Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2: Don't you sometimes wonder what it would be like to
Speaker 2: have a nation all of your own, to make a
Speaker 2: name for yourself, rather than relying on the name of another.
Speaker 1: Lots questions done. Abram had a dysfunctional relationship with greatness
Speaker 1: and legacy, having no child of his own or any
Speaker 1: hope for one on the horizon, he knew whatever he
Speaker 1: gained would be dispersed among his servants and relatives. Nothing
Speaker 1: would live on beyond him. Abram didn't aim for greatness. Instead,
Speaker 1: he remained reliable, steady, and predictable.
Speaker 3: Apron Who's there?
Speaker 1: Abram could feel the presence of the voice, but couldn't
Speaker 1: capture its source.
Speaker 4: Abram, you are to go out from your land, leave
Speaker 4: your father's house and your relatives behind, and go to
Speaker 4: the land.
Speaker 1: I will show you images of a few cure Abram
Speaker 1: could barely understand. Flickered in and out of focus in
Speaker 1: his mind's eye faster than he could discern, But the
Speaker 1: intent was clear. He was to have a legacy, but
Speaker 1: the one locked pindfall.
Speaker 5: You'd have to trust me, sirah I I have weighed
Speaker 5: the cost, But more importantly, I know in my heart
Speaker 5: who must follow the words of this God.
Speaker 6: Abram, look at me? Are we to upend our entire
Speaker 6: way of life on the words of a random God.
Speaker 1: Abram didn't know why this God chose him. He wasn't
Speaker 1: a substantial or charismatic man. He wasn't even the greatest
Speaker 1: in his household. How would he accomplish all it had foretold?
Speaker 1: Even still, with this God's voice reverberating in his mind,
Speaker 1: he felt a confidence flicker in his heart. He could
Speaker 1: become great.
Speaker 7: God formed the heavens and the earth with words of truth.
Speaker 7: Creation is an act of truth telling, and therefore lying
Speaker 7: is an act of decreation, essentially working against God's will.
Speaker 7: Shallow may friends from here in the Holy Land. I'm
Speaker 7: ya l e Stein with the International Fellowship of Christians
Speaker 7: and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. Each day
Speaker 7: we'll hear a dramatic story inspired by the Bible, stories
Speaker 7: filled with timeless lessons of faith and love and the
Speaker 7: meaning of life. Through israel story, we find this truth
Speaker 7: that we are all chosen for something great. Let's begin.
Speaker 7: Imagine yourself in a land gripped by famine. The dust swirls,
Speaker 7: the sun beats down the earth lays parched and barren.
Speaker 7: Your only choice is to remain thirsty and starving in
Speaker 7: this desolate land, or venture into a den of wicked men.
Speaker 7: In our story today, Abram is faced with this very choice.
Speaker 7: In this story inspired by Genesis twelve, Abraham, a man
Speaker 7: of promised greatness, now stands on the brink of desperation.
Speaker 7: Will he trust in the unseen? Or will Abram, like
Speaker 7: so many of us, grasp at the tangible, the immediate,
Speaker 7: the here.
Speaker 1: And the now. Abram and Lot were exhausted after overseeing
Speaker 1: the grueling Sir John south through the notoriously treacherous desert
Speaker 1: called the Negev. A devastating famine had swept through the land.
Speaker 1: It compelled their band of expatriates to carry their wealth
Speaker 1: on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the
Speaker 1: humps of camels, until they were eventually forced to enter
Speaker 1: the Lions and Vipers territory on the long barrel and
Speaker 1: desert road to Egypt. The Egyptians and Canaanites reaped the
Speaker 1: benefits of long established prosperous trade routes, so seeking help
Speaker 1: and refuge in Egypt was the only option for Abram
Speaker 1: and Lot's people relieved, but wary of their new neighbors.
Speaker 1: They were finally settling their tents and livestock in the
Speaker 1: unoccupied lands outside of the city of An, the gateway
Speaker 1: city to the mighty Egyptian nation.
Speaker 2: Abram, Abram, what did I tell you? No, don't look over,
Speaker 2: but listen carefully. That's the fifth time I've got them
Speaker 2: staring today.
Speaker 3: That's all right?
Speaker 8: Yes?
Speaker 3: Oh no, now.
Speaker 2: They're whispering between themselves.
Speaker 1: Abram chanced to look over to the Egyptian officials patrolling
Speaker 1: their camp, a condition of the temporary occupation of their lands.
Speaker 1: Sure enough, the men's eyes lingered on his wife again
Speaker 1: and again, taking their fill. An uneasy pit formed in
Speaker 1: Abram's stomach, and he struggled to master the fury and
Speaker 1: fear rising within him.
