Sarah Bible Story

Sarai was Abraham's wife. God promised that Sarai would have a son, even though she and Abraham were old, and she doubted it. She even laughed when she heard the Lord tell Abraham about it. God told her to call their son's name Isaac, which means laughter. Sarai grew impatient (she couldn't wait) so she told Abraham to have a child with her handmaid, Hagar, so that maybe she could have a child by her. Sarai found out that things don't always turn out exactly how people hope they will, especially when the Lord makes a promise and then they take matters into their own hands. Fourteen years later, Sarah gave birth to their only son Isaac when she was 90 years old and Abraham was 100. God changed Sarai's name to Sarah.

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 11:26 - 12:8

So, you're back to find out what happened after God mixed up everyone's language and scattered the people after the Tower of Babel incident huh? Good ... I missed ya. Let's go see what occurred next.

The descendants of Shem are spreading out through Persia, Arabia, and Syria. At the same time, the descendants of Ham are spreading out in Canaan, Egypt and Africa. And the descendants of Japheth are spreading northward through what is now Turkey. So each of Noah's sons took their families and went different ways. Did you know that your family tree traces back to one of these three sons? If your family is from anywhere in Europe, you are from Japheth and if your family is from the Middle East, you are from Shem and if they are from Africa and Egypt area ... You are from Ham. Pretty cool huh?

Now in the ninth generation of Shem's descendants, a man named Abram was born. His family was from a land called Ur of the Chaldees which is about 150 miles southeast of Babylon which is now called Iraq.

Abram's wife was Sarai and she was barren and had never had a child. Abram also had a brother who died and was survived by a son, Abram's nephew, named Lot. Abram's dad took Abram, Sarai, and Lot and intended to move to Canaan, but when they came to Haran, which is a couple hundred miles north of Canaan, they settled there.

Abram was just an ordinary person. He wasn't famous for anything that we know of up to this point in his life. But one day when Abram was 75 years old, the Lord came to him and told him to leave his father's house and go to a special land that He would show him.

Put yourself in Abram's sandals for a moment. We're not talking about scheduling the movers to come and pack while you fill out the address change form at the post office, then hop on a plane with the family and meet the movers at your new home. We're talking about gathering up the tent, the flocks, the herds, the camels, food, clothing, furniture, and any other possessions you may own and hiking it hundreds of miles across unfamiliar territory. By the way, there are no restaurants, rest areas with vending machines or other amenities on the way, and you don't even know where the destination is. All you know is this invisible God said, "Go unto a land that I will show thee."

Well, God added a couple of huge blessings along with the deal. He said that He would make a great nation out of Abram which meant that he was saying that Abram would have children despite his wife being barren and He would make his name great and that he would be a blessing. And for the icing on the cake, God said, And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses you, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.

This is great news for a 75 year old man who has no children! See, in those times, having many children was very important to people who were godly, because it was God's commandment to "be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth." Not to mention having someone to carry on your bloodline. At either rate it was a request from God which took loads of faith to take you and your family across the wilderness into the unknown. But Abram did, and God honored him for his faith.

Before we go on through the adventures of Abram, let's see if you've been putting this all together. God created mankind and chooses certain individuals for special callings. He calls them His peculiar treasure. He chose Adam, Enoch, Noah and Abraham so far and chooses many more throughout history. Be sure to come back for more Daily Bread to find out what happens along Abram's journey into the wilderness of faith.

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 12

Hello again! As you recall, we were talking about Abram and the blessings that God had promised him if he would, in faith alone, go to a land where God would take him. Did they pack up and go? Indeed they did. Abram, his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all the people who belonged to their "clan" in Haran, formed a caravan and headed out for the unknown.

They headed south, and they came to the land of Canaan. Then when they got to a place called Sichem, God appeared to Abram and told him He would give this land to his children's children. From this point on, it became known as the "Promised Land." So Abram built an altar for God there and kept going until they came to Bethel. Abram built another altar there, and they pitched their tents and settled for a while.

There was a terrible famine and shortage of food at the time. They headed for Egypt because there was food there. Abram remembered a custom that the Egyptian pharaoh had of abducting beautiful wives and killing the husbands and the wife became one of Pharaoh's harem. Abram was afraid that when the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a beautiful woman, they would kill him. So Abram told Sarai to say that she was his sister, that way, they would let him live. As it happened, the princes of the Pharaoh (the name for the ruler of Egypt) saw Sarai and told the Pharaoh about her. She was taken to live in the pharaoh's house.

