Latest / The Chosen People / The Call of Abram
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: This is an iHeart Podcast.
- 0:02Speaker 2: Guaranteed Human.
- 0:04Speaker 3: Previously on The Chosen People.
- 0:08Speaker 4: Let us craft creatures in our image, imbued with our essence.
- 0:14Speaker 3: God's design for humanity was to bear his image, fill
- 0:18Speaker 3: the earth, and share in the joy of creation.
- 0:22Speaker 4: A choice is before you, Adam. You can freely take
- 0:26Speaker 4: up the tree of life, nourishing yourself. in my abiding
- 0:30Speaker 4: love you could live under the comforting canopy of your
- 0:35Speaker 4: creator obeying me and partnering with me to cultivate the
- 0:40Speaker 4: earth or you can reach for the tree of knowledge
- 0:46Speaker 4: you can awaken your mind to the possibility of evil
- 0:50Speaker 4: seize autonomy and live apart from my blessing.
- 0:56Speaker 3: Maybe what was alive Maybe there's something more for me?
- 1:04Speaker 3: A heart from God? Paradise was lost. Adam and Eve
- 1:09Speaker 3: sat in the dirt east of Eden, never to return.
- 1:13Speaker 3: Their descendants would pine after Eden. Each generation would manufacture
- 1:19Speaker 3: ways to reclaim paradise.
- 1:21Speaker 5: Evil grieves his heart. This corruption, this violence, it wasn't
- 1:28Speaker 5: his intentions.
- 1:29Speaker 2: How blessed are you now, Abel?
- 1:31Speaker 5: Do you still feel blessed?
- 1:36Speaker 2: Where is your God now? This world is sick.
- 1:42Speaker 5: These people are plagued by evil.
- 1:46Speaker 1: Today we build this tower in defiance of the Creator.
- 1:50Speaker 5: Today we seize greatness for ourselves.
- 1:55Speaker 3: But Adam and Eve held on to a promise. One day,
- 1:59Speaker 3: The son of Eve would rise to crush the head
- 2:02Speaker 3: of the serpent. He would reclaim Eden for humanity. Heaven
- 2:08Speaker 3: and earth would be joined once again.
- 2:10Speaker 1: Is this death? Is this the curse God spoke of?
- 2:17Speaker 5: No, Eve. I don't think this is death. I think
- 2:21Speaker 5: this is life.
- 2:27Speaker 3: Abram exhaled a sigh of relief as the last of
- 2:31Speaker 3: the seemingly endless parade of priests, mourners, cousins, servants and
- 2:37Speaker 3: solicitors finally departed. The door snapped shut with the last
- 2:41Speaker 3: of them and the mighty house of Terah stood silent
- 2:45Speaker 3: as a tomb. Abram and his nephew, Lot, stood in
- 2:50Speaker 3: the doorway of their now deceased patriarch's entryway. The air
- 2:54Speaker 3: was heavy with tension. thick enough to be cut with
- 2:57Speaker 3: a blade.
- 2:59Speaker 6: And so another great man of Shem's line has come
- 3:02Speaker 6: to pass.
- 3:04Speaker 3: Lot's remark earned him a stern look from Abram. Abram
- 3:08Speaker 3: sighed again, retreated further into the dwelling, and collapsed on
- 3:12Speaker 3: a bench in the center courtyard of his father's home.
- 3:16Speaker 3: His groans fell onto the dusty floor. His thoughts drifted
- 3:20Speaker 3: up a level to his father's bedchamber. where a single
- 3:24Speaker 3: chair would be left ceremonially empty beside his bed, or rather,
- 3:29Speaker 3: his deathbed. It would now be up to him and
- 3:33Speaker 3: his only remaining brother, Nahor, to steward their father's legacy.
- 3:38Speaker 3: Their father had left for the underworld, leaving a legacy
- 3:42Speaker 3: that included his wealth, property, influence and lineage. However, the
- 3:47Speaker 3: latter would prove to be the most difficult for Abram
- 3:50Speaker 3: to shoulder. He had yet to produce an heir of
- 3:53Speaker 3: his own with his wife Sarai, but he tried not
- 3:56Speaker 3: to dwell on that too often, especially for Sarai's sake.