Speaker 3: I should tell her to go inside and stay out
Speaker 3: of sight. Oh no, that won't do any good. They've
Speaker 3: already seen her.
Speaker 5: Do you think they know she's my wife?
Speaker 3: Have you or any of the servants spoken to them me?
Speaker 2: No, way, I haven't said a word. What do you think, Abram?
Speaker 2: What do you think they do as they if they
Speaker 2: wanted her?
Speaker 3: I fear, what would happen to me or you or
Speaker 3: any of our household, or workers, for that matter, if
Speaker 3: they were to decide to take her from me by force,
Speaker 3: I'm no good to any of you. Dead, I can't
Speaker 3: carry out this calling if I'm dead. Perhaps perhaps there's
Speaker 3: a way to save myself.
Speaker 1: Abram fell silent for a long while. The stress of
Speaker 1: responsibility in the fear of failure squeezed his chest. A
Speaker 1: thousand different future scenarios raced through his mind. He thought
Speaker 1: about all the potential dangers and avenues of destruction. He
Speaker 1: thought out loud beside his nephew spirally, this.
Speaker 3: Is a brutal land. If they want Sir I, they're
Speaker 3: not going to ask. They'll take her and kill me.
Speaker 3: Then what everyone here will scatter? My father's wealth will
Speaker 3: be gone, and the legacy I was called to carry
Speaker 3: will disappear.
Speaker 9: Let's say they ask about her, What will you say?
Speaker 3: What will you do? If I tell them she's my wife,
Speaker 3: they'll kill me. But if I tell them she's my sister,
Speaker 3: they'll probably spare me.
Speaker 9: You realize this ruse would mean that you could lose
Speaker 9: your wife.
Speaker 3: Yes, but perhaps it would also allow me the benefit
Speaker 3: of time. It's time to find a way out. Only
Speaker 3: just reached safety and can't risk upsetting or offending our hosts.
Speaker 9: Yeah, not to mention, we'd probably benefit from any potential
Speaker 9: suitors Sarah might have not.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry, Uncle, I'm sorry.
Speaker 9: But you have to admit gaining the Egyptian's favor and
Speaker 9: filling our coffers wouldn't exactly hurt.
Speaker 3: I mean, look at us, Abram. Look at the state
Speaker 3: of her clothes. Look at how the numbers of our
Speaker 3: herds have dwindled. We're practically skeletons. This famine has taken
Speaker 3: its toll on all of us. I admit we could
Speaker 3: use the resources, Apram, Abram, I get it. This is
Speaker 3: a tough spot to be in.
Speaker 8: Believe me.
Speaker 3: I know.
Speaker 9: Frankly, I think if we're gonna be in this precarious situation,
Speaker 9: why not benefit from it.
Speaker 3: I'm sorry it has to be you, but I'm certain
Speaker 3: no what's.
Speaker 9: Given my wife a second glance. With the way she
Speaker 9: frets and fusses overs day and night, no one would mistake.
Speaker 3: Her for an unnarried woman.
Speaker 9: Believe you me, Eh, be that as it may. I
Speaker 9: don't envy the conversation you're about to have with your wife.
Speaker 1: Later that day, Abram, steeled himself as he drew back
Speaker 1: the entrance of their tent. Sarai was seated inside and
Speaker 1: mending one of his tunics. Though far past her prime,
Speaker 1: SARAHI was undeniably beautiful, every bit as regal and striking
Speaker 1: as befitted their noble bloodline. Though Abram had known her
Speaker 1: since they were children, and they had been married for
Speaker 1: well over half their lives, there were still moments when
Speaker 1: her beauty took his breath away. Abram was lost in
Speaker 1: his thoughts, again pausing at the tense entrance. He was
Speaker 1: vibrating in place, nearly shaking with paranoia and self doubt.
Speaker 1: His love for Sarah ran deep, but the uncertainty of
Speaker 1: the future plagued his mind. He was lost in an
Speaker 1: imaginary world, unable to escape his stillness at the entryway.
Speaker 1: Drew her gaze, and he smiled tenderly pleased. She smiled
Speaker 1: warmly back.
Speaker 3: What is it, Apram, Sir? I, I must ask you something.
Speaker 3: It's very important that we are aligned in this matter.
Speaker 6: I am your wife, you are my husband and lord.
Speaker 6: You know I will support you.
Speaker 3: Yes, you are steady as the Northern star, My dear,
Speaker 3: I couldn't have asked for a better wife. In fact,
Speaker 3: this is the matter I must speak to you about.
Speaker 6: You're making me nervous with that tone.
Speaker 3: What is it You've drawn the attention of Pharaoh's officials,
Speaker 3: and because of that we should be prepared to tell them.
Speaker 3: You're my sister, not my wife. This is for your
Speaker 3: protection as as well as my own. If you've drawn
Speaker 3: the eye of a prominent Egyptian as your brother, my
Speaker 3: life would be spared.
