Abraham 1: Show Me You Love Me
Genesis tells a story about a developing nation. The first 11 chapters cover a long time period, about 20 generations, and many major events… creation, fall, flood, the earth’s being repopulated, and people being scattered over the earth. Whew!
Ten generations past Noah, we enter the life of Abraham, and the rest of Genesis (nearly 40 chapters) are dedicated to him and the three generations that follow him.
A Few Facts About Abraham
A descendant of Noah’s son, Shem
Father: Terah
Two brothers: Nahor and Haran
Abram (“exalted father”) was 99 years old when God changed his name to Abraham (“father of a great number”)
It would be normal to assume Abraham came from a devout, God-fearing family; in actuality, his father, Terah, worshipped heathen gods. (Joshua 24:2)
While living in Ur of the Chaldees, he received a life-changing call:
With his father, wife, and nephew Lot (son of his deceased brother, Haran) Abram left home behind and set out for the land Canaan. They got as far as Harran where they settled and were still living when Abram’s father died.
Off We Go (Again)
Some folks don’t want to step out of their comfort zone at any age, and then there’s Abram…. How would you like to begin a new life at 75 years old? What kind of faith would compel you to do that? But Abram had a call to follow:
So he packs up and sets out again. Off toward Canaan went Abram, taking his wife and his nephew (Lot) as well as the possessions and people they had acquired while in Harran.
From Sarai (Princess) to Sarah (Mother of Nations)
The story of Abram’s wife gives me great comfort in knowing that, even with all of my flaws, I can still be useful in God’s plan. Scripture isn’t shy about depicting Sarah as a less than perfect individual, yet what a leading lady she is as the matriarch in the lineage of Christ. She is the mother of generations, the mother of promise.
Show Me How Much You Love Me!
As they moved about, Abram asked of his wife an unusual demonstration of love:
Apparently, while dangerous to have a beautiful wife, having a beautiful sister could be quite the stroke of good fortune. I’m not sure how murder is more acceptable than adultery, but it seems many people consider it an acceptable option. (If you don’t believe this, there’s a wealth of true crime drama out there that proves it!)
“I’m his sister” wasn’t a complete lie; she was his ½ sister, after all. And it worked… kind of. Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s harem. Abram was well treated and prosperous because of her.
However, things weren’t going so great for Pharaoh, as he and his household were stricken with “serious diseases.”
So Abram was sent away…. not only with his life and his wife in tact but also all of his possessions. Overall this seems to have worked out pretty well for him. I have no idea how many times Abram and Sarai might have pulled off this ruse, but there is one more instance recorded. Many years and eight chapters later, we have virtually the same scenario in another place and with another ruler. This time they were in Gerar and the ruler was King Abimelek.
I’d think the king would be looking for young women, and by this time “Sarai” was far from young. She’d already become “Sarah” (which happened when she was around 90). Nevertheless…. King Abimelek sent for her.
Needless to say, this was not welcome news:
Abraham’s “partial truths” are causing problems for others; however, they seem to be doing just the opposite for him. In fact, it looks like he’s coming out better each time! In the incident with Pharaoh, he’d been sent away (albeit safely and with his possessions); this time he’s given MORE possessions …. sheep, cattle, slaves, and money AND allowed to stay in the land … even to have his pick of where he wanted to live.
I’d love to make a point here, but I don’t know what it would be. I’m fascinated and a little confused. On one hand, while deception isn’t generally considered honorable, and obviously the deceived folks didn’t appreciate the ruse, Abraham’s “white lies” sure didn’t jeopardize him physically or economically. (I’m not suggesting any financial motives here, just noticing the outcome; I’d fib to to save my husband’s life, too.)
They also don’t seem to have gotten him into any trouble with God. In fact, in speaking to Abimelek, God referred to Abraham as a prophet, and when Abraham prayed on behalf of Abimelek and his family, God answered:
With each use of this deception, however, Abraham and Sarah hurt “innocent” people. Then again, who knows? What if the rulers (not knowing the power of Abram’s God) had killed him to have his wife? I’d say a period of illness and infertility was a minor price considering the disaster that could have befallen them!
That said, Abram’s God was and is all powerful. He had plans for Abram and had promised to make him into a great nation. One thing that we know about God is that He is capable of accomplishing His own plans and doesn’t require our interventions, but I think it’s human nature to forget that.
I’m not saying this applied to Abram but it certainly does to me. Anyone else ever guilty of verbally confessing God’s sovereignty but behaving as if God needed help to achieve His plans?
How often do we feel the need to jump in there with a nudge (or several) in effort to force something we’ve convinced ourselves is “meant to be”?
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Parting Ways
Backing up to a point between these two incidents, let’s look at something that happened between Abram and his nephew, Lot. They have been moving about together but as they prospered, they reached a point where the land couldn’t support them both. Having outgrown their ability to share a space, Abram proposes that they split up and go in different directions, and He gives Lot first choice as to land.
Growing up, my “take-away”from this story was that Abraham was generous for letting Lot choose first and Lot was selfish for choosing “the best land” but I’m not at all sure this is the point here!
Lot did settle in the well watered Jordan plain, pitching his tents near Sodom, and Abram lived in Canaan. If Abram felt badly about it, we aren’t given any indication of it.
Good ground aside, Lot’s land choice had something going against it that no amount of water and no level of fertility could make up for:
2 Peter 2:7-8 describes Lot as “a righteous man who was distressed by the depraved conduct” and says that he, “living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard.”
Abraham definitely ended up with the better part of that deal! On top of that, he’s just where he needs to be, and the Lord has great plans for his being there:
As far as I can see, there’s no indication of any hard feelings between Abram and Lot. The day comes when a badly failed strategy by the king of Sodom, in alliance with four other kings, results in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah being looted. In the chaos, Lot is taken captive. Upon hearing the news, Abram organizes a huge rescue team, goes after them, and recovers both the plunder and captives (including Lot).
I Pledge Allegiance to the Lord
Returning from his rescue operation, Abram is greeted by the King of Sodom and here we have another insight into his character:
In his refusal to take anything from the King of Sodom, Abram demonstrates what he values; it isn’t money or material possessions but rather his loyalty to God. By rejecting the offer, he wisely avoids creating any future obligation to the king.
I just want to mention one more person we are introduced to at the time Abram returns from rescuing Lot. I’m not sure how it came about that he entered the picture here, but I’m very sure I’m not alone in being quite mystified about him; we’re talking about Melchizedek.
Here’s everything we know about him:
Are you as perplexed as I am?
Back to Abram, let’s rest here and regroup. We’ve already seen a lot of traits to admire… Generosity, Willingness to take a risk, and Fidelity to name a few.
At this point, he and Sarai are still childless… but they’re on the verge of some BIG news and BIG changes!
We’ll pick up here next time. Thanks for reading and I always welcome your comments.
Until then, Kim