Genesis is the book of beginnings. If you understand Genesis 12 and on, you will have an easier time understanding the rest of the bible.
1 ¶ And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. Abraham made a mistake by lying to the Pharaoh and not trusting God. Anyone God uses for His will is not perfect, and God does not sugarcoat their shortcomings. Egypt is the symbol of the world, so anytime we see people going into Egypt it's like they're going into the world, and it always brings a problem. But they come out of Egypt with some more trouble. Abraham came out of Egypt with his wife, but also with a new handmaiden who was a ton of trouble. “Abraham went up out of Egypt” is a geographically correct statement, because he traveled north.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. Abraham came out of Egypt a very wealthy man.
3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai; He comes right back to where he was before.
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD. Abraham had already been there, had already built an altar before, and he calls upon the name of the Lord.
5 ¶ And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. Lot is still using Abraham as a role model and follows him around.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. Their herds and people had grown so much in number that the land... |