- 4:00Speaker 3: It wasn't a new revelation for either of them, and
- 4:03Speaker 3: though the hurt was buried deep, the dulled pangs of
- 4:06Speaker 3: inadequacy lingered. Attempting not to intrude on Abram's sullen silence,
- 4:12Speaker 3: Lot tried to subtly slink into the courtyard and claimed
- 4:15Speaker 3: the seat across from Abram. There wasn't anything subtle about Lot,
- 4:20Speaker 3: Lot was a simple man of simple pleasures and pursuits.
- 4:24Speaker 3: While Abram often thought about lofty and ethereal things, his
- 4:28Speaker 3: nephew reserved his attention for the concrete and material. As
- 4:32Speaker 3: a result, Lot was predictable, yet still endearing. The thought
- 4:37Speaker 3: brought a reluctant grin to Abram's face, and his nephew
- 4:40Speaker 3: returned it. Lot broke the silence again.
- 4:45Speaker 6: When do you suppose we'll hear back from Nahor? And
- 4:48Speaker 6: more to the point, are we to expect him to
- 4:50Speaker 6: reside here in Haran? Will your father's inheritance really be
- 4:54Speaker 6: divided among us? Will we live side by side like
- 4:57Speaker 6: we did when we were young?
- 4:58Speaker 5: The messengers won't reach her for a few weeks, and
- 5:03Speaker 5: I really can't say what Nahor will do. It's been
- 5:06Speaker 5: so long since we were under the same roof, or
- 5:10Speaker 5: even in the same land. I suppose my father would
- 5:14Speaker 5: want me to remain at Nahor's side forever. But as
- 5:18Speaker 5: for you, I know going north was always my father's
- 5:22Speaker 5: dream for you when your father passed, to see the
- 5:25Speaker 5: land of his people.
- 5:27Speaker 6: Abram, you know Haran has become just as much a
- 5:30Speaker 6: home to me as it is for you. But you
- 5:33Speaker 6: know as well as I that your father, my grandfather,
- 5:36Speaker 6: always intended for us to go all the way to Canaan.
- 5:40Speaker 5: Ha ha, Canaan. If I had a sheep for every
- 5:44Speaker 5: time my father mentioned Canaan... I can feel all err.
- 5:49Speaker 5: My father talked endlessly about venturing off to Canaan, but
- 5:54Speaker 5: stopped short. Besides, you know as well as I how
- 5:59Speaker 5: dangerous that road is. And if the family stories are
- 6:03Speaker 5: to be believed, I don't think they would exactly welcome
- 6:07Speaker 5: sons of Shem.
- 6:08Speaker 6: But Abram, don't you feel there might be more out there?
- 6:12Speaker 6: More to seize and explore? Our family has done exceedingly
- 6:16Speaker 6: well here. But I can't help feel like Terar wanted
- 6:20Speaker 6: more for me.
- 6:21Speaker 2: I know you're comfortable here, Abram. You're content with this life.
- 6:26Speaker 5: What's that supposed to mean?
- 6:28Speaker 2: You're content with what you have, Abram. That's all I'm saying.
- 6:31Speaker 2: You don't seem to yearn for more, that's all.
- 6:35Speaker 5: Don't act like you've suffered here in Harrenmont. It is
- 6:40Speaker 5: comfortable here. We've made a life here. When they're grown...
- 6:45Speaker 5: Your daughters will find husbands here. And soon, you'll have
- 6:50Speaker 5: a dynasty of your own. And my father's wealth and
- 6:53Speaker 5: livestock will only make you all more comfortable.
- 6:57Speaker 2: Comfortable? Abram, comfortable? Sure, sure, it's comfortable. But you know
- 7:01Speaker 2: what else it is? Stifling! We're like trees. Trees stuck
- 7:05Speaker 2: in the shadow of Nathor's dynasty. We're not going to grow.
- 7:09Speaker 2: We're going to be like shrubs. Little tiny shrubs.
- 7:13Speaker 6: Look, Terra, he loved me like a son, and I'll
- 7:18Speaker 6: always be grateful, believe me, but that's not going to
- 7:20Speaker 6: get us anywhere. You know the laws of the land, Abram.
- 7:25Speaker 6: We're stuck here, growing only as tall as Nahor lets us.