Speaker 6: So you'd lie.
Speaker 3: It's not an outright lie. We do share a father, Abram.
Speaker 6: You would tell a half truth and deny me the
Speaker 6: protection of my husband. Lie to spare yourself and ship
Speaker 6: me off to an Egyptian war lord.
Speaker 1: Abram winced, his resolution wavered at her directness. In its
Speaker 1: wake came guilt, and he was ashamed to admit it.
Speaker 1: Instead of listening to his wife's hurt, Abram became defensive.
Speaker 1: The cost of the mission was too great to feel
Speaker 1: remorse for his plan. Now the guilt lingered, but he
Speaker 1: shoved it down and again summoned his resolve.
Speaker 3: Sir, I don't think you fully grasped the danger we
Speaker 3: are in that I am in. I've seen more of
Speaker 3: the world than you, I know what these foreign men.
Speaker 10: Would do to a man with the wife they desire,
Speaker 10: And so you would oversee the bidding for my hand
Speaker 10: except the favors of my suitors. This is something you
Speaker 10: could abide by.
Speaker 3: Sir I. This gives me no pleasure, but in this
Speaker 3: way we would preserve our future family and secure our future.
Speaker 3: Who would lead our people if not me? You know this,
Speaker 3: God has compelled us to leave our home. We've already
Speaker 3: strayed too far from the land I was promised. I
Speaker 3: must prevent any other missteps. This pretense could spare my
Speaker 3: life and buy me the time to write the course.
Speaker 6: And you are to achieve what was promised us alone.
Speaker 3: It is my way to bear my responsibility to trust
Speaker 3: in my destiny. I'm not asking you to have this
Speaker 3: same faith I have, but I am asking that you
Speaker 3: trust me. Your preservation is also my responsibility, and this
Speaker 3: is the only way I see both of us surviving
Speaker 3: should the inevitable come to pass. We don't have time
Speaker 3: to flee, and this ruse will buy me the time
Speaker 3: I need to plan away out. I will not fail you.
Speaker 6: You would abandon me here. You don't understand you're right
Speaker 6: about that, Abram I don't understand, but I also don't
Speaker 6: have the benefit of denying your will. So here I
Speaker 6: am a bride for sale to the highest bidder.
Speaker 1: And as it had before, that settled the matter. What
Speaker 1: Abram and Lott had feared and predicted did indeed come
Speaker 1: to pass. Soon after Sarah's disheartening conversation with her husband,
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's officials called. To Serai's surprise, Pharaoh himself had taken
Speaker 1: an interest in her. He had recently built an estate
Speaker 1: in the city of n to more firmly take a
Speaker 1: foothold at his nation's border in light of the influx
Speaker 1: of migrants pouring in in response to the famine in
Speaker 1: the land. Widely known as a man who appreciated art
Speaker 1: and beautiful things, beautiful women included, he paid close attention
Speaker 1: to the reports of the more attractive women who arrived
Speaker 1: in their caravan from Canaan. What had taken place in
Speaker 1: the week since was a flurry of attention and favors,
Speaker 1: all to Abram's benefit and to the delight of Lot
Speaker 1: and his wife, who benefited by association. Meeting no resistance
Speaker 1: from Abram, Serai had been taken to Pharaoh's household and
Speaker 1: added to his hareem of women. At first, Sarahi could
Speaker 1: not stomach the adjustment, but she was surprised to find
Speaker 1: how quickly she warmed to the Pharaoh's affections. Pharaoh was
Speaker 1: pleased with her and began to court her outright, Abram,
Speaker 1: her brother, receiving gift after gift as their flocks and
Speaker 1: coffers grew. Sarrai hated herself for it and regretted how
Speaker 1: she had behaved in her vanity had been preferred by fairer.
Speaker 1: It all felt like a great betrayal of everything she
Speaker 1: had known her entire life, but she had to admit
Speaker 1: that she had not felt cherished in a long time.
Speaker 1: Abram had become distant and preoccupied of late, taking on
Speaker 1: his responsibilities as burdens, never asking for help, and blindly
Speaker 1: trusting in a god she had yet to see or
Speaker 1: hear herself. She had long held back her doubts about
Speaker 1: this promise to Abram, about having a family. They had
Speaker 1: tried for years to produce an air and failed. Baron
Speaker 1: was her badge. This would lightly did her the pharaoh,
Speaker 1: as he had plenty of women to carry his children. Instead,
Speaker 1: he seemed determined to make her a wife regardless a
Speaker 1: prize he could flaunt in the faces of her dear
Speaker 1: indebted as they were to him, as they were forced
Speaker 1: to inhabit his land, she knew the courting period was closing,
Speaker 1: perhaps even that evening, since Pharaoh had asked Sarria's family
Speaker 1: to dine with them. Sarai was unsure whether or not
Speaker 1: Abram had devised a way to get her out of
Speaker 1: this impending commitment to Pharaoh, but her anxiety grew each day.
