Old Testament Week 8: Abraham (Abraham 12; Genesis 1223)

1) [SLIDE 2] Who was Abraham? a) [2.1] He was an eleventh-generation descendant of Noah, through Shems line. i) Shem was the ancestor of the Semitic (Shem-itic) peoples, which includes todays Jews and Arabs. ii) He is hailed as one of the greatest prophets of history by all three of the worlds monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.1 iii) While were still too far in the past to pinpoint any dates with certainty, he was probably born between 2000 and 1800 B.C.2 b) [2.2] His given name was Abram (Hebrew: / abrm), which means exalted father or my father is exalted. i) [2.3] When he entered into a covenant with the Lord, his name was changed to Abraham (Hebrew: / abrhm), which the Genesis text glosses as father of a multitude.3 ii) His original name gave reverence to his father, Terah, by looking back at him. His new name looked forward to the covenant promises he received from the Lord. c) Both Genesis and the Book of Abraham say he was from the Ur of the Chaldees. i) [SLIDE 3] There is a long and complicated history behind trying to figure out where this city was located. ii) Traditionally the Hebrew word ( kasdim) has been translated Chaldean,4 which refers to the area and the people in southern Mesopotamia. iii) There are two cities identified with Abrahams Ur: (1) Jewish and Muslim traditions5 place it in northern Syria, in an area that today is part of southeast Turkey. (2) Since 1927 Ur has been popularly identified with a southern Sumerian city of Ur, which was discovered in 1927 by Sir Charles Leonard Woolley. iv) The arguments for each position are lengthy, so I wont go into them in detail here. I would like to point out, however, that the strongest case from the Book of Abraham is for a northern location for Ur.6

1 Muslims believe Abraham ( / Ibrhm) is one of a line of prophets that began with Adam and culminated in Mohammad. Abraham is mentioned in 35 chapters of the Quran, more than any other biblical person except Moses. He is considered both a hanif (monotheist) and muslim (one who surrenders to God). Islam is also called millat Ibrahim, the religion of Abraham. 2 Following the chronology of Genesis, Abraham was born 1,948 years after the creation (Anno Mundi, or A.M.), and died 2,123 A.M. at age 175. 3 His name is actually a sound play: av-hamon, father of a multitude, sounds like avraham, Abraham. 4 It appears 80 times in the Old Testament. The King James Version renders it Chaldeans (59x), Chaldees (14x), or Chaldea (7x). Most often, however, the reference is to the Babylonian Empire, so modern Bible translations typically render it Babylonia or some variation of that word. The Chaldeans themselves referred to themselves as the kal-du, so its possible that Abrahams Ur is not in the southern Mesopotamian area, but in another location called kasdim. 5 The ancient authorities for this include Josephus and Maimonides.

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2) [SLIDE 4] Abrahams relationship with God. a) What makes Abraham unique among all the prophets in the scriptures? i) He is the only person in scripture explicitly referred to as the Friend of God (James 2:23). ii) The covenant Abraham made with the Lord was so special that it has been referred to by those who have entered into it ever since as the Abrahamic covenant. iii) The Lord respected the covenant he made with Abraham so much, that that covenant was the only thing that motivated the Lord to repeatedly bless or spare the children Israel.7 The Lord still remembers that covenant, and will fulfill it.8 b) Why was Abraham chosen by God? i) The Bible is silent on this issue. According to Genesis, the Lord simply started talking to Abraham one day for no apparent reason (Genesis 12:13). ii) [SLIDE 5] The Book of Abraham is more explicit however:
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In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence; 2 and, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers. (Abraham 1:12.)9
6 BYU professor John Gee has explained the following historical scenario for Abraham chapter 1: Under Sesostris III [reigned 187839 B.C.] Egypt invades the Levant (according to the new Khnumhotep inscription). Egyptian presence is continued under Amenemhet III [reigned c. 186014 B.C.] (with sphinxes of his at Aleppo and Ugarit, also Egyptian finds at Ebla) stretching to the Euphrates. Abraham runs afoul of Egyptian policy and subject to human sacrifice. After being saved by an angel, he flees across the Euphrates to Haran. After the death of Amenemhet III, Egypt's empire in the Levant disappears. This makes it feasible for Abraham to move into Canaan. After the death of Amenemhet IV [reigned c. 1815 06 B.C.], northern Egypt is no longer ruled by Egyptians but by rulers who are partakers of the blood of the Canaanites by birth [Abraham 1:21] and it is these rulers whom Abraham encounters when he visits Egypt. Gee, via email, 20 August 2013. For more on this, see Kerry Muhlestein and John Gee, An Egyptian Context for the Sacrifice of Abraham, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 20/2 (2011), 7077 (http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1422&index=6); also Kevin Barney, On Elkenah as Canaanite El, BCC Papers 2/2, April 2007 (http://bycommonconsent.files.wordpress.com/2007/04/on-elkenah-as-canaanite-el.pdf). 7 See Exodus 2:24; Leviticus 26:4045; 2 Kings 13:23. 8 See Mormon 5:20; 3 Nephi 16:1112; 29:19. 9 I have formatted these verses so the poetic verse structure is more noticeable. Note the parallelism in verse 2: righteousness/great knowledge, greater righteousness/greater knowledge.

