# 11 - Abram's Lie - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein Abram's faith is tested as fear drives him to deception in a foreign land. Discover the consequences of his choices and the unwavering faithfulness of God in the midst of human frailty.
Episode 11 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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For more information about Yael Eckstein and IFCJ visit https://www.ifcj.org/
Today's opening prayer is inspired by Leviticus 19:11, “You shall not steal. You shall not lie. You shall not deceive one another.”
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Show Notes:
(02:00) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(03:29) Abram's Lie - Cinematic Retelling
(29:31) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
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Speaker 2: Don't you sometimes wonder what it would be like to
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Speaker 2: have a nation all of your own, to make a
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Speaker 2: name for yourself, rather than relying on the name of another.
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Speaker 1: Lots questions done. Abram had a dysfunctional relationship with greatness
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Speaker 1: and legacy, having no child of his own or any
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Speaker 1: hope for one on the horizon, he knew whatever he
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Speaker 1: gained would be dispersed among his servants and relatives. Nothing
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Speaker 1: would live on beyond him. Abram didn't aim for greatness. Instead,
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Speaker 1: he remained reliable, steady, and predictable.
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Speaker 3: Apron Who's there?
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Speaker 1: Abram could feel the presence of the voice, but couldn't
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Speaker 1: capture its source.
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Speaker 4: Abram, you are to go out from your land, leave
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Speaker 4: your father's house and your relatives behind, and go to
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Speaker 4: the land.
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Speaker 1: I will show you images of a few cure Abram
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Speaker 1: could barely understand. Flickered in and out of focus in
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Speaker 1: his mind's eye faster than he could discern, But the
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Speaker 1: intent was clear. He was to have a legacy, but
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Speaker 1: the one locked pindfall.
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Speaker 5: You'd have to trust me, sirah I I have weighed
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Speaker 5: the cost, But more importantly, I know in my heart
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Speaker 5: who must follow the words of this God.
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Speaker 6: Abram, look at me? Are we to upend our entire
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Speaker 6: way of life on the words of a random God.
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Speaker 1: Abram didn't know why this God chose him. He wasn't
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Speaker 1: a substantial or charismatic man. He wasn't even the greatest
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Speaker 1: in his household. How would he accomplish all it had foretold?
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Speaker 1: Even still, with this God's voice reverberating in his mind,
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Speaker 1: he felt a confidence flicker in his heart. He could
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Speaker 1: become great.
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Speaker 7: God formed the heavens and the earth with words of truth.
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Speaker 7: Creation is an act of truth telling, and therefore lying
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Speaker 7: is an act of decreation, essentially working against God's will.
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Speaker 7: Shallow may friends from here in the Holy Land. I'm
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Speaker 7: ya l e Stein with the International Fellowship of Christians
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Speaker 7: and Jews, and welcome to the Chosen People. Each day
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Speaker 7: we'll hear a dramatic story inspired by the Bible, stories
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Speaker 7: filled with timeless lessons of faith and love and the
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Speaker 7: meaning of life. Through israel story, we find this truth
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Speaker 7: that we are all chosen for something great. Let's begin.
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Speaker 7: Imagine yourself in a land gripped by famine. The dust swirls,
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Speaker 7: the sun beats down the earth lays parched and barren.
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Speaker 7: Your only choice is to remain thirsty and starving in
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Speaker 7: this desolate land, or venture into a den of wicked men.
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Speaker 7: In our story today, Abram is faced with this very choice.
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Speaker 7: In this story inspired by Genesis twelve, Abraham, a man
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Speaker 7: of promised greatness, now stands on the brink of desperation.
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Speaker 7: Will he trust in the unseen? Or will Abram, like
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Speaker 7: so many of us, grasp at the tangible, the immediate,
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Speaker 7: the here.
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Speaker 1: And the now. Abram and Lot were exhausted after overseeing
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Speaker 1: the grueling Sir John south through the notoriously treacherous desert
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Speaker 1: called the Negev. A devastating famine had swept through the land.
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Speaker 1: It compelled their band of expatriates to carry their wealth
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Speaker 1: on the backs of donkeys and their treasures on the
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Speaker 1: humps of camels, until they were eventually forced to enter
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Speaker 1: the Lions and Vipers territory on the long barrel and
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Speaker 1: desert road to Egypt. The Egyptians and Canaanites reaped the
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Speaker 1: benefits of long established prosperous trade routes, so seeking help
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Speaker 1: and refuge in Egypt was the only option for Abram
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Speaker 1: and Lot's people relieved, but wary of their new neighbors.
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Speaker 1: They were finally settling their tents and livestock in the
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Speaker 1: unoccupied lands outside of the city of An, the gateway
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Speaker 1: city to the mighty Egyptian nation.
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Speaker 2: Abram, Abram, what did I tell you? No, don't look over,
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Speaker 2: but listen carefully. That's the fifth time I've got them
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Speaker 2: staring today.
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Speaker 3: That's all right?
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Speaker 8: Yes?
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Speaker 3: Oh no, now.
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Speaker 2: They're whispering between themselves.
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Speaker 1: Abram chanced to look over to the Egyptian officials patrolling
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Speaker 1: their camp, a condition of the temporary occupation of their lands.
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Speaker 1: Sure enough, the men's eyes lingered on his wife again
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Speaker 1: and again, taking their fill. An uneasy pit formed in
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Speaker 1: Abram's stomach, and he struggled to master the fury and
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Speaker 1: fear rising within him.
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Speaker 3: I should tell her to go inside and stay out
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Speaker 3: of sight. Oh no, that won't do any good. They've
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Speaker 3: already seen her.
