134 ASTRONOMYANDTHEBIBLE
Johnsawbeyondthecrashofearthlyempirestothe
kingdomofGod. AndAbrahamsawtothedeepsof
thematerialuniverse.
ItisthereforeclearenoughthatifAbrahamcould
havecountedallthestarstowhichGodcalledhisat-
tention,andtheywerebutwhatonewouldordinarily
see,sayaboutfifteenhundred,thenthiswholepassage
inGenesisfromtheliferecordofAbrahamisapiece
of nonsense,and presents a stupendous farce. God
speaksasthoughthetaskwereimpossible:"Tellthe
stars,ifthoubeabletonumberthem." IfAbraham
hadfoundhimselfabletonumberthem,wearequite
surethat he would have obeyed God, and told the
numberofthestars. ButAbrahamwassilent,awed
bythesight. Thetaskwasbeyondhim.
Accordingtothemodernskeptic,whoviewsitonly
from the merelyhuman standpoint, it was an easy
task;"therewerebutfifteenhundred." Thinkofthe
all-wiseCreatoroftheuniversecallingAbrahamout
tolookatfifteenhundredstars,andsaying,"Tellthe
stars,ifthoubeabletonumberthem."
Butas Abrahambeheldthecountless shiningorbs
ofheaven,nowfirstmadevisibletohimasseenfrom
the Creator's viewpoint, God brokeupon the awful
silencewiththerevelationofanothergreatfact: "So
shallthyseedbe." IfAbrahamsawthestarsasthey
really were, whatanoverwhelming factitwas: "So
shallthyseedbe." Surelyitmustdrawuponthefaith
ofevenAbraham;butwereadthatAbraham"believed
inthe Lord; and He [God] counted it to him for
righteousness." Butasthemoderncriticwould have