# 12 - Separation: Abram & Lot - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein Abram and Lot face a pivotal choice that will define their destinies. Explore how faith and trust in God's promises lead to decisions that shape the future, even when the path is uncertain.
Episode 12 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 Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
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Show Notes:
(02:24) Intro with Yael Eckstein
(04:02) Separation: Abram & Lot - Cinematic Retelling
(20:48) Reflection with Yael Eckstein
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1: Previously on the Chosen People. Abram and Lot were exhausted
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Speaker 1: after overseeing the grueling Sir John's south through the notoriously
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Speaker 1: treacherous desert called the Negev. A devastating famine had swept
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Speaker 1: through the land. It compelled their band of expatriates to
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Speaker 1: carry their wealth on the backs of donkeys and their
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Speaker 1: treasures on the humps of camels, until they were eventually
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Speaker 1: forced to enter the Lions and Vipers territory on the
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Speaker 1: long barren desert road to Egypt.
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Speaker 2: Abram, Abram, what did I tell you?
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Speaker 3: No, don't look over, but listen carefully.
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Speaker 2: That's the fifth time I've got them staring today.
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Speaker 3: That's all right. 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 4: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: Not to mention, we'd probably benefit from any potential suitors
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Speaker 2: Sarah might have.
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Speaker 5: Abram, you would tell a half truth and deny me
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Speaker 5: the protection of my husband. Lie to spare yourself and
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Speaker 5: ship me off to an Egyptian warlord.
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Speaker 6: Abral, who is Sah to you?
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Speaker 3: I beg forgiveness. Sarah is my wife, just as your
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Speaker 3: spies have surely told you the gossip. It's true. I
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Speaker 3: was afraid of what would happen to me if a
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Speaker 3: man desired my wife.
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Speaker 1: Abram felt rebuked by Pharaoh's words, by God's words, and
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Speaker 1: knew that, despite his assuredness that he was doing what
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Speaker 1: he thought was right, he never should have left the
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Speaker 1: land he had been promised. His mistakes had almost cost
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Speaker 1: him and Sarah their integrity and their lives.
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Speaker 3: I love you, Abroom, and I always will. You've always
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Speaker 3: been a bit of a brother to me, and you're
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Speaker 3: everything an older brother should be.
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Speaker 2: Your sense of duty and loyalty are unmatched.
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Speaker 3: And I look back on my.
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Speaker 2: Life, I want to feel like I did something of significance,
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Speaker 2: that I achieved something that no one else has done before.
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Speaker 7: In times of plenty, peace and conflict intersect, and two
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Speaker 7: kinsmen face a choice that will echo through the ages. Sello,
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Speaker 7: my friends, from here in the Holy Land of Israel,
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Speaker 7: Amya l Exstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews,
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Speaker 7: and welcome to the Chosen People. Each day we'll hear
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Speaker 7: a dramatic story inspired by the Bible, stories filled with
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Speaker 7: timeless lessons of faith, love, and the meaning of life
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Speaker 7: through Israel's story. We'll find this truth. We are all
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Speaker 7: chosen for something great. Remember to follow this podcast on
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Speaker 7: whatever platform you're listening to. This way, you'll never miss
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Speaker 7: an episode, and we'll also be discovered by more people
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Speaker 7: looking for messages of hope and faith In the vast
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Speaker 7: space of podcasting. These small steps actually make a huge difference.
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Speaker 7: So thank you, thank you, thank you, as we say
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Speaker 7: in Hebrew todarabah, for making our mission possible. Let's begin.
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Speaker 7: Imagine a vast expanse of sand and sky, stretching as
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Speaker 7: far as that I can see.
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Speaker 3: Now.
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Speaker 7: Picture two men, not just any men, but pioneers of
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Speaker 7: a promise, standing at the crossroads of destiny. Abraham and Lote.
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Speaker 7: Two names, two paths, one God. As we journey into
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Speaker 7: this story inspired by Genesis thirteen, let us ask ourselves
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Speaker 7: what does it mean to choose? How do we navigate
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Speaker 7: the landscape of our lives? Is it by sight? Or
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Speaker 7: is it by faith?
