201 And Abraham journeyeth from thence toward the land of the south, and dwelleth between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourneth in Gerar; 2 and Abraham saith concerning Sarah his wife, 'She is my sister;' and Abimelech king of Gerar sendeth and taketh Sarah.
3 And God cometh in unto Abimelech in a dream of the night, and saith to him, 'Lo, thou 'art' a dead man, because of the woman whom thou hast taken—and she married to a husband.' 4 And Abimelech hath not drawn near unto her, and he saith, 'Lord, also a righteous nation dost thou slay? 5 hath not he himself said to me, She 'is' my sister! and she, even she herself, said, He 'is' my brother; in the integrity of my heart, and in the innocency of my hands, I have done this.' 6 And God saith unto him in the dream, 'Yea, I—I have known that in the integrity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I withhold thee, even I, from sinning against Me, therefore I have not suffered thee to come against her; 7 and now send back the man's wife, for he 'is' inspired, and he doth pray for thee, and live thou; and if thou do not send back, know that dying thou dost die, thou, and all that thou hast.'
8 And Abimelech riseth early in the morning, and calleth for all his servants, and speaketh all these words in their ears; and the men fear exceedingly; 9 and Abimelech calleth for Abraham, and saith to him, 'What hast thou done to us? and what have I sinned against thee, that thou hast brought upon me, and upon my kingdom, a great sin? works which are not done thou hast done with me.' 10 Abimelech also saith unto Abraham, 'What hast thou seen that thou hast done this thing?' 11 And Abraham saith, 'Because I said, 'Surely the fear of God is not in this place, and they have slain me for the sake of my wife; 12 and also, truly she is my sister, daughter of my father, only not daughter of my mother, and she becometh my wife; 13 and it cometh to pass, when God hath caused me to wander from my father's house, that I say to her, This 'is' thy kindness which thou dost with me: at every place whither we come, say of me, He 'is' my brother.'
14 And Abimelech taketh sheep and oxen, and servants and handmaids, and giveth to Abraham, and sendeth back to him Sarah his wife; 15 and Abimelech saith, 'Lo, my land 'is' before thee, where it is good in thine eyes, dwell;' 16 and to Sarah he hath said, 'Lo, I have given a thousand silverlings to thy brother; lo, it is to thee a covering of eyes, to all who are with thee;' and by all this she is reasoned with. 17 And Abraham prayeth unto God, and God healeth Abimelech and his wife, and his handmaids, and they bear: 18 for Jehovah restraining had restrained every womb of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
211 And Jehovah hath looked after Sarah as He hath said, and Jehovah doth to Sarah as He hath spoken; 2 and Sarah conceiveth, and beareth a son to Abraham, to his old age, at the appointed time that God hath spoken of with him; 3 and Abraham calleth the name of his son who is born to him, whom Sarah hath born to him—Isaac; 4 and Abraham circumciseth Isaac his son, 'being' a son of eight days, as God hath commanded him. 5 And Abraham 'is' a son of a hundred years in Isaac his son being born to him, 6 and Sarah saith, 'God hath made laughter for me; every one who is hearing laugheth for me.' 7 She saith also, 'Who hath said to Abraham, Sarah hath suckled sons, that I have born a son for his old age?'
8 And the lad groweth, and is weaned, and Abraham maketh a great banquet in the day of Isaac's being weaned;
9 and Sarah seeth the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she hath borne to Abraham, mocking, 10 and she saith to Abraham, 'Cast out this handmaid and her son; for the son of this handmaid hath no possession with my son—with Isaac.' 11 And the thing is very wrong in the eyes of Abraham, for his son's sake; 12 and God saith unto Abraham, 'Let it not be wrong in thine eyes because of the youth, and because of thy handmaid: all that Sarah saith unto thee—hearken to her voice, for in Isaac is a seed called to thee. 13 As to the son of the handmaid also, for a nation I set him, because he 'is' thy seed.'
14 And Abraham riseth early in the morning, and taketh bread, and a bottle of water, and giveth unto Hagar (placing 'it' on her shoulder), also the lad, and sendeth her out; and she goeth on, and goeth astray in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba; 15 and the water is consumed from the bottle, and she placeth the lad under one of the shrubs. 16 And she goeth and sitteth by herself over-against, afar off, about a bow-shot, for she said, 'Let me not look on the death of the lad;' and she sitteth over-against, and lifteth up her voice, and weepeth. 17 And God heareth the voice of the youth; and the messenger of God calleth unto Hagar from the heavens, and saith to her, 'What to thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath hearkened unto the voice of the youth where he 'is'; 18 rise, lift up the youth, and lay hold on him with thy hand, for for a great nation I set him.' 19 And God openeth her eyes, and she seeth a well of water, and she goeth and filleth the bottle 'with' water, and causeth the youth to drink; 20 and God is with the youth, and he groweth, and dwelleth in the wilderness, and is an archer; 21 and he dwelleth in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother taketh for him a wife from the land of Egypt.
