The Lord Visits Abraham BY JOH. W. SCHIRMER, FROM HIS SERIES OF THE + "And lo, three men stood by him.”—Gen., 18, 2. A FTER the birth of Ishmael, Abram passed a dozen years of peace and prosperity. The two women, Sarai and Hagar, dwelled more peacefully together; though always, as Sarai saw her husband's joy in Ishmael, she must have grown more sad that he had no child of hers. Then there came to Abram a further testimony of God's regard. The Almighty changed his name to Abraham and told him that this change meant that the old promise was about to be fulfilled, that he and his wife Sarai were to have a child from whom would spring the mighty race of the Hebrews. Sarai's name also was changed to Sarah, which means "princess." Soon after, as Abraham sat one evening by the door of his tent he beheld three strange men passing by. These were really three angels, and one of them, the Bible tells us, was the Lord Himself. Whether Abraham at once recognized their divine nature, is not made clear. The sacred duties of hospitality are very nobly followed in the East, and Abraham's generous soul may have been specially touched by the danger threatening these three unarmed wanderers in so wild a land. At any rate he hurried forward and prostrated himself before the men, entreating them to come and rest themselves with him. GENESIS L-BURIAL OF JACOB 93 ings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb: 26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. 27 ¶ Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. 28 ¶ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them. 29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a burying-place. 31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah. 32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth. 33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. Chapter 50 1 The mourning for Jacob. 4 Joseph getting leave of Pharaoh to go to bury him. 7 The funeral. 15 Joseph comforteth his brethren, who crave his pardon. 22 His age. 23 He seeth the third generation of his sons. 24 He prophesieth unto his brethren of their return. 25 He taketh an oath of them for his bones. 26 He dieth, and is chested. ND Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days. 4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die; in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. 6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. |