The day's work was done, over, each person doing what they needed to do to help make the community survive and prosper. Folk had finished their evening meal and washed up the dishes. The smallest children had received their baths since they tended to go to sleep during the nightly story around the community fire and could be put straight to bed later.
By the time the Story Teller had completed his evening walk alone under the stars allowing the story to form in his mind, everyone was gathered expectantly. He walked over to his reserved spot and stood quietly.
"After God confused the people's language and scattered them over the earth, nothing more is heard from him for 10 generations. People lived a long time in those days. Methusaleh, Noah's grandfather, lived to celebrate his 969th birthday. Noah's son Shem lived 500 years. So when I say 10 generations, I mean hundreds and hundreds of years passed by. And nothing from God.
A man named Abram, later to be called Abraham, was born of Shem's lineage and it was with Abram that God makes an appearance once again. Abram was married to Sarai and they had no children. Abram's brother, Haran, had died leaving a son so Abram and Sarai adopted him. His name was Lot."
The younger members of the community, the children and the teens, were bored and restless with this genealogical info and were ready for the Story Teller to get into the more juicy stuff.
"All you young folk need to know is that a long time went by and then God appeared again. We don't know where he was but evidently he was satisfied enough with his creation to have a hands off policy. All we know is that God appeared to Abram and said, 'I want you to get out of here and go to a land that I will show you. You are going to be famous. I'm going to be with you. Anyone who messes with you has me to mess with.'
Abram said okay. He, Sarai, Lot, and his entire household went on the move to the land God showed them, but there was a famine and Abram and his family went to Egypt. Here is where tonight's story begins."
The Story Teller paused, allowing time for those who had been distracted through lack of story action to rejoin the group.
"Now Abram's wife Sarai was very beautiful. Just before crossing into Egypt, Abram told her, 'Look, I know that if the Egyptians think you are my wife, they will kill me so they can have you. You tell them you are my sister and we will both be safe.'
So they did. Abram and his beautiful sister were the hit of Egypt. Because of Sarai, the Pharaoh treated Abram really well, giving him 'flocks, oxen, donkeys, men and women slaves, she-donkeys and camels.' He treated Sarai well too, taking her for his wife.
God was true to his word. He took Abram's side in the matter. Rather than being mad at Abram and Sarai for lying and for their living arrangements, God gets mad at Pharaoh. He 'inflicts severe plagues' on Pharaoh and his family. We are not told what those are but they catch Pharoah's attention enough to ask Sarai what is going on.
She tells him. He calls Abram to him and jumps his case for lying to him, for telling him Sarai was his sister. He tells Abram, 'Here is your wife. Take her and go!' Abram, Sarai, Lot and all that Abram owns are escorted to the border by Pharoah's men."
Silence. No one speaks. Those gathered around the fire are absorbing the story.
"I don't see why Pharaoh was punished," says a young woman. "Abram and Sarai were in the wrong."
"Yes," said another. "Why is God on some people's side and not on others?"
"All I can do is tell you the story that has been handed down. You have to make sense of it for yourselves," said the Story Teller. "I can tell you this though. We are beginning to see more of God's way of operating. He disappears for long intervals. Then he appears and sides with the descendants of Noah. A bond was formed between him and the man he saved from the Flood."
Mothers and fathers began taking their sleeping children home. Others stayed around the fire late into the night discussing the implications of the story until sleepiness also began to overtake them and the only person left was the Story Teller who sat gazing into the coals.
By the time the Story Teller had completed his evening walk alone under the stars allowing the story to form in his mind, everyone was gathered expectantly. He walked over to his reserved spot and stood quietly.
"After God confused the people's language and scattered them over the earth, nothing more is heard from him for 10 generations. People lived a long time in those days. Methusaleh, Noah's grandfather, lived to celebrate his 969th birthday. Noah's son Shem lived 500 years. So when I say 10 generations, I mean hundreds and hundreds of years passed by. And nothing from God.
A man named Abram, later to be called Abraham, was born of Shem's lineage and it was with Abram that God makes an appearance once again. Abram was married to Sarai and they had no children. Abram's brother, Haran, had died leaving a son so Abram and Sarai adopted him. His name was Lot."
The younger members of the community, the children and the teens, were bored and restless with this genealogical info and were ready for the Story Teller to get into the more juicy stuff.
"All you young folk need to know is that a long time went by and then God appeared again. We don't know where he was but evidently he was satisfied enough with his creation to have a hands off policy. All we know is that God appeared to Abram and said, 'I want you to get out of here and go to a land that I will show you. You are going to be famous. I'm going to be with you. Anyone who messes with you has me to mess with.'
Abram said okay. He, Sarai, Lot, and his entire household went on the move to the land God showed them, but there was a famine and Abram and his family went to Egypt. Here is where tonight's story begins."
The Story Teller paused, allowing time for those who had been distracted through lack of story action to rejoin the group.
"Now Abram's wife Sarai was very beautiful. Just before crossing into Egypt, Abram told her, 'Look, I know that if the Egyptians think you are my wife, they will kill me so they can have you. You tell them you are my sister and we will both be safe.'
So they did. Abram and his beautiful sister were the hit of Egypt. Because of Sarai, the Pharaoh treated Abram really well, giving him 'flocks, oxen, donkeys, men and women slaves, she-donkeys and camels.' He treated Sarai well too, taking her for his wife.
God was true to his word. He took Abram's side in the matter. Rather than being mad at Abram and Sarai for lying and for their living arrangements, God gets mad at Pharaoh. He 'inflicts severe plagues' on Pharaoh and his family. We are not told what those are but they catch Pharoah's attention enough to ask Sarai what is going on.
She tells him. He calls Abram to him and jumps his case for lying to him, for telling him Sarai was his sister. He tells Abram, 'Here is your wife. Take her and go!' Abram, Sarai, Lot and all that Abram owns are escorted to the border by Pharoah's men."
Silence. No one speaks. Those gathered around the fire are absorbing the story.
"I don't see why Pharaoh was punished," says a young woman. "Abram and Sarai were in the wrong."
"Yes," said another. "Why is God on some people's side and not on others?"
"All I can do is tell you the story that has been handed down. You have to make sense of it for yourselves," said the Story Teller. "I can tell you this though. We are beginning to see more of God's way of operating. He disappears for long intervals. Then he appears and sides with the descendants of Noah. A bond was formed between him and the man he saved from the Flood."
Mothers and fathers began taking their sleeping children home. Others stayed around the fire late into the night discussing the implications of the story until sleepiness also began to overtake them and the only person left was the Story Teller who sat gazing into the coals.
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