1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1
The word of the Lord came unto Abram. He did not need to go to search for it; it came
to him. And so it will come to you. It may come through the Word of God, or through a distinct impression made on your heart by the Holy Ghost, or through circumstances; but it will find you out, and
tell you what you are to do. . . . There is no spot on earth so lonely, no cave so deep and dark, that
the word of the Lord cannot discover and come to us.
17 And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. Genesis 15:17
When the ancients wanted to take an oath they would slay an animal, divide it lengthwise, and lay the pieces opposite to each other. Then the parties would advance from opposite points, and midway between the pieces, and take the oath. God wished to take an oath. He ordered a heifer and some birds slain and divided, and the pieces lain opposite to each other; then between the pieces passed first a furnace, typical of suffering, and then a lamp, emblem of deliverance.
So it is in the history of individuals, cities, and nations. First the awful furnace, then the cheerful lamp. The furnace of conviction the of pardon. The furnace of trial, the lamp of consolation. The furnace of want, the lamp of prosperity. The furnace of death, the lamp of glory. ~ Talmadge
ONE THOUSAND AND ONE THOUGHTSA FROM MY LIBRARY (Moody) 1898
