The Call of Abram

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:04 Speaker 2: Let us craft creatures in our image, imbued with our essence. 00:00:09 Speaker 1: God's design for humanity was to bear his image, fill the earth, and share in the joy of creation. 00:00:17 Speaker 2: A choice is before you, Adam. You can freely take of the tree of life, nourishing yourself in my abiding love. You could live under the comfort and canopy of your Creator, obeying me and partnering with me to cultivate the earth. Or who can reach for the tree of knowledge? You can awaken your mind to the possibility of evil, seize autonomy, and live apart from my blessing. 00:00:52 Speaker 3: Meybe what was Ali? Maybe there's something more for me apart from God. Paradise was lost. Adam and Eve sat in the dirt east of Eden, never to return. Their descendants would pine after Eden. Each generation would manufacture ways to reclaim Paradise. 00:01:17 Speaker 4: Evil grieves his heart. This corruption, this violence, It wasn't his intention. Blest are you now avil? 00:01:30 Speaker 5: You still be a blessed? 00:01:32 Speaker 4: Where is your God? Now? This world is sick, These people are plagued by evil. Today we build this tower into piets of the Creator. Today we see greatness for our. 00:01:49 Speaker 1: Own, but Adam and Eve held on to a promise. One day a son of Eve would rise to crush the head of the serpent. He would reclaim Eden for humanity, Heaven and Earth would be joined once again. 00:02:07 Speaker 5: Is this death? Is this the curse? 00:02:11 Speaker 4: God spoke of no Eve. I don't think this is death. I think this. 00:02:18 Speaker 3: Is life. 00:02:23 Speaker 1: Abram exhaled a sigh of relief as the last of the seemingly endless parade of priests, mourners, cousins, servants, and solicitors finally departed. The door snatched shut with the last of them, and the mighty house of Terror stood silent as a tomb. Abram and his nephew Lot stood in the doorway of their now deceased patriarch's entryway. The air was heavy with tension, thick enough to be cut with a blade, and. 00:02:55 Speaker 6: So another great man of Shem's line has come to pass. 00:03:00 Speaker 1: Lot's remark earned him a stern look from Abram. Abram sighed again, retreated further into the dwelling and collapsed on a bench in the center courtyard of his father's home. His groans fell on to the dusty floor, his thoughts drifted up a level to his father's bed chamber, where a single chair would be left ceremonially empty beside his bed, or rather his death bed. It would now be up to him and his only remaining brother, Nahor, to steward their father's legacy. Their father had left for the underworld, leaving a legacy that included his wealth, property, influence, and lineage. However, the latter would prove to be the most difficult for Abram to shoulder. He had yet to produce an air of his own with his wife Sarah, but he tried not to dwell on that too often, especially for Sayah's sake. It wasn't a new revelation for either of them, and though the hurt was bare very deep, the dulled pangs of inadequacy lingered. Attempting not to intrude on Abram's sullen silence, Lot tried to subtly slink into the courtyard and claimed the seat across from Abram. There wasn't anything subtle about Lot. Lot was a simple man of simple pleasures and pursuits. While Abram often thought about lofty and ethereal things, his nephew reserved his attention for the concrete and material. As a result, Lot was predictable, yet still endearing. The thought brought a reluctant grin to Abram's face, and his nephew returned it. Lot broke the silence again. 00:04:40 Speaker 6: Ah, when do you suppose we'll hear back from Nahore? And more of the point, are we to expect him to reside here in Haran Coil? Your father's inheritance really be divided among us? Will we live side by side like we did when we were young. 00:04:55 Speaker 4: The messengers won't reach her for a few weeks, and I really can't say what neighbor will do. It's been so long since we were under the same roof, or even in the same land. I suppose my father would want me to remain at Najorre's side. But as for you, I know going north was always my father's dream for you when your father passed to see the land of his people. 00:05:23 Speaker 6: Abraham, you know haranh has become just as much harm to me as it is for you. But you know as well as I that your father, my grandfather, always intended for us. 00:05:33 Speaker 7: To go all the way to Canaan. 00:05:36 Speaker 4: Ha Ha Canaan. If I had a sheep for every time my father mentioned Canaan, I could feel all err my father talked endlessly about venturing off to Canaan stopped short. Besides, you know as well as I how dangerous that road is, and if the family's stories are to be believed, I don't think they would exactly welcome sons of shem Abram. 00:06:04 Speaker 6: Don't you feel they might be more out there, more to sease and explore. Our family has done exceedingly well here, but I can't help feel like tera wanted more for me. 00:06:18 Speaker 7: I know you're comfortable here, Abram. You're content with this life. 00:06:22 Speaker 4: What's that supposed to me? 00:06:24 Speaker 7: You're content with what you have, Abram, That's all I'm saying. You don't seem to yearn for more, that's all. 00:06:30 Speaker 4: Don't act like you've suffered here in Erin. But it is comfortable here. We've made a life here. When they're grown, your daughters will find husbands here, and soon you'll have a dynasty of your own, and my father's wealth and livestock will only make you all more comfortable. 