Today the focus shifts back to Abraham and will stay there for a while. Abraham moves to the Negev, a desert region in southern Canaan. There he enters the territory of Abimelech, he makes a second attempt to save his neck through deception, and it goes about as well as the first time. These stories of Abraham and Abimelech must serve some purpose in the overall narrative, and we’ll talk about that more in our Weekly Dig, which is now available for Week 1.

We then swing between the joy of Isaac’s birth and Sarah’s jealousy of Hagar and her own son, Ishmael. Allow God to be the subject of the story as Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, yet with a promise of their own.

Chapter 22 brings one of the most difficult passages in all the Bible: God’s command for Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Pay attention to the very first line of this chapter: “After these things, God tested Abraham…” That verb “tested” is a clue to the meaning of what happens next. Since you know that it’s a test, you can immerse yourself in the story and imagine what it’s like for Abraham, who doesn’t know he’s being tested.

The author is clueing you in that the terror to come is not arbitrary: there is a plan to sending Abraham – and you – into the valley of the shadow of death. But Abraham doesn’t know this. He’s still figuring out who this God is, and whether he can trust Him. Pay attention to the line, “God will provide,” when it’s first said, and how it gets repeated.

There are two additional things to listen for today. The first is the elemental details that add color to the page: the bread and skin of water given to Hagar; the Tamarisk tree in Beersheba; the negotiation with Ephron over a burial plot. These are very human stories, with very human details, which don’t escape the author’s notice.

And notice another name given in worship to the LORD: El Olam, The Everlasting God. Add this to “God Most High” and “The God Who Sees” that we’ve already heard this week, watch how excited these first followers were to make new discoveries about the LORD.

For a final time this week we revisit John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Genesis chapters 20 through 23. Now let’s read it!