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Speaker 5: Do you think they know she's my wife?
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Speaker 3: Have you or any of the servants spoken to them me?
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Speaker 2: No, way, I haven't said a word. What do you think, Abram?
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Speaker 2: What do you think they do as they if they
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Speaker 2: wanted her?
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Speaker 3: I fear, what would happen to me or you or
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Speaker 3: any of our household, or workers, for that matter, if
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Speaker 3: they were to decide to take her from me by force,
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Speaker 3: I'm no good to any of you. Dead, I can't
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Speaker 3: carry out this calling if I'm dead. Perhaps perhaps there's
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Speaker 3: a way to save myself.
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Speaker 1: Abram fell silent for a long while. The stress of
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Speaker 1: responsibility in the fear of failure squeezed his chest. A
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Speaker 1: thousand different future scenarios raced through his mind. He thought
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Speaker 1: about all the potential dangers and avenues of destruction. He
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Speaker 1: thought out loud beside his nephew spirally, this.
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Speaker 3: Is a brutal land. If they want Sir I, they're
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Speaker 3: not going to ask. They'll take her and kill me.
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Speaker 3: Then what everyone here will scatter? My father's wealth will
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Speaker 3: be gone, and the legacy I was called to carry
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Speaker 3: will disappear.
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Speaker 9: Let's say they ask about her, What will you say?
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Speaker 3: What will you do? If I tell them she's my wife,
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Speaker 3: they'll kill me. But if I tell them she's my sister,
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Speaker 3: they'll probably spare me.
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Speaker 9: You realize this ruse would mean that you could lose
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Speaker 9: your wife.
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Speaker 3: Yes, but perhaps it would also allow me the benefit
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Speaker 3: of time. It's time to find a way out. Only
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Speaker 3: just reached safety and can't risk upsetting or offending our hosts.
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Speaker 9: Yeah, not to mention, we'd probably benefit from any potential
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Speaker 9: suitors Sarah might have not.
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Speaker 3: I'm sorry, Uncle, I'm sorry.
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Speaker 9: But you have to admit gaining the Egyptian's favor and
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Speaker 9: filling our coffers wouldn't exactly hurt.
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Speaker 3: I mean, look at us, Abram. Look at the state
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Speaker 3: of her clothes. Look at how the numbers of our
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Speaker 3: herds have dwindled. We're practically skeletons. This famine has taken
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Speaker 3: its toll on all of us. I admit we could
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Speaker 3: use the resources, Apram, Abram, I get it. This is
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Speaker 3: a tough spot to be in.
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Speaker 8: Believe me.
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Speaker 3: I know.
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Speaker 9: Frankly, I think if we're gonna be in this precarious situation,
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Speaker 9: why not benefit from it.
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Speaker 3: I'm sorry it has to be you, but I'm certain
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Speaker 3: no what's.
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Speaker 9: Given my wife a second glance. With the way she
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Speaker 9: frets and fusses overs day and night, no one would mistake.
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Speaker 3: Her for an unnarried woman.
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Speaker 9: Believe you me, Eh, be that as it may. I
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Speaker 9: don't envy the conversation you're about to have with your wife.
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Speaker 1: Later that day, Abram, steeled himself as he drew back
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Speaker 1: the entrance of their tent. Sarai was seated inside and
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Speaker 1: mending one of his tunics. Though far past her prime,
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Speaker 1: SARAHI was undeniably beautiful, every bit as regal and striking
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Speaker 1: as befitted their noble bloodline. Though Abram had known her
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Speaker 1: since they were children, and they had been married for
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Speaker 1: well over half their lives, there were still moments when
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Speaker 1: her beauty took his breath away. Abram was lost in
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Speaker 1: his thoughts, again pausing at the tense entrance. He was
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Speaker 1: vibrating in place, nearly shaking with paranoia and self doubt.
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Speaker 1: His love for Sarah ran deep, but the uncertainty of
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Speaker 1: the future plagued his mind. He was lost in an
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Speaker 1: imaginary world, unable to escape his stillness at the entryway.
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Speaker 1: Drew her gaze, and he smiled tenderly pleased. She smiled
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Speaker 1: warmly back.
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Speaker 3: What is it, Apram, Sir? I, I must ask you something.
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Speaker 3: It's very important that we are aligned in this matter.
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Speaker 6: I am your wife, you are my husband and lord.
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Speaker 6: You know I will support you.
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Speaker 3: Yes, you are steady as the Northern star, My dear,
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Speaker 3: I couldn't have asked for a better wife. In fact,
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Speaker 3: this is the matter I must speak to you about.
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Speaker 6: You're making me nervous with that tone.
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Speaker 3: What is it You've drawn the attention of Pharaoh's officials,
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Speaker 3: and because of that we should be prepared to tell them.
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Speaker 3: You're my sister, not my wife. This is for your
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Speaker 3: protection as as well as my own. If you've drawn
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Speaker 3: the eye of a prominent Egyptian as your brother, my
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Speaker 3: life would be spared.
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Speaker 6: So you'd lie.
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Speaker 3: It's not an outright lie. We do share a father, Abram.
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Speaker 6: You would tell a half truth and deny me the
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Speaker 6: protection of my husband. Lie to spare yourself and ship
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Speaker 6: me off to an Egyptian war lord.
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Speaker 1: Abram winced, his resolution wavered at her directness. In its
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Speaker 1: wake came guilt, and he was ashamed to admit it.
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Speaker 1: Instead of listening to his wife's hurt, Abram became defensive.