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Speaker 1: Lot pinched the bridge of his nose, a futile attempt
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Speaker 1: to stave off the headache that had been building since
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Speaker 1: they left Egypt. His men's constant grumbling had become a
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Speaker 1: persistent drone amplified by the slow, tortuous pace of their
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Speaker 1: journey through the desert. So large had he and Abram's
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Speaker 1: caravans become that they were forced to move through the
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Speaker 1: miserable wilderness in stages. He guessed that even a tortoise
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Speaker 1: could have outpaced them. And if they had thought resources
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Speaker 1: were scarce during the famine and then again in the desert,
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Speaker 1: returning to Canaan was nothing but a disappointment. Lot was
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Speaker 1: shaken by their experience in Egypt. Being rebuked by Pharaoh
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Speaker 1: bruised his ego, and now they were forced to return
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Speaker 1: to the place between Bethel and Aye where they had
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Speaker 1: first settled in Canaan. They were not exactly welcomed back
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Speaker 1: with open arms from their neighbors. The Canaanites and Perizites
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Speaker 1: had barely survived the famine in their region. If they
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Speaker 1: had been indifferent to Abram and Lot's people before the famine,
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Speaker 1: they had turned down like hostile at their return. It
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Speaker 1: certainly didn't help that their numbers had tripled, straining the
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Speaker 1: resources of the land past their limit. The hill country
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Speaker 1: had already been limited in its ability to provide the flocks.
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Speaker 1: As Lot surveyed the expanse, he realized how much famine
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Speaker 1: had devastated the already limited region. Lot then considered the riches.
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Speaker 1: Their camp was laden with silver and gold from the Egyptians,
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Speaker 1: gifts that would have been Serai's dowry. Abram considered them
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Speaker 1: bitter reminders of his deceit, but Lot refused to assign
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Speaker 1: such sentiments to the fortune that had made him a
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Speaker 1: very rich man. Their accumulated wealth made them easy targets
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Speaker 1: for raids from their aggressive neighbors, so everyone was on
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Speaker 1: edge between being on their guard for any threat and
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Speaker 1: squabbling over watering holes and grazing pastures. Especially Lot Lots
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Speaker 1: camp buzzed with unrest. His herdsman, wearied and wary, approached
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Speaker 1: him with grievances.
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Speaker 8: So you say, master, at least as a fourth tom.
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Speaker 8: We've caught one of Abram's shepherds, and in our guts
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Speaker 8: away from the graveing lane, right right.
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Speaker 4: Right, So ten ten times master, and there's not enough
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Speaker 4: to go around as it is. As Abram's men are
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Speaker 4: getting greedy. They think they're more important than us.
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Speaker 9: Lot. You see, it's just as I was telling you
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Speaker 9: this morning, your uncle overreacts his high opinion of himself.
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Speaker 9: Trickles down to his men. He may be content to
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Speaker 9: rot here and feel guilty about what happened in Egypt,
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Speaker 9: but in the meantime he will drive our resources into
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Speaker 9: the ground.
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Speaker 1: Lot's headache flared as his wife continued her criticism relentless.
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Speaker 1: She never understood their hasty departure from each other and
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Speaker 1: resented Sarah's now with drawn demeanor. Edith's constant meddling felt
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Speaker 1: like a thorn in Lot's side.
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Speaker 9: And I'll tell you another thing, Lot, I suspect our
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Speaker 9: flocks have intermingled in these tight quarters. Boy, weren't you
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Speaker 9: just saying that to your father as you came to
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Speaker 9: our tent. Tell me, Shepherd, how have you been tracking
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Speaker 9: what is ours?
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Speaker 8: Well, lady, we're doing all. We came to protect the flocks,
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Speaker 8: but our men has spread thin. Taking on watches outside
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Speaker 8: and inside the camp. We're watching for more of them,
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Speaker 8: Just Abram, Sheppers. We've fend it off a couple of
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Speaker 8: ravesas last few days. The clown's men from the hill
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Speaker 8: country know that we've got silver and gold.
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Speaker 2: We can't afford our wealth to just walk off. Listen,
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Speaker 2: do what you can to maintain the defenses at camp,
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Speaker 2: and I'll have a talk with Abram about his men.
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Speaker 9: Maintain the defenses. Shouldn't we strengthen them? You wouldn't want
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Speaker 9: something terrible to befall me or our daughters.
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Speaker 3: Would you.
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Speaker 2: That's enough, Edith, I said, I'll take care of it
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Speaker 2: all right.
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Speaker 3: I know how to take.
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Speaker 2: Care of this family. Thank you for the report. Men,
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Speaker 2: I'll send Abram straight away. Report back to me tomorrow.
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Speaker 2: You're dismissed.
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Speaker 1: Lot rubbed his temples. The headache had at last settled in.
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Speaker 1: His wife saunted off once the two shepherds filed out
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Speaker 1: of their tent. He wasn't sure how Abram would respond
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Speaker 1: to these allegations, or even what resolution they could come to.
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Speaker 1: They would likely need to move on from this area
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Speaker 1: before they were in all out war with the neighboring clans,
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Speaker 1: But then that didn't solve the problem of their two
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Speaker 1: caravans living side by side. They were sure to deplete
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Speaker 1: any area they settled within months, if not weeks. The
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Speaker 1: old Abram, the Abram Lot had known all his life,
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Speaker 1: would have a solution. But with this new Abram, who
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Speaker 1: followed a god Lot did not fully understand. With this Abram,
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Speaker 1: Lot was not so sure of what he would do.