This angered God of course and God caused the Pharaoh and his family to have awful plagues on account of Sarai. When the Pharaoh figured out why he was being plagued, he called Abram and told Abram to take his wife and all that he had come with to Egypt and to leave, and he ordered his men to get rid of them. Sarai had a handmaid during her time with Pharaoh named Hagar and she too left with them.

The moral of this short but sweet and bitter part of Abraham's voyage to the Biblical Promised land is do not mess with God's people. We will find out what happens next in our next Daily Bread Bible Study. See you then.

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 13

Oh, there you are. Good to have you back. If we think back to the last adventure of Abram (Abraham), we found him getting kicked out of Egypt for hiding the identity of Sarai, which was all in God's plan to provide Abram and his people with food during the famine and for God to be able to deal with the Pharaoh, who was taking the wives of men and killing the husbands. I bet he thought twice about this after that. Two birds with one stone if ya will. Ain't God awesome?

Abram was always very rich in cattle, gold, and silver. He was heading back to a land of famine where gold and silver wouldn't be able to buy or produce food for his cattle and the people who tend them for him. A land that God promised would make him a great name and a great nation from his seed. You've got to surmise that Abram had moments where he felt overwhelmed. It was all a test.

Nevertheless, he traveled on, until he arrived back at the place in Bethel where he pitched his tent at the beginning. They settled there once again for the time being and at the same altar, Abram prayed.

Abram's nephew Lot also had flocks and herds and tents and family and workers. Soon the land wasn't able to sustain them both because they had so much livestock. As things became crowded there was fighting between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and of Lot's men. So Abram said to Lot, Let's not fight, we're family. We have the whole land in front of us. If you choose the right side, I'll take the left, and if you choose the left, I'll take the right.

So Lot looked over the land and chose the side on the east, which was the area of Jordan. Abram remained in the land of Canaan.

Then after Lot had left, God said to Abram, Look from where you are to the north, south, east and west, as far as you can see. All the land that you see, I will give it to you and to your seed for ever. And I will give you as many descendants as the dust of the earth. Now go and walk through the land. So once again, God assured Abram of his promise.

Abram chose a place about 30 miles south of Bethel in Hebron, and that was where he pitched his tent and built another altar to God. Note: Hebron is where the name "Hebrew" comes from.

Okay, let's review a little bit about Abram and what's happened to him so far. An ordinary childless 75 year old man is promised by God that he will be given land, have oodles of children and become a famous nation forever. He leaves his father's house and takes his wife, nephew and many riches with him. He comes to Canaan where God tells him that this is the Promised Land. Then traveling through famine, he goes to Egypt and then back up to Canaan. There he peaceably separates from his nephew because the land can't support their wealth. God reassures Abram of His promise and Abram settles in Hebron. So there you have it in a nutshell.

We, as Christians are oft times asked by God to sojourn into the unknown as well and as we are learning from Abraham, we need only have faith that He will see us through.

Next time, you'll read about a little skirmish that Lot gets into and how Abram rescues him, so keep your bookmark set to Daily Bread, and hurry back.

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 14

Glad you could return for another slice of Daily Bread. We've been finding out about the events that happened to Abram in the last few segments, and this time the story concerns his nephew Lot.

You may remember that Abram and Lot separated because all that they owned was growing too fast for the land to support, and Lot chose to settle in the plain of Jordan. In particular, he pitched his tent in the direction of Sodom. Now Sodom had a terrible reputation of being a community of extremely wicked people.

As if that wasn't bad enough for Lot to deal with while trying to follow God's plan, you have in the meantime, a war brewing. You see, five of the several kings of Canaan, served a king named Chedorlaomer for twelve years. Well, they were getting a little tired of it. So in the thirteenth year, they rebelled. Then in the fourteenth year, Chedorlaomer buddied up with three of his king pals and they went to battle. Five kings waged their war in the salt sea, which was full of slime pits at the time. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah tried to escape but were defeated there, and those that were left ran to the mountain.

