A CORNER FOR THE YOUNG

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 196, 4 September 1937, Page 12

A CORNER FOR THE YOUNG

C. K.

Mowll.)

(By Dr.

In our talk together last \veek, we were thinking of Abram "going on, " journeying through the land which God had promised to give to his family, and secure and contented because even though he was in a strange country and surrounded by enemies, he was in tbe place 'drhere God. meant him to be. This week, however, the picture changes, and we shall have to tnink of him, not as "going on," but as "going .down." "Abram went down into Egypt," we read, and his ' ' going down ' ' instead of "going on" had, as we shali see, eomo serious consequenccs. Here then are the three points about his ' ' going down ' ' which we must think about: the reason for it, the results of lt, and the return from it. First of all let us notice the reason for it. "There was a famine in the land, ancl Abram went down into Egypt tb sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in 'the land" (Gen. 12: 10). TJntil the famine came, all was well. Abram was "going on," and living a life of simple trust in God. Then came the test. The land was involved in a famine. Food became searee. Abram, without apparently any direetion from God, "went down into Egypt." Let us remember that in the Christian life, just when we seem to be "going on," there is the danger lest we should start "going down." Our trust in God will be tested in one way or another. "Let him that thinketh he standeth," writes Paul (1 Cor. 10: 12), "take heed lest he fail." We must ever be on our guard against "going down," for just as Egypt was not God's place for Abram, so, if we are not very careful, we shall easily fail into sin ,and get away from God. We start the Christian life, as we saw in a previous talk^ by personally reeeiving the Lord Jesus as the Saviour into the heart, and we shall only snieceed in "going on," as He Wants us to do, and be prevented from "going down," by keeping our eyes constantly on Him. Then, in the second place, as we think of Abram "going down," let us notice the results of it. We can sutn them up in. .these . words— difficulty, deceit, disaster, discovery and delay. No sooner had Abram arrived in Egypt than he found himself in a difficulty about his wife, which led him to practise deccit and pretend that she was only his sister (Gen. 12: 11-13, andJ compare Gen. 20: 11-13). This was folloAved by disaster, for the Lord plagued the king of Egypt and his house. This • led to the discovery of Abram 'S sin - and to his feeing sent aWay ffom Egypt! So, after all, his "going down," in' addition to the mi'sery which it carased, only delay ed his "goihg on. " >Ve must remember this lesson mustn't we? If we are "going down" instead of "going on," it will always mean that we afe missing the best, and we can never tell what dainage oilr "going down", may do both to ourselves and to others. It,is.so important, isn't it? that we should always be ^ "going on." . : . So, thirdly, as we remember Abram %•. "going down," let us also 'rememberhis return from it. "Abram went upout of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had . . . into the south" (Gen. 13: 1). He came baok in other words, to the place firom which he Had atarted in Jthe land which God had promised to give to his family. HbW good this was! He did not stay in Egypt. He returned to the land of promise. I ara so glad that the Holy Spirit, who inspifed the writers of the Bible, lias left on record this story in the life af Abram, beeau'se otherwise we might bave been temptdd to think that, man 3f wonderful faith as he Was, be did aot have his failures as we do, and that tve could never hope to live that iife of faith in God and fi'iendship With God that he lived. Yes, he was jlist as tiuman and just as tested as we are. He found the Way back, when he had ivandered aWay, and so mtiy we. If we liave strayed awUy from God, if we rave fallen into sin, He is wanting us ;o come back and "go on" again. We :an do that as we turn from the sin ind fix oue t^u ofl tbe Saviour, '