Speaker 1: There was a finality to this predicament that left a
Speaker 1: pit in Sarai's stomach. And if she was made to
Speaker 1: go through with this marriage to Pharaoh, would Abram be
Speaker 1: forced to abandon the promise he had uprooted their lives for.
Speaker 1: And if she did, even the slim hope of ever
Speaker 1: having a child would be impossible. Sarahi dared not hope
Speaker 1: for a miracle as grand as that, But perhaps she
Speaker 1: could ask this God for rescue from her impending marriage
Speaker 1: to Pharaoh. Perhaps she could muster a bit of faith
Speaker 1: in Abram's God if he rescued her from these circumstances.
Speaker 1: Abram was seen in the seat of honor at Pharaoh's table.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh was lounging at the head of the great table. Meats,
Speaker 1: cheeses and fruit laced the table. Abram Lot and his
Speaker 1: wife sat as guests, partaking in the king's decadence. Pharaoh
Speaker 1: was an imposing man with thick arms in a deep voice.
Speaker 1: His clean shaven face revealed his broad jaw and muscular neck.
Speaker 1: Abram trembled in his presence. He was a man of power,
Speaker 1: not just physically but militarily. Abram's entire company could be
Speaker 1: wiped out instantly if he met the eye of Pharaoh.
Speaker 1: For that reason, he trod lightly. Sarai's dignity may be
Speaker 1: the price he had to pay for his safety. Sarai
Speaker 1: tried to catch his eye or read his face for
Speaker 1: any sign of reassurance, but Abram fixed his eyes anywhere
Speaker 1: but his wife. Sarai's heart began to sink, and she
Speaker 1: desperately reached out in a silent prayer to his God,
Speaker 1: hoping beyond hope the deliverance would come.
Speaker 8: Sarai, my beauty, you seem distracted this evening. Are You're
Speaker 8: not delighted to hear that your brother Abrahm and I
Speaker 8: have finally agreed on your dowry. You are to be
Speaker 8: one of my brides at last.
Speaker 6: Oh, I am my lord, thank you. Your generosity is overwhelming.
Speaker 6: You have already shown me such kindness that I could
Speaker 6: hardly hope for anything more. You honor me, and you
Speaker 6: honor my family as well, especially my faithful brother.
Speaker 8: Quite right, his honor has proven true, and I have
Speaker 8: made him a wealthy man because of it. Your family
Speaker 8: will live in luxury and above your stations, sure to
Speaker 8: be the envy of the other refugees in my country.
Speaker 9: We drink to you and your hospitality, Oh illustrious one.
Speaker 6: We are in your debt and your loyal servants, Your Highness.
Speaker 1: SARAHI watched Abram as they all lifted their cups to
Speaker 1: honor the pharaoh, but he said nothing.
Speaker 6: How soon until we can begin preparations, my lord?
Speaker 8: Huh so eager, my beauty. We can begin making arrangements tomorrow.
Speaker 6: Oh Sarah, you must let me help you, as you
Speaker 6: know I've had so much experience in these matters.
Speaker 1: The conversation prattled on and washed over Sarai without her contribution,
Speaker 1: as she continued to watch Abram's disengagement from across the table.
Speaker 1: It wasn't until a pretty serving girl appeared at his
Speaker 1: elbow to take a plate away that he re engaged
Speaker 1: with the world around him.
Speaker 3: Thank you. What is your name?
Speaker 6: My name is Hagar.
Speaker 1: Is there anything else I can get you? Master?
Speaker 3: No, thank you, I don't need anything.
Speaker 8: Hagar, Abraham, as my servant peaked your interest. Consider her
Speaker 8: a part of my daddy, a gift for bringing me
Speaker 8: such a lovely wife.
Speaker 3: Your generosity knows no bounds.
Speaker 1: Zerri, And though she knew her husband did not intend
Speaker 1: to wound her with these words, she fumed that the
Speaker 1: only kindness her husband seemingly had to spare was for
Speaker 1: some stranger and not his own wife. She managed to
Speaker 1: sit quietly for the rest of the feast, speaking only
Speaker 1: when a response was warranted. Later, alone in her quarters
Speaker 1: for the night, she wept in the silence that everyone
Speaker 1: had abandoned her deliverance she thought was not coming. She
Speaker 1: looked out her window, staring up at the stars. She
Speaker 1: was anxious and afraid, But in that moment of sorrow,
Speaker 1: an other worldly stillness settled around her. She couldn't quite
Speaker 1: understand it, but the presence of God was with her
Speaker 1: at that moment. It had a weight to it, and
Speaker 1: she could sworn she felt some comforting arms wrap around her.