00:06:52 Speaker 7: Comfortable, Abram. 00:06:53 Speaker 6: Comfortable, Sure, sure, it's comfortable, but you know what owns it is? Stifling a well like please trees stuck in the shadow of a horse dynasty. 00:07:03 Speaker 7: We're not gonna grow. We're gonna be like like shrubs, little tiny shrubs. 00:07:09 Speaker 6: Look, Terra, he loved me like a son, and I'll always be grateful, believe me. But that's not gonna get us anywhere. You know the laws of the land, Abram were stuck here, growing only as tall as na Hall lets us. 00:07:25 Speaker 7: And I'm telling you, Abram, it's driving me crazy. 00:07:28 Speaker 4: Nahore is our kid, here's my brother and your uncle. We have nothing to fear from you. Your fortune is secure. I don't understand where this is coming from. 00:07:42 Speaker 7: Hey, Abram, Abram, let me stop you right there. 00:07:45 Speaker 5: You know what. 00:07:45 Speaker 6: You and I are self made men, that's what we are. Sure we had a leg up. I'm not denying that, but look at what we've done. We've turned a profit with every single thing that was handed to us. 00:07:58 Speaker 7: We didn't just sit on it. We were done it. But don't you ever wonder, Abram, what we really are made of? What's in here? 00:08:07 Speaker 1: Lots questions stung. Abram had a dysfunctional relationship with greatness and legacy, having no chance of his own or any hope for one on the horizon, he knew whatever he gained would be dispersed among his servants and relatives. Nothing would live on beyond him. Abram didn't aim for greatness. Instead, he remained reliable, steady, and predictable. 00:08:32 Speaker 4: I won't be made to feel guilty for being reliable. Between the two of us, we have a multitude of responsibilities. As for where I place my trust, I place it in my own hands. If those I am responsible for find me lacking, what kind of man would I be? So No, I do not wonder what I am made of, because I must find the answer every day. Every day I can put money in the hands of my workers or food in the bellies of my household, and I discover what I am made of. And I haven't failed them yet. 00:09:14 Speaker 7: I love you, Abram, and I always will. 00:09:18 Speaker 6: You've always been a bit of a brother to me, and you're everything an older brother should be. Your sense of duty and loyalty are unmatched. I'm just thinking about your father. He stops short of his dreams. And when I look back on my life, I want to feel like I did something of significance, that I achieved. 00:09:39 Speaker 7: Something that no one else has done before. 00:09:42 Speaker 6: Maybe, just maybe that something is in the land of Canaan. You've heard the stories right, are distant relatives, the line of Ham, the cursed, Abram cursed, And yet there they are, setting in seats of power. 00:09:58 Speaker 7: And then there's me. 00:10:00 Speaker 6: I don't want to just be another name, Abram, just another name in a long, endless list of men from the line of Noah. 00:10:08 Speaker 4: And you would become a conqueror and lead your family into a war for significance. Don't you feel that you are already contributing to this legacy to our nation? 00:10:21 Speaker 6: Don't you sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a nation all of your own, to make a name for yourself, rather than relying on the name of another. 00:10:32 Speaker 1: And as much as he was reluctant to admit it, Abram did consider Lot's words. When lod took his leave, Abram wandered to the upper levels of his father's house. He at last found himself on the roof, staring out over the packed city, and wondered if he would ever grow accustomed to this feeling. The babble of all manner of man and beast from below created a steady drumbeat, depulsed against his ear drums, and said, his mind racing That's when he heard it, her voice whispering through the cacophony of city noise. Abram Abram turned he was alone. He scanned the rooftop, searching for the source. 00:11:16 Speaker 2: Of the voice. 00:11:17 Speaker 1: The world around him became quiet and still. Again, he heard the voice calling out to him. 00:11:24 Speaker 2: Abram, who's there, Come to me? 00:11:29 Speaker 1: The voice called out again, this time from below the house. Abram ran down the stairs, following the sound of the voice. It called him outside, then down the alleyway. Abram Abram ran through the busy streets, bumping into vendors and tripping over carts. The voice was calling to him from outside the gates. Abram sprinted out of the gates and down the dirt path leading to the pastures of his father's flock. The evening breeze whistled through the valley, carrying the voice calling to Abram again. Abram Abram stopped at a large terebinth tree. The starlight shone through the breaks in the leaves, causing a dance of shadow and light on Abram's face. The voice spoke again, this time gently. It spoke to him and through him. Abram could feel the presence of the voice, but couldn't capture its source. 00:12:23 Speaker 2: Abram. Here, I am 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. 