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Speaker 1: The cost of the mission was too great to feel
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Speaker 1: remorse for his plan. Now the guilt lingered, but he
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Speaker 1: shoved it down and again summoned his resolve.
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Speaker 3: Sir, I don't think you fully grasped the danger we
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Speaker 3: are in that I am in. I've seen more of
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Speaker 3: the world than you, I know what these foreign men.
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Speaker 10: Would do to a man with the wife they desire,
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Speaker 10: And so you would oversee the bidding for my hand
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Speaker 10: except the favors of my suitors. This is something you
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Speaker 10: could abide by.
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Speaker 3: Sir I. This gives me no pleasure, but in this
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Speaker 3: way we would preserve our future family and secure our future.
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Speaker 3: Who would lead our people if not me? You know this,
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Speaker 3: God has compelled us to leave our home. We've already
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Speaker 3: strayed too far from the land I was promised. I
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Speaker 3: must prevent any other missteps. This pretense could spare my
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Speaker 3: life and buy me the time to write the course.
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Speaker 6: And you are to achieve what was promised us alone.
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Speaker 3: It is my way to bear my responsibility to trust
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Speaker 3: in my destiny. I'm not asking you to have this
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Speaker 3: same faith I have, but I am asking that you
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Speaker 3: trust me. Your preservation is also my responsibility, and this
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Speaker 3: is the only way I see both of us surviving
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Speaker 3: should the inevitable come to pass. We don't have time
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Speaker 3: to flee, and this ruse will buy me the time
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Speaker 3: I need to plan away out. I will not fail you.
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Speaker 6: You would abandon me here. You don't understand you're right
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Speaker 6: about that, Abram I don't understand, but I also don't
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Speaker 6: have the benefit of denying your will. So here I
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Speaker 6: am a bride for sale to the highest bidder.
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Speaker 1: And as it had before, that settled the matter. What
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Speaker 1: Abram and Lott had feared and predicted did indeed come
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Speaker 1: to pass. Soon after Sarah's disheartening conversation with her husband,
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Speaker 1: Pharaoh's officials called. To Serai's surprise, Pharaoh himself had taken
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Speaker 1: an interest in her. He had recently built an estate
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Speaker 1: in the city of n to more firmly take a
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Speaker 1: foothold at his nation's border in light of the influx
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Speaker 1: of migrants pouring in in response to the famine in
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Speaker 1: the land. Widely known as a man who appreciated art
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Speaker 1: and beautiful things, beautiful women included, he paid close attention
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Speaker 1: to the reports of the more attractive women who arrived
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Speaker 1: in their caravan from Canaan. What had taken place in
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Speaker 1: the week since was a flurry of attention and favors,
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Speaker 1: all to Abram's benefit and to the delight of Lot
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Speaker 1: and his wife, who benefited by association. Meeting no resistance
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Speaker 1: from Abram, Serai had been taken to Pharaoh's household and
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Speaker 1: added to his hareem of women. At first, Sarahi could
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Speaker 1: not stomach the adjustment, but she was surprised to find
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Speaker 1: how quickly she warmed to the Pharaoh's affections. Pharaoh was
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Speaker 1: pleased with her and began to court her outright, Abram,
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Speaker 1: her brother, receiving gift after gift as their flocks and
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Speaker 1: coffers grew. Sarrai hated herself for it and regretted how
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Speaker 1: she had behaved in her vanity had been preferred by fairer.
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Speaker 1: It all felt like a great betrayal of everything she
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Speaker 1: had known her entire life, but she had to admit
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Speaker 1: that she had not felt cherished in a long time.
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Speaker 1: Abram had become distant and preoccupied of late, taking on
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Speaker 1: his responsibilities as burdens, never asking for help, and blindly
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Speaker 1: trusting in a god she had yet to see or
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Speaker 1: hear herself. She had long held back her doubts about
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Speaker 1: this promise to Abram, about having a family. They had
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Speaker 1: tried for years to produce an air and failed. Baron
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Speaker 1: was her badge. This would lightly did her the pharaoh,
00:14:50
Speaker 1: as he had plenty of women to carry his children. Instead,
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Speaker 1: he seemed determined to make her a wife regardless a
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Speaker 1: prize he could flaunt in the faces of her dear
00:15:00
Speaker 1: indebted as they were to him, as they were forced
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Speaker 1: to inhabit his land, she knew the courting period was closing,
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Speaker 1: perhaps even that evening, since Pharaoh had asked Sarria's family
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Speaker 1: to dine with them. Sarai was unsure whether or not
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Speaker 1: Abram had devised a way to get her out of
00:15:17
Speaker 1: this impending commitment to Pharaoh, but her anxiety grew each day.
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Speaker 1: There was a finality to this predicament that left a
00:15:25
Speaker 1: pit in Sarai's stomach. And if she was made to
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Speaker 1: go through with this marriage to Pharaoh, would Abram be
00:15:32
Speaker 1: forced to abandon the promise he had uprooted their lives for.
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Speaker 1: And if she did, even the slim hope of ever
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Speaker 1: having a child would be impossible. Sarahi dared not hope
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Speaker 1: for a miracle as grand as that, But perhaps she
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Speaker 1: could ask this God for rescue from her impending marriage
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Speaker 1: to Pharaoh. Perhaps she could muster a bit of faith
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Speaker 1: in Abram's God if he rescued her from these circumstances.
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Speaker 1: Abram was seen in the seat of honor at Pharaoh's table.
00:16:03
Speaker 1: Pharaoh was lounging at the head of the great table. Meats,
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Speaker 1: cheeses and fruit laced the table. Abram Lot and his
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Speaker 1: wife sat as guests, partaking in the king's decadence. Pharaoh
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Speaker 1: was an imposing man with thick arms in a deep voice.
