Genesis 12:7 And the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, To your seed will I give this land: and there built he an altar to the LORD… 1. The first feature which eminently marked out the land for the residence of God's chosen nation is this: it unites, as no other does, the two indispensable conditions of central position and yet of isolation. To lie in the midst of the nations, at the focus and gathering place of those mighty and cultured empires, whose rivalries ruled the politics, as their example led the civilization of antiquity, yet at the same time be shut off from such contact with them as must of necessity prove injurious, seemed to be opposite requirements, very hard to be reconciled. To a curious extent they are reconciled in the land of promise. 2. Another characteristic which qualified Palestine to be a training ground for the Hebrews was this: that it combined to an unusual degree high agricultural fertility with exposure to sudden and severe disasters. In most years it could sustain a dense population of cultivators, supposing them to be industrious and frugal, without any excessive or grinding toil. Enough, not always for export, but for home consumption at least, its well-watered valleys and vine-clad hills could furnish in ordinary seasons. For comfortable sustenance, therefore, though not for wealth or luxury, such a nation of peasants was sufficiently provided within its own borders. It could dwell apart, yet experience no want. At the same time, the people were kept in close dependence for the fruits of harvest upon the bounty of Providence. 3. To these advantages for its special design, this perhaps ought to be added: that hardly any regions offer so few temptations to corrupt the complicity of their inhabitants, or better facilities for the defence of their liberties. (J. O. Dykes, D. D.) There builded he an altar unto the Lord. — Parallel Verses KJV: And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him. |
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