Speaker 1: That night, under a canopy of stars and uncertainty, SARAHI,
Speaker 1: despite her tears, felt comforted. Abram had failed her, but
Speaker 1: the God of Abram wouldn't. That night, working in the
Speaker 1: margins of Pharaoh's dreams, God was at work. He would
Speaker 1: come to defend her. Wake up, Abram opened his eyes
Speaker 1: to see two spears inches away from his throat. Pharaoh's
Speaker 1: men had entered his tent, poised to strike if he
Speaker 1: struggled or screamed.
Speaker 3: What's happening? Why have you come here? Silence?
Speaker 8: Pharaoh has summoned you follow us, or feel the tips
Speaker 8: of ours spears.
Speaker 1: Abram wrapped himself up and followed the men to the palace.
Speaker 1: Once again, his mind raced with imaginary scenarios. Had Sarai
Speaker 1: given up? Had she conspired against him? Was Larah going
Speaker 1: to kill him? Or go back on his word? Abram
Speaker 1: shuffled on his feet nervously in the receiving hall of
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's palace, And what was stranger still was that the palace,
Speaker 1: usually humming with activity from servants, merchants, guests, and officials,
Speaker 1: was eerily quiet. Abram heard rumors that a sudden sickness
Speaker 1: was rampant in Pharaoh's household. It wasn't unusual for a
Speaker 1: disease to sweep through a city, but if the rumors
Speaker 1: were to be believed, the sickness seemed only to effect
Speaker 1: those inside the palace grounds. The accounts also claimed that
Speaker 1: they were miraculously healed when people left the premises. It
Speaker 1: was almost as if an angry god had cursed Pharaoh
Speaker 1: and his household. In a rare, fleeting moment of concern
Speaker 1: for his wife, Abram wondered if Sarah had also fallen ill.
Speaker 1: Perhaps that was why Pharaoh had summoned him to tell
Speaker 1: him news of his wife's death, as if in response
Speaker 1: to his thoughts. Pharaoh's stormed into the receiving hall, and
Speaker 1: Abram dropped to his knees in reverence for the ruler
Speaker 1: and his soon to be.
Speaker 4: Brother in law sam Abraa.
Speaker 1: Abram stood but waited for Pharaoh to speak first. He
Speaker 1: could not help but notice the paleness of his skin
Speaker 1: and the glassiness of his eyes. He wondered if the
Speaker 1: Pharaoh was afflicted by this mysterious illness as well.
Speaker 8: What have you done to me?
Speaker 3: Your highness? Forgive me, but I do not understand your meaning.
Speaker 1: When Abram looked up at the Pharaoh, he quickly averted
Speaker 1: his eyes again. It was hard to tell, and he
Speaker 1: didn't want to be caught staring too long, but the
Speaker 1: skin visible at his collar and sleeves looked raw and
Speaker 1: red from scratching, perhaps from boils. He was a ghastly
Speaker 1: sight daunts you.
Speaker 8: This disease upon my household, upon my very person, has
Speaker 8: come over us too quickly to be something the natural world.
Speaker 8: Which of your beck country gods have you called the
Speaker 8: pant to curse me?
Speaker 3: Your highness? I would never.
Speaker 8: No, no, you'd deny your involvement in this matter.
Speaker 3: Forgive me, Pharaoh. I do not know how this came
Speaker 3: to be, or if anyone has been involved, but you
Speaker 3: must believe me I had no part in it.
Speaker 8: M No, I don't believe someone as lowly as you
Speaker 8: could call harm upon me.
Speaker 1: Pharaoh paused and fixed Abram with an unflinching and inscrutable stare.
Speaker 1: Abram remembered that the Egyptians considered their pharaohs to be
Speaker 1: gods themselves when they ascended to their thrones. He also
Speaker 1: remembered that the Egyptians were deeply superstitious, though given what
Speaker 1: had happened, Abram could not say he could take issue
Speaker 1: with that way of thinking.
Speaker 8: You could not do this to me, but perhaps that
Speaker 8: is something I have done to anger the gods.
Speaker 3: Surely you have done nothing wrong, your highness. You have
Speaker 3: treated both your subjects and even strangers like myself with
Speaker 3: great kindness.
Speaker 8: We have to agree on this matter. I am Pharaoh,
Speaker 8: I am the image of Rah. I am the morning
Speaker 8: and evening Star, acting as an arm of the gods themselves.
Speaker 8: I have consulted my priests, and we cannot find any
Speaker 8: reason that justifies this lad unless, of course, I have
Speaker 8: caught the eye of another god, a foreign god. Abraham,
Speaker 8: have you been completely truthful with.
