Father Abraham

00:00:00 Speaker 1: We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness Romans four nine. Dear Lord, we thank you for the legacy of Abraham, whose faith was counted as righteousness. His trust in you and his obedience to your call still speak to us today. Though he could not always see the road ahead, he believed your promises and walked in faith. Teach us to live with that same confidence when our path feels uncertain. Help us to hold tightly to your word. When doubt whispers in our hearts, remind us of your goodness, and your power. Strengthen us to remain steadfast even when obedience requires courage. May Abraham's example live on in us, guiding our choices and shaping our lives. Let our faith be more than words. Let it be an action that referes slects our deep trust in you. May we shine as lights to those around us, and may our faith inspire others to seek You with all their hearts. Thank you for your faithfulness and love. Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Chosen People. Remain here for a dramatic story inspired by the Bible. Be sure to follow this podcast or you can stay encouraged each week. 00:01:33 Speaker 2: Previously on the chosen people. 00:01:37 Speaker 3: Abram, who's there? Abram? You are to go out from your land, leave your father's house and your relatives behind, and go to the land I will show you. Abram didn't know why this god chose him. He wasn't a substantial or charismatic man. He wasn't even the great in his household. How would he accomplish all that had foretold? 00:02:06 Speaker 4: El elyon the one and only true God. There is the one who created both the heavens and the earth. He has many names, but he is one God, the God most High is what I call him before you. Now, this is the God of Abraham, the god who has given him favor in his land. 00:02:30 Speaker 5: What is my destiny? What will be my lucy? 00:02:35 Speaker 3: Can you count the stars? Abram? 00:02:38 Speaker 2: Abram shook his head uncertain. You cannot, for there are too many. It is impossible. It is to be the same with your offspring. The great nation I shall make through your air would be as innumerable as the stars in the night sky. 00:03:03 Speaker 3: Master Isaac, your father Abraham seeks an audience with you straight away. Thank you. I will be there shortly. 00:03:11 Speaker 6: It's still strange that these messages do not come from Eliezer, isn't it it is? 00:03:18 Speaker 7: I confess the sadness of Eliezer's passing still comes over me at the strangest times. I've not quite recovered from it. I do not think I'll stop feeling his loss for quite some time. 00:03:31 Speaker 6: He was a loyal friend to your father, to me, and especially to you. 00:03:36 Speaker 3: He was. 00:03:38 Speaker 6: So what do you suppose your father wants to see you about? Surely he means to bless you. 00:03:43 Speaker 2: Isaac wasn't sure what his father wanted to see him about. But before he could state as much, Rebecca as he knew she always would answered for him. 00:03:53 Speaker 6: How could he not bless you? He's been handing more and more of his responsibilities to you. He hardly leaves care at all anymore. And what of sending all of Katura's children away? Removing any potential challengers to your birthright is a wise move, as your father declines, Not that I would anticipate that a former slave. 00:04:12 Speaker 4: Rebecca Hagar has been reinstated as a wife now not a slave? 00:04:17 Speaker 6: Yes, yes, a wife and not a slave. 00:04:20 Speaker 4: She has a Hebrew name and is worthy of honor. 00:04:25 Speaker 6: But you know as well as I that she has no mind for politics. I'm not sure she would orchestrate her children to conspire against you, but I appreciate that Abraham is not taking that chance. 00:04:37 Speaker 5: My uncles would try to take our birthright. 00:04:40 Speaker 6: No, they You don't know that the law does not grant them an inheritance, but these things happen. Sending them away was very prudent of your father. 00:04:49 Speaker 5: Indeed, grandfather gave them all gifts before they went, even Uncle Midian and his sons, which was. 00:04:57 Speaker 4: Very generous and noble of your grandfather. 00:05:01 Speaker 6: Yes, but it's still not an inheritance. 00:05:04 Speaker 3: No, it is not. 00:05:06 Speaker 8: I should go see my father then we will no longer remain in mystery. 00:05:12 Speaker 2: Isaac kissed his wife and ruffled his son's hair before he left their tent. Jacob was always underfoot listening. The boy was almost a man now and becoming increasingly clever by the day. He was his mother's child in every way, quick to act and even quicker to arrive at a conclusion between the two of them. Who was all Isaac could do to keep up. As he passed through the vast caravan to his father's tent, he wondered where Esau had run off to lightly out hunting. Isaac's mouth watered at the thought. An absent Esau usually meant that a warm meal would await him when he arrived home. Later, Isaac was greeted at the tent entrance by a servant, and he saw a physician exit his father's sleeping quarters. The man nodded to him solemnly as he departed, but said nothing. Isaac's stomach tightened in response. This feeling was all too familiar. It was much the same when Elieza became sick. Isaac tamped down his fears and approached his father's sleeping quarters, where he found his father. 00:06:22 Speaker 5: Abed, Oh, my chord, father, no, listen carefully. As you can see, I do not have much longer. My time amongst you is almost at an end. I would give you my blessing now, while I am still of a sound mind. 00:06:52 Speaker 4: I would be honored to receive it. 00:06:55 Speaker 5: Father. 