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Speaker 1: Lot was eager to step into this legacy Abram spoke about,
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Speaker 1: and when their path had led to such fortune in Egypt,
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Speaker 1: he could not have been more pleased with that turn
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Speaker 1: of events, though it was not the original plan. Abram
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Speaker 1: had relayed from his god. As for Lot, he wanted
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Speaker 1: to believe and could believe in a god who could
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Speaker 1: make him so rich. But they seemed to have come
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Speaker 1: up against an obstacle here. He just hoped Abram would
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Speaker 1: be in the right frame of mind to help him
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Speaker 1: solve it. Lot approached Abram where he kneeled at the
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Speaker 1: altar he had built the last time they settled in
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Speaker 1: this land. Lot made sure to announce his presence with
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Speaker 1: the scuff of his feet against the dusty Groundhem.
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Speaker 2: Uncle, Yes, dear nephew, I had a madder I wished
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Speaker 2: to discuss with you.
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Speaker 1: Abram stood and remained silent. Lot took this as his
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Speaker 1: cue to speak.
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Speaker 2: First, my herdsmen, they're added again Abram, complaining that your
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Speaker 2: heart's been are depriving my animals of water and grazing land.
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Speaker 3: Has it come to blows this time?
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Speaker 2: Not yet, but give it time and it will, I mean,
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Speaker 2: come on, we care for it.
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Speaker 3: To have our men fighting each other.
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Speaker 2: We've got enemies all around us. This is a disaster
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Speaker 2: waiting to happen, Abram, a total disaster.
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Speaker 3: Yes, we must find a way to deal with these clans,
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Speaker 3: deal with them, deal with them. Perhaps we can move
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Speaker 3: about and how.
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Speaker 2: We can't match them if they raise an army, Abram,
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Speaker 2: A truce, please, A truce isn't going to happen unless
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Speaker 2: they get something out of it.
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Speaker 3: Maybe we need to think of some sort of alliance.
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Speaker 2: You know, my daughters will be of age soon if
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Speaker 2: you get my drift lot.
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Speaker 3: We've seen how these clans treat their people. They sanction
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Speaker 3: such cruelty in their warfare, and the worship of their
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Speaker 3: vengeful gods involves human socri and other unsavory acts. I'm
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Speaker 3: not so sure we should compromise our ways.
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Speaker 2: Our ways?
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Speaker 3: What ways, Abram? What are you talking about? To assimilate
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Speaker 3: into their culture.
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Speaker 2: This god you're following, he's got no written TEGs, no priests, nothing.
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Speaker 3: We are following the god who led us here, and.
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Speaker 2: We're just out here making it up as we go along.
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Speaker 2: I mean, what are we even doing here, Abram?
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Speaker 3: As we obey and follow him, I'm beginning to feel
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Speaker 3: back the layers of this god. He's still a mystery
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Speaker 3: to me, but I know these tribal gods bring out
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Speaker 3: the worst in people. Are the god I'm following brings
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Speaker 3: out the best. I can't bind myself to them, Lot,
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Speaker 3: But what are we supposed to do?
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Speaker 2: Our men are at each other's throats, Abram, and we
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Speaker 2: can't agree on anything.
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Speaker 3: It's like a bad fever. Dreams are high. It seems
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Speaker 3: that their quarrels to settle every other day, and our
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Speaker 3: herds are only getting thinner. The land never fully recovered
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Speaker 3: from the famine. It cannot sustain us both, not for
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Speaker 3: much longer anyway. What are you suggesting we must separate?
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Speaker 4: Separate?
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Speaker 2: What are you talking about separate with?
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Speaker 4: What about the.
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Speaker 10: Legacy of our families?
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Speaker 2: We left everything behind, our homes, our friends, our land,
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Speaker 2: and now you're telling me we're just gonna split up
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Speaker 2: just like that.
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Speaker 3: It's not so easy, Lot. I asked you to come
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Speaker 3: with me because you've always been more of a brother
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Speaker 3: than a nephew. With nahor hundreds of miles away looking
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Speaker 3: after our father's legacy. You and Sara are the only
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Speaker 3: family I have left. But we cannot live in strife
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Speaker 3: like this, Look look at what is before.
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Speaker 1: You closed the gap between himself and Lot, clapping a
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Speaker 1: hand on his shoulder as he turned him to see
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Speaker 1: the sweeping vista his raised altar sight offered. The Jordan
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Speaker 1: River cut through the circular plain before them, generously watering
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Speaker 1: the lands on either side of its mighty banks. The
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Speaker 1: Jordan flowed into the Salt Sea, and often the distance
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Speaker 1: almost due south, they could just make out the shape
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Speaker 1: of the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah on the horizon.
