As the caravan was moving our passage appeared secure.  It actually looked like Pharaoh let us go.  I half expected to be blindsided with some kind of resistance, but there was nothing. It was time to approach Abram. I rode up alongside him to begin making amends.

Asking Forgiveness Of Abram

“Where do you want to head to?” I asked.
“We will return to Bethel, to where we were before.” He said.
“I am sorry this didn’t work out as you planned Abram, but wow, you do have a way.”
“What do you mean?” Abram asked.

At first he may have thought I was insulting him, but I wasn’t.  “Listen, you go into a foreign country and a man tried to take your wife.  Without a stone being thrown you get your woman back, and walk away four to five times richer than when you arrived.  That’s impressive.”  I was trying to raise his spirits.

“It was all God’s doing, His mercies, His eye and hands watching over us.  I failed.  I failed horribly.  Fear overcame me.  Our needs overcame me.  I lost sight of trusting God.  This is not a good thing Clay.”

“You have one failure and you are beating yourself up?  If you knew my whole story then you would know my entire life has been a failure.  You are not doing that bad Abram.  I am sorry for treating you how I did, I was wrong.  To Bethel we go.” I said.

I rode away leaving things at that.  We had much to attend to on the trip out.  Abram had managed to acquire a significant number of animals, especially cattle.  He also obtained hard currency.  Based on what I could see we would be alright getting out of Egypt, but I sensed something was off.

Crossing Back Into Canaan

We made better time headed out of Egypt than we did entering.  Bypassing the small political stops along the way saved a lot of time.  On this last day we had a few more miles to go and we would be in Southern Canaan.  It was here I saw my little secret spy come running by.

The dog actually belonged to Jared and he would sniff him out no matter where he went.  I told him often it was a sign Jared needed more baths.  After collecting the note from the dogs neck we had our update.

“Storm has passed.  River is warm and nice.  See you at dinner.” It said.

Something happened.  I didn’t know what, but the storm part was a key to knowing this.  As we crossed the border I also knew that now we had a friendly shadow watching over us at a distance.  I felt much better due to how much stuff Abram was bringing out of Egypt with him.

If I could fail and make out rich like this, I would try to fail more often.  He may not realize it yet, but God certainly is watching over him.  This much I knew.

Arriving to our first camp in Canaan I was exhausted. Wasting no time I laid out my bedroll and after some general housekeeping I laid down to rest. The past weeks had taken a toll.

Just before I was about to doze off I saw Nathan come riding up.  “Are you guys alright?” he asked. 

Getting off of his horse and walking over to my bedroll, he sat on a nearby rock.  Being the more serious brother I noticed he was at ease and that put me further at ease.

“Yeah, we are okay. So, what happened in the storm?”  I asked.  His story would be quite interesting.

“When Jared’s dog showed up at Haran we didn’t waste a moment.  We made a run for the border at speed.  Coming from the north we saw a decent sized outfit camped off the trail.  They were a few miles north of the border.” He explained.

“They weren’t normal raiders.  They looked like raiders by how they dressed, but their horses, weapons, and how they moved meant professionals.  They flew no colors.  I believed they were waiting for Abram or someone like him, so we hit them.”

Nathan continued.  “After we took them down, we saw they were primarily Egyptians.  There were others mixed in, but they were all mercenaries.  So, what were you guys running from?  Did Pharaoh want you dead?”

As he was detailing what he encountered my first thoughts were that Pharaoh may have sent them.  That didn’t make sense though.  If he wanted us, he could have had us on the spot.  The truth was Pharaoh wanted nothing to do with us.  He couldn’t wait to get us out of his sight.

I began to explain what happened in Egypt, then continued with my theory.  “I don’t believe it was Pharaoh that did it.  If I had to guess it was one of his governors or subordinates.  They saw Abram get spoiled and then saw an opportunity.  If Abram disappeared Pharaoh wouldn’t care, and they would make it out rich.  That’s the only way I see that could have happened.”

“Where are you guys headed now?” Nathan asked.
“Back to Bethel.  Shadow us until we get there if you don’t mind.” I said.
“No problem Clay.  I’m headed back to the men.”

Nathan got up and mounted his horse then trotted off into the distance.  The sun was setting, and I was exhausted.  Knowing that Nathan and the men were out there, I finally managed to get a decent sleep.

Abram And Lot Decide On Land

The next days traveling to Bethel were uneventful.  If there was someone out there who wanted to attack Abram, they didn’t try.  Nathan would later return to Haran after our safe arrival.  Between Bethel and Ai or also called Hai, Abram would begin to settle.

Part of what made this whole situation difficult for me was the lack of closeness with Abram.  We were friends but we had not yet grown close.  He was a busy man naturally, but after arriving back at Bethel he also spent a lot of time with God.  This distance between us would soon close into a tighter friendship.

What began this transition were events surrounding Lot and his choice to live near Sodom.  There was a problem between Lot and Abram that needed a solution.  To put it simply, there wasn’t enough land for what these guys had in animals and cattle.

Abram gave Lot the choice of whatever land he wished to choose.  Whatever Lot chose Abram would go the other direction.  Lot chose the direction towards Sodom due to the pastures being better for livestock.

The cities in the plain of Jordan Lot would encounter were Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zebolim, and Zoar.  These were jewels in terms of opulence and culture, but also every form of paganism and hedonistic act was considered normal within daily life.

There were more complications at play than Lot expected.  I received news from Haran that Hammurabi was on the move attacking cities and positions in the region.  In this successful campaign he was collecting cities which the Akkadians once controlled.  Locally Hammurabi was known as Amraphel.