00:16:19
Speaker 1: His clean shaven face revealed his broad jaw and muscular neck.
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Speaker 1: Abram trembled in his presence. He was a man of power,
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Speaker 1: not just physically but militarily. Abram's entire company could be
00:16:33
Speaker 1: wiped out instantly if he met the eye of Pharaoh.
00:16:37
Speaker 1: For that reason, he trod lightly. Sarai's dignity may be
00:16:41
Speaker 1: the price he had to pay for his safety. Sarai
00:16:44
Speaker 1: tried to catch his eye or read his face for
00:16:47
Speaker 1: any sign of reassurance, but Abram fixed his eyes anywhere
00:16:51
Speaker 1: but his wife. Sarai's heart began to sink, and she
00:16:55
Speaker 1: desperately reached out in a silent prayer to his God,
00:16:58
Speaker 1: hoping beyond hope the deliverance would come.
00:17:02
Speaker 8: Sarai, my beauty, you seem distracted this evening. Are You're
00:17:07
Speaker 8: not delighted to hear that your brother Abrahm and I
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Speaker 8: have finally agreed on your dowry. You are to be
00:17:15
Speaker 8: one of my brides at last.
00:17:18
Speaker 6: Oh, I am my lord, thank you. Your generosity is overwhelming.
00:17:23
Speaker 6: You have already shown me such kindness that I could
00:17:26
Speaker 6: hardly hope for anything more. You honor me, and you
00:17:30
Speaker 6: honor my family as well, especially my faithful brother.
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Speaker 8: Quite right, his honor has proven true, and I have
00:17:40
Speaker 8: made him a wealthy man because of it. Your family
00:17:44
Speaker 8: will live in luxury and above your stations, sure to
00:17:48
Speaker 8: be the envy of the other refugees in my country.
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Speaker 9: We drink to you and your hospitality, Oh illustrious one.
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Speaker 6: We are in your debt and your loyal servants, Your Highness.
00:18:01
Speaker 1: SARAHI watched Abram as they all lifted their cups to
00:18:04
Speaker 1: honor the pharaoh, but he said nothing.
00:18:08
Speaker 6: How soon until we can begin preparations, my lord?
00:18:12
Speaker 8: Huh so eager, my beauty. We can begin making arrangements tomorrow.
00:18:19
Speaker 6: Oh Sarah, you must let me help you, as you
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Speaker 6: know I've had so much experience in these matters.
00:18:25
Speaker 1: The conversation prattled on and washed over Sarai without her contribution,
00:18:30
Speaker 1: as she continued to watch Abram's disengagement from across the table.
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Speaker 1: It wasn't until a pretty serving girl appeared at his
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Speaker 1: elbow to take a plate away that he re engaged
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Speaker 1: with the world around him.
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Speaker 3: Thank you. What is your name?
00:18:47
Speaker 6: My name is Hagar.
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Speaker 1: Is there anything else I can get you? Master?
00:18:53
Speaker 3: No, thank you, I don't need anything.
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Speaker 8: Hagar, Abraham, as my servant peaked your interest. Consider her
00:19:02
Speaker 8: a part of my daddy, a gift for bringing me
00:19:05
Speaker 8: such a lovely wife.
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Speaker 3: Your generosity knows no bounds.
00:19:09
Speaker 1: Zerri, And though she knew her husband did not intend
00:19:13
Speaker 1: to wound her with these words, she fumed that the
00:19:16
Speaker 1: only kindness her husband seemingly had to spare was for
00:19:20
Speaker 1: some stranger and not his own wife. She managed to
00:19:24
Speaker 1: sit quietly for the rest of the feast, speaking only
00:19:27
Speaker 1: when a response was warranted. Later, alone in her quarters
00:19:31
Speaker 1: for the night, she wept in the silence that everyone
00:19:34
Speaker 1: had abandoned her deliverance she thought was not coming. She
00:19:40
Speaker 1: looked out her window, staring up at the stars. She
00:19:43
Speaker 1: was anxious and afraid, But in that moment of sorrow,
00:19:48
Speaker 1: an other worldly stillness settled around her. She couldn't quite
00:19:52
Speaker 1: understand it, but the presence of God was with her
00:19:56
Speaker 1: at that moment. It had a weight to it, and
00:19:59
Speaker 1: she could sworn she felt some comforting arms wrap around her.
00:20:04
Speaker 1: That night, under a canopy of stars and uncertainty, SARAHI,
00:20:09
Speaker 1: despite her tears, felt comforted. Abram had failed her, but
00:20:15
Speaker 1: the God of Abram wouldn't. That night, working in the
00:20:20
Speaker 1: margins of Pharaoh's dreams, God was at work. He would
00:20:24
Speaker 1: come to defend her. Wake up, Abram opened his eyes
00:20:30
Speaker 1: to see two spears inches away from his throat. Pharaoh's
00:20:34
Speaker 1: men had entered his tent, poised to strike if he
00:20:37
Speaker 1: struggled or screamed.
00:20:38
Speaker 3: What's happening? Why have you come here? Silence?
00:20:43
Speaker 8: Pharaoh has summoned you follow us, or feel the tips
00:20:47
Speaker 8: of ours spears.
00:20:49
Speaker 1: Abram wrapped himself up and followed the men to the palace.