- 7:28Speaker 6: And I'm telling you, Abram, it's driving me crazy.
- 7:31Speaker 5: Nahor is our king. He is my brother, and your uncle.
- 7:38Speaker 5: We have nothing to fear from him. Your fortune is secure.
- 7:43Speaker 5: I don't understand where this is coming from.
- 7:47Speaker 2: Abram, Abram, let me stop you right there. You know
- 7:50Speaker 2: what you and I are? Self-made men. That's what we are.
- 7:55Speaker 6: Sure, we had a leg up, I'm not denying that,
- 7:57Speaker 6: but look at what we've done. We've turned a profit
- 8:00Speaker 6: with every single thing that was handed to us.
- 8:03Speaker 2: We didn't just sit on it, we worked on it.
- 8:05Speaker 6: But don't you ever wonder, Abram, what we really are
- 8:08Speaker 6: made of?
- 8:09Speaker 2: What's in here?
- 8:10Speaker 3: Lots of questions, Stunt. Abram had a dysfunctional relationship with
- 8:16Speaker 3: greatness and legacy. Having no child of his own or
- 8:19Speaker 3: any hopeful one on the horizon, he knew whatever he
- 8:22Speaker 3: gained would be dispersed among his servants and relatives. Nothing
- 8:27Speaker 3: would live on beyond him. Abram didn't aim for greatness. Instead,
- 8:32Speaker 3: he remained reliable, steady, and predictable.
- 8:36Speaker 5: I won't be made to feel guilty for being reliable.
- 8:41Speaker 5: Between the two of us, we have... A multitude of responsibilities.
- 8:46Speaker 5: As for where I place my trust? I place it
- 8:51Speaker 5: in my own hands. If those I'm responsible for find
- 8:56Speaker 5: me lacking, what kind of man would I be? So, no,
- 9:01Speaker 5: I do not wonder what I am made of, because
- 9:04Speaker 5: I must find the answer every day. Every day I
- 9:08Speaker 5: can put money in the hands of my workers... or
- 9:11Speaker 5: food in the bellies of my household, and I discover
- 9:14Speaker 5: what I am made of. And I haven't failed them yet.
- 9:19Speaker 6: I love you, Abram, and I always will. You've always
- 9:23Speaker 6: been a bit of a brother to me. And you're
- 9:26Speaker 6: everything an older brother should be. Your sense of duty
- 9:30Speaker 6: and loyalty are unmatched. I'm just thinking about your father.
- 9:35Speaker 6: He stopped short of his dreams, and when I look
- 9:38Speaker 6: back on my life, I... I want to feel like
- 9:40Speaker 6: I did something of significance. That I achieved something that
- 9:44Speaker 6: no one else has done before. Maybe, just maybe, that
- 9:50Speaker 6: something is in the land of Canaan.
- 9:54Speaker 2: You've heard the stories, right? Our distant relatives, the line
- 9:57Speaker 2: of Ham, they're cursed, Abram, cursed!
- 9:59Speaker 6: And yet there they are, sitting in seats of power.
- 10:03Speaker 2: And then there's me.
- 10:05Speaker 6: I don't want to just.
- 10:05Speaker 2: Be another name, Abram.
- 10:07Speaker 6: Just another name in a long, endless list of men
- 10:10Speaker 6: from the line of Noah.
- 10:13Speaker 5: And you would become a conqueror and lead your family
- 10:15Speaker 5: into a war for significance. Don't you feel that you're
- 10:20Speaker 5: already contributing to this legacy? To our nation?
- 10:25Speaker 6: Don't you sometimes wonder what it would be like to
- 10:27Speaker 6: have a nation all of your own? To make a
- 10:31Speaker 6: name for yourself, rather than relying on the name of another?
- 10:37Speaker 3: And as much as he was reluctant to admit it,
- 10:40Speaker 3: Abram did consider Lot's words. When Lot took his leave,
- 10:44Speaker 3: Abram wandered to the upper levels of his father's house.
- 10:48Speaker 3: He at last found himself on the roof, staring out
- 10:51Speaker 3: over the packed city and wondered if he would ever
- 10:54Speaker 3: grow accustomed to this feeling. The babble of all manner
- 10:58Speaker 3: of man and beast from below created a steady drumbeat
- 11:02Speaker 3: that pulsed against his eardrums and sent his mind racing.