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Speaker 1: So fertile was the river valley that it reminded Abram
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Speaker 1: of their time in Egypt along the Nile. It even
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Speaker 1: stirred memories of a story passed down through their family history,
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Speaker 1: of a lush, forgotten garden that had disappeared at the
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Speaker 1: beginning of time. Abram watched as Lot turned to look
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Speaker 1: over their shoulders to the east toward the Great Sea.
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Speaker 1: They could not see it because of the rocky foothills
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Speaker 1: that eventually gave way to mountains. The terrain was dry
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Speaker 1: and cracked, and what resources were to be had were
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Speaker 1: hoarded by walled cities and untold numbers of foreign enemies.
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Speaker 1: Lot turned back to the rich plain, and Abram watched
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Speaker 1: his hungry eyes take it all in, presumably calculating the
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Speaker 1: productivity of the land that would now be unburdened from
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Speaker 1: having to share it with Abram. Lot seemed irritable when
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Speaker 1: he first confronted Abram, but all discomfort appeared to be
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Speaker 1: gone now, as Lot had turned positively ravenous taking in
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Speaker 1: the land before him. Abram knew in his heart what
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Speaker 1: Lot's decision would be before he even asked the question,
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Speaker 1: But he asked, regardless, what do you think?
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Speaker 3: The whole land is before us? But I will let
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Speaker 3: you decide which way will you go?
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Speaker 2: You you would let me choose me?
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Speaker 3: I would. If you go to the left, I will
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Speaker 3: go to the right. If you go to the right,
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Speaker 3: EYE will go to the left.
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Speaker 1: It was an effort for Lot to tear his gaze
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Speaker 1: from the more favorable river plain and to look at
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Speaker 1: Abram in genuine surprise. Though his mind had been made
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Speaker 1: up long before this inevitable conversation, Abram still felt the
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Speaker 1: weight the decision would surely bring. In his time praying
00:15:20
Speaker 1: and waiting to hear from his God by the altar,
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Speaker 1: this idea of separation had been stirred.
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Speaker 6: Up in his mind.
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Speaker 1: Abram couldn't help but wonder if this was another test
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Speaker 1: he had not trusted his God when the famine struck
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Speaker 1: the land, leading to disastrous results. He was still navigating
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Speaker 1: the damage that had caused Serai and was rebuilding her trust.
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Speaker 1: Abram felt more alone than he had in years. Second
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Speaker 1: only to Serai, his relationship with Lot was the most
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Speaker 1: dear to him, but he was feeling the strain of
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Speaker 1: quarreling between their people and feared that it would undo them.
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Speaker 1: Abram had prayed to his God about how to bring
00:16:03
Speaker 1: this up with Lot, and to his surprise, Lot suddenly
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Speaker 1: appeared before him. It seemed time to present him with
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Speaker 1: this decision and see what he would choose. Abram had
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Speaker 1: resolved to trust that his God would provide for him
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Speaker 1: and his people, regardless of which direction Lot decided to go.
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Speaker 1: To his credit, Lot stuffed down his gluttonous expression and
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Speaker 1: turned to face Abram again.
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Speaker 3: Ah, but we would be a part just like that.
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Speaker 3: You will always be my family, Lot. I will abide
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Speaker 3: by your decision. My God has promised me a great nation,
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Speaker 3: and I hope you will still be a part of it.
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Speaker 3: No matter where you settle your tents and urds.
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Speaker 2: You honor me by allowing me to take the land
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Speaker 2: of my choosing uncle.
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Speaker 3: Really you do, since you've offered it to me.
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Speaker 2: I'll take the Jordan place for my family, and that's
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Speaker 2: the direction.
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Speaker 3: Will go so close to Sodom. Are you sure? I think?
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Speaker 2: I think the proximity of the city would prove useful
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Speaker 2: to me.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, useful, very well. Then I will consider the other
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Speaker 3: directions the go in peace, Lot, my brother, my friend.
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Speaker 1: The two shared an embrace. Abram watched Lot leave, heart aching,
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Speaker 1: but resolved. Just before Lot receded from view, Abram shouted
00:17:35
Speaker 1: back to him Lot. Lot turned worry wrinkled the top
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Speaker 1: of his brow had Abram reconsidered. Abram's face shrunk with
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Speaker 1: loving concern.
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Speaker 3: Be careful near those cities. I fear the influence of
00:17:50
Speaker 3: their culture is more dangerous than their spears.
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Speaker 1: Lot waved his hand casually with a dismissive tone. He
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Speaker 1: shouted back to his uncle.
00:18:00
Speaker 2: Mind is a lot vaults of integrity, Ingram, you know
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Speaker 2: this farewell.