00:20:52
Speaker 1: Once again, his mind raced with imaginary scenarios. Had Sarai
00:20:56
Speaker 1: given up? Had she conspired against him? Was Larah going
00:21:00
Speaker 1: to kill him? Or go back on his word? Abram
00:21:03
Speaker 1: shuffled on his feet nervously in the receiving hall of
00:21:06
Speaker 1: Pharaoh's palace, And what was stranger still was that the palace,
00:21:10
Speaker 1: usually humming with activity from servants, merchants, guests, and officials,
00:21:15
Speaker 1: was eerily quiet. Abram heard rumors that a sudden sickness
00:21:20
Speaker 1: was rampant in Pharaoh's household. It wasn't unusual for a
00:21:24
Speaker 1: disease to sweep through a city, but if the rumors
00:21:27
Speaker 1: were to be believed, the sickness seemed only to effect
00:21:30
Speaker 1: those inside the palace grounds. The accounts also claimed that
00:21:35
Speaker 1: they were miraculously healed when people left the premises. It
00:21:39
Speaker 1: was almost as if an angry god had cursed Pharaoh
00:21:43
Speaker 1: and his household. In a rare, fleeting moment of concern
00:21:47
Speaker 1: for his wife, Abram wondered if Sarah had also fallen ill.
00:21:51
Speaker 1: Perhaps that was why Pharaoh had summoned him to tell
00:21:55
Speaker 1: him news of his wife's death, as if in response
00:21:58
Speaker 1: to his thoughts. Pharaoh's stormed into the receiving hall, and
00:22:02
Speaker 1: Abram dropped to his knees in reverence for the ruler
00:22:05
Speaker 1: and his soon to be.
00:22:06
Speaker 4: Brother in law sam Abraa.
00:22:10
Speaker 1: Abram stood but waited for Pharaoh to speak first. He
00:22:14
Speaker 1: could not help but notice the paleness of his skin
00:22:16
Speaker 1: and the glassiness of his eyes. He wondered if the
00:22:20
Speaker 1: Pharaoh was afflicted by this mysterious illness as well.
00:22:24
Speaker 8: What have you done to me?
00:22:26
Speaker 3: Your highness? Forgive me, but I do not understand your meaning.
00:22:31
Speaker 1: When Abram looked up at the Pharaoh, he quickly averted
00:22:35
Speaker 1: his eyes again. It was hard to tell, and he
00:22:38
Speaker 1: didn't want to be caught staring too long, but the
00:22:40
Speaker 1: skin visible at his collar and sleeves looked raw and
00:22:44
Speaker 1: red from scratching, perhaps from boils. He was a ghastly
00:22:48
Speaker 1: sight daunts you.
00:22:52
Speaker 8: This disease upon my household, upon my very person, has
00:22:58
Speaker 8: come over us too quickly to be something the natural world.
00:23:04
Speaker 8: Which of your beck country gods have you called the
00:23:08
Speaker 8: pant to curse me?
00:23:10
Speaker 3: Your highness? I would never.
00:23:13
Speaker 8: No, no, you'd deny your involvement in this matter.
00:23:19
Speaker 3: Forgive me, Pharaoh. I do not know how this came
00:23:22
Speaker 3: to be, or if anyone has been involved, but you
00:23:25
Speaker 3: must believe me I had no part in it.
00:23:28
Speaker 8: M No, I don't believe someone as lowly as you
00:23:35
Speaker 8: could call harm upon me.
00:23:39
Speaker 1: Pharaoh paused and fixed Abram with an unflinching and inscrutable stare.
00:23:45
Speaker 1: Abram remembered that the Egyptians considered their pharaohs to be
00:23:49
Speaker 1: gods themselves when they ascended to their thrones. He also
00:23:53
Speaker 1: remembered that the Egyptians were deeply superstitious, though given what
00:23:57
Speaker 1: had happened, Abram could not say he could take issue
00:24:00
Speaker 1: with that way of thinking.
00:24:03
Speaker 8: You could not do this to me, but perhaps that
00:24:08
Speaker 8: is something I have done to anger the gods.
00:24:12
Speaker 3: Surely you have done nothing wrong, your highness. You have
00:24:15
Speaker 3: treated both your subjects and even strangers like myself with
00:24:20
Speaker 3: great kindness.
00:24:23
Speaker 8: We have to agree on this matter. I am Pharaoh,
00:24:28
Speaker 8: I am the image of Rah. I am the morning
00:24:32
Speaker 8: and evening Star, acting as an arm of the gods themselves.
00:24:39
Speaker 8: I have consulted my priests, and we cannot find any
00:24:42
Speaker 8: reason that justifies this lad unless, of course, I have
00:24:47
Speaker 8: caught the eye of another god, a foreign god. Abraham,
00:24:55
Speaker 8: have you been completely truthful with.
00:24:59
Speaker 3: Me, your highness? What are you accusing me of.
00:25:06
Speaker 8: There's been a bit of gossip that has reached my ears.
00:25:10
Speaker 8: I admit I didn't want to believe it initially, because
00:25:15
Speaker 8: you enthusiastically encouraged my actions. Surely, an honest man such
00:25:20
Speaker 8: as yourself would not accept gift after gift if he
00:25:25
Speaker 8: did not desire the courtship to come to fruition.
00:25:28
Speaker 1: Abram's heart caught in his chest. Adrenaline pulsed through his body,
00:25:33
Speaker 1: as every fear he had in come into this place,
00:25:35
Speaker 1: became realized.
00:25:37
Speaker 8: Abram, who is said I to you.
00:25:41
Speaker 3: Your Highness, I beg forgiveness, Sir, I is my wife,
00:25:48
Speaker 3: just as your spies have surely told you the gossip.
