Author: MFM Kubwa
Rebekah Sliding Off the Camel at First Sight of Isaac
The servant had traveled far. Abraham had made him swear an oath, his hand under the old man’s thigh, that he would go to the land of his kindred and find a wife for Isaac from among his own people. The servant had taken ten camels and loaded them with gifts and set out for…
The Ram Caught in the Thicket by Its Horns
The knife was in the hand of the old man. The blade caught the sun as he stretched out his arm, and his son lay bound on the altar upon the wood that he had carried up the mountain on his own shoulders. The moment had arrived. The command had been given, and Abraham had…
Isaac Carrying the Wood Up the Mountain
The old man rose early in the morning. The command had come to him in the night, a voice he knew well, a voice that had called him out of Ur and promised him a son and made a covenant with him in blood and fire. Now the same voice was asking for the son…
The Well of the Oath Between Abimelech and Abraham
The old man had been a sojourner in the land for many years now, moving from place to place, digging wells and pitching tents and building altars to the Lord. His wife Sarah had died at Hebron, a hundred and twenty-seven years old, and he had buried her in the cave of Machpelah, the only…
The Wife of Lot Turning Back to Look
The angels took hold of his hand. The morning had come, and the judgment was upon them, and still Lot lingered. He stood at the door of his house in Sodom while the angels pulled at his arms, their voices urgent, their grip firm. The sun was rising over the plain, and the city was…
Abraham Bargaining for Sodom
The meal was finished. The promise had been spoken. Sarah was back inside the tent, her laughter still echoing in her ears. The three men rose from under the oak at Mamre and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to bring them on their way, walking beside them as they moved across the plain.…
Sarah Laughing Inside the Tent
The stranger under the oak had just asked about her by name. Sarah was inside the tent, the flap open just enough for her to hear the conversation. She had not been introduced. Her husband had not spoken her name. Yet the man under the tree knew her, and now he was speaking again. “I…
The Three Men Eating Under the Oak at Mamre
The old man sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. The plain of Mamre lay bright under the sun, the oaks casting patches of shadow across the dry ground. He was ninety-nine years old, his body healed from the cutting of the covenant but still heavy with age. His…
Hagar Running into the Desert with Child
The Egyptian servant stood at the edge of the camp and looked back at the tents of Abram. Her body was young and strong, but her belly was swelling with the child of her master, and her face was marked with tears. Sarai had given her to Abram, handed over like a cup or a…
The Smoking Furnace Passing Between the Cut Pieces
The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. The old man was in his tent at the plain of Mamre, the night pressing in around him, and the voice spoke to him out of the darkness. “Fear not, Abram. I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” The words were meant…