So, the kings from Canaan lost and the winners took all the valuables from Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food, and went their merry way. Oh, one more thing, they took slaves ... One of which was Lot, and all he owned, too.

Now, one guy, who escaped came and told Abram what happened. When Abram heard this, he gathered three of his allies and 318 of his workers and instructed them all of a rescue plan. They defeated the four kings and their armies and brought back all the valuables, as well as Lot and his belongings, and the women and the people too.

Melchizedek, who was king of Salem and priest of the most high God, met Abram on his way home and blessed him then blessed God who delivered Abram's enemies into his hand. So Abram gave Melchizedek tithes, or one tenth, of all they brought back.

Now this is an interesting thing to consider. Because of this action, people think of tithing as giving the church one tenth of what we earn in our "jobs." But have you ever thought that we are to give one tenth of everything we do? Not just monetarily speaking. How about for example, if you work for worldly things for forty hours per week, could you spend four hours per week serving God in some way? You listen to the radio for an average of three hours a day. Would tithing be listening to Spiritual music for a couple of hours a week? Abram had the right idea. Listen to what he says when he's given the opportunity to keep the loot from his victory.

When they got back to Sodom, the king of Sodom said to Abram, Give me the people, and take everything else for yourself as a reward for what you have done. But Abram said to him, I promised the Lord who owns Heaven and Earth that I wouldn't take a thread, even down to a shoe buckle so then you'll never have good reason to say you made Abram rich. And he added, I only want what the share of the allies and those who went with me want, let them take their portion.

Lot could probably explain to you better than anybody: Sometimes you end up in a bad place without meaning to and it's a blessing when God steps in to rescue you from certain danger. This won't be the last time Lot finds himself in that situation, as you'll find out down the road. Don't miss it.

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 15 - 16

It's been ten years now that Abram has been living in Canaan and the last time he talked to God, he told Sarai (Sarah) that the Lord told him that if he could look up to Heaven and count the stars, that's how many descendants he would have. Well, the promises that Abram keeps talking about seems to be getting a little old to Sarai.

Sarai's impatience and lack of faith gets the best of her. You see, she had an Egyptian handmaid whose name was Hagar. So, Sarai said to Abram, Look now, the Lord has kept me from having children. Take Hagar and maybe we can have a child by her.

Oh, what a can of worms that opened. Does that remind you that this isn't the first time a woman's advice has been a man's heartache?

Once Hagar had conceived, she despised Sarai and vice versa. When she told Abram about the animosity, he told Sarai to deal with it however she saw fit.

Sarai demonstrated regret of her idea by dealing harshly with Hagar, and Hagar ran away. The angel of the Lord found her by a fountain in the wilderness and asked her where she was going. Hagar said that she was running away from her mistress. The angel told Hagar to go back and obey Sarai, and told her that she would have so many descendants that they can't be counted. Does that ring a bell?

Then the Angel told her that she was going to have a son and that she should call him Ishmael because the Lord heard her affliction. And he will be a wild man and he will be in conflict with every man and every man will be in conflict against him and he'll live with all his brothers.

So Hagar returned, and gave birth to a son and Abram named him Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.

As this story unfolds it will make you look at things in a different light when you find out how something so very long ago, is not just a simple story, but in fact is still affecting the world now, more than ever as the descendants of Ishmael truly do war with everyone and in particular ... Israel (Jacob). More exciting Bible stories ahead in our Daily Bread!

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 17

Most have heard of the Bible Covenants but are not aware of how there are two major Covenants in the Bible, The Old Covenant promise and the New Covenant promise and how this New Covenant is based on better promises. The New Covenant really plays a major role in your Christian walk. This covenant study looks into what the New Covenant is, how it came about and who made this New Covenant.

We're back again, and this Daily Bread story takes us further into the life of Abram. To refresh you about where we were last time, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid had just given birth to Abram's son Ishmael when Abram was 86 years old.

Now we pick up our story again, when Abram is 99 years old, and God appeared to Abram again. And God told him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Hold on, you may say, nobody can be perfect except God. That is quite true; however, one can control themselves and practice only those qualities that are godly: faith, honesty, charity, sincerity, righteousness, etc. So God is asking for us to strive to be perfect. Also, the Hebrew translation of the word perfect is:

God continued, And I will make my Covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. So God was still unwavering about keeping his promise to Abram that He first made 24 years before about having a son.

