Hi, everyone! Thank you for joining me for this very unique bible study, where we talk intimately about the characters of the bible and I go through The Old, The New, The Third and the many other books of not only the bible, but lost scrolls as well as books on Hinduism, Buddhism and the like and make comparisons and contrasts. This particular study on Abram and Sarai is...well, to me, very messed up. So, without further ado... I bring you yet another story on blessings and curses.
Terah begat Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran begat Lot...
Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
But..."Sarai was barren; she had no child "Genesis 11:30
So, Abram and his wife and Terah took Lot (Haran's son) with them and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there. (Genesis 11:31)
Now, after this happened, and after Terah died, the Lord spoke to Abram and told him to get out of the country and away from his kin and away from his father's house. He told them that he would show him a land and that he was to go there, and once he did he said he will make him a great nation, that he will bless him and his name and that he will be a blessing. He also told him that he will bless and curse whomever blesses and curses him, and in his name all the families of the earth will be blessed.
So, what does Abram do?
He leaves just as the Lord instructed and he took Lot and his wife with him. He took some other people with him as well as their stuff, too.
Then, once he got to the plain of Moreh, he was home. Then God appeared unto him and said, "Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him." Genesis 12:7
So, God gives him land, he pitches a tent, builds an altar on the East (As we know from past bible studies that the "East" represents God). Then, he journeys to the south, and there was a famine, and when he gets close to Egypt, he talks to his wife and says, Hey, you are beautiful, and the Egyptians will definitely notice and want you for themselves, and if they know that I'm your husband they will kill me, so... if anyone asks, tell them you're my sister so they won't kill me.
So, they get there, and the Egyptians thought she was fine... and she let's them know that she is Abram's sister and not his wife, and Abram is like, "This is my sister", and the Pharaoh brings her into his home.
Is that Abram's hat?
So, wait a minute... are you saying what I think you're saying?
Yep. Abram was a pimp. Not only that, he lied, pimped out his wife, and the Egyptians didn't know, and remember what God told him a few verses back?
Let me refresh your memory: "And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Genesis 12:3
So, Abraham intentionally lies, pimps out his wife to get some sheep, oxen and he asses (donkeys) and menservants and maidservants and she asses (once again donkeys) and camels... Then, the Lord plagues Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
Then the Pharaoh finds out that Sarai was not Abram's sister but wife and tells Abram to leave and take all of his crap with him. So, he leaves, and Abram is now rich... not just rich, but "very rich" in cattle, in silver and in gold.
Why would God curse the Egyptians for that?
Because it was adultery... But they didn't know... What?
I am guessing here that God had bigger plans?
Let's read on.
Well, before we do, why did they go to Egypt again? Because there was a famine where they were and instead of starving to death and not being able to see God's promise of land and children to fruition, they moved on to Egypt.
Okay, so that makes a little more sense...
But why did he pimp his wife out?
Well, she is barren...and the promise that God made of land and children was made to Abram and not to Sarai, and seeing as she was barren... Maybe just maybe someone else would be doing that and this was a sacrifice that he was willing to make?
Pretty sick...but...
Okay, we just left Egypt, they are rich, they go back to his tent in Beth-el, and into the altar that he made first and Abram calls upon the name of the Lord once again.
Shortly after, Abram tells Lot that he doesn't want any problems between them and to take his men and go and he is giving him a choice of whatever land he wants that he already owns, and Lot takes some land that is toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abram stays in Canaan. And God, later on, tells Abram that Lot was now separate from him and to look up and He shows him the land that He is giving to Abram for him and his seed forever. "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered." Genesis 13:16
(That's a lot of earth)
Now... Abram builds another altar in Mamre, in Hebron, and then wars begin. Nations come against one another, and they head down to Sodom and Gomorrah, and take all of their stuff. Then they take Lot, who is Abram's nephew, and they take all of his things, too. And Abram finds out and sends his trained servants there to get him. He brings back all of the goods, and his nephew, and his people. And that's when Melchizedek (King of Salem and priest of The Most High God) comes forth and blesses Abram.
Now, in Genesis 15, Abram assumes that Eleizer of Damascus will be his heir since his wife hasn't had any kids yet, but God makes him a promise and says that Eliezer isn't it, but his heir will come forth out of his own bowels...
So now what?
Sarai, knowing that God has promised Abram "children" brings it upon herself to "Pimp" out her handmaid to her husband. (Talk about "The Handmaid's Tale" yeowza...)
So, she goes to Abram and says, "Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." Genesis 16:2
This is Sarai's hat... a little more feminine...
And then... as any story of a woman and a man and a woman and her handmaid and a man and his wife's handmaid...
So, "Hagar" the handmaid (an Egyptian) was given to Abram as his wife.
