father of all who follow in his steps.

"Abraham laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old?"

That was the immediate, natural reaction, always present with him, which he fought and subdued for many long tedious years of disappointment and delay. "Hoping against hope," Paul tells us. Doggedly shutting his eyes to the things that seemed to cry out that his faith was foolishness, and keeping the vision of the promise before him.

"He considered not his own body now dead, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb."

"He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief."

His faith battled on, girding itself resolutely against the ceaseless assaults of doubt and delay.

And finally the promised son was born. How infinitely precious the seed would be, after such a long and trying period of waiting! Abraham and Sarah were now old. All the hope of the promise for which they had waited for a quarter of a century was centered in the boy Isaac as he grew to manhood.

But still God had not finished the trial and perfecting of Abraham's faith. The greatest test was yet to come, when it seemed that all testing must now surely be over

"And God said to Abraham, Take now thy son, thine ONLY son Isaac, WHOM THOU LOVEST, and get thee unto the land of Moriah, and offer him therefor a burnt offering."

But that was much later. First we must consider the events that intervened.

Besides the long years of waiting, Abraham had been subject to many trials, often in jeopardy of his life. His life's course was one of insecurity and instability -- a continual wandering and waiting among alien perils. He left a comfortable, settled civilization in Chaldea and spent his life as a pilgrim --

"Dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob."

One hundred years in a tent -- in summer's heat and winter's cold -- just as a symbol of obedience and faith. "The father of the faithful." It was not what he was used to for the first seventy years of his life. Excavations in Ur reveal that he had left behind him houses as substantial and comfortable as ours, and a high degree of civilization.

Leaving his country and kindred at God's first call, and finally reaching the promised land, he had immediately encountered famine, and faced the prospect of starvation (Gen. 12:10). In search of food, he left the land and went to Egypt. Should he have gone to Egypt or not? It is hard to say. Perhaps it was a well-meaning error of judgment, a misguided human effort to help along the Divine Plan, like the later attempt to provide a seed through Hagar. Perhaps, having been instructed by God to go to Canaan he should have stayed there until further directed, relying on God to provide. Later, in identical circumstances of famine (Gen. 26:2), Isaac is specifically warned not to go to Egypt, but to stay in God's land and trust to His care.

Looking back, we can see the spiritual significance in these instances, and it appears that Abraham's lessons and experiences are intended as a guide and warning to us. At any rate, he soon found that Egypt held greater perils than famine, and only the intervention of God averted a catastrophe (Gen. 12:15-20).

Being released and sent forth again by the king of Egypt, he returned to Canaan (Gen. 13). There the heavy burden of his useless possessions imposed another trial upon him. He was separated from Lot, his only kinsman in the land, because their wealth prevented them from living together in peace; what a tragedy! And with a heavy heart he sees Lot go off to settle amid the allurements of corruption. Lot abandons the faithful tabernacle, pilgrim living, and goes back to the comforts of a settled existence and city ways, little suspecting what lies in store.

Abraham is next confronted (Gen. 14) with the capture of Lot by Chedorlaomer. With tremendous faith and courage he goes forth with a little band against great odds, and God enables him to rescue Lot and all who had been taken away and the strange and wonderful incident of Melchizedek occurs.

Then (Gen. 16) came the unhappy case of Hagar -- human device and reasoning trying in its anxious weakness to augment and hasten the eternal workings of God. Was it wrong? It was limited judgment, and a deeper insight could have shown Abraham that it was out of harmony with the principles of God's purpose. Here again, Abraham, with sincere zeal and good intentions, went beyond his instructions, and the results added to his trials.

It was not Abraham's idea, but Sarah's. Abraham hearkened to her pleading, as Adam had to Eve, but soon Sarah herself saw that in her short-sighted anxiety, she had played into the hands of her maidservant, who was quick to seize the advantage and who now despised her. And Sarah in her bitterness reproached Abraham for having done what she herself had initiated and urged.

And there is a measure of justice in Sarah's reproach, for Abraham's responsibility was greater, and he should have guided her, rather than allow himself to be misguided by her. Henceforth there is constant friction. Hagar is finally removed much later, but first for nearly twenty years Abraham and Sarah must suffer this added burden and disharmony.

Abraham's next trial is the misfortune that falls upon Lot in the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 18 and 19). We are told that Lot was righteous, and that his soul was vexed at the corrupt practices that surrounded him in Sodom (2 Pet. 2:8).

But he stayed there. Even when the angels urged him, with warning of imminent destruction, it is said "he lingered," until the angels seized him by the hand and brought him out forcibly. Why did he linger, though the whole community vexed him daily with its godlessness?

Because he had given his daughters unto the sons of the heathen. He was bound to Sodom by the sense of a dreadful responsibility. The angels had said:

"Hast thou here any besides? son-in-law, and thy sons, and thy daughters -- BRING THEM OUT OF THIS PI.ACE."

