Bible Story – God Calls Abram

About Abram

In this Bible Story, we shall talk about a great man called Abram. God later changed his name to Abraham. One of his ancestors was Shem who was one of Noah’s sons. Noah was the man whom God saved together with his family when God destroyed the world with flood water.

Abram’s father was a man named Terah who was 130 years when Abram was born.

Abram was a native of a Chaldean city of Ur. The city was in the land of Shinar near the present junction of Rivers Euphrates and Tigris. The people of Ur were idol worshipers.

Abram Went To Live in Haran

Abram’s father took Abram from Ur and started going to the land of Canaan. He also took Abram’s wife named Sarai and Abram’s nephew named Lot. They however stopped in a place called Haran and they settled there.

God Calls Abraham

The Bible Story tells us that after sometime, Abram’s father Terah died and God called Abram and told him to move out of Haran. This was what God said to Abram “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father's home, and go to a land that I am going to show you.

I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse those who curse you. And through you I will bless all the nations.”

Abram Left His Home and His Relatives

After God spoke to Abram, he didn’t disobey God. He immediately left his home and relatives in Haran and started to travel to where God told him.

He was 75 years when he started the journey and he went with his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot. They took all the wealth they had acquired in Haran and all their slaves.

Abram Arrives Canaan

Abram later arrived in Canaan. He traveled through the land and then came to a place called Shechem. In Shechem, he set up his camp besides one oak tree called Oak of Moreh. At that time, a people called the Canaanites were living in that land.

While Abram was there, God appeared to him and told him that He would give the land of Canaan to his descendants. Abram built an altar and dedicated it to God.

Then he traveled to one hill country that was located between two cites called Bethel and Ai. He built another altar their and worshipped God.

Abram Moves to Egypt

There was famine in the land of Canaan when Abram was there. The famine was very severe and Abram had to feed his large family and look after his livestock. So He decided to go to Egypt to live there for some time. He traveled with his wife. Remember that his wife’s name was Sarai.

Abram’s wife was a very beautiful woman. This made him to believe that if he got into Egypt, the Egyptians would kill him and take his wife. So he told Sarai to tell the Egyptians she was his sister.

When Abram crossed the border and entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai his wife was beautiful. Some of the officials of the king of Egypt told their king about Sarai and her beauty. So they took her to the king’s palace.

Because of Sarai, the king of Egypt treated Abram well. He gave Abram flocks of sheep and goats including donkeys, cattle, camels and slaves.

God Punishes King of Egypt

But God was angry with the king of Egypt because he took Abram’s wife. So God sent a terrible disease upon the king and his household. The king of Egypt had to quickly send for Abram and asked him why he didn’t tell him that Sarai was his wife. He told Abram to take Sarai and get out of his country.

The king ordered his people to take Abram and put him out of the country, together with his wife and everything he owned.

What do you think about this Bible Story? Make your comments below. And remember to answer these questions so that they would help you understand the story.

Genesis 12:1-20

Questions:

• How old was Abram’s father when Abram was born?
• Where was Abram’s home city?
• The people of Ur were idol worshippers. True or False?
• Where did God tell Abram to go?
• What did God say He would do to those who bless Abram and what did He say He would do those who curse him Who was Sarai?
• What was the name of Abram’s nephew?
• Where was the place Abram first set up his camp when he entered Canaan?
• Why did Abram go to Egypt with his household?
• Why was Abram afraid that the Egyptians would kill him?
• What did God do to the king of Egypt and his household when the king took Sarai to be his wife?