"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shall be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran." —Genesis 12:1-4
THUS begins the story of Israel's calling, as a nation. Like the great rivers of earth, it has a small beginning,—one individual; a Chaldee of Ur; an idolater of Mesopotamia; with no recommendation or worthiness; a genuine specimen of God's electing grace, and of divine sovereignty, as well as of the power of the Holy Ghost.
So far as appears, God had not personally interposed, from Noah's time to this. The only kind of interposition was that at Babel. Now he comes forth out of His silence and darkness. He speaks; nay, He appears; He, as the God of glory, or "God of the glory" (Acts 7:2). The shekinah re-appears; and out of it God speaks to Abram. The frequent use of the words "the Lord appeared to Abram," in connection with Stephen's reference to the glory, intimates this mode of revelation.
I. The command. It is sovereign and authoritative; it is explicit and uncompromising; it does not wait on our will or choice; it leaves no room for hesitation on our part. "Get thee out" are Jehovah's words to Abram. They refer to one single transaction, about which there can be no mistake; and lest there should be any mistake, the three things to be left are specified, country, kindred, father's house. The getting out is to be complete and decided. It is also to be immediate; no waiting, nor lingering, nor preparing; get out at once. This command is all the more peremptory from its not specifying the place to be gone to. With that he was not to concern himself. The terminus a quo was quite explicit; not so the terminus ad qeum. The latter was of little moment in the mean time. It would come to light by and by. It was on the bare command of Jehovah that he was to act; putting himself blindfold into the hands of God. All that Abram was to know of his route or destination was this, "It is the land which I will shew thee." Thus completely was he shut in and shut up to obedience.
II. The promise. It is as directly from God as the command is; so that he can no more doubt the one than the other. It relates wholly to the future,—much of it to the future of far ages. Yet it is a very explicit and blessed promise, for the fulfilment of which he had the divine truthfulness and unchangeableness. "God who cannot lie;" who "does not repent,"—this is the God both of the command and the promise. He gives both; let us accept both; not separating the one from the other. In this promise God comes forth strikingly as the doer of the whole; "I will shew;" "I will make;" "I will bless."
All is of the Lord and of none else, (1.) A land,—though unknown; (2.) numbers; (3.) blessing; (4.) honour; (5.) fountain of blessing; (6.) the occasion of blessing or cursing; (7.) the blessedness of the whole earth in him. Large promises these! Glorious blessings! Including all that Abram needed for eternity as well as time. This gives a vision of Messiah and his glory, as well as of all earth under Him; for Abram is to be "heir of the world" (Romans 4:11).
III. The obedience. "He departed as the Lord had spoken to him." "He obeyed," says the apostle (Hebrews 11:8). God called, he complied. He did not argue, nor linger, nor hesitate, nor look back. He set out at once. He knew not where he was going; not a step of the way or anything of the land. He had no earthly counsellor or guide. Only the God of the glory,—Jehovah in His shekinah, He went before him, as in the pillar-cloud. Everything connected with this obedience was supernatural and divine. Jehovah broke his earthly ties; enabled him to triumph over earthly affections; made his face like a flint against all opposition; took him by the hand and led him out. Here we have obedience in its simplest, purest form,—believing, trusting obedience. " God has spoken," that is his answer to all suggestions from without or within. "God has spoken," that cheers and gladdens him. He could not mistake the voice,—either its meaning or the quarter from which it came. That was enough for him. We need not ask particularly, was this the time of his conversion? Probably it was. It was the day of God's power to him. It was what Christ's words were to the sons of Zebedee, or to Zaccheus. God spoke, and the Holy Spirit carried the message to the inner man. He was turned from dumb idols to serve the living God; he became heir of the righteousness which is of faith; he became Messiah's ancestor, yet a trophy of Messiah's power.
There are some striking texts in subsequent scriptures which derive much light and point from this scene. They are the following :
(1.) Psalm 45:10, "Hearken, O daughter, and consider; and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house." God thus speaks to His chosen ones; the bride of Christ. Thus he speaks aloud to an unheeding world." Hear, and your soul shall live." Oh, listen now,—turn your back on the world; your face to Jesus!
(2.) Matthew 16:25, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Christ's command is as explicit as that to Abram. "Come after me,"—come at once. Come now! Deny self and come! Deny self and take up your cross! Whatever hinders, come!
(3.) 2 Corinthians 6:17, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate." Here the words are remarkably like those addressed to Abram. The command is, therefore, come out; be separate; touch not; the promise is like unto it," I will receive you;" "I will be a father;" "Ye shall be my children." God speaks to us, and says, "Come out."