00:25:52
Speaker 3: It's true. I was afraid of what would happen to
00:25:55
Speaker 3: me if a man desired my wife. I never guessed
00:26:00
Speaker 3: she would be chosen by the most powerful man in
00:26:02
Speaker 3: the world. I didn't know how to escape my deception,
00:26:06
Speaker 3: which had gone on for too long. Forgive me and
00:26:11
Speaker 3: take pity on a man who fears not for his
00:26:14
Speaker 3: own life, but for the lives of many that he
00:26:17
Speaker 3: is responsible for. Please spare my life, Please spessialize as well.
00:26:24
Speaker 3: She was only doing what I asked of her.
00:26:27
Speaker 8: Oh you dear, beg me for mercy. You received treasures
00:26:37
Speaker 8: from my trove based on a lie, and you dare
00:26:42
Speaker 8: ask for more. You don't deserve my mercy. You deserve
00:26:48
Speaker 8: to hang with the crows to slowly pecketer eyes. Nevertheless,
00:27:02
Speaker 8: if your God is powerful enough to wipe out my household,
00:27:09
Speaker 8: I have no choice but to spare high and said
00:27:13
Speaker 8: I too, I believe that she is as innocent as
00:27:19
Speaker 8: I am in this matter.
00:27:22
Speaker 3: Thank you, Lord Pharaoh.
00:27:23
Speaker 8: Thank you Ford, thank me as if we are friends,
00:27:26
Speaker 8: for getting a quarrel.
00:27:29
Speaker 3: I want you and your God far.
00:27:31
Speaker 8: Away from me and my lane. Take your wife and
00:27:35
Speaker 8: take the flocks and giefs I have given you. That's
00:27:39
Speaker 8: auld assuage your God and lift the plagues from my household.
00:27:45
Speaker 1: Abram sighed in relief and sagged to the floor. His
00:27:49
Speaker 1: heart still beat wildly in his chest, but he thanked
00:27:52
Speaker 1: Pharaoh profusely. Even as his attendants brought forth a perplexed
00:27:57
Speaker 1: Sarah and ushered them out. Abram was relieved to observe
00:28:01
Speaker 1: that she didn't appear to be sick. Abram could only
00:28:04
Speaker 1: assume she was the sole exception to the curse that
00:28:07
Speaker 1: had wreaked havoc on Pharaoh's household. Abram wasn't sure how
00:28:11
Speaker 1: to apologize, so he didn't.
00:28:15
Speaker 3: You're right, yes.
00:28:18
Speaker 1: Abram and Sarah hurried from the palace to make arrangements
00:28:22
Speaker 1: to leave immediately for fear that the Pharaoh might change
00:28:25
Speaker 1: his mind. As they fled, Sarah kept her eyes on
00:28:29
Speaker 1: the ground ahead of her that the same awe he
00:28:32
Speaker 1: felt was written all over her face. The god who
00:28:36
Speaker 1: had caught them out of haroon and led them to
00:28:38
Speaker 1: Canaan was at work. Even the words Pharaoh uttered was
00:28:43
Speaker 1: seemingly placed in his mouth by Abram's God, as if
00:28:46
Speaker 1: to remind Abram of the call that had been bestowed
00:28:50
Speaker 1: upon him.
00:28:51
Speaker 4: Abram, you are to go out from your land.
00:28:56
Speaker 1: Abram felt rebuked by Pharaoh's words, by God God's words,
00:29:01
Speaker 1: and knew that, despite his assuredness that he was doing
00:29:04
Speaker 1: what he thought was right, he never should have left
00:29:07
Speaker 1: the land he had been promised. His mistakes had almost
00:29:11
Speaker 1: cost him and Sarah their integrity and their lives. Abram
00:29:16
Speaker 1: pondered on all that had happened and resolved never again
00:29:20
Speaker 1: to leave the land his God had promised. Surely, his
00:29:23
Speaker 1: God has proven himself to be a mighty rescuer and
00:29:27
Speaker 1: trustworthy beyond his comprehension.
00:29:34
Speaker 7: This story about Abram, the father of the Chosen People
00:29:37
Speaker 7: is all about what happens when fear takes hold. As
00:29:41
Speaker 7: imperfect humans, when we let our fear overcome us, we
00:29:44
Speaker 7: tend to do whatever we can, whether it's wrong or right,
00:29:48
Speaker 7: to protect our own skin at any cost. Now, Abram
00:29:53
Speaker 7: was a man of faith, no doubt about it. He
00:29:55
Speaker 7: left everything familiar behind to follow God's call to an
00:29:59
Speaker 7: un known land, but even people of faith falter. That
00:30:05
Speaker 7: is the point made by the Great Jewish age Nachmanides.
00:30:08
Speaker 7: He explains that Abram committed two sins here. First, Abram
00:30:14
Speaker 7: left the Holy Land during the famine, not trusting in
00:30:17
Speaker 7: God to provide for him and his family. But after
00:30:21
Speaker 7: Abram committed that person, he committed another by what he
00:30:25
Speaker 7: did to Sarai, his wife, as her loving husband called
00:30:30
Speaker 7: by God to protect his beloved wife. Abram never should
00:30:34
Speaker 7: have placed Sarai in such a dangerous and precarious situation,
00:30:38
Speaker 7: bringing her to a foreign, unknown land and leaving her
00:30:43
Speaker 7: to the mercy of its ruler. Abraham's sins show that
00:30:48
Speaker 7: even the great people of the Bible simply weren't perfect.