Lot did his best to warn them, but it was too late. He could make no impression. They thought he was mad. The damage had been done. We are told when he first went there the place was notorious for wickedness against God, but Lot saw that the land was fertile and prosperous, and he was carried away, to his own loss and sorrow.

Outside the city, a little further light is thrown on Lot's circumstances. His wife's character and leanings are revealed, and we understand better what happened to his family. We are not told where Lot's wife came from. It seems almost certain that she was a Canaanite, as she is not mentioned in the specific list that left Ur of the Chaldees, nor those that later left Haran. Nor is she ever mentioned previous to Lot's going to Sodom. He could have been at Sodom nearly twenty-five years. It would seem most likely then, both from this and from her conduct, that she was a native of Sodom. Jesus said, "Remember Lot's wife"; and surely there is much we can profitably remember about her.

The angel said, "Escape to the mountain." Lot replied, "Not so, my lord, let me flee to this little city that is near." Again we wonder, "Why?" Why presume to know better than God? Why not obey without question and leave it all to God? Why did he ask, and why was he permitted later to find his own mistake and belatedly follow the original instruction?

This city was slated for destruction with the rest, but Lot's request interfered with the full carrying out of the divine purpose. The reason Lot gives is fear of the mountains. And yet he was right in the midst of such a signal demonstration of God's power and care for him! Soon after, he comes to fear the inhabitants of Zoar more than the mountains, and goes on to the latter.

And so ends the story of Lot -- in distress and humiliation and poverty -- everything lost.

Abraham's next trial (Gen. 20) is a repetition in the land of the Philistines of the circumstances that happened in Egypt. Once again he attempts to ensure his own safety by deception regarding his relation to Sarah, once again he creates for himself and others much greater danger than that he sought to avoid; and once again he is humiliatingly rebuked by the foreigner he has deceived.

It is not our position to judge Abraham. His place in God's purpose is a fixed and glorious one. He is one of the few great men of the race, towering far above us. But it IS our duty to be guided and warned by his mistakes, and their consequences. Abraham's conduct did not reflect glory to God in this matter.

With the best of intentions, in the exercise of his own judgment, Abraham followed a course of apparently harmless deception which instead of helping him, brought him and Sarah into very serious complications. "She is my sister." It was technically true, but it was said to create a false impression.

The Scriptures exalt Truth very highly. Like purity and holiness, it is a fundamental characteristic of eternity and incorruptibility. Truth, and Truth alone, is enduring and substantial. All deception contains the seeds of corruption and decay, however well-meaning its purpose and harmless its intentions.

It was not necessary for Abraham to descend to deception. God had proclaimed himself Abraham's "Shield and exceeding great Reward" (Gen. 15). Why need he cheapen himself with subterfuge?

But is it possible that the course Abraham followed was perfectly acceptable with God, and in harmony with God's eternal standards? It does not seem so, in light of the consequences both times. Abraham is rebuked and humiliated. It would set too low a value on dignity and integrity. It does not harmonize with utter and complete "Truth in the inward parts" which is the only satisfactory ideal (Psa. 51:6).

Truth must be absolute to have any value. Permit the smallest amount of falsehood to mingle with Truth, and Truth begins immediately to take the shape of mere expediency, and the color of hypocrisy. We cannot believe that Abraham's conduct in these instances represents the ideal we are striving toward.

But it will be said that God Himself makes use of deception. Many instances will come to mind, such as when He causes armies to flee at the noise of an imaginary enemy (2 Kgs. 7:6). Even further, God has instructed man in the use of deception. The stratagem whereby the city of Ai was taken by ambush was at the direct command of God (Josh. 8:2). Abraham very likely used a similar device in defeating Chedorlaomer and rescuing Lot. Deception is one of the basic, universally recognized first principles of warfare, and God has in the past legitimized war.

Does this destroy our viewpoint? Must we then be content with something less than pure truth and perfection in our ideals? Still we hear the voice of the Psalmist, "Thou desirest Truth in the inward parts". . . "Blessed is he that speaketh the Truth in his heart." God Himself can with complete propriety use deception if it suits His all wise purpose. He is over and above all. He knows and controls all. Therefore, there is no injustice or incongruity in His using deception as a judicial measure. He would never deceive except to punish.

He creates evil, and uses it, yet evil is not holy, or pure, or eternal, and it is forbidden to His children, except at His direct instruction. We are told (2 Thess. 2:10-12) that because men receive not the love of Truth, God sends them "strong delusion" and causes them to "believe a lie." That is deception -- judicial deception, and a fitting retribution for rejecting the love of Truth.

Deception is part of the same fabric as evil and war, and is legitimate only in circumstances where they are legitimate. It has no place in the daily lives and contacts of those who are striving to conform themselves to eternal things, and to manifest God to man. It had no place here -- in the relationship between Abraham and Abimelech.