- 11:06Speaker 3: That's when he heard it, a voice whispering through the
- 11:10Speaker 3: cacophony of city noise.
- 11:13Speaker 4: Abram.
- 11:14Speaker 3: Abram turned.
- 11:16Speaker 4: He was alone.
- 11:17Speaker 3: He scanned the rooftop, searching for the source of the voice.
- 11:22Speaker 3: The world around him became quiet and still. Again, he
- 11:26Speaker 3: heard the voice calling out to him.
- 11:29Speaker 5: Abram. Who's there?
- 11:31Speaker 4: Come to me.
- 11:33Speaker 3: The voice called out again, this time from below the house.
- 11:37Speaker 3: Abram ran down the stairs following the sound of the voice.
- 11:41Speaker 3: It called him outside, then down the alleyway.
- 11:44Speaker 4: Abram.
- 11:45Speaker 3: Abram ran through the busy streets, bumping into vendors and
- 11:49Speaker 3: tripping over carts. The voice was calling to him from
- 11:52Speaker 3: outside the gates. Abram sprinted out of the gates and
- 11:55Speaker 3: down the dirt path leading to the pastures of his
- 11:58Speaker 3: father's flock. The evening breeze whistled through the valley, carrying
- 12:02Speaker 3: the voice calling to Abram again.
- 12:04Speaker 4: Abram!
- 12:07Speaker 3: Abram stopped at a large terebinth tree. The starlight shone
- 12:11Speaker 3: through the breaks in the leaves, causing a dance of
- 12:14Speaker 3: shadow and light on Abram's face. The voice spoke again,
- 12:18Speaker 3: this time gently. It spoke to him and through him.
- 12:23Speaker 3: Abram could feel the presence of the voice, but couldn't
- 12:26Speaker 3: capture its source.
- 12:28Speaker 4: Abram.
- 12:29Speaker 5: Here I am.
- 12:29Speaker 4: Abram, you are to go out from your land. Leave
- 12:35Speaker 4: your father's house and your relatives behind. and go to
- 12:40Speaker 4: the land I will show you.
- 12:43Speaker 3: Still grappling with the words he was hearing, Abram was
- 12:46Speaker 3: suddenly stunned to find that images of a familiar terrain
- 12:50Speaker 3: and a worn road flashed in his mind. The road
- 12:54Speaker 3: led southwest out of the city toward Canaan, and flashes
- 12:58Speaker 3: of lush valleys and cascading falls appeared before him.
- 13:02Speaker 4: Today, I will make you a promise. I will make
- 13:06Speaker 4: you into a great nation. I will bless you. Follow
- 13:10Speaker 4: me and I will make your name great and you
- 13:15Speaker 4: will be a blessing to the entire world.
- 13:20Speaker 3: Again, images of a future Abram could barely understand flickered
- 13:25Speaker 3: in and out of focus in his mind's eye faster
- 13:28Speaker 3: than he could discern. But the intent was clear. He
- 13:32Speaker 3: was to have a legacy like the one Lot pined for. No,
- 13:37Speaker 3: greater even. so much more significant and vast than either
- 13:41Speaker 3: of them could have imagined.
- 13:43Speaker 4: What's more, I will bless those who bless you. I
- 13:49Speaker 4: will curse anyone who treats you with contempt, and all
- 13:53Speaker 4: the peoples of Earth will be blessed through you.
- 13:58Speaker 3: As if to emphasize that final word, Abram felt the
- 14:02Speaker 3: presence press onto his shoulders like a mighty weight. the
- 14:06Speaker 3: manifestation of the mantle inexplicably thrust upon him. Despite the
- 14:11Speaker 3: strangeness of what had just happened, he somehow found the
- 14:14Speaker 3: pressure comforting, and as abruptly as the voice had begun
- 14:18Speaker 3: speaking and the presence surrounded him, the weight dematerialized to
- 14:23Speaker 3: a quiet, comforting presence that wrapped itself in the back
- 14:27Speaker 3: of his mind. It was barely noticeable, but within reach
- 14:31Speaker 3: if he dared access it. A ways off, a cool
- 14:37Speaker 3: breeze off the Euphrates River drifted up to meet the
- 14:41Speaker 3: two women reclining on a different roof overlooking the city.
