Call of Abraham
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sought a temporary refuge as near as possible to the Land of Promise,
intending shortly to return where God had placed him.
The Lord in His providence had brought this trial upon Abraham
to teach him lessons of submission, patience, and faith—lessons that
were to be placed on record for the benefit of all who should afterward
be called to endure affliction. God leads His children by a way that they
know not, but He does not forget or cast off those who put their trust in
Him. He permitted affliction to come upon Job, but He did not forsake
him. He allowed the beloved John to be exiled to lonely Patmos, but
the Son of God met him there, and his vision was filled with scenes of
immortal glory. God permits trials to assail His people, that by their
constancy and obedience they themselves may be spiritually enriched,
and that their example may be a source of strength to others. “I know
the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace,
and not of evil.”
Jeremiah 29:11
. The very trials that task our faith
most severely and make it seem that God has forsaken us, are to lead
us closer to Christ, that we may lay all our burdens at His feet and
experience the peace which He will give us in exchange.
God has always tried His people in the furnace of affliction. It
is in the heat of the furnace that the dross is separated from the true
gold of the Christian character. Jesus watches the test; He knows
what is needed to purify the precious metal, that it may reflect the
radiance of His love. It is by close, testing trials that God disciplines
His servants. He sees that some have powers which may be used in the
advancement of His work, and He puts these persons upon trial; in His
providence He brings them into positions that test their character and
reveal defects and weaknesses that have been hidden from their own
knowledge. He gives them opportunity to correct these defects and
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to fit themselves for His service. He shows them their own weakness,
and teaches them to lean upon Him; for He is their only help and
safeguard. Thus His object is attained. They are educated, trained,
and disciplined, prepared to fulfill the grand purpose for which their
powers were given them. When God calls them to action, they are
ready, and heavenly angels can unite with them in the work to be
accomplished on the earth.
During his stay in Egypt, Abraham gave evidence that he was not
free from human weakness and imperfection. In concealing the fact
that Sarah was his wife, he betrayed a distrust of the divine care, a