00:30:53
Speaker 7: Even the patriarchs and the matriarchs ered. And I think
00:30:58
Speaker 7: it's a very deep lesson for us today that we
00:31:01
Speaker 7: could never hope to emulate someone who is perfect. But
00:31:05
Speaker 7: as we look closer at Abrahamson's we can find inspiration
00:31:09
Speaker 7: from the great qualities that we find in the imperfect
00:31:14
Speaker 7: people of the Bible. Now, Abraham and Sarai's journey took
00:31:18
Speaker 7: them to the land of the Pharaohs, a place of
00:31:21
Speaker 7: power and opulence, but also of danger. When they arrived
00:31:26
Speaker 7: in Egypt, Abram feared for his life. He knew Sarai's
00:31:29
Speaker 7: beauty could attract unwanted attention, and it did. So what
00:31:34
Speaker 7: did Abram do?
00:31:37
Speaker 3: He lied?
00:31:38
Speaker 7: He took maybe the easy road. He instructed Sarah to
00:31:43
Speaker 7: say that she was his sister, not his wife. But
00:31:47
Speaker 7: why did he do it?
00:31:49
Speaker 8: Well?
00:31:50
Speaker 7: In ancient Egypt, the custom was for the pharaoh to
00:31:53
Speaker 7: take a beautiful woman for himself. Abram was afraid that
00:31:57
Speaker 7: the Egyptians would kill him in order to take Sarah,
00:32:00
Speaker 7: who the Bible tells us was very beautiful. Abram feared
00:32:04
Speaker 7: for his life, and so he lied out of fear.
00:32:08
Speaker 7: But Abram's fear plays SARAHI in a dangerous situation. Pharaoh
00:32:15
Speaker 7: took her into his palace. She was no longer under
00:32:19
Speaker 7: Abram's protection. She was at the mercy of a foreign king.
00:32:25
Speaker 7: Imagine the terror that Sarai must have felt, the vulnerability,
00:32:30
Speaker 7: the loneliness. She was taken from her husband and placed
00:32:34
Speaker 7: in the harem of a powerful ruler, with no clue
00:32:37
Speaker 7: what would happen to her.
00:32:39
Speaker 8: Now.
00:32:39
Speaker 7: Abram's lie was actually a half truth, since Sarai was
00:32:44
Speaker 7: his half sister, but it was still a betrayal of
00:32:48
Speaker 7: trust and would have a destructive ripple effect for Pharaoh
00:32:52
Speaker 7: and for the marriage of Abram and Sarai, all because
00:32:57
Speaker 7: Abram didn't trust in God. But we see clearly that
00:33:02
Speaker 7: God intervened. He inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and on
00:33:06
Speaker 7: his household because of Sarahi. Pharaoh realized what had happened,
00:33:11
Speaker 7: and he confronted Abram about his lie. Pharaoh went to
00:33:15
Speaker 7: Abram and said, what have you done to me? Why
00:33:19
Speaker 7: didn't you tell me that she was your wife? And
00:33:23
Speaker 7: in this moment, Abram's lie was exposed, and with it,
00:33:28
Speaker 7: once again, his fear and his lack of faith were revealed.
00:33:34
Speaker 7: But even in Abram's failure, God's faithfulness shone through Sarai
00:33:41
Speaker 7: was returned to Abram untouched, and they were both just
00:33:45
Speaker 7: sent away safe and unharmed. Abram's story reminds us that
00:33:52
Speaker 7: our actions have consequences. Our fears can lead us to
00:33:55
Speaker 7: make poor decisions, decisions that can hurt those who we
00:33:59
Speaker 7: love most. But it also shows us that God is
00:34:03
Speaker 7: faithful even when we are not. He protects, he intervenes,
00:34:08
Speaker 7: and he restores because always in the end, his purposes prevail.
00:34:16
Speaker 7: Isn't it curious how our lives often reflect the stories
00:34:20
Speaker 7: that we hold dear. The biblical tale of Abram and
00:34:24
Speaker 7: Sarai venturing into the unknown at God's command echoes profoundly
00:34:30
Speaker 7: within me.
00:34:31
Speaker 6: You see.
