God tells Abram to go from his country, his kindred and his father’s house to a land that “I will show you.” He promises to make Abram a great nation, bless him and make his name great, so he will be a blessing. All those that bless him, God will bless. God will curse all that dishonor him, so that “in you, all the families of the Earth will be blessed.” 

Abram, who is seventy-five, sets off with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot and all the people and possessions they acquired in Heran. He heads towards Canaan. Abram travels to Shechem, to the Oak of Moreh, meaning the oracle oak. God tells Abram will give this land to his offspring, so Abram built an altar there. He moves on and builds an altar between Bethel and Ai, then moves on to Negeb, an arid desert in southern Israel. This trip feels like a dot-to-dot. He is building a map of where he has been. 

There is a famine in the land, so Abram detours to Egypt. On their way into Egypt, he warns Sarai that because of her beauty, he thinks the Pharaoh may try to kill him and make her his wife. He tells her to say she is his sister. 

The princes of Egypt do praise her looks and take Sarai to Pharaoh. They compensate Abram with sheep, donkeys, camels and servants. God is not pleased, and sends plagues upon Pharaoh’s house. 

The Pharaoh comes back to Abram and demands to know why he lied to him and kicks all of them out of his country. 

It seems both Terah and Abram struggled to get to the promised land. Terah stopped in Heran, and Abram veered left of the direction he was meant to go. Sarai’s name means princess, but being Pharaoh’s wife was not her intended destination. Sometimes it’s hard to believe in God’s promises while crossing a desert.