You must give me the firstborn of your sons

 Exodus 21-22

If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.

“But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

The laws about Personal Injuries :

The laws about the Protection of Property:

The laws about Social Responsibility:

“You must give me the firstborn of your sons. Do the same with your cattle and your sheep. Let them stay with their mothers for seven days, but give them to me on the eighth day.

Why?

All of these laws honor the Holy Name of the Lord, and the animal or man for the firstborn belongs to the Lord.

The Laws keep the fair, love, and righteousness among people in society in Israel, the nation of the Lord.

How?

So we should keep our life with faith in the Lord, hope in the Lord, and love among people, and honor the Holy name of the Lord.

We are the sons of the Lord, so we should keep our treasured possession in our daily life

 Exodus 19-20

‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’”

The Ten Commandments:

Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

Why?

The Lord said the Ten Commandments for Israelite is God's treasured possession, they will be the kingdom of priests and a holy nation for the Lord.

How?

Be aware we, Christians, are the sons of the Lord keep our treasure possession in our daily life.

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested

Exodus 12-13

The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.

On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

Why?

Finally, Israelite end their journey in Egypt, and the Lord performed great things that let them know the Lord is greater than their gods.

For the Lord killed the firstborn in Egypt, so the Lord asked Israelite know that the firstborn of every womb among the Israelites belonged to the Lord.

How?

The Lord let the Israelites get out of Egypt through Moses. So, we need to walk in the way the Lord leads us.

Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you

 Exodus 9-11

The Plague on Livestock, The Plague of Boils, The Plague of Hail, The Plague of Locusts, The Plague of Darkness, The Plague on the Firstborn.

The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

Ten plagues happened in the whole land of Egypt, except the area of Israelites lived.

Why?

When the Lord hardens people's hearts, they suffer the disasters, and their hearts are refue the Lord.

This is the way show the great power over Egypt.

People always use their own ideas to explain the work of the Lord and compromised all unusual events.

How?

May my heart and my mind keep obeying the way of the Lord, and I know my Lord has the best way for me.

The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt

 Exodus 7-8

 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 

The Plague of Flies.

The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.

Why?

The Lord gave Egypt nine nature disasters, but they were still harden their heart, until the tenth diaster happened.

How?

The word of the Lord are always come around us, do I sense it and make my soul awake to listen the word of the Lord?

Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?

 Exodus 4-6

Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

“This,” said the Lord, “is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.

Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.

So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.

Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”

Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.

But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

Why?

Yes, we are speaking with faltering lips. Why would others listen to us? Because the Mighty God can make it. It is not we who preach the Gospel, but it is the Lord who changes the minds of human beings.

How?

Do my job and preach the Gospel to others, the Lord can change the heart of others.

Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.

 Genesis 49-50

Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim[mourning of the Egyptians].

Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

Why?

This is the assurance of Joseph's trust in the Lord, and he gave the order or command that they carry his bones up from this place to the promised land.

Because Joseph had these words, there is a chapter Out of Egypt in the Bible.

How?

What can we see? What is our vision in our lives? Can I see where is the way to me and to my family and to me from the Lord?

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

 Genesis 49-50

Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.

Reuben, you are my firstborn, Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, nto my couch and defiled it.

Simeon and Levi are brothers—  their swords are weapons of violence.

“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son.

“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.

Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.

Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.

Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.

Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.

Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

Benjamin is a ravenous wolf.

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

Why?

Only Joseph remembered that living in Egypt is temporary stay, their promised land from the Lord is in Canaan.

How?

Do not forget I belong to the Lord, and what I am struggling with now, all the efforts I am doing is for temporary living. My hometown,  my promised land, is in heaven.

Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there

 Genesis 46-48

And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.

Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?” “Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”

So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,[c] from one end of Egypt to the other. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.”

Why?

The blessing and the order are not decided by birth sequence but by the arrangement of the Lord or under the order of the Lord.

The Lord allowed his people to come down to Egypt, but it is not the promised land, the homeland of Israel is in Canaan.

How?

The words of the Lord never changed; sometimes allow us to go through the other way, but the destination never changes.

if I am bereaved, I am bereaved

 Genesis 43-45

Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”

Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

He said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’

So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Why?

Jacob knew our life is in the hands of the Lord, so he said, "If I am bereaved, I am bereaved." Our life is in the hands of the Lord. We can not predict anything forward, but the Lord can protect us and guide our way when we go on the way of the Lord.

How?

May grace, peace, and joy from the Lord be with my family. May my way be on the way of the Lord, and guide me.

Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you

 Genesis 41-42

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” The second son he named Ephraim and said, “It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”

Why?

This is the work and plan of the Lord that allows Joseph to change his life and lead the Israelites be the followers of the Lord.

The story of Joseph is difficult, but it encourages everyone who is suffering and in pain.

It is the Lord give us the way and life and strength.

How?

May the Lord lead my way, give me wisdom and strength to work in the North of Tyland gospel trip in May.

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

 Genesis 39-40

The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.

Why?

Everything that the Lord is with us will prosper. 

May be some one forget us, but if the Lord is with us, we will be protected by the Lord, for we need to wait for the time the Lord arranged.

How?

The Lord is my savior, my Shepher and my fortress.

you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel

 Genesis 34-35

Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob’s sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one people with you. But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”

Three days later, while all of them were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and left. The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.

After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.

Why?

Sons of Jacob did what they thought was good. By track, they killed people of Chechem to pay back for their sister Dinah, who was defiled.

Circumcision is a symbol of cleanliness.

How?

Do evil may welcome the revenge or disaster.

Remember that God is a witness between you and me.

 Genesis 31-32

So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 

So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.

Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged you that you hunt me down? Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.

Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.  Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why it was called Galeed. It was also called Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.

Why?

The Lord helped Jacob and his family with many properties. God blessed Jacob and his two wives and children.

Even though Laban mistreated Jacob, under the blessing of the Lord, Jacob returned to his homeland with a large family and sheep.

How?

Under the blessing of the Lord, there has been harm or loss, but blessing in everything we do.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham

 Genesis 25-26

Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 

Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.

The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” Jacob and Esau.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 

From there he went up to Beersheba. That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”  Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

Why?

One who obeys the Lord and remembers the grace of the Lord to build an altar means he respects the Lord, so the blessing of the Lord increases him with more blessings.

Issac learned from Abraham to honor the Lord and give thanks to the Lord!

How?

I am nothing if there are no blessings of the Lord on me. I will honor the Lord and remember all the grace that comes upon me, and tell others the Gospel as I can.

So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death

 Genesis 23-24

Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I will go,” she said. So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.”

Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Why?

This journey is blessed by the Lord, and because Abraham listened to the word of the Lord, he did not let his son marry a Canaanite girl, but rather a girl from his own country, and he found a wife for my son Isaac.

This is a tough mission. Under the blessing of the Lord, the servant of Abraham implemented this mission.

Started from our heart and mind sincerely, then the Lord will bless us in our actions if it is under the word and blessing of the Lord.

How?

May my way and my hands, and my spoken words be under the blessing of the Lord!

So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him

 Genesis 10-12

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.  they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. 

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

East of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.

But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram’s wife Sarai. So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!”

Why?

Abram said to lie to Pharaoh, for he was afraid that his wife's beauty might be killed by Pharaoh. But the Lord protected Sarai and Abram. For the Lord has chosen Abram as the father of many people.

Abram respected the Lord. When he arrives at a new place, he will build an altar and offer the offspring to remember the Lord.

How?

When I do anything and when it is done, do I devote anything to thank the Lord or remember the Lord?