*Added note on 11/1/23: I just found out that Hagar was an Egyptian Princess. They don't say it in the bible at all, so this is why I am adding it now. Apparently, this was implied, but I didn't get it until now. I am now in Genesis 40+ and am looking into the correlation of this. I may even come back later and add a side note. Hagar and Abram's son, Ishmael, is the father of many Arab nations.*
So, they do it... then she conceives, and the mistress now despises Sarai, and Sarai knows that the Lord has judged her.
But Abram says to Sarai, that the maid is hers and she can do whatever she wants with her, so Sarai deals hardly with her (Genesis 16:6) and she leaves (Hagar). Then, the Angel of the Lord appears to Hagar and tells her to go back and submit herself to Sarai and the Angel tells her that when she does that "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude." (Genesis 16:10)
So, she goes back but not before the angel told her to call her kid "Ishmael" because the Lord hath heard her affliction.
So... this story is dramatic and is getting really interesting...
So, Abram and Hagar's son is born and they name him Ishmael as the Lord instructed, and things are going alright, and God appears to Abram once more and says, "And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly." (Genesis 17:2)
And a few lines down God says... "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." Genesis 17:4-9
So, this is all setting up Abraham's family line before going back into Egypt. God gave him and his seed the Land of Caanan. He gave him it and promised that He would be their God. He talks then about circumcision and his people, that every child must be circumcised at eight days old. He that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed, must be circumcised that way his covenant will be in his flesh.
Then a little further down in Genesis 17:15 "And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her."
Woohoo! Go, Sarah!
And a little further down... Genesis 17:19 "And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year."
Interesting... So, Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar will have 12 princes...
But... God said he will establish his covenant with Isaac. So, he blesses Ishmael with 12 princes, but he says he will establish his covenant with Isaac.... what does that mean?
Moving on: Sarah overhears Abram talking and finds out that God said she will have a son, and she laughs because she is very old. And God says "Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
Funny how God's timing works...
Now, after that little revelation, we move on to Sodom and Gomorrah and the cries to The Lord from the people there.
So, Abram is now talking to God about how evil Sodom and Gomorrah is, and Abram says "What if there's fifty good people there? Will you punish them all?"
And God says, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes." Genesis 18:26
So, Abram asks God then, what if 45 people are good? And God says, then he will not destroy it. And then he says What about 40? And God said, "Then I will not destroy it."
And then Abram says... what about thirty? And God...
What do you think He said?
Yep, you're right. "I will not do it, if I find thirty there."
So, he keeps on going and the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham, and Abraham returns to his place. (After God states that he won't destroy Sodom if there are at least 10 good people).
So, God sends two Angels to Sodom. And Lot is at the gate. And Lot tells the two that his lords, are in bed now, so he asks them to go and come back in the morning, but they tell him no and that they will be in the street all night. So, Lot talks to them and they go into his house, and they make unleavened bread and eat. But before they all went to bed, the men of the city surround Lot's house, and they call out to him, Genesis 19:5 "Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them."
um...ewww.... So, "know them" means... well, they want to have sex with the angels.
Well, that escalated!
So, now what?
Lot goes outside and shuts the door and says, "I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters when have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof." Genesis 19:7-8
WHAT?
Holy cow... I thought Abram was bad. Pimp #3 in the House of Shem. So, Lot is suggesting that the evil men in Sodom and Gomorrah take (RAPE) his two virgin daughters instead of the two angels that came to his door. Either is sick but damn... these are his daughters.
So, the people were ticked and went to break the door and the two men pulled Lot into the house and shut the door. And the Angels smote the men that were at the door with blindness (woohoo) and then they looked at Lot and told him to get out and to take his daughters, and his sons and son in law with him and to leave this place because they are getting ready to destroy it.
So, Lot gets out, and the Angels tell him to escape and to get far away as everything will be destroyed.
And the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities and that which grew upon the ground. But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
That's not good...
Back to Abram. He gets up in the early morning and looks out from where he had been talking to the Lord before and sees the smoke as the smoke of a furnace coming from Sodom and Gomorrah.
And guess what? Just like God said, this place is cursed, and nothing has grown here, and nothing ever will. Full of bone fragments and pottery, and it covers the entire site.
So, Lot leaves Zoar, and goes to the mountains with his two daughters because he was afraid to stay in Zoar. Then something even nastier happens (if you can believe that), his two daughters decide that their father isn't getting any younger, and there hasn't been a man so far on earth to marry, so they decide to get their father to drink wine and seduce him so they can "Preserve" the seed of their father.
So, the youngest of the two comes up with the idea, and they get the wine ready, and old dad was drunk and he didn't know what he was doing, and he had relations with his firstborn. So, she decides that since it went so well the night before, that it is little sis's turn next, so they do the whole wine-thing again that night, and little sis also gets it on with their dad.
So...
The firstborn of Lot and Lot bore a son and they called his name "Moab" the same is the father of the Moabites unto this day.
And the younger, she also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi: the same is the father of the children of Ammon unto this day.
Dang...
Which brings us to Genesis 20... which I will gladly talk about in the next blog. I need to bleach my brain now. :)
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