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iii) Note that Abraham wasnt just minding his own business when the Lord first called on himhe already understood that there was greater happiness and peace and rest in having the blessings of the fathers (the patriarchal priesthood), and he therefore desired to have the qualities that would qualify him for those blessings.10 iv) Because of his righteous desires, he is saved from certain death by the angel of the Lord (Abraham 1:15). c) [SLIDE 6] What covenants did the Lord make with Abraham? i) The Abrahamic covenant was not revealed all at once, but in stages. The Lord made promises to and requirements of Abraham on several occasions. As Abraham proved to the Lord that he was able to live up to the commandments he had received thus far, the Lord blessed him further and gave him additional commandments. Eventually Abraham proved faithful in all things and entered into his exaltation (D&C 132:29). ii) Abrahams part of the covenant: I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect (Genesis 17:1).11 (1) The Hebrew word translated in the KJV as perfect ( / tamiym) doesnt mean without error. It mean complete or whole, or, in other words, having integrity.12 The idea here is that must Abraham act in a fashion where the Lord would not hold him guilty of violating the covenant. iii) The Lords blessings for living up to the covenant include: (1) Blessing of a promised land (Genesis 13:1415; Abraham 2:6). (2) Blessing of posterity (Genesis 15:5; Abraham 2:10). (3) Blessing of the priesthood (Abraham 1:1819; 2:9). (4) Blessing of salvation and exaltation (Abraham 2:11). d) The sign and token of the Abrahamic covenant. i) As a sign of the covenant, Abrams name was changed to Abraham (Genesis 17:5).13 (1) This new name represented a change in covenant status with the Lord: Abraham was spiritually reborn, and his new name showed that he was a new person. (2) Every time the name was used it would be a reminder of Gods covenant promise. ii) As a token, or pledge, of the covenant, the Lord confirmed his promise by a visible sign (Genesis 15:710, 1718):
Abraham is directed to make the usual preparations observed in old times when two parties were about to make an important covenant or alliance: Certain animals and birds used in sacrifice were slain, and the bodies of the former divided in two parts: hence the expression to strike or cut a covenant. The two parties then passed between the parts, met in the middle, and took an oath of agreement,

10 Abraham did not receive the priesthood in Ur, but received it later from Melchizedek (D&C 84:14), possibly following the Battle of the Kings (see Genesis 14; cf. JST Genesis 14:2540). 11 Compare this reading to the one found in NRSV, NET, NASB, NIV, and ESV: be blameless. 12 Compare this with the Greek word (teleioi) in Matthew 5:48. The KJV translates this as perfect, but a better translation would be mature or complete. The idea behind both of these verses is similar to Leviticus 19:2 (Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy) and Deuteronomy 18:13 (You shall be blameless before the LORD your GodNASB). 13 Abrahams wife, Sarai (princess), also had her name changed to Sarah (noblewoman) (Genesis 17:15).

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the position signifying that if they were false to the covenant they merited a similar fate to that of the slain animals.14

(1) The phrase made a covenant in Genesis 15:18, literally reads in Hebrew, cut a covenant. iii) Abrahams token, or pledge, also involved cutting: He was to circumcise himself and every male in his household, including servants (Genesis 17:914). This token was to continue throughout the generations of his descendants as an everlasting covenant (17:13).15 The significance of the token affecting this particular part of the body related to: (1) A reminder of the Lords promise of posterity. (2) The life of the flesh is in the bloodit is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul (Leviticus 17:11). (3) Putting off the old, sinful life (cf. Romans 2:2829.) e) [SLIDE 7] The blessings of the Abrahamic covenant to us. i) The covenant received by Abraham continued through his descendants, and was renewed with Moses and the children of Israel. Despite the Lords patience with Israel, they rejected him. Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord revealed:
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Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (KJV Jeremiah 31:3133.)