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Speaker 1: Ha Lot's departure was a surprising weight off Abram's chest.
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Speaker 1: It was one less voice competing against the small whispers
00:18:15
Speaker 1: of the god. He desperately tried to hear. Soon after
00:18:18
Speaker 1: their agreement had been struck, Lot did precisely as he
00:18:22
Speaker 1: had said. He moved his caravan east to follow the
00:18:26
Speaker 1: Euphrates River until they finally reached and settled outside Sodom.
00:18:31
Speaker 1: The quarreling had ceased among his men in the absence
00:18:34
Speaker 1: of Lot's men, but there were still dangers from the
00:18:37
Speaker 1: neighboring clans, and the land could not support them for
00:18:40
Speaker 1: much longer. Abram continued to go to the altar he
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Speaker 1: had built and waited each day to hear from God.
00:18:48
Speaker 1: It was on one of these mornings the same familiar
00:18:51
Speaker 1: stillness permeated the hill upon which Abram was sitting. Knowing
00:18:56
Speaker 1: what to expect this time, but still struggling to keep
00:18:59
Speaker 1: his head heartbeat steady, Abram bowed his head and braced
00:19:03
Speaker 1: himself for the booming voice and all consuming presents.
00:19:08
Speaker 6: Abram, look around you behold the land, not only the east,
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Speaker 6: but also the north, south and west. As I told
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Speaker 6: you before, this is the land I will give to
00:19:23
Speaker 6: you and your offspring, and it will be yours forever.
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Speaker 3: Yes, my God, I remember what you told me.
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Speaker 6: Do you believe it?
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Speaker 4: Though?
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Speaker 6: I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.
00:19:39
Speaker 6: If there was ever anyone who could count up all
00:19:42
Speaker 6: the dust of the earth, and there is not, then
00:19:46
Speaker 6: your offspring could also be counted.
00:19:49
Speaker 1: Abram again fell to steadiness and assuredness come over him.
00:19:54
Speaker 1: He felt comforted by his God's words, and they pushed
00:19:58
Speaker 1: back his doubts and fears at an uncertain future.
00:20:01
Speaker 6: You are to get up and walk around this land.
00:20:05
Speaker 6: I will show you where to go, and what's more,
00:20:09
Speaker 6: I will give it to you. You will need not
00:20:11
Speaker 6: take it. I would provide you with everything you need.
00:20:18
Speaker 1: Abram, heartened and empowered by the words of his God,
00:20:22
Speaker 1: did exactly as he was told. He traveled south until
00:20:26
Speaker 1: he reached the city of Hebrew, where he was surprised
00:20:29
Speaker 1: to find that they were met by hospitality and great
00:20:32
Speaker 1: kindness from an emirate chief named Mamory. An alliance was
00:20:37
Speaker 1: formed between their two great families, and Abram knew this
00:20:40
Speaker 1: to be a sign that his God was protecting him
00:20:43
Speaker 1: and giving him success in the promised land of Canaan.
00:20:51
Speaker 7: Wow, what a story. I have to say. This chapter
00:20:54
Speaker 7: in Genesis hit me in a way that I didn't expect.
00:20:58
Speaker 7: The drama, the choices Abram and Loots herdsmen were at
00:21:04
Speaker 7: each other's throats. This land of plenty, which had made
00:21:07
Speaker 7: both Abram and Looked very wealthy, could no longer support
00:21:12
Speaker 7: both men's flocks and herds. So Abram the Peacemaker offered
00:21:16
Speaker 7: Loath the first choice.
00:21:17
Speaker 10: Of the land.
00:21:18
Speaker 7: If you go to the left, then I'll go to
00:21:20
Speaker 7: the right. Looked, and he saw a lush Jordan valley
00:21:24
Speaker 7: as enticing as the forbidden tree. And he chose what
00:21:28
Speaker 7: looked good and seemed prosperous. But here's the twist. Low
00:21:32
Speaker 7: pitched his tents near Sadome, a city already and famous
00:21:36
Speaker 7: first wickedness. Just like louts choice, the superficial allure of
00:21:41
Speaker 7: wealth and beauty can blind us to the dangers that
00:21:46
Speaker 7: lurk beneath. Abram, on the other hand, settled in Canaan,
00:21:51
Speaker 7: trusting God with the outcome. This radical faith and trusting
00:21:56
Speaker 7: God's unseen promise set Abram upon. After the two men separated,
00:22:02
Speaker 7: God's promise to his chosen people was reaffirmed when he
00:22:07
Speaker 7: told Abraham, lift up your eyes from where you are
00:22:11
Speaker 7: and look north and south, and east and west. All
00:22:15
Speaker 7: the land that you see I will give to you
00:22:17
Speaker 7: and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring
00:22:21
Speaker 7: like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone
00:22:23
Speaker 7: could count the dust, then your off spring could be counted.