Abram fell on his face and God told him more. Abram would be a father of many nations. His name would no longer be Abram but he would now be called Abraham and God's Covenant would be everlasting, to be a God to him and to his descendants after him forever. All the land of Canaan, God gave to him as an everlasting possession. And God told Abraham to keep His covenant and for his descendants to keep His covenant in their own generations.

As for Sarai, God changed her name to Sarah. Then he promised again that He would bless her and give Abraham a son born from her.

Abraham said in his heart, shall a child be born to a man who is 100 and a woman who is 90?

And Abraham said, O that Ishmael might live before you! Since Abraham is referred to as "faithful" Abraham in Hebrews, Chapter 11, we might assume that this wasn't doubt in Abraham's mind of God's promise of a child with Sarai, but perhaps sort of a prayer that the Lord would not leave Ishmael without blessings.

But, God said ... Sarah will most certainly have a son, and you will call him Isaac: and I will set up my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him, God told him. As for Ishmael, I've heard your concern. I have blessed him and will multiply him exceedingly; he will be the father of twelve princes and I will make him a great nation. But my promise is with Isaac, which Sarah will give birth to at this set time in the next year. Then God went up from Abraham.

Can you imagine the relief in Abraham's heart when he heard God's promise again? All of the moments of wondering if he heard God correctly, or maybe God had forgotten, have now come to a screeching halt. Come back again and find out what happens as Abraham continues on with renewed faith and hope to a future of bright promises.

The following is an added excerpt from our New Covenant Study:

God made covenants with man and mankind. His old Covenant was the Old Testament. But then ... God made a New Covenant as read about within the New Testament in the Bible.

Jesus went to Matthew's house and many followed. There were a lot of sinners there who sat down to eat with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees (Religious leaders) saw it, they asked the disciples, Why does Jesus eat with sinners? Jesus heard, and answered them, People who are well don't need a doctor, but the sick do. But you go and figure out what this means: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, because I came to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous. (Matthew 9:10-13)

Jesus gave us words to ponder when He said, But you go and figure out what this means: I will have mercy, and not sacrifice ... But what did He mean? Let's find out.

Jesus also said ... No man sews a piece of new cloth on an old garment, or the patch will shrink and the tear will be worse. Neither do men put new wine into old bottles or the bottles break and the wine runs out and the bottles are ruined, but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are saved. (Matthew 9:14-17) What was Jesus saying? He was teaching of the New Covenant (Testament). You can't have a new game with the same old rules or you'll just have ... The same old game. He was showing them that in this New Covenant ... Sacrifice is being replaced by mercy now. What Jesus was saying was, God is putting a new promise into new hearts and both will be saved. Remember Jeremiah 31:31-34: The New Covenant. Accept this Truth and share it with others.

Did you know that just as the Bible has 66 books, that the book of Isaiah has 66 chapters? In addition, the Bible is divided into two sections, the Old Testament (law) and the New Testament (Grace). The Old Testament has 39 books and the New Testament has 27 books. The book of Isaiah is divided in like manner. The first 39 chapters are based on laws and punishment. The last 27 chapters foretell of the promise of the coming Messiah (Jesus)... Cool huh? Is this just a coincidence or a form of prophecy of the Old Covenant ending and a New Covenant being instituted?

A Covenant is an agreement between two parties. In this case the agreement was between God and man. It was based on law given to the people by God, through Moses. The Old Testament is based on this Old Covenant and the New Testament is the New Covenant. Our Father told us in the Bible that we will know that He is God because He tells us things that will happen before they occur.

Did our Father prophecy, through His servants the prophets, of the coming of this New Testament? Absolutely ... In Zechariah 11:7-14 He tells us that He will break His Old Covenant (Old Testament) and even prophesied the timing that the Old Covenant would end and the New Covenant would begin. He said that the Jewish people would consider His worth as ... 30 pieces of silver. (The amount the Jewish Religious leaders paid Judas to betray Jesus) Now that's just too wild. God prophesied through a prophet hundreds of years before it happened. He knew the people would trade Him up and even told the exact amount. So, as our Father promised ... He will prove he is God by keeping us posted as to what will be, by revealing it to the prophets.