00:12:38 Speaker 1: Still grappling with the words he was hearing, Abram was suddenly stunned to find that images of a familiar terrain and a worn road flashed in his mind. The road led southwest out of the city toward Canaan, and flashes of lush valleys and cascading falls appeared before him. 00:12:57 Speaker 2: To day, I will make you up promise. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you. Follow me, and I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing to the entire world. 00:13:15 Speaker 1: Again, images of a future Abram could barely understand flickered in and outer focus in his mind's eye faster than he could discern. But the intent was clear. He was to have a legacy like the one locked Pindfall, no greater, even so, much more significant and vast than either of them could have imagined. 00:13:38 Speaker 2: What's more, I will bless those who bless you. I will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all the peoples of Earth will be blessed through you. 00:13:54 Speaker 1: As if to emphasize that final word, Abram felt the presence press onto his shoulders like mighty weight, the manifestation of the mantle inexplicably thrust upon him. Despite the strangeness of what had just happened, he somehow found the pressure comforting, and as abruptly as the voice had begun speaking and the presence surrounded him, the weight dematerialized to a quiet, comforting presence that wrapped itself in the back of his mind. It was barely noticeable, but within reach if he dared access it. A ways off a cool breeze off the Euphrates River drifted up to meet the two women reclining on a different roof overlooking the city. Abram's wife, Serai, hosted Lot's wife Edith while their husbands settled their great patriarch's affairs. Serai pretended to listen to Edith as she prattled on about the latest gossip in town. She longed for the arrival of Abram so that she could remove herself from the intensity of the other woman's rent. 00:15:01 Speaker 8: And you know, ado, She's gonna smile and host her new son in law's family as if the match was her idea all along. She'll never admit that he's simply not good enough for her daughter. But I'll tell you one thing, Sarai, I would never stand for that. When my girls are old enough, no one but the wealthiest men will do for them as husbands. I won't settle for anything else. Don't you agree? 00:15:24 Speaker 1: Sarah half heartedly opened her mouth to reply, but Lot's wife continued without waiting for a response. 00:15:31 Speaker 8: Oh right, well, I suppose you won't need to worry yourself about that. But I'm sure you agree in principle. And you know what my Lot always says. The wealth of this city is steady and stable. It's all the same families, exchanging the same coins over and over again. No movement up, pour down, no real competition if you're the sort that has your eyes on advancement. But I hear that the lands in Canaan are untamed and there are fortunes to be had if you're bold enough to take it. 00:16:02 Speaker 5: Wealth. 00:16:02 Speaker 8: You can't even imagine wealth that would put er in Haran to shame. 00:16:08 Speaker 1: Mercifully, Sarah saw the top of Abram's head emerge as he climbed the steps to the roof, sparing her from enduring any more of Edith's in sensitive remarks and frenzied day dreaming about adding to their already substantial wealth. 00:16:23 Speaker 8: Well, I suppose I should get back to oversee the dinner preparations. Abram, is Lot with you? Or did he go home already? 00:16:32 Speaker 4: He must be at home. We parted ways earlier. 00:16:36 Speaker 1: Lot's wife took her leave, but Abram lingered on the roof. Something was on his mind. Sarah waited expectantly for her husband to gather his thoughts. They had long been married. She could see the determination in his eyes. He had his mind made up about something. He strode to the roof's edge and began speaking as he stared over the city. 00:17:01 Speaker 4: SARAHI I have something to tell you. 00:17:05 Speaker 5: Yes, Abram, I'm listening. 00:17:07 Speaker 4: I'm going to take our family out of Iran. We will begin making arrangements immediately. We will drive all our livestock, take our possessions and all those who work for us, and head south toward Canaan. 00:17:24 Speaker 5: Abram, help me understand what you mean. I thought we were settled here in Haran going south now, of all times, we're established here. We're comfortable, and besides who would care for our father's estate if we were to leave, would we leave that responsibility to nahor to Lot? 00:17:43 Speaker 4: I suppose we may take whoever is willing to join us. I would need to speak to Lot tomorrow as early as possible if he is to join us, and make preparations as well. 00:17:56 Speaker 1: Sarah was too stunned to respond, so Abram can continued and tried to explain the supernatural phenomenon that had overcome him in the alleyway. 00:18:06 Speaker 5: Abram, look at me, Are we to upend our entire way of life on the words of a random god? 00:18:12 Speaker 1: Abram turned to his wife and struggled to find his words. He scanned her face, accessing and questioning, undoubtedly weighing whether or not he would bring her into the inner workings of his mind. His heart. Sarah yearned for partnership, not lordship, but she didn't know where to begin when it came to Abram. Sarah, in return, searched his face but found only resolve, an immovable, impenetrable wall of conviction. 