- 14:45Speaker 3: Abram's wife, Sarai, hosted Lot's wife, Edith, while their husbands
- 14:50Speaker 3: settled their great patriarch's affairs. Sarai pretended to listen to
- 14:55Speaker 3: Edith as she prattled on about the latest gossip in town.
- 14:59Speaker 3: She longed for the arrival of Abram so that she
- 15:02Speaker 3: could remove herself from the intensity of the other woman's
- 15:05Speaker 3: ranting And you know Ado.
- 15:07Speaker 7: She's going to smile and host her new son-in-law's family
- 15:10Speaker 7: as if the match was her idea all along. She'll
- 15:13Speaker 7: never admit that he's simply not good enough for her daughter.
- 15:16Speaker 7: But I'll tell you one thing, Sarai. I would never
- 15:19Speaker 7: stand for that. When my girls are old enough, no
- 15:22Speaker 7: one but the wealthiest men will do for them as husbands.
- 15:25Speaker 7: I won't settle for anything else. Don't you agree?
- 15:28Speaker 3: Sarai half-heartedly opened her mouth to reply. But Lot's wife
- 15:33Speaker 3: continued without waiting for a response.
- 15:35Speaker 7: Oh, right. Well, I suppose you won't need to worry
- 15:38Speaker 7: yourself about that, but I'm sure you agree in principle.
- 15:42Speaker 7: And you know what my lot always says. The wealth
- 15:45Speaker 7: of this city is steady and stable. It's all the
- 15:48Speaker 7: same families exchanging the same coins over and over again.
- 15:52Speaker 7: No movement up or down. No real competition if you're
- 15:56Speaker 7: the sort that has your eyes on advancement. But I
- 15:59Speaker 7: hear that the lands in Canaan are untamed. And there
- 16:02Speaker 7: are fortunes to be had if you're bold enough to
- 16:05Speaker 7: take it. Wealth you can't even imagine. Wealth that would
- 16:09Speaker 7: put Ur and Haran to shame.
- 16:12Speaker 3: Mercifully, Sarai saw the top of Abram's head emerge as
- 16:16Speaker 3: he climbed the steps to the roof, sparing her from
- 16:19Speaker 3: enduring any more of Edith's insensitive remarks and frenzied daydreaming
- 16:23Speaker 3: about adding to their already substantial wealth.
- 16:28Speaker 7: Well, I suppose I should get back to oversee the
- 16:30Speaker 7: dinner preparations. Abram, is Lot with you? Or did he
- 16:34Speaker 7: go home already?
- 16:36Speaker 5: He must be at home. We parted ways earlier.
- 16:40Speaker 3: Lot's wife took her leave, but Abram lingered on the roof.
- 16:44Speaker 3: Something was on his mind. Sarai waited expectantly for her
- 16:49Speaker 3: husband to gather his thoughts. They had long been married.
- 16:53Speaker 3: She could see the determination in his eyes. He had
- 16:56Speaker 3: his mind made up about something. He strode to the
- 17:00Speaker 3: roof's edge. and began speaking as he stared over the city.
- 17:05Speaker 5: Sarai, I have something to tell you.
- 17:09Speaker 1: Yes, Abram, I'm listening.
- 17:12Speaker 5: I'm going to take our family out of Haran. We
- 17:16Speaker 5: will begin making arrangements immediately. We will drive all our livestock,
- 17:22Speaker 5: take our possessions and all those who work for us,
- 17:25Speaker 5: and head south toward Canaan. Abram.
- 17:29Speaker 1: Help me understand what you mean. I thought we were
- 17:33Speaker 1: settled here in Haran. Going south now, of all times?
- 17:37Speaker 1: We're established here. We're comfortable. And besides, who would care
- 17:41Speaker 1: for our father's estate if we were to leave? Would
- 17:44Speaker 1: we leave that responsibility to Nahor? To Lot?
- 17:48Speaker 5: I suppose we may take whoever is willing to join us.
- 17:53Speaker 5: I will need to speak to Lot tomorrow. As early
- 17:56Speaker 5: as possible, if he is to join us. and make
- 17:59Speaker 5: preparations as well.