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The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypta covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (NRSV Jeremiah 31:3133.)

ii) This was fulfilled after Jesus resurrection and ascension, when he revealed to the apostle Peter that the gospel was to go not just to the house of Israel, but also to the Gentiles (Acts 10). This extension of the Abrahamic covenant to all people was a major theme of the apostle Paul in his letters, particularly in Galatians 3:

14 Rev. J.R. Dummelow (ed.), A Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: MacMillan Publishing Co, 1908), 25. See also Paul Sanders, So May God Do To Me!, Biblica 85/1 (2004), 9198 (http://bit.ly/PSanders). 15 The everlasting nature of this covenant was between the Lord and those who entered into it, not that the covenant itself was everlasting. In other words, Gods covenant with Abraham lasted beyond this life and into the eternal world, but t he provisions of the covenant (like circumcision) could be altered or done away with among later generations of Gods people. Its for this reason that the Apostle Paul could proclaim that circumcision, under Christ, was useless (1 Corinthians 7:19; Galatians 5:2, 6; 6:15).

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Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.16 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.17 9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. (Galatians 3:69.)18

Just as Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness, 7so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham. 8And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you. 9For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed. (NRSV Galatians 3:69.)

iii) This had been foretold to Abraham:

And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father. (Abraham 2:10.)

iv) Joseph Smith taught:

The effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile is to purge out the old blood & make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost.19

v) [7.1] The Lords covenant promises to Abraham also apply to us: (1) Blessing of a promised land (D&C 63:20). (2) Blessing of posterity (D&C 132:3031). (3) Blessing of the priesthood (D&C 86:810). (4) Blessing of salvation and exaltation (D&C 132:1920). f) Abraham the exemplar. i) The life of Abraham exemplifies a total faith, qualifying him for the blessings he had covenanted to obtain. He trusted the Lord and submitted himself to the Lords will completely, which was an acceptable offering.20 3) [SLIDE 8] The son of the covenant. a) The Lord had promised Abraham three times that he would the father of a great posterity.21 b) As Abraham and Sarah grew old, Abraham expressed his concern about fulfilling this part of the Lords promise:

A quotation from Genesis 15:6 . A quotation from Genesis 12:3; 18:18 . 18 See also D&C 84:33. 19 Joseph Smith, 27 June 1839, recorded by Willard Richards; Words of Joseph Smith, 4. Compare History of the Church 3:380 (http://byustudies.byu.edu/hc/3/26.html#380); Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 149 (http://scriptures.byu.edu/stpjs.html#149). 20 Genesis 15:6. Cf. Romans 4:3; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23. 21 See Abraham 2:911; Genesis 12:2; 13:16.
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And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. (Genesis 15:23.)

But Abram said, O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? 3And Abram said, You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir. (NRSV Genesis 15:23.)

i) In other words, Abraham had no children of his own, so he complained that it appeared one of his slaves was destined to inherit his property.22 c) The Lord responded affirming the surety of his promise:
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And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.5And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. (KJV Genesis 15:46.)

But the word of the LORD came to him, This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir. 5 He brought him outside and said, Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. Then he said to him, So shall your descendants be. 6And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness. (NRSV Genesis 15:46.)

d) Ishmael. i) Ten years after the promise of descendants had first been made to Abraham, there was still no progress. 23 Abraham took Hagar, Sarahs Egyptian servant, as a second wife and she bore Abrahams first child, Ishmael.24 (Genesis 16:12.) ii) Ishmael means God hears, a name given to Hagar by revelation through an angel, because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.25 iii) Blessings similar to Abrahams were given to Hagar (Genesis 16:10). iv) But Ishmael was not to be the covenant son. e) Isaac. i) In Abrahams 99th year (and Sarahs 89th), the Lord further defined the promise:

This verse contains a Hebrew wordplay on the name Damascus: The son of the acquisition (ben-mesheq) of my house is Eliezer of Damascus (dammesheq). The words are not the identical, but they alliterate. Eliezer will be Abrahams heir if Abraham dies without a son because Damascus sounds like heir. 23 The Genesis text makes it appear that Sarah decided to take the initiative, and hints at her lack of faith by quoting her as saying, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing. (Genesis 16:2a.) However, modern revelation tells us that God commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife. (D&C 132:34, 65.) 24 According to ancient Near Eastern custom, a child born under this arrangement would be the wifes, not the servantwomans. 25 This word-play appeared again when Hagar was permanently cast out of Abrahams household. She and Ishmael went in the desert and nearly died, but God heard the voice of the lad and sent an angel to protect them and deliver promises of greatness for Ishmaels descendants. (Genesis 21:1421.)
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And I will bless her [Sarah], and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. 17Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? 18And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee! 19And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. 20And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget,26 and I will make him a great nation. 21But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. (KJV Genesis 17:1621.)

