Genesis 12-15

Abram is called from Haran where he, Sarai, Lot and his father Terah had been living. In chapter eleven they tried moving to Canaan, but stopped at Haran, coincidentally the name of Lot's father who had passed away in Ur. Abram receives God's call and must have wondered about becoming a great nation even at that point, having no children. Now at the age of 75, Abram is off to wherever the Lord is telling him to go. After a brief stop at Shechem, he moved on to somewhere between Bethel and Ai. He had built an altar at Shechem, then again at Bethel. Then he took off for Egypt. I wonder what was spurring him onward. The Lord had appeared to him already, but Abram keeps going.

The sister/wife lie in Egypt eventually catches up to Abram, although it doesn't turn out as poorly as it could have. Pharaoh could have easily just had Abram killed, but the diseases probably convinced Pharaoh to letAbram and Sarai live. Hard to believe that a pillar of faith like Abram could let his wife be taken and used by another just to ease his fears of being killed.

Lot takes the greener pastures in chpater 13. Greener pastures, but lousy neighbors! Abram goes to Hebron and builds yet another altar. Lot's neighbors get him into trouble, as Sodom is sacked by a bunch of kings under Kedorlaomer. Abram becomes a mighty warrior -- something that doesn't usually come to mind when thinking of Abram. In 14:14 we are given an exact count of Abram's make shift army -- 318. Odd bit of detail.

The mysterious Melchizedek, King of Salem/Jerusalem makes his quick apprearance at this point, blessing Abram and honoring God. Abram gives the priest a tithe -- the first tithe mentioned in Scripture. I wonder what possessed Abram to do this. The part where Abram refuses help from the king of Sodom seems logical though.

Chapter fifteen features a recounting of God's call upon Abram and this time it is in the form of a covenant. "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" at 15:6, which of course pops up again in Romans 4. The Lord confirmed the covenant with an elaborate scene of birds and carcasses cut in half. This was a normal setting for a human covenant with the two parties walking through together. This time the only one to pass through was God, indicating that God alone could keep such a covenant.