This period of history would forever confuse many historians from my original time. In modern times it was once believed that the Sumerian kingdom and the Akkadian kingdom were separate and existed at different points of time.

The truth is they existed at the same time. At one point they were separate kingdoms but this would change naturally through migration and politics as they became one. Essentially the only real difference between them was location and their language. In terms of culture they were far more alike than they were different.

When the Akkadian Empire fell it left a power vacuum as once again cities began to be ruled by kings of cities. Here comes the introduction of the man called Hammurabi who is an Amorite. He had big desires.

In the end he would succeed in history to establish the Old Babylonian kingdom. After Hammurabi’s death his son would fall into ruin quickly and the Hittites would take control of the region.

God Moves Abram Ahead Of Time

I may not be able to remember much of the Bible from childhood, but I did pay attention in college history class.  I am not one for wanting to intentionally alter the future, but I needed to let Abram know this part of history and the news I received from Haran.

Going to Abram’s tent one evening I found him with Sarai.  They were enjoying their evening meal.  He asked me to sit down and join them.

“Hello Sarai, how have you been?” I asked
“Very good, thank you Clay. What brings you this evening?”
“I hoped to bug Abram on some business if you don’t mind.” I replied.
“Not at all.” She said.

Abram perked up “Clay speaking of business I have some news for you too.  God came and spoke with me.  We are to leave for Hebron to stay in the plain of Mamre for a while.  He wishes to show me the land that will be ours.  Isn’t this amazing!” He exclaimed.

“Indeed, it is Abram!  That is an excellent idea actually!” I was shocked.
“So what business do you have to share Clay?” Abram asked.
“Um, actually, it’s already taken care of now.  I am sorry to have disturbed you.”
“No problem at all.  I am excited.  Let everyone know please.” Abram stated.
“Absolutely I will do that.” 

I got up and began walking away completely stunned.  The move to Hebron would take us north and west away from the plain these cities like Sodom resided in.  We would be out of the way and safe as Hammurabi came sweeping in from the northeast.

The words of Noah came back to my mind in how it would be impossible for me to disrupt God’s plan.  In this case, He was way ahead of the game and beat me to informing Abram.  I still couldn’t take my mind off of Lot.

Secretly Searching For Lot

It would take a few days for us to get everyone ready to move so I mounted a horse with Jared and we rode towards Sodom the next morning.  It would take a couple of days to get there and find Lot, but we could catch up with Abram.  I wasn’t going to leave without trying to convince Lot to get out of town.

We found his camp on the plain but we were told he was in Sodom trading for a few days.  We then continued onto the city.  Upon entering it brought flashbacks to my travels when I wandered the world.  The things I saw in the street should be reserved for bedrooms.

Jared and I had no issue blending in due to our past.  The place was violent and we wanted no trouble.  After asking around we found Lot in the market.  We pulled him aside and sat at a local vendor, ordered some food, and began talking.

“I understand your concerns Clay, but my family will stay here.  The cities in the plain are strong and will be able to protect us.” Lot stated.

I couldn’t disagree more. “I do not really think you realize how powerful Amraphel is.  Beyond powerful, the guy is a genius and very calculating.  Even if these cities were to survive the first encounter, they will not survive a second.  Their fall will be inevitable.”  I argued.

Lot then countered with his insistence. “We are further south than the northern cities.  If Amraphel comes we will have enough warning and there will be time to escape.  We are doing so well here; we have the best quality of life that we have ever had.  I want the best for my daughters.  Trust me Clay, we will be alright.”

Lot couldn’t be convinced.  He had no idea what was coming.  After giving Lot a hug, Jared and I made our way out of Sodom.  Walking through the place brought back a form of ptsd from travels we had so many years before.  I had to get out of here.

Jared and I rode hard rotating our horses to catch up to Abram.  I knew I would have some explaining to do when I got back to him.  I didn’t ask for permission to go find Lot. 

Sodom was counted as off limits as far as Abram was concerned.  I would ask for forgiveness rather than permission on this one for the sake of trying to save Lot.

My Conversation With Abram

We caught up to Abram in the middle of the night while they were camped.  No issues had been encountered and all looked safe.  Everyone was sleeping so I went to where some of my men were and laid out my bedroll.

I heard footsteps behind me, then a voice. “Did you find Lot?” Abram asked.
“Yes we did.” I replied.
“How is he?”
“He thinks that he is doing well.  Reality can be another thing, but he doesn’t see it.” I said.
“That is how sin works Clay.  It numbs us with distraction, we lose focus, and then we stray.”

Abram had a good point to this.  Lot was certainly distracted.  He was also comfortable.  I had never seen him in such fine clothing before.  He even paid for the meal which we invited him to join.  He was doing well in all the material ways, but at what cost?

“I agree completely Abram.”
“I am curious, what did you think of Sodom?” Abram asked.

“I saw my past life.  That was how I lived before.  I also saw many of the same things which I experienced when wandering the world.  It is sad really.” I recounted.

As I saw Abram turn, I could see the moonlight in his eyes.  He had tears.  He wasn’t upset with me, rather he was in sorrow for Lot.  It was there I could feel his gratitude for me trying to reach out to his nephew.

“It is indeed sad when such a simple decision to go in a direction that can benefit you will also take away your life.  What one thinks is better is not always better when it costs you everything that you are.  Thank you for trying Clay.”

Abram walked away into the night.  I could hear him as he walked.  He was praying.  Whatever happened in the coming days, I knew they would not be easy.  I felt a fight coming even though we were led to avoid it.