00:22:28
Speaker 7: Let's talk about that really interesting phase, dust of the earth.
00:22:33
Speaker 7: You see, God wasn't just making a poetic metaphor. He
00:22:36
Speaker 7: was declaring a truth about the future of the Jewish people.
00:22:41
Speaker 7: The dust, scattered and innumerable represent us, the Jewish people,
00:22:47
Speaker 7: chosen and cherished, spread across the globe, but still part
00:22:52
Speaker 7: of a singular destiny. You see, our history, rich with
00:22:57
Speaker 7: trials and triumphs, is like the d often stepped upon, disregarded,
00:23:04
Speaker 7: but ever present and unyielding. It's been asked if the
00:23:09
Speaker 7: success of the Jewish people is a result of our
00:23:12
Speaker 7: history of suffering or despite it. You see, our ancestors
00:23:18
Speaker 7: faced unimaginable hardships, from slavery in Egypt to persecutions and progroms,
00:23:23
Speaker 7: to the horrors of the Holocaust. But through every trial,
00:23:27
Speaker 7: in each tragedy, we have risen. Jewish tradition teaches that
00:23:34
Speaker 7: suffering refines the soul. It brings us actually closer to God,
00:23:39
Speaker 7: whereby Joseph B. Salivachik, known as the rev speaks of suffering,
00:23:44
Speaker 7: not just as a test, but as a chance for juva,
00:23:48
Speaker 7: for repentance, for a return to God. To see this,
00:23:52
Speaker 7: we only need to look at Olim, immigrants to Israel,
00:23:57
Speaker 7: who have arrived in the Holy Land from the four
00:23:59
Speaker 7: courts of the Earth with nothing but hope and faith.
00:24:04
Speaker 7: In the early days of the modern state of Israel,
00:24:07
Speaker 7: and even before Israel won its independence, waves of Jews
00:24:12
Speaker 7: came from Europe and Arab lands, escaping persecution and seeking
00:24:16
Speaker 7: a new beginning. They arrived with little more than the
00:24:19
Speaker 7: clothing on their backs. These early pioneers slept in tents
00:24:23
Speaker 7: and worked the rocky soil. They faced hunger, disease, and
00:24:28
Speaker 7: the constant threat of attack. Yet they sang songs of joy,
00:24:33
Speaker 7: for they were in the Promised Land, and that was
00:24:37
Speaker 7: enough for them. Their suffering shaped them, and their resilience
00:24:42
Speaker 7: to find them. They built homes, farms, and schools. They
00:24:46
Speaker 7: built a nation. Their story is Abraham's story and our story,
00:24:53
Speaker 7: a testament to the promise that we are like the
00:24:56
Speaker 7: dust of the earth, countless and enduring. Is the story
00:25:01
Speaker 7: of our people. This leads us to another word found
00:25:05
Speaker 7: in this text, the Hebrew word negev, which literally means
00:25:10
Speaker 7: dry lands. Or desert. It conjures images of arid landscapes, scarcity,
00:25:17
Speaker 7: a wasteland as far as the eye can see, and
00:25:20
Speaker 7: it historically contrasts with the Jordan Valley, where Loot chose
00:25:24
Speaker 7: to dwell somewhere lush and green that promised immediate sustenance
00:25:29
Speaker 7: and wealth. But Loot's choice came with a caveat the
00:25:33
Speaker 7: location's proximity to the wicked cities of Sidom and Gemarah.
00:25:39
Speaker 7: Lots eyes focused on the here and then now, and
00:25:42
Speaker 7: we look back at history and we see that reaching
00:25:45
Speaker 7: for what's immediately enticing has gotten humanity and trouble since
00:25:50
Speaker 7: the beginning of creation. We've seen it time and time
00:25:54
Speaker 7: again in the Bible stories, which we've already studied. Just
00:25:57
Speaker 7: as Adam and Eve saw the fruit and reach for it,
00:26:00
Speaker 7: Lout saw the lush plains near Sadom they were enticing,
00:26:04
Speaker 7: so reached for them. As Genesis thirteen eleven tells us,
00:26:08
Speaker 7: so Lut chose for himself the whole plan of Jordan
00:26:13
Speaker 7: and set out towards the east. The two men parted company,
00:26:18
Speaker 7: but the great Jewish commentator Rashi reads verse eleven this
00:26:23
Speaker 7: way that Lot set out from the east. Rashi notes
00:26:29
Speaker 7: that the Hebrew word for east headim is similar to
00:26:34
Speaker 7: the word admon, which means originator. And so you have Kedim,
00:26:40
Speaker 7: which is east, and kudmon, which is originator, and originator
00:26:45
Speaker 7: as an the originator of the world God. That's what
00:26:50
Speaker 7: it means. So you can read that verse in its
00:26:53
Speaker 7: original Hebrew in a very different way. Read it this
00:26:57
Speaker 7: way with the Hebrew word kudmon meeting originator, and Lot's
00:27:02
Speaker 7: words are stunning. This is what it says. I don't
00:27:08
Speaker 7: want Abram and I don't want his God.