00:34:31
Speaker 7: When my husband and I embarked on our own journey
00:34:33
Speaker 7: of alien moving to Israel shortly after we were married,
00:34:37
Speaker 7: we left behind a world of familiarity. We left family
00:34:41
Speaker 7: and friends, We left the language that I spoke, and
00:34:44
Speaker 7: moved to a new country where I knew no one
00:34:47
Speaker 7: and didn't speak the language. We left the beloved American
00:34:51
Speaker 7: culture in which we'd both grown up. But while America
00:34:55
Speaker 7: was the only home that either of us knew, we
00:34:57
Speaker 7: both felt God's call to make our home in the
00:35:01
Speaker 7: Holy Land and the land of Israel, which was promised
00:35:04
Speaker 7: to our ancestors, the land where every Jew belongs, and
00:35:08
Speaker 7: to our amazement, despite the new language and culture and climate,
00:35:14
Speaker 7: right away, immediately I felt a profound sense of belonging
00:35:18
Speaker 7: in a way. I felt more at home, more myself
00:35:21
Speaker 7: in Israel than I ever did before in America. In
00:35:25
Speaker 7: the last episode, we talked about God's call to Abraham,
00:35:29
Speaker 7: where it says lech lecha me Artzechra go from your
00:35:34
Speaker 7: country to the land that I will show you. But
00:35:37
Speaker 7: you see those first two words lech lechra, they translate
00:35:41
Speaker 7: as go to yourself. Only then it continues le artzegra
00:35:46
Speaker 7: to the country I will show you. The Jewish sages
00:35:50
Speaker 7: taught that this phrase lech lech go to yourself, reveals
00:35:56
Speaker 7: a very deep truth that when we leave behind what
00:36:00
Speaker 7: comfortable for the sake of following God, we don't lose ourselves,
00:36:04
Speaker 7: but rather we find our true selves, just as the
00:36:10
Speaker 7: Bible says, go to ourselves. Following God often demands that
00:36:17
Speaker 7: we step out of comfort zones. It might require changes
00:36:21
Speaker 7: or risks. It requires us to go to the unfamiliar,
00:36:25
Speaker 7: and too often when we're faced with unfamiliar we slip
00:36:28
Speaker 7: into bad habits and destructive coping mechanisms. When things get uncomfortable,
00:36:35
Speaker 7: we desperately grasp for comfort, even when the comfortable choice
00:36:39
Speaker 7: can often be the poor choice. This was true for
00:36:42
Speaker 7: Abram when he was faced with uncertainty. He fell into fear,
00:36:46
Speaker 7: and he stepped aside instead of stepping forward. How often
00:36:52
Speaker 7: do we do that? Think of it this way. God
00:36:55
Speaker 7: created the heavens and earth by speaking life and light
00:36:58
Speaker 7: into existence with a word of truth all of creation
00:37:04
Speaker 7: was formed. Do you remember early in Genesis it says
00:37:08
Speaker 7: vay Yomer Hussian vi he Or vi he Or, and
00:37:11
Speaker 7: God spoke, let there be light, and there was light. Well,
00:37:16
Speaker 7: if words of truth bring forth creation, then lies bring
00:37:22
Speaker 7: forth decreation. Lies bring about the destruction of creation. And
00:37:28
Speaker 7: we see this in how Abram's lies brought destruction into
00:37:32
Speaker 7: Pharaoh's household and chaos into his own marriage. Isn't it ironic?
00:37:37
Speaker 7: Don't you think that Abraham lied to avoid a catastrophe,
00:37:41
Speaker 7: but his lies actually or the cause of catastrophe. When
00:37:46
Speaker 7: we lie, even when we think we're saving ourselves, we're
00:37:49
Speaker 7: really just creating chaos. But even when we aren't truthful,
00:37:54
Speaker 7: even when we make decisions out of fear, and even
00:37:58
Speaker 7: when we fail, we have to know that our loving
00:38:02
Speaker 7: God intervenes with grace. God loves us always. But God's
00:38:09
Speaker 7: call is clear, walk in truth to speak more on
00:38:15
Speaker 7: God's grace despite our human imperfections. Is my dear friend,
00:38:20
Speaker 7: Bishop Paulineer.
00:38:23
Speaker 11: Well, here we are in the second half of chapter twelve. Really,
00:38:28
Speaker 11: the only thing I want to add to it that
00:38:31
Speaker 11: moves me is that yet again Abraham built.
00:38:34
Speaker 4: An altar to the Lord.
00:38:37
Speaker 11: What troubles me is in verse eleven, he left that
00:38:41
Speaker 11: place and went down to Egypt because of a famine,
00:38:46
Speaker 11: and that was a moment that haunted him the rest
00:38:48
Speaker 11: of his life. I would say to us, be so
00:38:52
Speaker 11: very careful in the famine moments of little, lack and loss.
00:38:58
Speaker 11: It's then that we can be deceived and make some
00:39:01
Speaker 11: of the worst decisions of our lives. When I look
00:39:04
Speaker 11: at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, only Isaac, he was the
00:39:10
Speaker 11: only patriarch to never leave the land. Discern the word,
00:39:16
Speaker 11: will and way of God for your life, and never
00:39:20
Speaker 11: depart from it.
00:39:22
Speaker 7: Maybe you're fearful. Maybe you find yourself seeking self preservation,
00:39:27
Speaker 7: looking out for number one, letting it down those who
00:39:32
Speaker 7: count on you, just to save your own skin. It's
00:39:36
Speaker 7: a common temptation, one that's as old as humanity itself,
00:39:40
Speaker 7: and one that we see in the story of Abram.
00:39:43
Speaker 7: But just like Abram, God has called you to something better.
00:39:50
Speaker 6: Look at Abram.
00:39:51
Speaker 7: He wasn't perfect, He failed, He lied about Sarai, he
00:39:55
Speaker 7: put his wife in great danger just to protect himself.
00:39:58
Speaker 7: But here's the thing. God didn't give up on Abram,
00:40:03
Speaker 7: and God won't give up on you. Despite Abram's failures,
00:40:08
Speaker 7: God kept working on him and threw him. God's plan
00:40:12
Speaker 7: for Abram stood firm, just as God's promise stood firm.
00:40:17
Speaker 7: As God's promises always stand firm. They did for Abram,
00:40:23
Speaker 7: they do for all of us, and they do for
00:40:27
Speaker 7: His Chosen People. So let me conclude with the blessing
00:40:31
Speaker 7: for you. This blessing is very special to me. It's
00:40:34
Speaker 7: the priestly blessing from number six. Yev hashm yah her
00:40:41
Speaker 7: hashimpve y sa Hashem Salon. May the Lord bless and
00:40:50
Speaker 7: keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon
00:40:53
Speaker 7: you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn
00:40:57
Speaker 7: his face towards you and give you peace. Cello, my friends,
00:41:02
Speaker 7: from here in the Holy Land.
00:41:05
Speaker 1: You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein
00:41:08
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Speaker 1: Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive
00:41:25
Speaker 1: producers of the Chosen People with Yile Eckstein. Edited by
00:41:28
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by
00:41:33
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
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00:41:43
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00:41:47
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