I will bless her [Sarah], and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her. 17Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child? 18 And Abraham said to God, O that Ishmael might live in your sight! 19God said, No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. 20As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year. (NRSV Genesis 17:1621.)

ii) The name Isaac means he laughs, because when Abraham heard this he fell upon his face, and laughed (Genesis 17:17).27 iii) When three holy men came to Abrahams tent, they repeated the promise that Sarah would bear a child according to the time of life, a Hebrew euphemism for after one year. Sarah overheard this and she laughed with disbelief. (Genesis 18:915; cf. 21:6.) iv) The prophecy was fulfilled just as the Lord had promised, and Isaac became the covenant son. (21:12, 12b.) Abraham had waited nearly fifty years for the promise of posterity to be realized!28 v) All of this is a lead-in to one of the most powerful events in scripture: 4) [SLIDE 9] Abrahams great test (Genesis 22). a) 22:12. The commandment comes out of the blue: i) 22:1a says God did tempt Abraham. The Hebrew verb used here ( / ns) means to test in the sense of proving character and faithfulness.29 Why would an omniscient God need to test Abraham? Doesnt he already know Abrahams faith and level of commitment?

26 The names of the twelve sons of Ishmael are found in Genesis 25:1316, which explains that they were princes, or tribal heads of their individual clans. 27 The Hebrew word for laugh here (shaq) is non-specific, and can be used for laughter of delight or derision. There is a separate word (lag) specifically used for scornful laughter. JST Genesis 17:23 changes laughed to rejoiced. 28 Abraham left Ur between the ages of 50 and 53 (http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/chronology/abraham_chron.html). The Book of Abraham tells of the Lords first promises of eternal increase to Abraham shortly thereafter. 29 This is the first time this word appears in the Old Testament, perhaps indicating that no one up to this point had been tested as much as Abraham was about to be tested.

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(1) [SLIDE 10] Truman G. Madsen:

I believe there are those even in the Church who would say in their hearts that the test of Abraham is too much; that a loving God would not require such a thing of any man, least of all someone as faithful as Abraham. I put the question once to President Hugh B. Brown, when we were in Israel: Why was Abraham commanded to go up on that mountainand offer as a sacrifice his only hope for the promised posterity? President Brown wisely replied, Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham.30