- 18:00Speaker 3: Sarai was too stunned to respond, so Abram continued and
- 18:05Speaker 3: tried to explain the supernatural phenomenon that had overcome him
- 18:09Speaker 3: in the alleyway.
- 18:10Speaker 1: Abram, look at me. Are we to upend our entire
- 18:13Speaker 1: way of life on the words of a random god?
- 18:16Speaker 3: Abram turned to his wife and struggled to find his words.
- 18:20Speaker 3: He scanned her face, accessing and questioning. undoubtedly weighing whether
- 18:26Speaker 3: or not he would bring her into the inner workings
- 18:28Speaker 3: of his mind, his heart. Serai yearned for partnership, not lordship,
- 18:34Speaker 3: but she didn't know where to begin when it came
- 18:36Speaker 3: to Abram. Serai, in return, searched his face, but found
- 18:41Speaker 3: only resolve, an immovable, impenetrable wall of conviction.
- 18:46Speaker 5: You have to trust me, Serai. I have weighed the cost,
- 18:51Speaker 5: but more importantly... I know in my heart that we
- 18:58Speaker 5: must follow the words of this god.
- 19:02Speaker 1: So you've already decided then.
- 19:05Speaker 3: Abram averted his eyes from Sarai's helpless stare and turned
- 19:09Speaker 3: again to look over the city, already calculating and planning
- 19:12Speaker 3: the journey ahead. I have. It is what is right.
- 19:18Speaker 3: And that settled the matter. Sarai knew better than to
- 19:22Speaker 3: pry and argue. At times, Abram was this locked vault
- 19:26Speaker 3: of thoughts and emotions. She could feel his head churning.
- 19:30Speaker 3: She wished she could access his mind. She yearned for
- 19:34Speaker 3: that type of intimacy. Yet, even so, she knew his character.
- 19:41Speaker 1: If this is your conviction, then I will follow you.
- 19:45Speaker 3: Abram glanced her way briefly, slid his hand over to hers.
- 19:50Speaker 3: She took it and squeezed. Abram had been amazed, flattered even,
- 19:58Speaker 3: at how many had chosen to come with him out
- 20:00Speaker 3: of Haran. Even months later and hundreds of miles later,
- 20:05Speaker 3: he still marveled at the sheer numbers of people and
- 20:08Speaker 3: animals that sprawled out behind him when he led their
- 20:11Speaker 3: odyssey from the head of the vast column. Abram decided
- 20:15Speaker 3: to scout ahead with Lot, who had unsurprisingly jumped at
- 20:19Speaker 3: the chance to accompany Abram, and a small group of
- 20:22Speaker 3: hand-picked men. They had just passed into the land of Canaan,
- 20:27Speaker 3: and the city of Shechem lay before them, nestled on
- 20:30Speaker 3: the shoulder of Mount Ebal, The land of Canaan was
- 20:34Speaker 3: occupied by a savage and war-loving people. Though Abram and
- 20:38Speaker 3: Lot had brought men who could fight, their fighting numbers
- 20:41Speaker 3: would easily be inconsequential if confronted head-on by the brutal Canaanites.
- 20:47Speaker 3: Abram waited for Lot and the others to return with
- 20:50Speaker 3: a report in the shade of a gnarled, twisted oak tree.
- 20:54Speaker 3: It was then that the same otherworldly stillness came upon Abram.
- 20:59Speaker 3: Bird song, insect buzzing, and wind alike ceased as if
- 21:03Speaker 3: to give their attention to the mighty presence suddenly upon Abram.
- 21:07Speaker 3: Sweat beat down his brow. He turned to Lot and Sarai.
- 21:12Speaker 4: I'll be back.
- 21:13Speaker 5: Wait here for me.
- 21:15Speaker 3: Abram left to find a solitary place. His heart ached
- 21:19Speaker 3: in his chest to hear the voice whisper again. He
- 21:23Speaker 3: summited a small grassy hill where wildflowers swayed gently to
- 21:27Speaker 3: the breeze. He sat on a stone and waited. Since leaving,
- 21:32Speaker 3: Abram had wondered if he was following a figment of
- 21:34Speaker 3: his imagination, or if the god he chose to follow
- 21:38Speaker 3: was some sort of trickster. But there, on that blooming foothill,
- 21:43Speaker 3: the Creator spoke.
