Jim Parker
Member
Bible 101 Lesson 3A
The next phase of the story begins, as usual, with a genealogy. Gen 11:10 “This is the genealogy of Shem: ….”
It is important that it begins with the line of Shem whose name means “Name” and is a reference to the name of God. It is this family line that will bring us eventually to Jesus of Nazareth.
Gen 11:31 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
Haran is very likely an area settled and controlled by Abram’s brother Haran.
So the next phase of the story begins with Terah taking his son Abram with his wife Sarai and grandson Lot out of Ur and moving to Haran.
It is in Haran that God tells Abram to move to a place that He will show Abram. ("I’ll tell you what land when you get there.")
Gen 12:1-4 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
God’s promises to Abram:
1. I will make you a great nation.
2. I will make your name great.
3. I will bless those who bless you.
4. I will curse those who curse you.
5. All the nations of the earth will be blessed in you.
So Abram settles in Canaan at Shechem and God makes another promise to Abram.
Gen 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”
Next we are introduced to a theme that will repeat itself in Genesis: There will be famine in Canaan and the Jews (Abram’s family) will take refuge in Egypt where there is food.
Gen 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Ok. So famine happens every now and then. That’s why the people from the Midwest moved to California in the 1930’s during the time of the “dust bowl.” You go where there is the means to survive.
But there is another wrinkle in the story which will be repeated a little later.
Gen 12:11-15 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
So what do you imagine was going in Pharaoh’s house between Pharaoh and this very beautiful woman? Playing Scrabble or charades? Probably not.
And how did Abram get along while Sarai his wife was playing scrabble with the Pharaoh?
Gen 12:16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Abram was getting wealthy.
When Pharaoh figures out that Sarai is Abram’s wife, he sends them away with all the sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels that Abram had gained while Sarai was otherwise occupied.
Gen 13:1-2 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
Notice that God doesn’t say to Abram about letting Sarai go play Scrabble with Pharaoh while he got rich as Pharaoh’s friend.
Lot also did well in Egypt and gained flocks and herds and servants so, when they went back to Canaan, there isn’t enough room for all of Abrams flocks and herds and all of Lot’s flocks and herds. So Lot decides to go across the Jordan where there is plenty of pasture for his herds.
Lot’s choice sets up later events as our decisions always do.
Gen 13:12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
And you already know what’s coming.
The next phase of the story begins, as usual, with a genealogy. Gen 11:10 “This is the genealogy of Shem: ….”
It is important that it begins with the line of Shem whose name means “Name” and is a reference to the name of God. It is this family line that will bring us eventually to Jesus of Nazareth.
Gen 11:31 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.
Haran is very likely an area settled and controlled by Abram’s brother Haran.
So the next phase of the story begins with Terah taking his son Abram with his wife Sarai and grandson Lot out of Ur and moving to Haran.
It is in Haran that God tells Abram to move to a place that He will show Abram. ("I’ll tell you what land when you get there.")
Gen 12:1-4 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
God’s promises to Abram:
1. I will make you a great nation.
2. I will make your name great.
3. I will bless those who bless you.
4. I will curse those who curse you.
5. All the nations of the earth will be blessed in you.
So Abram settles in Canaan at Shechem and God makes another promise to Abram.
Gen 12:7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.”
Next we are introduced to a theme that will repeat itself in Genesis: There will be famine in Canaan and the Jews (Abram’s family) will take refuge in Egypt where there is food.
Gen 12:10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land.
Ok. So famine happens every now and then. That’s why the people from the Midwest moved to California in the 1930’s during the time of the “dust bowl.” You go where there is the means to survive.
But there is another wrinkle in the story which will be repeated a little later.
Gen 12:11-15 And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.”
So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house.
So what do you imagine was going in Pharaoh’s house between Pharaoh and this very beautiful woman? Playing Scrabble or charades? Probably not.
And how did Abram get along while Sarai his wife was playing scrabble with the Pharaoh?
Gen 12:16 He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels.
Abram was getting wealthy.
When Pharaoh figures out that Sarai is Abram’s wife, he sends them away with all the sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels that Abram had gained while Sarai was otherwise occupied.
Gen 13:1-2 Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South. Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.
Notice that God doesn’t say to Abram about letting Sarai go play Scrabble with Pharaoh while he got rich as Pharaoh’s friend.
Lot also did well in Egypt and gained flocks and herds and servants so, when they went back to Canaan, there isn’t enough room for all of Abrams flocks and herds and all of Lot’s flocks and herds. So Lot decides to go across the Jordan where there is plenty of pasture for his herds.
Lot’s choice sets up later events as our decisions always do.
Gen 13:12 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the LORD.
And you already know what’s coming.
Speaking of changing names, Sarai is the one that God changes to Sarah (princess) later on right?