ark, in his dealings with his
greedy nephew, the grandeur of the Patriarch's character. As the land
cannot "bear" the two sets of flocks, Abraham gives Lot the first
choice of the land, and declares that he will take what Lot leaves.
This is not after the manner of the "natural man." Decency would have
led Lot to decline his uncle's generous offer. But Lot was not decent,
and so seized all that he could. In the end this led to Lot's ruin. It
is most suggestive to note the steps in Lot's career. First he pitched
his tent "towards" Sodom. Then we find him "in" Sodom. Then he sits in
"the gate" of Sodom--that is, he has become a prominent man in that
accursed city. Soon we see him involved in the overthrow of Sodom by
the four kings. Still he returns to that city, after his rescue by his
uncle. And at last he has to escape from its final ruin, penniless. We
read in 2 Peter 2:7 that Lot was vexed with the wicked life of the
Sodomites. It has always seemed a pity that he was not sufficiently
vexed to get out from the city, bag and baggage, long before he did.

Again look at Abraham when he had gained the victory over the kings as
told in Genesis 14. How grandly he stands, refusing to touch what
comes from Sodom from a thread to a shoe latchet. By the laws of war
in that time all the "loot" was his. But he would not touch it. Bear
in mind that this was 2000 years before the Golden Rule was given, yet
here we have a man exemplifying it grandly. What a contrast between
Abraham and some of the troops in modern sieges, where they have
seized all that they could lay their hands on. This was nearly 2000
years after Jesus uttered the Golden Rule. Who was more truly
Christ-like, Abraham 2000 years B. C. or we, 2000 years A. D.?

#20. Abraham and Hagar.#--The Patriarch was not a perfect man. He
sinned in Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20), and again, as told in Genesis
20:1-16. Again, his faith in God's promise that he should have a son
seems to have grown dim. So he yields to Sarah's suggestion, and takes
Hagar. (Gen. 16). In judging him for this, bear in mind that he had
not the light that came in later days, through the further revelation
of God's will. Then Ishmael was born. It is most suggestive that from
Ishmael, who was not a "child of faith," sprang in later days Muhammad
the great antagonist of Jesus Christ, who came from Abraham through
Isaac, the "child of faith."

#21. Abraham and Isaac.#--To understand the command of God in relation