00:06:56 Speaker 2: Isaac inhaled sharply as he tried to keep the tears from freely falling down his cheeks. He knelt at his father's side beside his bedroll and bowed his hat as his father grasped his shoulder with surprising strength for his weakened condition. 00:07:14 Speaker 5: My beloved Isaac, may our God bless you and keep you. May you walk in His ways all the days of your life, and may you be the blessing to all nations, as God promised to me. May you inherit the land promised to us, and may your descendants be as countless as the stars in the sky. May the Lord establish his covenant with you and your offspring forever, and may his promises be fulfill'd through your faithfulness and obedience. My dear Isaac, May you be a blessing to generations to come. And may Our God be your God now and forevermore. 00:08:20 Speaker 2: Isaac was speechless of this beautiful speech, which formerly bound him to the precious promise made to his father. He swore to do everything in his power to uphold it and steward his part of their legacy well. Isaac and his father talked and reminisced about all they had seen and accomplished in their lives, of Isaac's children and their hopes for them, and of Sarah. They spoke, laughed, and cried until Abraham grew weary and needed rest. Feeling fulfilled and nostalgic, Isaac returned to his beloved wife and children. As he departed from his father tent, he noticed that he seemed to surprise Katurah, Abram's second wife. Lingering at the entrance, Isaac offered a smile, but as always, she averted her eyes respectfully or beard a little awkwardly. Isaac never wanted to make anyone uncomfortable, but he supposed it was unavoidable given their history. He bowed his head to her and left. Days passed slowly into weeks, and Isaac received the summons he was most dreading to receive. His father, the great and Noble Abraham was dead. Mourners were already gathering and keening outside of his father's tent when he arrived to fulfill the task of closing his cherished father's eyes for the last time. The finality of closing a second parent's eyes was almost enough to break Isaac. Gone was his parental guidance from them face of this earth. How would he lead and love his people without their watchful eyes and wise words. He clung to the lessons he had gleaned from their lifetimes, but feared he would fumble as he carried their legacies forward. He stayed and wept beside the lifeless body of his father, at the foot of this great man, until he had exhausted every tear and bit of strength from his body. Rebecca faithfully stayed by his side all the while. When it was finally time to leave to let the servants see to their task of preparing his body for burial, he leaned on her as she guided him through the throng of mourners and well wishes. Beyond them all and just out of sight, there seemed to be a commotion at the edge of camp. Numbly, Isaac saw that it had not escaped Rebecca's sharp gaze. He was sure she would connect the dots for him later. Whatever this disturbance was, it could wait. But it turned out it would not wait. Whispers spread through the camp with such ferocity that even Isaac, in his vortex of grief, could not escape hearing the news. Ishmael was back. 00:11:21 Speaker 6: Ishmael arrives just as your father drew his last breath, and the other challengers have been sent away. 00:11:27 Speaker 4: They were not challengers. 00:11:29 Speaker 8: And we do not yet know Ishmael's motives, do we not, Rebecca, You do not know him. 00:11:36 Speaker 3: I do not know him. 00:11:38 Speaker 4: He was sent away when I was. 00:11:39 Speaker 5: Just a babe. 00:11:40 Speaker 4: We cannot claim to know his mind. 00:11:43 Speaker 6: Well, we surely know who did this. His Egyptian mother must have sent word you yourself said you saw her lingering about the tent when Abraham gave you his blessing, his last will and testament. She would have him challenge your father's intentions. 00:11:57 Speaker 4: Challenge you, Please repeat no more scheming. 00:12:02 Speaker 8: It is right that the woman told her son to come pay respects to his father. 00:12:07 Speaker 4: You forget. 00:12:08 Speaker 8: Ishmael was my father's heir for many years before I was born. He is circumcised the same as me. He may very well hold many of our customs. Still, I hear he's on his way to building a nation of his own out in the wilderness of Baran. Surely challenge is not on his mind, with what that responsibility on his shoulders. 00:12:31 Speaker 4: I do not like it. 00:12:32 Speaker 6: The timing worries me. 00:12:34 Speaker 4: I know, my love. 00:12:36 Speaker 8: I'm sure he'll call on us soon, and then his intentions will be made clear. 00:12:42 Speaker 2: Isaac was right. Not an hour later, a servant arrived to tell them Ishmael was on his way to meet with them. Esau and Jacob looked innocently at their father, picking up on their mother's worry. 00:12:55 Speaker 5: Father, what will you call him? 00:12:58 Speaker 3: Is he brother? 00:13:00 Speaker 5: Is the uncle by blood but not by law. When grandfather divorced his mother, Hagar, he lost his inheritance, but she did come back and we we call her by Katura. 00:13:13 Speaker 6: Now, boys, he will be here soon. Stop your quarreling. 00:13:20 Speaker 4: Thank you, Rebecca. 00:13:22 Speaker 8: Just address him as Master Ishmael. 00:13:24 Speaker 4: Be respectful and be done with it. 00:13:27 Speaker 8: We do not know what he wants, but we will be gracious hosts while he is under our tent. 00:13:33 Speaker 2: Just then, a formidable man entered the tent in the wake of Isaac's servant. The boy Isaac, barely remembered as a toddler, had grown into a leader and warrior. You could see his physical and tactical prowess in how he carried himself and quickly inefficiently surveyed the room. His arms were thick and tight, like braided rope. His eyes, piercing and intense, reminded him of an eagle. 