22 And it cometh to pass at that time that Abimelech speaketh—Phichol also, head of his host—unto Abraham, saying, 'God 'is' with thee in all that thou art doing; 23 and now, swear to me by God here: thou dost not lie to me, or to my continuator, or to my successor; according to the kindness which I have done with thee thou dost with me, and with the land in which thou hast sojourned.' 24 And Abraham saith, 'I—I do swear.' 25 And Abraham reasoned with Abimelech concerning the matter of a well of water which Abimelech's servants have taken violently away, 26 and Abimelech saith, 'I have not known who hath done this thing, and even thou didst not declare to me, and I also, I have not heard save to-day.' 27 And Abraham taketh sheep and oxen, and giveth to Abimelech, and they make, both of them, a covenant; 28 and Abraham setteth seven Lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech saith unto Abraham, 'What 'are' they—these seven lambs which thou hast set by themselves?' 30 And he saith, 'For—the seven lambs thou dost accept from my hand, so that it becometh a witness for me that I have digged this well;' 31 therefore hath he called that place 'Beer-Sheba,' for there have both of them sworn. 32 And they make a covenant in Beer-Sheba, and Abimelech riseth—Phichol also, head of his host—and they turn back unto the land of the Philistines;
33 and 'Abraham' planteth a tamarask in Beer-Sheba, and preacheth there in the name of Jehovah, God age-during; 34 and Abraham sojourneth in the land of the Philistines many days.
221 And it cometh to pass after these things that God hath tried Abraham, and saith unto him, 'Abraham;' and he saith, 'Here 'am' I.' 2 And He saith, 'Take, I pray thee, thy son, thine only one, whom thou hast loved, even Isaac, and go for thyself unto the land of Moriah, and cause him to ascend there for a burnt-offering on one of the mountains of which I speak unto thee.'
3 And Abraham riseth early in the morning, and saddleth his ass, and taketh two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and he cleaveth the wood of the burnt-offering, and riseth and goeth unto the place of which God hath spoken to him. 4 On the third day—Abraham lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the place from afar; 5 and Abraham saith unto his young men, 'Remain by yourselves here with the ass, and I and the youth go yonder and worship, and turn back unto you.' 6 And Abraham taketh the wood of the burnt-offering, and placeth on Isaac his son, and he taketh in his hand the fire, and the knife; and they go on both of them together. 7 And Isaac speaketh unto Abraham his father, and saith, 'My father,' and he saith, 'Here 'am' I, my son.' And he saith, 'Lo, the fire and the wood, and where the lamb for a burnt-offering?' 8 and Abraham saith, 'God doth provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son;' and they go on both of them together. 9 And they come in unto the place of which God hath spoken to him, and there Abraham buildeth the altar, and arrangeth the wood, and bindeth Isaac his son, and placeth him upon the altar above the wood; 10 and Abraham putteth forth his hand, and taketh the knife—to slaughter his son.
11 And the messenger of Jehovah calleth unto him from the heavens, and saith, 'Abraham, Abraham;' and he saith, 'Here 'am' I;' 12 and He saith, 'Put not forth thine hand unto the youth, nor do anything to him, for now I have known that thou art fearing God, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only one, from Me.' 13 And Abraham lifteth up his eyes, and looketh, and lo, a ram behind, seized in a thicket by its horns; and Abraham goeth, and taketh the ram, and causeth it to ascend for a burnt-offering instead of his son; 14 and Abraham calleth the name of that place 'Jehovah-Jireh,' because it is said this day in the mount, 'Jehovah doth provide.'
15 And the messenger of Jehovah calleth unto Abraham a second time from the heavens, 16 and saith, 'By Myself I have sworn—the affirmation of Jehovah—that because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only one— 17 that blessing I bless thee, and multiplying I multiply thy seed as stars of the heavens, and as sand which 'is' on the sea-shore; and thy seed doth possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and blessed themselves in thy seed have all nations of the earth, because that thou hast hearkened to My voice.' 19 And Abraham turneth back unto his young men, and they rise and go together unto Beer-Sheba; and Abraham dwelleth in Beer-Sheba.