00:27:13
Speaker 10: Huh.
00:27:14
Speaker 7: That is a very different meaning. Low to not only
00:27:17
Speaker 7: chose immediacy for the rich and lush earth. He chose
00:27:23
Speaker 7: not to follow God, a god of faith. But Abram
00:27:28
Speaker 7: chose differently. He chose the opposite. He chose the path
00:27:32
Speaker 7: Adam and even look should have chosen. Abram chose to
00:27:37
Speaker 7: trust in the unseen. So what does this reveal about Abram? Well,
00:27:43
Speaker 7: I think it reveals everything. It reveals his trust, his humility,
00:27:48
Speaker 7: his belief in the God who keeps his promises. And
00:27:53
Speaker 7: what does it inspire in us? In me? It inspires
00:27:56
Speaker 7: that same trust, that same dependence the God who never fails.
00:28:03
Speaker 7: Lot's choice speaks to the allure of the visible, the tangible,
00:28:08
Speaker 7: the now. That's the story of humanity. Isn't it that
00:28:12
Speaker 7: we're too often drawn to what looks good on the surface,
00:28:15
Speaker 7: even when danger is not far off. We choose the
00:28:19
Speaker 7: fertile plains, even if it means pitching our tents near Sadom.
00:28:23
Speaker 7: We choose to go the opposite way of faith because
00:28:26
Speaker 7: it just looks easier. But Abram, our man of faith,
00:28:32
Speaker 7: our forefather of faith, made a different choice, a difficult choice,
00:28:37
Speaker 7: but the faithful correct choice, and that is what we
00:28:43
Speaker 7: can learn from him. Abram looked at the negative, the desert,
00:28:48
Speaker 7: the place of apparent scarcity, and he trusted. He trusted
00:28:53
Speaker 7: in God's provision, in God's plan, and in God's unseen promise.
00:28:59
Speaker 7: Abram's journey, faith and trust in God's promises are threads
00:29:04
Speaker 7: in the grand narrative that continues throughout the story of
00:29:07
Speaker 7: the Chosen People and on into the Christian Bible. To
00:29:11
Speaker 7: speak more on that is our dear friend, Bishop Paul Deneer.
00:29:16
Speaker 10: Thank you ya elle. You know when I look at
00:29:19
Speaker 10: this Genesis chapter thirteen, the first thing that moves my
00:29:23
Speaker 10: own heart is the faithfulness and the generosity of our
00:29:28
Speaker 10: Covenant God, especially in the life of Abraham. And I've
00:29:33
Speaker 10: already referenced that New Testament or Christian scripture of the
00:29:37
Speaker 10: Book of Hebrews chapter eleven, where it says that Abraham
00:29:41
Speaker 10: pursued a city whose builder and maker is God. Consequently,
00:29:47
Speaker 10: God prospered Abraham. Where there was an altar, there was
00:29:52
Speaker 10: a blessing. And Abraham's hands were filled with silver and gold.
00:29:58
Speaker 10: In his fields were filled with herds and flocks and
00:30:04
Speaker 10: tents and servants. But not only was Abraham bless not
00:30:10
Speaker 10: only was he surrounded and saturated by the good things
00:30:14
Speaker 10: of God, but so was his nephew Lot. Now why
00:30:20
Speaker 10: was Lots so prosperous? He too had silver and gold
00:30:25
Speaker 10: and tents and servants and herds. And why was it
00:30:29
Speaker 10: because he enjoyed some consequential conversation with the covenant God. No,
00:30:37
Speaker 10: it's simply that he walked with the covenant man who
00:30:42
Speaker 10: conversed intimately with the covenant God. Well, I'm pretty sure
00:30:49
Speaker 10: I'm talking to people right now, and you know there's
00:30:51
Speaker 10: probably there's somebody sleeping on your couch that's being blessed,
00:30:57
Speaker 10: not because they're walking with God, but because you are.
00:31:01
Speaker 10: They have food to eat because you allow them to
00:31:05
Speaker 10: sit at your table. Again, it's not because they are
00:31:08
Speaker 10: intimate with God, but they're actually living off the blessing
00:31:14
Speaker 10: that you've provided for them. That's what's happening here with
00:31:18
Speaker 10: Abraham and Lot. But do you know, if you don't
00:31:23
Speaker 10: know what to do with a blessing, and if you
00:31:26
Speaker 10: forget where the blessing comes from, it can ruin your life.