(4.) Revelation 18:4, "Come out of her, my people." In one aspect this is the likest to Abram's call, for it is a call out of Babylon. It suits these last days well. Come out of Babylon! Come out of every false church; every city of idols; every refuge of lies! Come out! Say not, I will stay, but worship the true God inside! No. Come out! This is God's command!
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Horatius Bonar (1808 - 1889)
Bonar has been called “the prince of Scottish hymn writers.” After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, he was ordained in 1838, and became pastor of the North Parish, Kelso. He joined the Free Church of Scotland after the “Disruption” of 1843, and for a while edited the church’s The Border Watch. Bonar remained in Kelso for 28 years, after which he moved to the Chalmers Memorial church in Edinburgh, where he served the rest of his life. Bonar wrote more than 600 hymns.He was a voluminous and highly popular author. He also served as the editor for "The Quarterly journal of Prophecy" from 1848 to 1873 and for the "Christian Treasury" from 1859 to 1879. In addition to many books and tracts wrote a number of hymns, many of which, e.g., "I heard the voice of Jesus say" and "Blessing and Honour and Glory and Power," became known all over the English-speaking world. A selection of these was published as Hymns of Faith and Hope (3 series). His last volume of poetry was My Old Letters. Bonar was also author of several biographies of ministers he had known, including "The Life of the Rev. John Milne of Perth" in 1869, - and in 1884 "The Life and Works of the Rev. G. T. Dodds", who had been married to Bonar's daughter and who had died in 1882 while serving as a missionary in France.
Horatius Bonar comes from a long line of ministers who have served a total of 364 years in the Church of Scotland.
He entered the Ministry of the Church of Scotland. At first he was put in charge of mission work at St. John's parish in Leith and settled at Kelso. He joined the Free Church at the time of the Disruption of 1843, and in 1867 was moved to Edinburgh to take over the Chalmers Memorial Church (named after his teacher at college, Dr. Thomas Chalmers). In 1883, he was elected Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
He was a voluminous and highly popular author. He also served as the editor for "The Quarterly journal of Prophecy" from 1848 to 1873 and for the "Christian Treasury" from 1859 to 1879. In addition to many books and tracts wrote a number of hymns, many of which, e.g., "I heard the voice of Jesus say" and "Blessing and Honor and Glory and Power," became known all over the English-speaking world.
Horatius Bonar, had a passionate heart for revival and was a friend and supporter of several revivalists, He was brother to the more well-known Andrew Bonar, and with him defended D. L. Moody's evangelistic ministry in Scotland. He authored a couple of excellent revival works, one including over a hundred biographical sketches and the other an addendum to Rev. John Gillies' 'Historical Collections...' bringing it up to date.
He was a powerful soul-winner and is well qualified to pen this brief, but illuminating study of the character of true revivalists.
Horatius was in fact one of eleven children, and of these an older brother, John James, and a younger, Andrew, also became ministers and were all closely involved, together with Thomas Chalmers, William C. Burns and Robert Murray M'Cheyne, in the important spiritual movements which affected many places in Scotland in the 1830s and 1840s.
In the controversy known as the "Great Disruption," Horatius stood firmly with the evangelical ministers and elders who left the Church of Scotland's General Assembly in May 1843 and formed the new Free Church of Scotland. By this time he had started to write hymns, some of which appeared in a collection he published in 1845, but typically, his compositions were not named. His gifts for expressing theological truths in fluent verse form are evident in all his best-known hymns, but in addition he was also blessed with a deep understanding of doctrinal principles.
Examples of the hymns he composed on the fundamental doctrines include, "Glory be to God the Father".....on the Trinity. "0 Love of God, how strong and true".....on Redemption. "Light of the world," - "Rejoice and be glad" - "Done is the work" on the Person and Work of Christ. "Come Lord and tarry not," on His Second Coming, while the hymn "Blessed be God, our God!" conveys a sweeping survey of Justification and Sanctification.
In all this activity, his pastoral work and preaching were never neglected and after almost twenty years labouring in the Scottish Borders at Kelso, Bonar moved back to Edinburgh in 1866 to be minister at the Chalmers Memorial Chapel (now renamed St. Catherine's Argyle Church). He continued his ministry for a further twenty years helping to arrange D.L. Moody's meetings in Edinburgh in 1873 and being appointed moderator of the Free Church ten years later. His health declined by 1887, but he was approaching the age of eighty when he preached in his church for the last time, and he died on 31 May 1889.