Abraham lived about 4000 years ago, in the Middle Bronze Age. He would have had tools and weapons mostly made of bronze, but flint (and sometimes obsidian) was still widely used. Pottery was used for storage and cooking.
When we read of Abraham living in a tent don’t think of a cosy little two person tent beside a campfire; he had a large household/clan with vast numbers of livestock and herdsmen to tend them. They lived as nomads, moving the flocks around according to the season and the availability of food and water. Many groups of people lived in this way so understandably there were sometimes arguments over water sources.
Before the account of Abraham’s family leaving Ur we read about the Tower of Babel. Here the peoples of the earth want to make a name for themselves without acknowledging God. God gave them different languages so that they had to spread out.
In the accounts of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob we will see that there is a constant battle between acting out of fear, not trusting God, and acting in faith, trusting God.
| Day | Genesis ref | Story | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11:27–12:9 | Abram’s family move from Ur obeying God’s call | Abram’s obedience is a contrast to the disobedience of humankind at Babel. God says he will make Abraham’s name great. |
| 2 | 12:10–20 | Time in Egypt | Egypt rarely suffered from famine, it was always watered by the Nile. People like Abraham who depended on their flocks would not have farmed and stored large quantities of grain and so would be more vulnerable to drought and famine. |
| 3 | 13 | Abram and Lot go their separate ways | Abram and Lot had large households made up of family and servants, with huge numbers of animals. They weren’t just a couple of families on a camping trip. Notice Lot chose the lushest pastureland |
| 4 | 14:1–16 | Abram rescues Lot | Here is an indication of the size of Abram’s household. It is more like a tiny nation, a clan. |
| 5 | 14:17–24 | Abram blessed by Melchizedek | This is an important little story because of its symbolism. Melchizedek is king of the area that became Jerusalem. He is not a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus. Jesus, in Hebrews, is called a priest after the order of Melchizedek, which means King of Righteousness. |
| 6 | 15 | God’s covenant with Abram | Notice the one-sided nature of the covenant, as God takes on all the responsibility. Abraham only trusts ane receives blessing |
| 7 | 16 | Hagar and Ishmael | |
| 8 | 17 | God reiterates his covenant | Circumcision introduced. This is when Abram becomes Abraham |
| 9 | 18:1–15 | Three visitors; Sarah laughs | |
| 10 | 18:16–33 | Abraham pleads for Sodom | |
| 11 | 19:1–29 | Lot saved from the destruction of Sodom | Don’t get caught up in the shocking details of this story. Just remember—even though Lot failed once again, God still saved him. |
| – | (19:30–38) | skip: Sin of Lot and his daughters. | Origins of the Moabites and Ammonites who later were enemies of Israel |
| 12 | 20 | Abimelech and Sarah | There are a lot of kings named Abimelech in these accounts. Maybe the people of Gerar called all their kings Abimelech, or possibly, it was a title. It means “My father is king” |
| 13 | 21 | Birth of Isaac | Hagar and Ishmael sent away |
| 14 | 22:1–19 | Abraham is tested | Notice v.5 “we will return to you” |
| – | (22:20–23) | skip: | A bit more family tree explaining who Rebekah is |
| 15 | 23 | Abraham buys land to bury Sarah | Note: these are not the same Hittites as at the time of David. These are the descendants of Heth. Buying land means you are beginning to settle, you are staying. |
| 16 | 24:1–54a | Finding a wife for Isaac | It was important for Isaac not to take a pagan wife |
| 17 | 24:54b-67 | Rebekah meets Isaac | |
| – | (25:1–6) | skip: | Abraham’s other wife and sons |
| – | (25:7–11) | skip: | Abraham’s death |
| – | (25:12–18) | skip: | Ishmael’s family and his death |
| 18 | 25:19–34 | Esau and Jacob | Birth of twins, Esau and Jacob; Esau sells his birthright |
| 19 | 26:1–11 | Isaac repeats Abraham’s mistake | This is not the same Abimelech as in the earlier Abraham story. And also, these are not the same Philistines as we encounter much later in Judges and the time of David |
| 20 | 26:12–33 | Conflict over water | God blesses Isaac and there is peace. The fact that Isaac is growing crops shows that he has settled in this place. The harvest in v.12 is the largest recorded anywhere in scripture, Isaac reaped 100 times as much as he sowed! |
| – | (26:34–35) | skip: Esau’s wives | Esau had pagan wives showing he didn’t want to follow God’s plan |
| 21 | 27:1–40 | Jacob steals Esau’s blessing | |
| 22 | 27:41–28:9 | Jacob flees Esau’s anger | As with Isaac, Jacob is instructed not to take a pagan wife. |
| 23 | 28:10–22 | Stairway to heaven | Jesus explains this in John 1:51 |
| 24 | 29:1–12 | Jacob meets Rachel | |
| 25 | 29:13–28 | Jacob deceived | |
| 26 | 29:31–30:24 | Jacob’s sons | |
| 27 | 30:25–43 | God blesses Jacob with flocks | |
| 28 | 31:1–21 | God tells Jacob to go back to his homeland | |
| 29 | 31:22–35 | Laban comes after Jacob | Jacob left secretly, (as secretly as you can with thousands of sheep and goats and servants to care for them(, but in fact God told Laban not to harm him. Rachel almost messed things up but showed herself capable of lying and deception like the rest of the family! |
| 30 | 31:36–55 | Jacob and Laban finally come to an agreement | Despite coming to Laban as a deceiver Jacob shows that he served Laban diligently and faithfully. His blessings came from God. |
| 31 | 32:1–23 | Jacob wisely makes plans to meet Esau | Just because God has told Jacob to go back doesn’t mean he shouldn’t behave wisely. |
| 32 | 32:24–32 | Jacob wrestles with God | |
| 33 | 33 | Jacob and Esau meet after 20 years | Jacob settles in Shechem. The cunning that once led him to deceive now enables him to be a wise negotiator. His family/clan settle in Shechem. |