Sundav School Lesson
(Continued from Page 2)
black days of exile is Babylon
another prophet dreamed of a
great new exodus across the
wilderness to Jerusalem. (Isaiah
K.lt)
Eventually Israelite thinkers
interpreted their entire history
in terms of the Exodus faith.
The forefathers of the nation
(Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob)
bad received the divine promise
that from them would come a
nation, the people of God's own
poaaession. (Genesis 12:1-7;
Joshua 24:2-4; Acts 13:17) The
covenant with the forefathers
foreshadowed and foretold the
greater covenant with the na
tion.
Within the framework of the
national covenant a third cove
nant was formed. God chose the ^
family of David to rule his j
chosen people forever. (2 Sam- |
uel 7:12-16; Psalms 132:11-12;
Acts 13:22) In bitter days of i
persecution Israel hoped not I
only for a new covenant ( Jere- '
miah 31:31-34) but also for a
new David.
Jesus Christ Fulfills
The New Testament writers
balieved that Jesus Christ ful
filled and completed the three
Old Testament covenants. In
him, as in the Exodus, God had
acted to free the people from
bondage ? this time from bond
age to their own weakness and
self-will.
The new covenant in Christ
created a new people of God,
the Christian church. It was not
a racial group; it had no limi- I
tations except those set by
faith. (Galatians 3:28)
Like the Abrahamic covenant,
the new covenant in Christ was
made with those who received
the Word in belief and obedi
ence. (Genesis 12:1-7; 15:6; Acts
13:38-39; Romans 4:1-3)
Jesus Christ fulfills the Da
vidic covenant by establishing
the kingdom of God. He does so,
not by victory over hostile ar
mies, but by overcoming the
inward enemies that dehuma
nize and enslave man.
Thus the theme of God's re
demptive acts In history, begin
ning in the Old Testament and
running on to its climax in the
New, holds the Testaments to
gether.
What the Scripture Saps to Us
The Bible is a unity in its
understanding of how God re
veals himself. He makes him
self known in the realm of hu
man life and experience ? in
what we call history. The Bible,
however, is interested not in
world history but in the history
of the people of God. It views
this special history in a special
way ? as a record of the saving
acts of God toward his people.
In Deuteronomy 26:7-9; Jos
hua 24:3-8; Acts 13:17, 23 the
subject of the verbs is always
God. He and he alone does the
acts of deliverance that give
direction and meaning to his
people's history.
(Continued on Page 8)
What makes the Piedmont great
^<1
? t
A riding accident in the 1830's left
Ann Pamela Cunningham of Laurens
County, S. C? an invalid. But it didn't
leave her helpless. In fact, through great
strength of purpose, Ann Pamela Cun
ningham made a significant contribu
tion to the history of the Piedmont and the nation.
One evening in 1 853 Ann's mother passed by Mount
Vernon, the home of our first president. What she saw
appalled her. The historic plantation was rotting away.
She told Ann something had to be done. And Ann re
sponded. She started with a letter to a Charleston news
paper, calling upon the women of the South to help
save Mount Vernon.
The response came. It came first from the women
of Laurens County. The fight was on.
Ann organized the Mount Vernon Ladies Associa
tion and became its first regent. The association needed
$200,000 to purchase the plantation and give it to the
Commonwealth of Virginia.
Ann
Cunningham's
gift to the Country
I
When the money began to come in,
the association then prepared a charter
and presented it to John Washington,
the owner. But Washington refused to
sell. He was unsure of the intentions of
the association.
Ann Cunningham would not quit. Then the Northern
prtss joined her cause. And the movement became na
tional. Another charter was prepared for Washington.
Another refusal. And the contributions dwindled. Ann
then asked Virginia to buy it and promised to pay the
state back. But Virginia wouldn't take a chance on her.
At this point, John Washington relented. He realized
that the intentions of Ann Cunningham were honor
able and he respected her valiant fight.
Mount Vernon was saved for the nation.
Ann Cunningham and the women of Laurens
County exemplify the spirit that made this area great.
And it is in that spirit that Duke Power is working
today for an even greater Piedmont.
Duke Power
Free reprints of this scries are available through your local Duke Power office.