But our Father did not stop there ... In Jeremiah 31:31-34 ... He said that He will make a New Covenant (Testament) and explains what it will be. He said that He would place the law within our hearts and forgive all of our sins and remember the sins no more. Now this does not mean that the Law is of no effect, rather it is saying that when you believe in Jesus, God will place the laws within your heart. It is confirmed that He had performed this act in the New Covenant (Testament) in Hebrews 8:6-8.

It says that God found the Old Covenant to possess faults and that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (Testament) Think of it this way ... The Old Covenant is kind of like a bride who married a man and obeyed out of fear but lacked a foundation of Love ... The Marriage failed just as many marriages on Earth do now for the same reasons. A marriage based on fear and obligation is as nothing compared to one based on Love. The marriages with a foundation in Love can overcome all trials and tribulations the world will throw at them. It is eternal.

God said that He looked down on Earth and He could not find one soul that had done good. No, not one. Sooooo, in order to save His children, He had to sacrifice His Son Jesus as to establish a New Blood Covenant worthy of cleansing the sins of the people ... In the days of Moses, blood was sprinkled on the people to establish the Old Covenant (kind of like a blood pact between friends). Now, in the New Covenant, it is the Blood of Jesus that established the New Covenant.

In this marriage ... It is different in that the bride would choose to obey their husband because they loved Him in Faith because of what He has done for them. He sacrificed His life so that those he loved might live. This marriage will prove to be worthy and eternal. They will make it through the trials and tribulations that the world will throw at them because ... They Love Him. That brings us to today with the choice of Faith and Love ... Is not our Father awesome?

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 18

Good day to all of you. Let's join Abraham once again as he waits for the promise of the Lord to be fulfilled. That is ... The promise that he and Sarah will have their own son in their old age.

One day Abraham was sitting at the doorway of his tent, and when he looked up, he saw three men coming near. Now it is a custom in Israel that strangers are to be treated as well as, if not better than family. Abraham ran to meet them, bowed to the ground and said, My Lord, if I have done well in your eyes, please don't pass by, but stay and wash your feet and rest under the tree. I'll bring some bread and you can relax.

But, just who are these three people? Abraham addressed one as "My Lord," and you may know who it is when God manifests Himself in the flesh on earth. The other two will later be identified as two Angels of the Lord when they save Lot and his family from destruction at Sodom. Know who these three are? It was Jesus and two of His Angels. (Jesus confirms this in the New Testament when He says that Abraham was glad to see Him and this statement puzzled all of the Pharisees. Now you know what He meant. Let's get back to the story.)

So Abraham hurried into the tent and told Sarah to quickly make some loaves of bread and to use the best flour. Then he ran out to the herd, brought in a young calf and gave it to one of his servants who hurried to prepare it.

When the food was ready, he brought it to them with butter and milk and waited on them as they ate under the tree. That's right Jesus and the Angels did eat. Isn't that cool?

They asked Abraham, Where is Sarah, your wife? And he answered, In the tent. Then the Lord said to him, Sarah will have a son. Sarah heard it in the tent door which was behind Him.

Sarah laughed to herself saying, I am this old and I will have the pleasure of a child, and Abraham too?

The Lord then asked Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh, saying, Will I really have a child, being so old? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the chosen time I will return to you and Sarah will have a son.

Then Sarah, overhearing from behind them said, I didn't laugh, because it troubled her that He knew. Jesus replied, No, but you did laugh and said the name of the child would be Isaac which means "laughter."

After that, the men got up and looked toward Sodom and Abraham walked with them a short way to see them off. As they were leaving, Jesus told Abraham that because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah was so loud, and the sin there was so dreadful, He was going to see if it was as bad as it's cry that came to Him, and He would know if it wasn't.

As they started off toward Sodom, Abraham, knowing that Lot and his family were there, delayed their leaving, asking, Will you destroy the righteous along with the wicked? It wouldn't be like you to do that. What if there are fifty righteous in the city? Will you spare it for them?

The Lord answered, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous souls, then I'll spare the whole place for their sakes.

Abraham asked again, this time saying, I know I'm just dust and ashes, but what if there are forty righteous? And the Lord said He would not do it for forty's sake.