It may be said that as it was not wrong for Abraham to use war, it was also not wrong for him to use deception. But this does not follow. David's charge against Joab was that he deceitfully shed the blood of war in peace (1 Kgs. 2:5). Abraham, using deception, set in motion forces that well nigh brought about the death of many (naturally speaking) innocent people.

And more important than his relations with Abimelech were his relations with Sarah. All the dignity and beauty of marriage depends upon its conformity with the great antitype Christ and the Ecclesia. Could Christ, to avoid persecution, conceal his relationship to the Ecclesia, or she her's to him? Many Christians lost their lives because they would not permit the slightest obscuring of this relationship. We remember Daniel and his fearlessly opened window that brought him to the lions' den (Dan. 6:10). It is an inspiring testimony for all time.

The false church, on the other hand, not perceiving the deep significance of its bonds and communion with Christ, or treating them lightly, said, "He is only my brother, I am still free to marry the king of Egypt for present advantage," so they sought the world's companionship and citizenship, and persecution ceased.

Abraham's next recorded trial (Gen. 21) arose from an old, festering unhealed sore. The long-standing friction over Hagar -- bitter fruit of misguided zeal-came to a crisis. Sarah said, (Gen. 21:10)

"Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac."

"And the thing was grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son Ishmael."

Why could they not live together in peace? Because peace can only be built on one foundation -- Divine truth.

Was Sarah right or wrong in her demand? We know that Hagar had no proper place in the inner circle of that household. She was an Egyptian and a bondwoman. This was a chosen family, through whom God was not only commencing to work out a great plan, but was portraying in allegory the whole cycle of that plan -- the bond and the free -- the Flesh and the Spirit.

And Hagar had commenced the enmity by openly despising Sarah. Hagar and Ishmael showed cruel enmity against Sarah and her son, the true seed. They were not a good element in the household. Paul says Ishmael persecuted Isaac. He that was after the flesh persecuted him that was after the spirit.

It was necessary that Hagar and Ishmael should go. The whole affair had been a sad error. God instructs Abraham to do as Sarah desires. We must conclude that in principle Sarah was correct, and that this was the only possible solution. Sarah had suffered much from the matter, although it is true the original error was hers.

it is the handling of the case that may seem unnecessarily hard. It appears that Hagar is divorced and thrust out to wander in the wilderness with a small child, and with scanty provisions.

But is this the correct picture? In the first place, God Himself expressly took over and guaranteed the care of Ishmael. He told Abraham to send him away, and promised that He would make a great nation of him. And Ishmael was not, as it might appear, a small helpless child, but was about seventeen years old.

And there is no reason to suppose that Hagar did not have a definite destination and was not properly supplied to reach there. We can take it as a practical certainty that Abraham would make such provision, not only from his own general nature, but from his particular feeling for his son. Every impulse of Abraham under the circumstances would be to reduce the hardship attendant upon this final parting. But in God's purpose, Hagar lost her way, that certain things might be revealed to her.

And so finally, after many trials, the long-promised seed has come, the unfortunate and long-suffered barrier of Hagar between Abraham and Sarah has been removed, and it begins to appear that the long testing and development of Abraham's faith and character is coming to an end.

And then once more (Gen. 22), God appears to Abraham, and without any explanation commands him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering. Abraham's reaction, as far as it is given, is perfect -- and the record has certainly not spared him previously. There is not the slightest hint of reluctancy, doubt, or hesitation, and his words as he goes forward to the offering are full of assurance and faith -- "God will provide." What wonderful, confident words! "GOD WILL PROVIDE!"

Perhaps Abraham had prayed for one final opportunity to show that now at last his faith was full and complete. There is no evidence of any conflict of desires -- just supreme understanding and trust. Nothing in Abraham's demeanor betrayed to Isaac that ought was amiss, and Abraham's evident peace and confidence was so great that Isaac willingly submitted to his own part.

Paul says that Abraham knew that God had promised that the seed should come through Isaac, and he accounted that God was able to raise Isaac up, even from the dead (Heb. 11:19). To Abraham the command held no repulsiveness or terror -- his confidence in God's love and power blotted all that out.

What a victory for Abraham's faith. All his past struggles are overshadowed by this final triumph, for which the long development had prepared him. All his waiting and steadfastness is justified. Now he was at peace with God and with himself. The promise was once more renewed (Gen. 22:16), and God tried him no more.

This is the end of Abraham's recorded pilgrimage. From this point the story is concerned with Isaac. Abraham lives nearly another forty years, but very little more is recorded concerning him. The record drops him out and moves on. He has played his part through to ultimate success and peace. In this last chapter of his allegorical life, he typically enacts the salvation of the world -- the loving Father and the obedient sacrificed Son. How much of its significance he was privileged to discern we know not, but we feel that, like Moses, he was in this scene on Moriah, taken up and given a broad, distant view of the Promised Land in its final glory. "He saw Christ's day, and was glad."