- 21:45Speaker 4: Abram, you answered my call and left your land. You
- 21:51Speaker 4: left your father's house, and now here you are.
- 21:56Speaker 5: Yes, I have done what you asked. Now what?
- 22:01Speaker 4: You have been faithful so far in what I have
- 22:04Speaker 4: asked you. Because of your faithfulness, I will uphold my
- 22:08Speaker 4: promise to you. You now stand on the land that
- 22:13Speaker 4: I will one day give your offspring.
- 22:16Speaker 3: Abram's eyes widened. He tilted his head upward in confusion
- 22:20Speaker 3: and trepidation.
- 22:22Speaker 5: My offspring?
- 22:24Speaker 3: Yet there was no more answer. Abram nodded reverently. as
- 22:29Speaker 3: he felt the mighty presence dissipate, though he could still
- 22:33Speaker 3: sense a remnant in the back of his mind. Abram
- 22:36Speaker 3: didn't know why this God chose him. He wasn't a
- 22:39Speaker 3: substantial or charismatic man. He wasn't even the greatest in
- 22:43Speaker 3: his household. How would he accomplish all it had foretold?
- 22:48Speaker 3: Even still, with this God's voice reverberating in his mind,
- 22:52Speaker 3: he felt a confidence flicker in his heart. He could
- 22:56Speaker 3: become great. Still, Alone in the shade of the bent
- 23:00Speaker 3: oak tree, he began to pace and plan his next move.
- 23:05Speaker 5: I will lead my people further into the land of Canaan.
- 23:08Speaker 5: We will pitch our tents and create a stronghold beside Bethel.
- 23:13Speaker 3: Abram again felt that stirring of confidence in his heart
- 23:17Speaker 3: as if to affirm his decision. Prompted by this encouragement,
- 23:21Speaker 3: he considered another response to the call. Having always been
- 23:25Speaker 3: a man of business and transitions, he wondered what this
- 23:29Speaker 3: god would require in return. Surely the gift of land
- 23:32Speaker 3: and legacy would warrant an offering. He had grown up
- 23:36Speaker 3: seeing his father and neighbors make offerings to the various
- 23:39Speaker 3: gods of the land, but he was no longer in
- 23:42Speaker 3: their domain, and he sensed this god wasn't one he
- 23:46Speaker 3: had ever encountered before. Abram decided to mark this agreement
- 23:50Speaker 3: with this new god and offer his gratitude by building
- 23:54Speaker 3: an altar here in this very spot. He also decided
- 23:59Speaker 3: that when they were settled by Bethel, he would build
- 24:02Speaker 3: another altar there so that his newly kindled faith would
- 24:06Speaker 3: burn bright at the ever-present reminder. When Abram's men and
- 24:11Speaker 3: Lot returned, they built the first altar together. Abram stood
- 24:15Speaker 3: back from their work and again felt that pulse of
- 24:19Speaker 3: assurance in his heart. He gazed up at the twisted
- 24:22Speaker 3: oak tree that had towered over them while they worked,
- 24:25Speaker 3: and smiled at the thought of it serving as a
- 24:28Speaker 3: landmark of this monumental moment. Perhaps it would even stand
- 24:33Speaker 3: and serve as a reminder to his great nation long
- 24:37Speaker 3: after he was gone. Steve Gatina, Max Bard, Zach Schelleberger
- 24:50Speaker 3: and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People,
- 24:53Speaker 3: narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton,
- 24:58Speaker 3: Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwald, Sylvia Zaradoc,
- 25:05Speaker 3: Thomas Copeland Jr., Rosanna Pilcher and Mitch Lashinsky. Music by
- 25:10Speaker 3: Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Brie Rosely and
- 25:14Speaker 3: Chris Baig. You can hear more Prey.com productions on the
- 25:18Speaker 3: Prey.com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google
- 25:22Speaker 3: Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People, please rate
- 25:25Speaker 3: and leave a review.
- 25:26Speaker 1: This is an iHeart Podcast.
- 25:29Speaker 2: Guaranteed human.