Though most of us have heard of Abraham and Sarah, not everyone notices that in the early stories about them their names were pronounced slightly differently. The Bible calls them Abram and Sarai, but tradition understands them to be the same couple who go by the names we are more accustomed to hearing.
Also, the god of ancient Israel has a name, and within biblical times believers used this name more often than they did the general word "God". This name is Yahweh. Later Jewish usage substituted the title "LORD" whenever they encountered this name in the text, and Christians have generally followed this practice. In these descriptions, we use the ancient pronunciation.
The Promise of Land --
Abram and Sarai Journey to Canaan
The promises that Yahweh makes are tied to a condition. "I will make you a great nation", the promise is worded, but the promise is prefaced by the command, "I want you to leave your ancestral home". Numerous descendents and a country of their own are conditional upon abandoning the country they now reside in. Faith is an essential element in the promises from the very beginning, for the command encourages the hope that the land to which Yahweh is leading them will be even better than the comfortable one they are leaving behind. It is in this expectant mood that we encounter Abram and Sarai at the moment of entry into the land.
The childless couple stands, side by side, accompanied by their possessions, here represented by two sheep. They have reached their destination, indicated by the oak tree in the near distance. The predominant blues of the sky hint at a bright future, in which the promises will be realized, though there is a dark patch ominously evident. The restful green and abundant foliage of the tree, they may be thinking, is a sign that the promise of abundant progeny of their own will be realized in this fertile land. The artist has caught the young couple so soon after their arrival, they have not yet built the altar that declares the gratitude they feel toward the god who has led them to this new life.