Through the sons of Noah, the world began to be repopulated.   Chapter 10 provides genealogical information.  Being of one family, they all spoke the same language (I rather doubt it was English).  An agreement was made that they should build a city and a tower to reach to Heaven, and so they set to the task.

God, in Heaven, disagreed.  He had already given their prime directive: fill the earth…as in, all over the globe.  This concentration in one area and the pride that went with it were unacceptable, so He did the one thing that still frustrates us today – He caused them to have different languages.  Suddenly a simple request like “hand me a brick” sparked confusion from one side and an offended fight from another.  Unable to work together, they abandoned the task and started spreading out with others whom they could talk to.  From this we have derived the word ‘babble’ and the need for interpreters.

Generations later, from Shem’s lineage, we encounter Abram and Sarai, later to be known as Abraham and Sarah.  Abram was called to follow God to an unknown place, away from family and the familiar, so he gathered his wife, nephew, servants, livestock and goods, and began the long hike to places unknown.  He arrived at a location on the plain of Moreh, and set up an altar and his tents.  There, God promised to give the land to him and his descendants forever.

Abram headed south, and during a famine, chose to enter Egypt.  He instructed his beautiful wife Sarai to tell people she was his sister, that they might not kill him for being her husband.  In fact, she was both his half sister and his wife, so he was being creative with the truth, but it still amounted to a lie born of fear.  The Pharoah had Sarai brought to the palace to become one of his wives, giving Abram what amounted to a healthy bride-price.  Where Abram did not stick up for the virtue of his wife, God did, by sending a plague on Pharoah’s household.  Of course, Pharoah was insulted and angry that Abram had lied to him and set him up for God’s displeasure.  They were kicked out of Egypt, goods and all, and returned to the place where he had first set up the altar and tents, where God had promised him a land of his own.

As both Abram’s and his nephew Lot’s herds expanded, the herdsmen from both groups began to argue over land.  Abram called Lot and offered him the choice of which direction he preferred to go as they parted company.  Lot chose the plains of Jordan, facing Sodom, as it appeared rich and fertile.  As agreed, Abram took his company the other direction, and God reiterated His promise to give Abram all the land he could see and more descendents than he could count.

Four kings rose to do battle against five other kings, including kings over Sodom and Gomorrah.  Lot had made Sodom his home, and so he and his family and belongings were captured and carried away at the battle’s end.  An escapee went to Abram, who gathered up his men, and joined by two friends and their forces, they rescued the captives and restored their goods.  Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God, brought bread, wine, and blessings to Abram.  The king of Sodom offered to make a deal with Abram, that the king would take the people and Abram could have the goods.  Abram refused to take so much as a thread or a sandal tie, lest the king ever say he had made Abram wealthy.

Again, God repeated his promise to make Abram great, a blessing to all the world.  Abram pointed out that he had no children, therefore his chief servant would be the one to inherit all he had.  God, for whom nothing is impossible, said there would be an heir, born of Abram himself.  Believing God’s promise, Abram was declared righteous before Him.

God had Abram prepare for a customary covenant ceremony, wherein the two agreeing parties walk together between sacrificed livestock.  This activity was the same as saying, “let me be treated this way if I ever break this promise”.  The covenant was struck, including ‘fine print’ about the descendants being slaves in a foreign land for 400 years, then brought back to this place as promised.  God, however, walked between the carcasses alone – Abram and his descendants would surely break this covenant of faith and righteousness, but God would not break His word. Furthermore, God would pay Abram’s penalty Himself.  Generations later, in the form of Jesus, He did precisely that.

Although God had committed to fulfilling His promise of providing Abram with descendants, Sarai convinced her husband to help out by employing human customs.  Sarai gave her Egyptian servant, Hagar, to mate with Abram and become a surrogate mother to a child that Abram & Sarai would raise as their own.  Once pregnant, Hagar hated Sarai and the two were at odds until Hagar finally ran away.  An angel of the Lord sent her back to Sarai, with God’s promise that her child, to be named Ishmael, would have many descendants.  He also told her this son would be wild, and always at war with everyone.