. The training of the Chosen people. purpose. Broadly stated, that purposeis the evolution of a nation that shall bear witnessin its constitution, its ideals and its influence in theworld to the sovereignty and character of God. In thepreceding chapters we have traced step by step theaccomplishment of this purpose. At the beginning wehave the choice ofthe stock, by aprocess of pro-gressive elimina-tion. The stock ofAbel is chosen,then that of Noah,then that of last from theSemitic race thereis a selection. Thegreat personality of Ai i The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid. Abraham emerges.
. The training of the Chosen people. purpose. Broadly stated, that purposeis the evolution of a nation that shall bear witnessin its constitution, its ideals and its influence in theworld to the sovereignty and character of God. In thepreceding chapters we have traced step by step theaccomplishment of this purpose. At the beginning wehave the choice ofthe stock, by aprocess of pro-gressive elimina-tion. The stock ofAbel is chosen,then that of Noah,then that of last from theSemitic race thereis a selection. Thegreat personality of Ai i The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid. Abraham emerges. F J The Abrahamic stock develops, like the trunk of a tree,in the careers of his son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob,and the life of Jacob expands, like the trunk intobranches, into the children of Israel—the nucleus ofthe future nation. From this point the divine action isnot so immediate. The purpose is accomplished by theprovidential control of events, in which the human willis allowed free play. The selling of Joseph as a slave. 44 Old Testament History resulted in bringing the family of Jacob into Egypt,where the stock had the most favorable opportunitiesfor development in the environment of a high civiliza-tion. The oppression of the Egyptians, which did nottake place for several centuries, weaned the people fromthe land in which at one time it seemed as if theywere permanently fixed. A remarkable combinationof events gave the Israelites in Moses the bestequipped leader that could be imagined. The very de-fects and weaknesses of the people were overruled toimpart the self-control, the sense of loyalty, the facultyof co-operation and above all the faith in Jehovah,which fitted them to enter upon their heritage inCanaan. We see here only what impresses the historicalstudent who undertakes the survey of any extendedperiod—the providential factor, through which eventsconspire to an end, but in this record it is writ thrusts itself upon us. We cannot escape
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