d time man proves a
failure, so far as obedience to God's law is concerned. Man in his
pride says, "Come, let us build," while God on his part says, "Come,
let us confound" (Gen. 11:4 and 7).

But little space is given in the Bible to these two periods, for they
are in reality preliminary to the third, which is of vastly more
importance than the two put together.

#5. Third Period.--Abraham to Kings.# Genesis 12 through to 1 Samuel
9. This is a most important period. Here God changes his method of
treating man. From henceforth he will chiefly communicate truth to
mankind through a chosen family and nation. Not that no man outside of
this circle can know God's will, but that especially through Abraham
and his seed God chooses to make his will known, until, in the fulness
of time, Jesus, the son of Abraham according to the flesh, shall come
and reveal clearly God's love and redemption to men.

In this section we have the story of the patriarchal family, first
coming out of Ur of the Chaldees, and living for a while in Canaan.
Then they go down to Egypt, and at last are oppressed. After being
welded together in the furnace of affliction they are brought out with
a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and in the wilderness they
receive the law of God through their great leader, Moses. Here too
they learn the way of acceptable worship, and are prepared for entry
into the Land of Promise. Then follows the conquest of the land under
Moses' successor, Joshua. Now comes the period of the Judges, when God
rules his people directly through these divinely called men. This is
easily seen to be a most important period. All this time Israel only
is monotheistic (believing in one God), but all the other nations of
the earth are grossly idolatrous. During this period we see that so
long as God's chosen people obey him they prosper, while as soon as
they disobey disasters begin to multiply.

In this period, too, was given that legislation which has been the
foundation of all the legislation of civilized nations from that time
to this. Here also we have the foundations of that system of types
that culminated in Jesus, great David's greater Son. Sacrifice, high
priest, tabernacle, here have their origin or their development. In
all the history of the world up to that time there was no period so
fraught with blessings for mankind as was this period.

#6. Fourth Period.--Kings to captivity.# 1 Samuel 9 to 2 Kings 25.
This may be divide