20 And it cometh to pass after these things that it is declared to Abraham, saying, 'Lo, Milcah hath borne, even she, sons to Nahor thy brother: 21 Huz his first-born, and Buz his brother; and Kemuel father of Aram, 22 and Chesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel; 23 and Bethuel hath begotten Rebekah;' these eight hath Milcah borne to Nahor, Abraham's brother; 24 and his concubine, whose name 'is' Reumah, she also hath borne Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maachah.
19 'Treasure not up to yourselves treasures on the earth, where moth and rust disfigure, and where thieves break through and steal, 20 but treasure up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth disfigure, and where thieves do not break through nor steal, 21 for where your treasure is, there will be also your heart.
22 'The lamp of the body is the eye, if, therefore, thine eye may be perfect, all thy body shall be enlightened, 23 but if thine eye may be evil, all thy body shall be dark; if, therefore, the light that 'is' in thee is darkness—the darkness, how great!
24 'None is able to serve two lords, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one, and despise the other; ye are not able to serve God and Mammon.
25 'Because of this I say to you, be not anxious for your life, what ye may eat, and what ye may drink, nor for your body, what ye may put on. Is not the life more than the nourishment, and the body than the clothing? 26 look to the fowls of the heaven, for they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into storehouses, and your heavenly Father doth nourish them; are not ye much better than they? 27 'And who of you, being anxious, is able to add to his age one cubit? 28 and about clothing why are ye anxious? consider well the lilies of the field; how do they grow? they do not labour, nor do they spin; 29 and I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. 30 'And if the herb of the field, that to-day is, and to-morrow is cast to the furnace, God doth so clothe—not much more you, O ye of little faith? 31 therefore ye may not be anxious, saying, What may we eat? or, What may we drink? or, What may we put round? 32 for all these do the nations seek for, for your heavenly Father doth know that ye have need of all these; 33 but seek ye first the reign of God and His righteousness, and all these shall be added to you. 34 Be not therefore anxious for the morrow, for the morrow shall be anxious for its own things; sufficient for the day 'is' the evil of it.
(Read Matthew 6:19-24)
Worldly-mindedness is a common and fatal symptom of hypocrisy, for by no sin can Satan have a surer and faster hold of the soul, under the cloak of a profession of religion. Something the soul will have, which it looks upon as the best thing; in which it has pleasure and confidence above other things. Christ counsels to make our best things the joys and glories of the other world, those things not seen which are eternal, and to place our happiness in them. There are treasures in heaven. It is our wisdom to give all diligence to make our title to eternal life sure through Jesus Christ, and to look on all things here below, as not worthy to be compared with it, and to be content with nothing short of it. It is happiness above and beyond the changes and chances of time, an inheritance incorruptible. The worldly man is wrong in his first principle; therefore all his reasonings and actions therefrom must be wrong. It is equally to be applied to false religion; that which is deemed light is thick darkness. This is an awful, but a common case; we should therefore carefully examine our leading principles by the word of God, with earnest prayer for the teaching of his Spirit. A man may do some service to two masters, but he can devote himself to the service of no more than one. God requires the whole heart, and will not share it with the world. When two masters oppose each other, no man can serve both. He who holds to the world and loves it, must despise God; he who loves God, must give up the friendship of the world.
(Read Matthew 6:25-34)
There is scarcely any sin against which our Lord Jesus more warns his disciples, than disquieting, distracting, distrustful cares about the things of this life. This often insnares the poor as much as the love of wealth does the rich. But there is a carefulness about temporal things which is a duty, though we must not carry these lawful cares too far. Take no thought for your life. Not about the length of it; but refer it to God to lengthen or shorten it as he pleases; our times are in his hand, and they are in a good hand. Not about the comforts of this life; but leave it to God to make it bitter or sweet as he pleases. Food and raiment God has promised, therefore we may expect them. Take no thought for the morrow, for the time to come. Be not anxious for the future, how you shall live next year, or when you are old, or what you shall leave behind you. As we must not boast of tomorrow, so we must not care for to-morrow, or the events of it. God has given us life, and has given us the body. And what can he not do for us, who did that? If we take care about our souls and for eternity, which are more than the body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less. Improve this as an encouragement to trust in God. We must reconcile ourselves to our worldly estate, as we do to our stature. We cannot alter the disposals of Providence, therefore we must submit and resign ourselves to them. Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world. Seek first the kingdom of God, and make religion your business: say not that this is the way to starve; no, it is the way to be well provided for, even in this world. The conclusion of the whole matter is, that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus, that by daily prayers we may get strength to bear us up under our daily troubles, and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let none of these things move us. Happy are those who take the Lord for their God, and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal. Let thy Spirit convince us of sin in the want of this disposition, and take away the worldliness of our hearts.