Abraham persisted, asking about thirty, then twenty, and finally he said, I don't want to make you angry, but I have to ask this last time, suppose there are ten. And the Lord said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake. Then the Lord went his way when He was done speaking with Abraham and Abraham went back to his tent.

You've got to admire the courage of Abraham for asking again and again. Remember that fact in your own prayers. It is not a bad thing to ask repeatedly for something. There is a story in the New Testament about this as well (Luke 18:1-8) about a persistent widow that you will enjoy. At any rate, Abraham was a man with a big heart and he loved his nephew. Lot had come a long way with him and Abraham thought he was a righteous soul, so he most probably didn't view his action as being brave at all, but simply, the right thing to do.

Remember the mention of Lot being in the wrong place at the wrong time in an earlier story? Well, in the next Daily Bread story, you'll read all about it, so come back and see what happens.

Oh, and one more lesson we need to learn from this study. Watch what you say, do and laugh about because ... It could be a Spiritual visit.

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 19

So good to have you here to join me in our Daily Bread Bible study. Today, we'll be looking into the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Just the names Sodom and Gomorrah raise the brow and bring up the guard of those familiar with the places. As we look in on Lot, Abraham's nephew, we find him sitting at the gate of Sodom and Gomorrah. The "gate" is a term used for the entrance of the city.

While sitting there, the two Angels who were with Jesus visiting Abraham in our last episode, arrive just as it turns evening. When Lot sees them, he gets up to meet them and invites them to his house to stay the night.

The Angels turn down the offer and say that they'll remain in the street all night. Lot, having lived in the city for some time and knowing about the evil of the place, pleads with these two strangers to reconsider. The Angels accept his offer and Lot makes them a feast.

Before they all turn in for the night, the wicked men of the city surround the house and call out to Lot, asking him where the men are that went into his home, and shouting to send them out so they could defile them. See in Sodom and Gomorrah, murder, rape and homosexuality were commonplace. That is why the men of the city were demanding for Lot to send out his two new "friends" ...

Lot goes outside and hurriedly shuts the door behind him to try and resolve the issue. He says to these men, Please, I beg you, don't do such wickedness. And he said, Listen, I have two virgin daughters, let me bring them out to you and do to them what you think is right, but don't harm these men, that's why they're under the protection of my roof.

Now that's odd huh? Strange as it may seem, as we learned in the last story, it was very honorable to be accommodating to strangers before even your own family, and for Lot to offer his daughters in order to protect the Angels was their custom.

The men of the city shouted and mocked Lot, saying, You aren't even from here, you're a stranger yourself and you want to be a judge? Now we'll deal worse with you than with those two. They came close to breaking in the door, when the Angels reached out and pulled Lot back into the house with them. The Angels then struck all the men outside with blindness, so that they couldn't even find the door to Lot's house.

The Angels told Lot that if he had any loved ones in the city, to get them out, because the Lord had heard how loud the cry is that comes from Sodom and Gomorrah, and He has sent these two Angels to destroy it as to stop the tears. So Lot went and warned others to hurry up and leave the city because the Lord was going to destroy it, but they didn't believe him.

At the break of dawn, the Angels told Lot to hurry and take his wife and his two daughters that lived with him and leave quickly so they wouldn't be devoured by the wickedness of the city.

Lot hesitated. Certainly not because he enjoyed living among all the evil and wickedness that was all around him, but remember, he had been there for a while now and was rich in flocks and herds and gold and such. There wasn't time to round up all the livestock. These strangers were saying get out, and get out now.

So here's Lot, lingering around. But because of the Lord's mercy, the Angels took hold of him by the hand and his wife's hand and the hands of his two daughters, and led them outside the city.

Then the Lord said, Run for your life and don't look back and don't stay anywhere in the plain, but go to the mountain so you won't be destroyed.

And Lot said, You've been graceful and have shown me mercy by saving my life. I can't go to the mountain or else some evil will find me there and I'll die. But there is a little city near there, Oh please let me go escape there and my life will be saved.

The Lord said to Lot, I'll allow you this, and I won't destroy the city that you're talking about. Now hurry and go there because I can't do anything until you get there. When Lot arrived in Zoar (the name means Little, remember Lot said it was a little city), the sun had risen and the Lord rained fire and brimstone out of heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah. All the plain and all the people of the cities there and all that grew out of the ground was destroyed.

