HDWN? Getting to know Abraham and Sarah… or should I say - Abram and Sarai

By request, we are diving into the story of Sarah and Abraham, formerly known as Sarai and Abram. In Part 1, we will follow the first few chapters of Abram and Sarai’s story. I will be attaching links to Bible verses to (1) provide an explanation for what I write and (2) so you can follow along! 

*Please, note that my mission is to connect ancient Biblical stories to a modern generation; all stories will be told with modern language and analogies (and memes), linked back to specific verses for reference.

Here we go!

Abram’s story begins when Terah, his father, sets out with Abram, his wife Sarai, and his grandson (Abram’s nephew) Lot to travel from the land of Ur to the land of Canaan (Genesis 11:31). Now, we already know just how annoyingly painful a family road trip can be, but imagine a family road trip where you’re walking hundreds of miles with all of your belongings and livestock to a place you’ve never been to. I mean, come on, it’s not like they could Google if Canaan had a 5-star review. At about the halfway mark of their trip (I imagine tired and needing some time to rest), the family decides to settle in Haran. This is the land where, after 205 years, Abram’s father Terah dies.

After Terah’s death, the Lord calls to Abram. In modern terms, the Lord tells Abram to leave his dad’s house and travel to a land that He will reveal. He tells Abram He will make him into a great nation (as in he will have many descendants). And still, on top of those two huge promises, God tells Abram the He will bless those who bless Abram and curse those who despise or reject Abram… and for the cherry on top, God tells Abram that all of the peoples on earth will be blessed through him (Genesis 12:1-3).

Now, if you’re like me you’re thinking, “Holy cow, those are some huge promises from God! How awesome!” But, I’m sure Abram has some questions. You see, when we meet the family for the first time in Genesis 11, the first thing we find out about Sarai is that she is unable to conceive and does not already have children (Genesis 11:30). So, if I were Abram, I’d be thinking, “Uh… Lord? How can you make me into a great nation when I don’t even have a kid?”

But, by faith, Abram said, “Sweet, let’s pack up and hit the road.” His nephew Lot decided to pack up and go with him. At SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS OLD, Abram takes Lot, Sarai, and all their possessions to the land of Canaan, setting out to complete the family trip they had first started (Genesis 12:4-5). I would like to note that along with possessions, Abram is said to have taken “people that he acquired.” Now, depending on what version of the Bible you are reading, this could be interpreted as one of two things: (1) Abram’s servants and members of his household had families of their own, and as these families grew, Abram’s household grew, or (2) Abram acquired indentured servants or slaves over time that increased the size of his household.

Finally, the fam reaches the land of Canaan. As Abram was traveling through, God appeared to Abram and said, “I’m going to give your children this land.” So Abram literally stopped, right then and there, to build an altar to the Lord (Genesis 12:7). Abram moves once more to the hill country and builds another altar there. He calls out to the Lord again (Genesis 12:8-9).

A huge famine strikes the land, and Abram and his people are hungry. Let the record show that people tend to do crazy things when they’re hungry… Abram and the family travel to Egypt to escape this severe famine (Genesis 12:10). He looks over to his wife Sarai and says, “Babe, listen… These Egyptians are gonna take one look at you and say, ‘Dang, she’s smokin.’ Then they’ll see me and say, ‘Ew, guess that’s her husband. Let’s kill him to have her.’ Please, please, please tell them that you’re my sister so everything goes well for me” (Genesis 12:11-13). And boy, was he onto something. When Sarai and Abram entered Egypt, one particular Egyptian took notice of Sarai’s beauty: Pharaoh himself. Sarai was taken to Pharaoh's household, and Abram was given flocks and herds of donkeys and cattle and male and female slaves (Genesis 12:14-16). I'll let you connect the dots here.

God then said, “Mmmm, not happening.” The Lord struck Pharaoh’s household with severe plagues. Pharaoh sent for Abram and cried, “DUDE! How could you sit here and tell me she was your sister???  Take your wife and LEAVE.” So, Abram took back his wife and all that he had received from Pharaoh and went on his way (Genesis 12:17-20).

Y’all remember that Gwen Stefani remix “If I Were a Rich Girl”? Yeah, well Abram was a super rich girl in livestock, gold, and silver. Abram takes the family and leaves Egypt and goes back to the place he made the second altar. Hill country, remember? He calls out to the Lord again there (Genesis 13:1-4).

Let’s take a second to remember who was traveling with Abram and Sarai… that’s right, Lot. Now, Lot also had a great number of herds and flocks, so much so that the land physically could not support both Abram and Lot’s livestock. In fact, their possessions were so large and confusing that their herdsmen were constantly bickering about the situation. Abram sat Lot down and said, “Look, we’re family and I don’t want us or our herdsman fighting” (Genesis 13:5-8).

Abram continued, “Look, man. There’s not enough room here for the both of us. If you decide to go left, I’ll go right. And if you decide to go right, then I’ll go left. But, we’ve got to split up” (Genesis 13:9).

Lot looked out over the entire plain of Jordan and said, “I see it. I like it. I want it. I got it.” Lot went eastward, leaving Abram to go westward. Abram lived in the land of Canaan, and Lot settled near Sodom (Yeah Sodom.. Like Sodom and Gomorrah… We’ll get to that). After Lot left, the Lord said to Abram, “Look north, south, east, and west of where you are. This is for you and yours. I’ll make your offspring like dust on the earth… if anyone could count individual pieces of dust, then your offspring could be counted. Walk through the whole land (because you haven’t done enough walking yet)” (Genesis 13:10-17). Abram did what he do, and he built an altar to the Lord once more (Genesis 13:18).

There you have the beginnings of Abraham and Sarah! We’ve only covered the first third of this story. Next week, we’ll get into some juicer topics… Lot’s rescue from Sodom, the origins of Abram’s name change, Abram’s (technical) first born son, and much more. I mean, would you believe me if I told you that Abraham pulled the “she’s my sister” trick again?!

What I find so inspiring about Sarai and Abram is there unwavering commitment to praise and thank the Lord. Just reread how many altars Abram built! It's a great reminder to praise and give thanks through our circumstances.

Tune in next week! Leave some questions in the comments!

Jesus loves you!