The wind howled through the hills of Haran as Abram stood alone, staring at the horizon. Behind him lay the land of his ancestors — familiar, comfortable, but now fading into memory. Before him stretched the unknown.
A voice, not of man, but of the Eternal One, echoed in his spirit:
"Leave your country, your people, and your father's house. Go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make your name renowned. You will become a blessing to many. I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you — I will curse. Through you, all the peoples of the earth will be blessed."
So, at the age of seventy-five, Abram obeyed. He gathered his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and every servant and possession they had accumulated in Haran. Together, they journeyed south, traveling toward the distant land of Canaan.
As they crossed the plains, they reached Shechem, stopping near a towering tree — the tree of Moreh. At that time, the land was occupied by the Canaanites, fierce and watchful. Yet there, amid foreign soil, the LORD appeared to Abram again.
"To your offspring, I will give this land," He promised.
Overwhelmed, Abram built an altar on the very spot, lifting his voice in worship to the invisible God who had spoken. From there, he continued to the hills east of Bethel, pitching his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. Again, he built an altar and called upon the name of the LORD. Then he pressed onward toward the desert lands of the Negev.
But soon, famine gripped the land. With the earth cracked and the skies silent, Abram and his household traveled to Egypt in search of food and survival.
As they approached Egypt's gates, Abram turned to Sarai. Her beauty, radiant and timeless, caused him unease. "You are a beautiful woman," he said quietly. "When the Egyptians see you, they'll know you're my wife — and they'll kill me to take you. Please... say you are my sister. That way, they will treat me well for your sake, and my life will be spared."
And so it happened. When the Egyptians laid eyes on Sarai, they marveled at her beauty and praised her before Pharaoh himself. She was taken into the royal palace. Pharaoh lavished gifts upon Abram: sheep, cattle, donkeys, servants, and camels.
But the LORD saw what had happened, and He struck Pharaoh's household with plagues. Confused and furious, Pharaoh summoned Abram.
"What have you done to me?" he demanded. "Why didn't you say she was your wife? Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' and allow this deception to bring her into my house? Take your wife and go!"
With that, Pharaoh gave strict orders to his guards. Abram, Sarai, and all they had were escorted out of Egypt — untouched, but warned.