00:14:00 Speaker 3: Master Isaac, I present Master Ishmael of the Paran Wilderness. 00:14:05 Speaker 8: Brother, you have grown since we last met, as have you, Master Ishmael. 00:14:12 Speaker 9: I must admit I would be surprised if he remembered me at all. 00:14:17 Speaker 8: I'm a simple man, but I have the memory of a fortified tower. 00:14:21 Speaker 2: The two men chuckled as they took each other's measure. Isaac could sense the tension softening his wife beside him, but she did not relax entirely. It was indeed a relief that Ishmael came with such an agreeable demeanor, even amid all that was happening around them. He could tell that his sons were impressed with the man as well. In fact, there was almost a kindred spirit between young Esau and the great warrior who stood before them. They both seemed wild and powerful in their own ways. Even Jacob's calculating assessment must have found the man to be a worthy leader. All the man had accomplished so much through the family he had built in a relatively short period of time out in the desert. 00:15:08 Speaker 8: May I present my wife, Mistress Rebecca, daughter of Bethel, and my twin sons, Esau and Jacob twins. 00:15:18 Speaker 4: I have twelve children, and none of them are twins. 00:15:21 Speaker 9: Where I live, twins are considered to be gifts from the Sun and moon. 00:15:27 Speaker 3: Blessed. 00:15:29 Speaker 6: Yes, we have been doubly blessed Master Ishmael. 00:15:34 Speaker 8: I must admit, Master Ishmael, we would not anticipate in your arrival. As you can imagine, there is much to do, so we can bury our father. 00:15:43 Speaker 2: Ishmael, at the mention of their father, stepped to Isaac and grabbed his shoulder in a boldly comforting manner. The movement surprised Isaac, but it was not unwelcome, Isaac. 00:15:55 Speaker 9: When I heard of Abraham's death, I wept for days. My departure left a deep wound. Father raised me to be strong and competent. The tools he gave me were invaluable in the wilderness. 00:16:12 Speaker 10: My heart is with you as well. I cannot imagine the grief you must feel. Please allow me to assist you in burying him. This is why I have come all this way. I must see the father is laid to rest in peace. 00:16:29 Speaker 3: Thank you, wish Mail. 00:16:30 Speaker 4: I would be honored to have you at my side to bury our father. It is I who am honored. Thank you for receiving me. 00:16:41 Speaker 2: And so the reunited brothers buried their father together. Abraham was buried beside his beloved Sarah in the cave of Macbela, which he had purchased from Ephron, son of Zohar, the Hearthite. Abraham was buried in the land he was promised by his God, and on a portion of it that he rightfully owned, just as he had done when his mother had died. Isaac stayed back when the other mourners and even his own family made their way back to the caravan. He sat there a long while in his own grief and reflected back on his mother's and father's memories, enjoying the peaceful quiet of the serene edge of the field. When Isaac finally departed from the tomb, he again wondered at his father's wisdom in making the purchase of the land and cave for their family. He knew that in this place, too, he would be buried, and his wife and his children after him. It was humbling to stand in the shadow of what would become his family's monument on this earth, and far more humbling still to consider the generations their God promised would come after. Ishmael shared with Isaac how his God had been with him since the time he and his mother, Hagar had been cast. Ishmael had grown to be a great clan leader, the one Abraham had raised him to be. His nation would only grow from here, and Isaac's other half siblings, they would surely multiply. Now that they were spreading out to the east. It was as if Isaac could see the beginnings of their God's promise in his lifetime. Already he was beginning to understand the stories his father told him of uncountable stars and dust. Almost in answer to his weighty thoughts, Isaac suddenly noticed the stillness of the night around him. The stars above him seemed brighter, and the cool breeze of the evening seemed as if it had disappeared, and the air around him seemed fixed in place. The crickets and chirps of the night time chorus ceased as well. All the world around him held its breath in reverence as a glorious and comforting presence fell upon him, And then came a voice, just like the one he had heard as a boy upon that lonely mountain and makeshift altar all those years ago. Isaac dropped to his knee, trembling, and bowed his head to receive the word of his father's God. 00:19:17 Speaker 3: Isaac, son of my servant Abraham, you have spent a lifetime, following your father as he followed me. I come now to bless you to carry out the promise I made to your father. Through your lifetime, your family's name will be great, and I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. Through your lineage, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Today I re establish my covenant with you and your offspring. May you follow me as faithfully as your father did, and may you raise your sons to do the same after you. Thank you, my God will do all that you ask of me. 00:20:11 Speaker 2: With that, the voice receded, leaving that same comforting presence behind in the back of his mind. It was just out of reach, but Isaac could sense it there. It gave him the confidence he was seeking to take up his father's mantle, and it gave him great comfort in his beloved father's absence. This Prey Dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabager, and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People, Narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia zaradoc To, U Scopeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate and leave a review,