Speaker 3: Me, your highness? What are you accusing me of.
Speaker 8: There's been a bit of gossip that has reached my ears.
Speaker 8: I admit I didn't want to believe it initially, because
Speaker 8: you enthusiastically encouraged my actions. Surely, an honest man such
Speaker 8: as yourself would not accept gift after gift if he
Speaker 8: did not desire the courtship to come to fruition.
Speaker 1: Abram's heart caught in his chest. Adrenaline pulsed through his body,
Speaker 1: as every fear he had in come into this place,
Speaker 1: became realized.
Speaker 8: Abram, who is said I to you.
Speaker 3: Your Highness, I beg forgiveness, Sir, I is my wife,
Speaker 3: just as your spies have surely told you the gossip.
Speaker 3: It's true. I was afraid of what would happen to
Speaker 3: me if a man desired my wife. I never guessed
Speaker 3: she would be chosen by the most powerful man in
Speaker 3: the world. I didn't know how to escape my deception,
Speaker 3: which had gone on for too long. Forgive me and
Speaker 3: take pity on a man who fears not for his
Speaker 3: own life, but for the lives of many that he
Speaker 3: is responsible for. Please spare my life, Please spessialize as well.
Speaker 3: She was only doing what I asked of her.
Speaker 8: Oh you dear, beg me for mercy. You received treasures
Speaker 8: from my trove based on a lie, and you dare
Speaker 8: ask for more. You don't deserve my mercy. You deserve
Speaker 8: to hang with the crows to slowly pecketer eyes. Nevertheless,
Speaker 8: if your God is powerful enough to wipe out my household,
Speaker 8: I have no choice but to spare high and said
Speaker 8: I too, I believe that she is as innocent as
Speaker 8: I am in this matter.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Lord Pharaoh.
Speaker 8: Thank you Ford, thank me as if we are friends,
Speaker 8: for getting a quarrel.
Speaker 3: I want you and your God far.
Speaker 8: Away from me and my lane. Take your wife and
Speaker 8: take the flocks and giefs I have given you. That's
Speaker 8: auld assuage your God and lift the plagues from my household.
Speaker 1: Abram sighed in relief and sagged to the floor. His
Speaker 1: heart still beat wildly in his chest, but he thanked
Speaker 1: Pharaoh profusely. Even as his attendants brought forth a perplexed
Speaker 1: Sarah and ushered them out. Abram was relieved to observe
Speaker 1: that she didn't appear to be sick. Abram could only
Speaker 1: assume she was the sole exception to the curse that
Speaker 1: had wreaked havoc on Pharaoh's household. Abram wasn't sure how
Speaker 1: to apologize, so he didn't.
Speaker 3: You're right, yes.
Speaker 1: Abram and Sarah hurried from the palace to make arrangements
Speaker 1: to leave immediately for fear that the Pharaoh might change
Speaker 1: his mind. As they fled, Sarah kept her eyes on
Speaker 1: the ground ahead of her that the same awe he
Speaker 1: felt was written all over her face. The god who
Speaker 1: had caught them out of haroon and led them to
Speaker 1: Canaan was at work. Even the words Pharaoh uttered was
Speaker 1: seemingly placed in his mouth by Abram's God, as if
Speaker 1: to remind Abram of the call that had been bestowed
Speaker 1: upon him.
Speaker 4: Abram, you are to go out from your land.
Speaker 1: Abram felt rebuked by Pharaoh's words, by God God's words,
Speaker 1: and knew that, despite his assuredness that he was doing
Speaker 1: what he thought was right, he never should have left
Speaker 1: the land he had been promised. His mistakes had almost
Speaker 1: cost him and Sarah their integrity and their lives. Abram
Speaker 1: pondered on all that had happened and resolved never again
Speaker 1: to leave the land his God had promised. Surely, his
Speaker 1: God has proven himself to be a mighty rescuer and
Speaker 1: trustworthy beyond his comprehension.
Speaker 7: This story about Abram, the father of the Chosen People
Speaker 7: is all about what happens when fear takes hold. As
Speaker 7: imperfect humans, when we let our fear overcome us, we
Speaker 7: tend to do whatever we can, whether it's wrong or right,
Speaker 7: to protect our own skin at any cost. Now, Abram
Speaker 7: was a man of faith, no doubt about it. He
Speaker 7: left everything familiar behind to follow God's call to an
Speaker 7: un known land, but even people of faith falter. That
Speaker 7: is the point made by the Great Jewish age Nachmanides.