But Lot's wife looked back, despite the warning from the two Angels and she turned into a pillar of salt.

Lot, traveled to the little city called Zoar, which is at the south end of the Salt Sea for those of you who are interested in geography. His wife, who could not resist looking back, as the Lord had warned, is standing somewhere in between, as a pillar of salt.

Meanwhile, Abraham, got up early that morning and stepping outside of his tent, went to the place where he was last in the company of the Lord and two of His Angels, pleading for the lives of any innocent in the city where his nephew lived. When he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah and the plain of Jordan, all he could see was smoke, as if it was coming out of a furnace. But God remembered Abraham's request and sent Lot out of the middle of the destruction.

But Lot didn't stay in Zoar. He, in fact, was afraid to live there and ended up going to the mountain that the Lord told him to go to in the first place. His two daughters went with him and they settled in a cave.

One day, the older daughter said to the younger one, Our father is old. Let's make him drink wine and we will lie with him so that we can keep our father's bloodline alive. So the first night, the older daughter went in, and the second night, the younger went in. But, Lot was passed out from being drunken and didn't even know that anything happened.

The older daughter had a son and called him Moab, which is where the Moabites came from, and they inhabited the area on the east side of the Salt Sea. And the younger daughter also had a son and called him Benammi, which is where the children of Ammon came from, and they populated the area northeast of the Salt Sea. Both of these are the area which is today called Jordan.

Remember the story of the fallen angel's offspring with the daughters of men in the Noah's Ark story we talked about? Well, here's a little more to that giant story for you. The area where the Moabites (descendants from Lot and his oldest daughter) lived was once the area where in times before the Great Flood it was where these giants lived. They had "families" or "clans" or "tribes" or whatever they called genealogical lines of giants. The Moabites referred to this particular group as Emims. The area of Ammon was also known as a land of the giants that the Ammonites called Zamzummims and they lived there after the previous giants, called Anakims were destroyed by the Lord. Notice that the giant's sect names end in "im." You can find this information as well as more about other giants in Chapter 2 of the book of Deuteronomy.

So what have we learned from this story? First of all, don't stick around in surroundings that you know are bad because sooner or later, God will come a calling. And when you are on your way leaving your past always remember the echo of the Angel's words ... "Don't look back." Secondly, Hebrews 13:2 says ... Don't forget to entertain strangers, because by doing so, some have entertained Angels without even knowing it. And third, when the Lord or His representatives (Angels) tell you to do or not to do something, like, "Don't look back" ... Don't.

Next time, we'll look in on Abraham and Sarah again and find out what has been happening to them, so set your dial to Daily Bread and come back and visit.

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 20

Good day to share more Daily Bread! In our last few stories, we focused mainly on the life of Lot, Abraham's nephew, and now it's time to pick up where we left off in the life of Abraham and Sarah.

It happened that shortly after Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding area was destroyed by God, Abraham and Sarah left Hebron and settled in the north part of the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt. Abraham visited a city called Gerar and found that the people there weren't very godly and Abraham feared that they would kill him for his wife Sarah.

So, as he did once before to protect Sarah, Abraham pretended that Sarah was his sister. The king of Gerar whose name was Abimelech sent for Sarah to be brought to him.

God appeared to Abimelech in a dream one night and said to him, You're as good as dead because the woman that you took is a man's wife. But Abimelech hadn't made her his wife yet. He explained to God, I'm innocent, didn't he tell me she is his sister? And she told me that he is her brother.

God told Abimelech, I know that you did this in the honesty of your heart and I kept you from sinning against me, so I didn't allow you to make her your wife. Now give the man his wife back. He is a prophet and he will pray for you and you'll live. If you don't give her back, you and all your family will die.

God is so gracious. He always gives people the opportunity to choose to do the right thing.

Abimelech got up early the next morning and told all his servants what God said to him in his dream and they were all very afraid. Then he called Abraham, and said, What have you done to us? What made you do such a thing?

Abraham said, I did it because I thought, surely the fear of God isn't in this place; and they'll kill me to get my wife. And truly, she is my sister; we have the same father, but not the same mother; and I married her. And when God told me to leave my father's house I told her, Please do me this favor; wherever we go, say you are my sister.