00:18:42 Speaker 4: You have to trust me, Sarah. I I have weighed the cost, but more reportedly, I know in my heart and we must follow the words of this God. 00:18:58 Speaker 5: So you've already decided. 00:18:59 Speaker 1: Then Abram averted his eyes from Serah's helpless stare and turned again to look over the city, already calculating and planning the journey ahead. 00:19:10 Speaker 4: I have. 00:19:12 Speaker 1: It is what is right, and that settled the matter. Sarah, I knew better than to pry and argue at times. Abram was this locked vault of thoughts and emotions. She could feel his head churning. She wished she could access his mind. She yearned for that type of intimacy. Yet even so she knew his character. 00:19:36 Speaker 5: If this is your conviction, then I will follow you. 00:19:40 Speaker 1: Abram glanced her way, briefly slid his hand over to hers. She took it and squeezed. Abram had been amazed, flattered even at how many had chosen to come with him out of Haran. Even months later, and hundreds of miles later, he still marveled at the sheer numbers of people and animals that sprawled out behind him when he led their odyssey from the head of the vast column. Abram decided to scout ahead with Lot, who had unsurprisingly jumped at the chance to accompany Abram and a small group of hand picked men. They had just passed into the land of Canaan, and the city of Shechem lay before them, nestled on the shoulder of mounte Baal. The land of Canaan was occupied by a savage and war loving people. Though Abram and Lot had brought men who could fight, their fighting numbers would easily be inconsequential if confronted head on by the brutal Canaanites. Abram waited for Lot and the others to return with a report. In the shade of a gnarled, twisted oak tree. It was then that the same otherworldly stillness came upon Abram. Bird song, insect buzzing, and wind alike ceased, as if to give their attention to the mighty presence. Suddenly upon Abram, sweat beat down his brow. He turned to Lot and serah. 00:21:08 Speaker 4: I'll be back, wait here for me. 00:21:11 Speaker 1: Abram left to find a solitary place, his heart ached in his chest to hear the voice whisper again. He summitted a small grassy hill where wild flowers swayed gently to the breeze. He sat on a stone and waited. Since leaving, Abram had wondered if he was following a figment of his imagination, or if the God he chose to follow was some sort of trickster. But there on that blooming foothill, the Creator. 00:21:39 Speaker 2: Spoke, Abram, you answered my call and left your land. You left your father's house, and now here you are. 00:21:52 Speaker 4: Yes, I have done what you asked. 00:21:56 Speaker 2: Now what you have been faithful so far in what I have ad Because of your faithfulness, I will uphold my promise to you. You now stand on the land that I will one day give your offspring. 00:22:11 Speaker 1: Abram's eyes widened. He tilted his head upward in confusion and trepidation. My offspring. Yet there was no more answer. Abram nodded reverently as he felt the mighty presence dissipate, though he could still sense a remnant in the back of his mind. Abram didn't know why this god chose him. He wasn't a substantial or charismatic man. He wasn't even the greatest in his household. How would he accomplish all that had foretold? Even still, with this God's voice reverberating in his mind, he felt a confidence flicker in his heart. He could become great. Still alone in the shade of the bent oak tree, he began to pace and plan his next move. 00:23:00 Speaker 4: I will lead my people further into the land of Canaan. We will pitch our tents and create a stronghold beside Bethel. 00:23:09 Speaker 1: Abram again felt that stirring of confidence in his heart, as if to affirm his decision. Prompted by this encouragement, he considered another response to the corps. Having always been a man of business and transitions, he wondered what this god would require in return. Surely the gift of land and legacy would warrant an offering. He had grown up seeing his father and neighbors make offerings to the various gods of the land, but he was no longer in their domain, and he sensed this god wasn't one he had ever encountered before. Abram decided to mark this agreement with this new God and offer his gratitude by building an altar here in this very spot. He also decided that when they were settled by Bethel, he would build another altar there, so that his newly kindled faith would burn bright at the ever present reminder. When Abram's men and lot returned, they built the first altar together. Abrams stood back from their work and again felt that pulse of assurance in his heart. He gazed up at the twisted oak tree that had towered over them while they worked, and smiled at the thought of its serving as a landmark of this monumental moment. Perhaps it would even stand and serve as a reminder to his great nation long after he was gone. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Cattina, Max Bard, Zach Slabager, 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 Zara, Thomas Copeland, Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Aaron Salvato, bre Rosalie and Chris bag 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.