00:31:33
Speaker 10: Bible says, not only did Abraham have servants, but also
00:31:39
Speaker 10: Lot did, and the blessing became so expansive, so extraordinary,
00:31:45
Speaker 10: and prosperity was so full in their lives that the
00:31:49
Speaker 10: servants of both Abraham and Lot begin to quarrel and
00:31:54
Speaker 10: to argue about land and wells and all the blessing.
00:31:58
Speaker 10: And finally Abraham said, no, we're not doing this. We're
00:32:02
Speaker 10: not arguing between us. We're blessed and we love each
00:32:07
Speaker 10: other and we are family. So I want you, nephew,
00:32:12
Speaker 10: to look over all the territory, the terrain, the blessing,
00:32:16
Speaker 10: the land, and you choose that piece of property that
00:32:21
Speaker 10: speaks to you, and I'll take whatever is left. Because
00:32:25
Speaker 10: the land is not my source. It's the God of
00:32:30
Speaker 10: the land who is my source. And the Bible says
00:32:33
Speaker 10: that Lot did look. They found a piece of property.
00:32:36
Speaker 10: Later we would know it as Sodom and Gomorrah, But
00:32:40
Speaker 10: when he saw it, he thought it looked something like
00:32:43
Speaker 10: the garden of Eden. The Bible says that when Lot left,
00:32:50
Speaker 10: God spoke to Abraham. Some of us are one departure
00:32:57
Speaker 10: away from the most consequent conversations of our lives with God.
00:33:05
Speaker 10: Once Lot was gone, the situation begins to change more.
00:33:10
Speaker 10: Sometimes the Isaac can't come because Lot is sleeping in
00:33:17
Speaker 10: his room. But once Lot was gone, God says, now
00:33:24
Speaker 10: I want you to look to your north, southeast, and west,
00:33:29
Speaker 10: and if your eyes can behold it, it is yours.
00:33:33
Speaker 10: And Abraham did look, and something started changing in his relationship,
00:33:39
Speaker 10: not only with God, but with the land itself. And
00:33:44
Speaker 10: he yet built another altar and worshiped God. I'm praying
00:33:50
Speaker 10: for you right now. I'm praying for the relationships of
00:33:53
Speaker 10: your life. It's good to love, it's wonderful to love.
00:33:58
Speaker 10: We're called to love. But we can't allow anyone to
00:34:02
Speaker 10: come between us and our relationship with God. Sometimes a
00:34:09
Speaker 10: lot can come between us and our next our covenant conversation,
00:34:16
Speaker 10: even with an isaac, even with the land that God
00:34:19
Speaker 10: wants us to have the blessing He's assigned to us.
00:34:23
Speaker 10: And I'm praying now that you're able to move specifically
00:34:27
Speaker 10: and perfectly in that conversation of promise that God has
00:34:32
Speaker 10: for you.
00:34:33
Speaker 7: Abraham's story encourages us to trust God's timing and provision,
00:34:38
Speaker 7: even when it means walking away from what looks good
00:34:41
Speaker 7: in our fast paced, results driven world. Abram's faith teaches
00:34:46
Speaker 7: us to look beyond the immediate, to trust in God's provision,
00:34:50
Speaker 7: and to seek His kingdom first when faced with difficult decisions.
00:34:55
Speaker 7: Let's trust in God's promise and provision. Let's seek God's
00:34:59
Speaker 7: kingdom is righteousness. Let's choose God. Let me conclude with
00:35:05
Speaker 7: a blessing to you directly from the Bible. May the
00:35:10
Speaker 7: Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make
00:35:12
Speaker 7: his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
00:35:16
Speaker 7: May the Lord turn his face to you.
00:35:18
Speaker 3: And give you peace.
00:35:19
Speaker 7: As we say in Hebrew, yevareh hashen vi schmeerchra ya
00:35:24
Speaker 7: heir hashempanavele ye Sir hashempanave Shalom, My friends live not
00:35:33
Speaker 7: as a people of fear, but as a people of hope,
00:35:36
Speaker 7: guided by the light of the one who delivered us
00:35:39
Speaker 7: from bondage and promises to deliver us once again.
00:35:45
Speaker 1: Amen. You can listen to The Chosen People with You
00:35:49
Speaker 1: isl Exstein add free by downloading and subscribing to the
00:35:53
Speaker 1: pray dot Com app today. This Pray dog comproduction is
00:35:58
Speaker 1: only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.
00:36:02
Speaker 1: Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are
00:36:06
Speaker 1: the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein,
00:36:10
Speaker 1: edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
00:36:15
Speaker 1: voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
00:36:20
Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced
00:36:24
Speaker 1: by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by
00:36:28
Speaker 1: Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
00:36:32
Speaker 1: Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team
00:36:36
Speaker 1: at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear
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