Genesis 12:4

THE FIRST COLUMBUS

‘So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him.’

Genesis 12:4

At this time there was no special nation belonging to the Lord. The Lord was even then but beginning to set apart a people for Himself. To create that people, He had first of all to make a family, and to make that family to select one man. After the Flood and the tower of Babel there was only one kind of people all over the world, and those people were very far from God. Here and there might be one who had a heart prepared; and there was one in that family, Abraham, and the Lord spoke to him and told him a very strange thing. ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee.’ He is not even told the name of the land, or how he is to get there. ‘Get thee out.’ ‘So Abram departed.’ This is a marvellous word in its great simplicity. The Lord said to him, ‘Depart,’ and ‘so Abram departed.’

I. Abraham might have done a great many other things than that simple thing of going out because God had said, ‘Go out.’ Of course Abraham had some spiritual apprehension. He listened, he must have listened, or he would not have heard the voice of God. He listened, and he heard, and he understood, and he assented, and very likely he was staggered by the greatness of the promise made to him, that ‘all nations should be blessed in him.’ Who was he? Nobody! He was to leave his kindred and his land, and he might have taken a very long time to consider that command; he might have talked about it considerably. It was something to talk about. He might perhaps have written a song about it. It was a very fine subject for a song. There have been songs written about it. He might have sung a song called, for instance, ‘Faithful Abraham, go,’ and then have sat down.

II. But he would not have been the father of the faithful if he had done so.—What is it that he did? He obeyed; and the one thing that God asks of us is to obey; and if we will not obey, all the talking and singing and even praying goes for nothing.

There are many ways of being disobedient, but only one to be obedient. One may be disobedient in a very impudent kind of way. One may say, ‘No,’ to God; but, as Christ has pointed out in the parable, one may be disobedient in saying all the time also, ‘Yes.’ One may be disobedient to God most courteously, most piously; but he is disobedient for all that. One may be disobedient by constantly putting off to another month or year, or week, or day. ‘Not now, Lord.’ And then we lose the blessing and promise: and we may lose more than that; we may lose the faith altogether, because after a little while a man must agree with himself, and if his conduct does not agree with his faith, then he will make his faith agree with his disobedience.

So if God tells you to do a thing, do it. There is one thing that I know God tells you to do, each one of you. ‘This,’ said Christ, ‘is the work of God, that ye should believe on Him whom He hath sent.’ It is an act of obedience to believe in Christ. So much is it an act of obedience that Christ says that when the Holy Spirit comes, He shall convince the world of sin—Why? Because they are murderers, or thieves, or liars? No, ‘Because they believe not in Me.’

Illustration

During Colonel Sir Henry Havelock’s stay in England, a gentleman went one evening to his house in compliance with an invitation. In course of conversation Mrs. Havelock turned to her husband, and said, ‘Why, dear, where is Harry,’ referring to their son. Colonel Havelock started to his feet. ‘Why, poor fellow, he’s standing on London Bridge, and in this cold too! I told him to wait for me there at twelve o’clock to-day, and in the pressure of business I quite forgot the appointment.’ It was now about seven o’clock in the evening. The Colonel went to deliver his son from his watch on London Bridge, and excused himself for leaving his guest, saying, ‘You see, sir, that is the discipline of a soldier’s family.’