Speaker 7: He explains that Abram committed two sins here. First, Abram
Speaker 7: left the Holy Land during the famine, not trusting in
Speaker 7: God to provide for him and his family. But after
Speaker 7: Abram committed that person, he committed another by what he
Speaker 7: did to Sarai, his wife, as her loving husband called
Speaker 7: by God to protect his beloved wife. Abram never should
Speaker 7: have placed Sarai in such a dangerous and precarious situation,
Speaker 7: bringing her to a foreign, unknown land and leaving her
Speaker 7: to the mercy of its ruler. Abraham's sins show that
Speaker 7: even the great people of the Bible simply weren't perfect.
Speaker 7: Even the patriarchs and the matriarchs ered. And I think
Speaker 7: it's a very deep lesson for us today that we
Speaker 7: could never hope to emulate someone who is perfect. But
Speaker 7: as we look closer at Abrahamson's we can find inspiration
Speaker 7: from the great qualities that we find in the imperfect
Speaker 7: people of the Bible. Now, Abraham and Sarai's journey took
Speaker 7: them to the land of the Pharaohs, a place of
Speaker 7: power and opulence, but also of danger. When they arrived
Speaker 7: in Egypt, Abram feared for his life. He knew Sarai's
Speaker 7: beauty could attract unwanted attention, and it did. So what
Speaker 7: did Abram do?
Speaker 3: He lied?
Speaker 7: He took maybe the easy road. He instructed Sarah to
Speaker 7: say that she was his sister, not his wife. But
Speaker 7: why did he do it?
Speaker 8: Well?
Speaker 7: In ancient Egypt, the custom was for the pharaoh to
Speaker 7: take a beautiful woman for himself. Abram was afraid that
Speaker 7: the Egyptians would kill him in order to take Sarah,
Speaker 7: who the Bible tells us was very beautiful. Abram feared
Speaker 7: for his life, and so he lied out of fear.
Speaker 7: But Abram's fear plays SARAHI in a dangerous situation. Pharaoh
Speaker 7: took her into his palace. She was no longer under
Speaker 7: Abram's protection. She was at the mercy of a foreign king.
Speaker 7: Imagine the terror that Sarai must have felt, the vulnerability,
Speaker 7: the loneliness. She was taken from her husband and placed
Speaker 7: in the harem of a powerful ruler, with no clue
Speaker 7: what would happen to her.
Speaker 8: Now.
Speaker 7: Abram's lie was actually a half truth, since Sarai was
Speaker 7: his half sister, but it was still a betrayal of
Speaker 7: trust and would have a destructive ripple effect for Pharaoh
Speaker 7: and for the marriage of Abram and Sarai, all because
Speaker 7: Abram didn't trust in God. But we see clearly that
Speaker 7: God intervened. He inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and on
Speaker 7: his household because of Sarahi. Pharaoh realized what had happened,
Speaker 7: and he confronted Abram about his lie. Pharaoh went to
Speaker 7: Abram and said, what have you done to me? Why
Speaker 7: didn't you tell me that she was your wife? And
Speaker 7: in this moment, Abram's lie was exposed, and with it,
Speaker 7: once again, his fear and his lack of faith were revealed.
Speaker 7: But even in Abram's failure, God's faithfulness shone through Sarai
Speaker 7: was returned to Abram untouched, and they were both just
Speaker 7: sent away safe and unharmed. Abram's story reminds us that
Speaker 7: our actions have consequences. Our fears can lead us to
Speaker 7: make poor decisions, decisions that can hurt those who we
Speaker 7: love most. But it also shows us that God is
Speaker 7: faithful even when we are not. He protects, he intervenes,
Speaker 7: and he restores because always in the end, his purposes prevail.
Speaker 7: Isn't it curious how our lives often reflect the stories
Speaker 7: that we hold dear. The biblical tale of Abram and
Speaker 7: Sarai venturing into the unknown at God's command echoes profoundly
Speaker 7: within me.
Speaker 6: You see.