Abimelech gave sheep and oxen and men servants and women servants to Abraham, and returned Sarah to him. He told Abraham to live anywhere in his kingdom that he pleased. Then ...

What does this mean? Well first, it sounds like when Abimelech refers to Abraham as Sarah's brother instead of her husband, perhaps it was sprinkled with a tad of sarcasm. Secondly, he reveals that he has given a thousand pieces of silver to Abraham, which one might imagine was, in addition to all the animals he already gave him, was sort of a symbol of reconciliation. Many times, when one wants to apologize for something (even when it isn't entirely the fault of only one side), it is accompanied by a gift. And thirdly, maybe is more of an admonition than an observation. He says, behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other. Have you ever heard the song, "I only have eyes for you?" Abimelech may just be giving some sage advice. In the words of Matthew Henry, "she must look at no other, nor desire to be looked at by any other." Very fitting.

Apparently, Abimelech had heard about when God plagued the house of Pharaoh for the same circumstances he was facing. This time the Lord closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of what happened. But when Abraham prayed to God, He healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants; and they were able to have children again.

Hurry on back and see what's next, right here at Daily Bread!

The First Book of Moses Called Genesis

Chapter 22

Greetings, Daily Bread readers. This is one of the better recognized stories in the Bible from the book of Genesis. Many people, when they hear the name Abraham, identify him with this story.

There was a day when the Lord tested Abraham. He called out to him and Abraham answered, Here I am. God said to him, take your only son Isaac who you love, and go the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering (a sacrifice) on a mountain. I'll show you where.

Did you read that? God referred to Isaac as Abraham's only son. This is a big hint as to whom God's promise would be with later in the Bible. Another interesting fact is that God sacrifices His only Son (Jesus) later in the Bible. Keep that in mind as ya read on.

After all the time that Abraham and Sarah waited for Isaac, and all the hope, and the joy they must have had to finally have their dreams come true ... That God would ask for Isaac's life, and for Abraham to kill him, ya gotta know it was heart wrenching. Can you imagine the courage, faith and strength that Abraham had to have? Why would God promise that Isaac would inherit the promise, and then have Abraham sacrifice him? Abraham's faith in God was so strong, and his love for God was so loyal, that all he knew to do was obey without question.

Now that my friends, is love. Paul said it best, in 1 Timothy 1:5, The bottom line is to love unconditionally and to have faith unfeigned. What is that ... Faith unfeigned? To feign is to pretend, so unfeigned faith is real, sincere, genuine, heartfelt, honest, authentic, earnest, unaffected, undoubted, faith. And that's the exact kind of faith that Abraham had.

Abraham got up early and took a donkey and two of his workers with him, and Isaac, his beloved son, and they split the wood for the burnt offering and then left for the land of Moriah.

On the third day that they traveled, when Abraham could see the place from a distance, he told his workers to stay there with the donkey and that he and Isaac would be going further on to worship, and they would return for them later.

Isaac carrying the wood, and Abraham carrying the torch and the knife, they went together to the place God spoke of. Now Isaac didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew what a burnt offering was and he said to Abraham ... I see the fire and the wood, but where's the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered; God will provide the lamb.

When they reached the place which God told him of, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood neatly on top. He tied Isaac and laid him on top of the wood. And then Abraham lifted the knife to kill his son for the sacrifice.

Just then, an Angel of the Lord called out to him and said, Abraham, Abraham, don't touch the boy. Now I know, that you love God more than anything, and that you would give your favorite thing in the world.

This brings back a remembrance of the story of Abel's gift to God and how pleased He was with it. Even more precious must have been Abraham's willingness to give Isaac to God.

And God certainly did provide the sacrifice. Abraham looked and there was a ram caught by the horns in the brush behind him, so he took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of Isaac.

Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham again. And He confirmed His promise once again and said, Because you didn't hold back your son, your only son, I will bless you and make your descendants as many as the stars of the Heaven and as the sand on the sea shore and they will own the land of their enemies and in them, all the nations of the earth will be blessed because you obeyed my voice.

The real story behind the scenes is how God did sacrifice His Son for our sins. This story was a shadow of things to come. Check out the Jesus Story to learn of the true Ultimate Sacrifice. You can see why this story is a well remembered one. There are many more to follow.

Click the link below to learn more of the Ultimate Sacrifice:

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