Who comes first, Abraham or Moses?

And Abraham lived 400 years before Moses was born. Modernists do not like to be reminded of how dogmatic they were in their statement that Moses could not have written the Pentateuch because writing, they said, was then not known. Now we know differently.

Moses came upon the scene more than two centuries after Abraham's death, and if writing was in vogue before Abraham's day, it was not difficult for Moses to have written the books attributed to him.

It is marvellous what ignorance prevails on this truth. I asked a christian brother the other day, if he could give me any reason whatever, from Scripture, for the opinion he held — that we in England and all men were under the law? Well, said he, “I should say because we are all the children of Moses.” I was somewhat startled, I confess, by this reason, but I do not know that I ever heard a better. “What do you mean,” said I, “by our all being the children of Moses?” “Well,” he replied, “I mean that we are all of the religion of Moses.” I felt there was sadly too much truth in this last sentence. I endeavoured to show him that the Scripture teaches, distinctly, that we who believe are of the same religion as Abraham. But he seemed to have never read that the law was not given to Abraham at all; no, not even until 430 years after him. Look carefully at Gal. 3:16-17, and see if this was not the case. Then if the law were not given to Abraham, or to any of the nations in his days, or during the 2,000 years before him, or to the nations for 500 years after him; how can it be shown that it was given to all nations? Surely, my reader, there must be great ignorance of Scripture on this subject.

Long before Socrates was born Abraham had the vision of the God of glory and became the father of the faithful for all time. Things were shaping in him and his descendants, in the ways of God, for the revelation of His holy word. Six centuries roll by, and we see Moses writing the inspired words that in time produced the Pentateuch. David wrote many psalms, prophets added their part. The Israelites were blessed with the presence of God in their midst and the knowledge of the Most High.

There follows a period of similar duration from ABRAM to MOSES marked by the Promises that ABRAM'S posterity should inherit the land of CANAAN, and that he should be the father of a heavenly race to "plant the heavens," and of an earthly race through which all nations should be blessed.

Take the Epistle to the Galatians. It is impossible to understand that epistle without a knowledge of Genesis and Exodus. In it the priority of grace is shown over the law in that Abraham, received the covenant of promise, that in his seed all nations should be blessed, 430 years before the law was given, whilst in Romans it is said, “he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised; that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised” (Rom. 4:11).

H. This too is. The form of the world in nations and peoples is founded on it. God then called out Abraham from the midst of this idolatry, and after a lapse of some 400 years, so that a people should be formed, brings them out of Egypt with a high hand, leads them to Sinai to give them His law — the rule of life for a child of Adam. What did they do before they had time to get it graven on stone, though they had heard the voice of God out of the midst of the fire?

Not until the coming into the world of the Son of God could there be the full revelation of the truth, but from earliest times parts of the truth were revealed to men. Adam knew the place that God had given to him in relation to the lower creation, and Cain and Abel had learned that approach to God could only be on the ground of sacrifice. God gave His covenant to Noah in connection with the earth, made promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and established His law with Israel through Moses, making Himself known as Almighty to Abraham and the patriarchs, and as Jehovah to Moses and Israel. Abraham’s servant knew the favoured place in which Abraham stood to God, for he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not left destitute my master of His mercy and His truth” (Gen. 24:27). Jacob was also aware of his place of privilege, saying, “O God of my father Abraham…If am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant” (Gen. 32:9-10).

After the flood evidently history repeated itself. Even Noah's posterity lapsed into idolatry, so much so that out of idolatrous surroundings Abraham was called. With the call of Abraham (Gen. 12:1) separation again comes into view. In the nation of Israel, which sprang from Abraham's loins, separation was rigidly enforced. The householder did indeed hedge his vineyard round about. (See Matt. 21:33.) The law of Moses, given at Sinai, is witness to the high and elaborate hedge of legal ordinances and provisions there instituted. Best of all, God vouchsafed the symbol of His presence in the midst of His people. Alluding to that presence, Moses said, "so shall we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth." (Ex. 33:16.)

Adam was the head of a fallen race, Abraham was the head and father of all that believe. When God had scattered the people of Babel, from among them He takes a people for Himself; then, having chosen Abraham, He gives him promises. The apostle in Galatians shews how the promises to Abraham could be neither disannulled nor added to. The law came in by the bye. To Abraham there was not a question of righteousness - no "if." The law was the perfect measure of what man ought to be. Before ever Moses came down from the mount the Israelites had made the golden calf. At last God says, "I have yet one Son," one thing more that I can do. The husbandmen cast Him out of the vineyard and slew Him.