Speaker 7: When my husband and I embarked on our own journey
Speaker 7: of alien moving to Israel shortly after we were married,
Speaker 7: we left behind a world of familiarity. We left family
Speaker 7: and friends, We left the language that I spoke, and
Speaker 7: moved to a new country where I knew no one
Speaker 7: and didn't speak the language. We left the beloved American
Speaker 7: culture in which we'd both grown up. But while America
Speaker 7: was the only home that either of us knew, we
Speaker 7: both felt God's call to make our home in the
Speaker 7: Holy Land and the land of Israel, which was promised
Speaker 7: to our ancestors, the land where every Jew belongs, and
Speaker 7: to our amazement, despite the new language and culture and climate,
Speaker 7: right away, immediately I felt a profound sense of belonging
Speaker 7: in a way. I felt more at home, more myself
Speaker 7: in Israel than I ever did before in America. In
Speaker 7: the last episode, we talked about God's call to Abraham,
Speaker 7: where it says lech lecha me Artzechra go from your
Speaker 7: country to the land that I will show you. But
Speaker 7: you see those first two words lech lechra, they translate
Speaker 7: as go to yourself. Only then it continues le artzegra
Speaker 7: to the country I will show you. The Jewish sages
Speaker 7: taught that this phrase lech lech go to yourself, reveals
Speaker 7: a very deep truth that when we leave behind what
Speaker 7: comfortable for the sake of following God, we don't lose ourselves,
Speaker 7: but rather we find our true selves, just as the
Speaker 7: Bible says, go to ourselves. Following God often demands that
Speaker 7: we step out of comfort zones. It might require changes
Speaker 7: or risks. It requires us to go to the unfamiliar,
Speaker 7: and too often when we're faced with unfamiliar we slip
Speaker 7: into bad habits and destructive coping mechanisms. When things get uncomfortable,
Speaker 7: we desperately grasp for comfort, even when the comfortable choice
Speaker 7: can often be the poor choice. This was true for
Speaker 7: Abram when he was faced with uncertainty. He fell into fear,
Speaker 7: and he stepped aside instead of stepping forward. How often
Speaker 7: do we do that? Think of it this way. God
Speaker 7: created the heavens and earth by speaking life and light
Speaker 7: into existence with a word of truth all of creation
Speaker 7: was formed. Do you remember early in Genesis it says
Speaker 7: vay Yomer Hussian vi he Or vi he Or, and
Speaker 7: God spoke, let there be light, and there was light. Well,
Speaker 7: if words of truth bring forth creation, then lies bring
Speaker 7: forth decreation. Lies bring about the destruction of creation. And
Speaker 7: we see this in how Abram's lies brought destruction into
Speaker 7: Pharaoh's household and chaos into his own marriage. Isn't it ironic?
Speaker 7: Don't you think that Abraham lied to avoid a catastrophe,
Speaker 7: but his lies actually or the cause of catastrophe. When
Speaker 7: we lie, even when we think we're saving ourselves, we're
Speaker 7: really just creating chaos. But even when we aren't truthful,
Speaker 7: even when we make decisions out of fear, and even
Speaker 7: when we fail, we have to know that our loving
Speaker 7: God intervenes with grace. God loves us always. But God's
Speaker 7: call is clear, walk in truth to speak more on
Speaker 7: God's grace despite our human imperfections. Is my dear friend,
Speaker 7: Bishop Paulineer.
Speaker 11: Well, here we are in the second half of chapter twelve. Really,
Speaker 11: the only thing I want to add to it that
Speaker 11: moves me is that yet again Abraham built.
Speaker 4: An altar to the Lord.
Speaker 11: What troubles me is in verse eleven, he left that
Speaker 11: place and went down to Egypt because of a famine,
Speaker 11: and that was a moment that haunted him the rest
Speaker 11: of his life. I would say to us, be so
Speaker 11: very careful in the famine moments of little, lack and loss.
Speaker 11: It's then that we can be deceived and make some
Speaker 11: of the worst decisions of our lives. When I look
Speaker 11: at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, only Isaac, he was the
Speaker 11: only patriarch to never leave the land. Discern the word,
Speaker 11: will and way of God for your life, and never
Speaker 11: depart from it.
Speaker 7: Maybe you're fearful. Maybe you find yourself seeking self preservation,
Speaker 7: looking out for number one, letting it down those who
Speaker 7: count on you, just to save your own skin. It's
Speaker 7: a common temptation, one that's as old as humanity itself,
Speaker 7: and one that we see in the story of Abram.
Speaker 7: But just like Abram, God has called you to something better.
Speaker 6: Look at Abram.
Speaker 7: He wasn't perfect, He failed, He lied about Sarai, he
Speaker 7: put his wife in great danger just to protect himself.
Speaker 7: But here's the thing. God didn't give up on Abram,
Speaker 7: and God won't give up on you. Despite Abram's failures,
Speaker 7: God kept working on him and threw him. God's plan
Speaker 7: for Abram stood firm, just as God's promise stood firm.
Speaker 7: As God's promises always stand firm. They did for Abram,
Speaker 7: they do for all of us, and they do for
Speaker 7: His Chosen People. So let me conclude with the blessing
Speaker 7: for you. This blessing is very special to me. It's
Speaker 7: the priestly blessing from number six. Yev hashm yah her
Speaker 7: hashimpve y sa Hashem Salon. May the Lord bless and
Speaker 7: keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon
Speaker 7: you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn
Speaker 7: his face towards you and give you peace. Cello, my friends,
Speaker 7: from here in the Holy Land.
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
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Speaker 1: possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina,
Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
Speaker 1: producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
Speaker 1: Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore.
Speaker 1: Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and
Speaker 1: Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin,
Speaker 1: Kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship
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