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began to forget God on whom all things depend. They made false gods. They
adored them and prayed to them. But God did not destroy them as He had done
in the deluge. Instead, He chose Irom the family of Shem a man known for his
faith. His name was Abram. Abram, in spite of the evils about him, had kept himself faithful to the service of God. One day God said to him, "Abram, leave your country, and go to the Land of Canaan." Abram obeyed God and began his long journey to Canaan with his wife Sarah, his nephew Lot;, and his helpers and flocks. God picked Canaan as a home for Abram because these valleys were the great centers where men lived. God rewarded Abram by making this promise: "I will give you and your children the Land of Canaan. You shall be the father of a great people. Through you all nations shall be blessed." Because of this promise, the Land of Canaan was called "The Promised Land." We now call it Palestine. God was very good to Abram at Canaan. He gave him great riches. His flocks grew very large. But Abram had no children. Abram prayed to God, "Shall I die without children? Shall I have to give all my riches to the son of one of my servants?" God heard Abram's prayer. One hot day three strangers came to Abram's tent. He welcomed them and gave them food. One of the strangers told Abram that in a year he would return and by that time Sarah would have a son. Inside the tent Sarah heard this and laughed to herself. "Shall I have a son," she said, "when I am old, and my husband also is old?" One of the strangers said to Abram, "Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord?" At these words Abram knew that God Himself had come to him with two angels. Abram trusted God and waited for a son. One day God said to him, "From now on your name shall be Abraham, because you shall be the father of many nations... I will keep My promise and give you a son. I will bless him. He shall be the father of kings and nations. You shall name him Isaac." In these words, God had in mind not only Isaac, who was born not long after, but also the Messiah. Isaac was to carry on the promise, and his son Jacob was to do the same, and his family after him, until the Redeemer was born. This was the Savior whom God had promised when He expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Paradise. He was to make men happy by bringing them back to God's friendship. |