ii) [SLIDE 11] 22:2 adds thine only sonwhom thou lovest to the commandment. This underscores the difficultly Abraham must have felt when faced with this commandment. He was asked to give up the one thing he loved the mostand not only that, but the son who had been promised to him for decades and then born in his old age. (1) In other parts of the Abraham narrative, Abraham is clearly a very passionate person.31 Yet in this story, the author gives no hint of Abrahams reaction to Gods clearly objectionable commandment.32 He does exactly what he is asked to, without hesitation or questioning. b) 22:34. Earlier passages of scripture tell us that Abraham had many servants,33 and two are mentioned here, yet Abraham saddled his own donkey and cut the wood for the sacrificial fire himself. The journey to the mountain took three days (which, of course, has significance from a Christian standpoint). c) 22:5. Abraham indicated to his servants that both he and Isaac would return to them after they worshipped on the mount. Rather than being deceptive, it appears that Abraham had faith that Isaacs would actually return with him from the mountain. i) Hebrews 11:1719 suggests that Abraham believed God could restore Isaac to him through resurrection. d) 22:6. There is Christian significance again in Isaac carrying the wood for his own sacrifice. Note that the word knife ( / mahakehleth) refers to a butcher knife, typically used for ceremonial or sacrificial purposes.34 e) 22:78. Abrahams statement, God will provide (literally God will see for himself) is clearly is the central theme of the passage and the turning point in the story. f) 22:9. Isaac by this time is a full-grown adult, somewhere between 25 and 37 years old.35 He could have easily overpowered his elderly father, but he didnt. This is an unspoken aspect to the story that seems to indicate that Isaac understood what was taking place,
Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989), 9293. Examples of Abrahams deep feelings include: He had a deep desire to have the blessings of the priesthood (Abraham 1:2). When Lot was taken captive during the battle of the kings, Abraham armed the 318 men in his household and rescued him (Genesis 14). Abraham complained to the Lord that he had no heir but his chief slave (Genesis 15:2). When the Lord told the 99-year-old Abraham that Sarah would bear a son, he laughed at the thought; he then plead with God not depose Ishmael (Genesis 17:1718). Abraham repeatedly plead with the Lord not to destroy Sodom (Genesis 18:2333). When Ishmael mocks Isaac, Sarah orders Abraham to cast Ishmael and Hagar out of the household, but this was very grievous in Abrahams sight (Genesis 21:11). 32 His experience in Ur (Abraham 1) would certainly have caused him to personally understand the horror of human sacrifice. 33 In the battle of the kings he was able to arm 318 men from his household (Genesis 14:14). 34 The word appears in the Old Testament in only four places: Genesis 22:6, 10; Judges 19:29; and Proverbs 30:14. 35 According to Josephus, Isaac was twenty-five years old at the time of the sacrifice. The Talmudic sages taught that Isaac was thirty-seven, and that Sarah died (Genesis 23:12) while Abraham was away, making the trial doubly difficult for them.
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or at the very least respected his father so much that he followed his direction without question. i) In Jewish tradition, this story is not called something like Abrahams test or Abrahams great faith. Its called akedah ()the Binding, referring to the binding of Isaac on the altar. When sacrifices were made in the tabernacle, God remembered the binding of Isaac, for which a substitute was offered. g) 22:10. Slay ( / shhat) means to slaughter in a ritualistic sense. (The same word is used in Leviticus to describe sacrifices done at the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple in Jerusalem.36 h) 22:1113. Having completely proven his willingness to do all things whatsoever the Lord commanded him (Abraham 3:25), the angel of the Lord appeared, stopped the event, and delivered the Lords message: Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. i) After Abraham had passed the test, the Lord provided a male sheep as a substitute for Isaac. (More Christian significance.) i) 22:14. There is perhaps a subtle word-play in Abrahams name for the site, Jehovahjireh. The phrase means either the Lord will see or the Lord will provide. The Lord saw Abrahams willingness and provided a substitute. j) 22:1518. The Lord reiterated the promises he had previously given to Abraham, only this time they were given more emphatically:
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By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:
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The Lord solemnly swore by his own name, the most serious oath that can be taken.37 In Hebrew, the combination of an infinitive absolute (in blessing) followed by a finite verb (I will bless thee) is used to show emphasis (I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendantsNET). This is the first time this was used with the Abrahamic promises, showing that the Lord was now firmly committed to fulfilling the covenant blessing.

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

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And in thy seed shall all the nations of the The promise of blessing to all peoples of earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed the earth is restated, and given surety my voice. because of Abrahams obedience.

See Leviticus 4:29, 33; 14:13. Note that when Nephi swears as the Lord liveth and as I live, the panicked Zoram instantly relaxes. In the Near East, an oath taken by the life of somethingand especially taken by ones own life or by the life of God himselfis inviolate. See Hugh Nibleys comments in An Approach to the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1988), 12829 (http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1107&index=13).
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5) [SLIDE 12] Comparisons between Isaacs sacrifice and Jesus atonement. a) Jacob, son of Lehi, taught:
Behold, [all the holy prophets which were before us] believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son (Jacob 4:5, italics added).

Son Sacrifice Location

Carrying the wood Obedience

Age

Jesus was 30 when he began his ministry, and was probably crucified at age 33 (Luke 3:23). God Abraham passed the test, and God Jesus was the substitutionary provides the prevented the sacrifice from taking sacrifice God provided for our sins. place. God then provided a ram sacrifice caught in the thicket as a substitute (Genesis 22:9). 6) [SLIDE 13] What does the story of the Akedahthe Bindingmean to us? a) Temple motifs in the story: i) Takes place on a mountain. ii) Obedience. iii) Consecration. iv) Trial of faith/proved in all things. v) Substitutionary sacrifice. vi) Willingness as an acceptable offering.
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Isaac/Abraham (Genesis 22) Abraham is instructed to take his only son Isaac to Mt. Moriah (Genesis 22:2). In a test of faith, Abraham is instructed to offer his only son as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:2). Abraham was told to take his son, Isaac, to the mountains of Moriah. Mount Moriah later becomes the location of Jerusalem and the temple built by Solomon. Isaac carried the wood up the mountain to his own sacrifice (Genesis 22:6). By all accounts Isaac was a grown man about at this point of his life. He was obedient to his father, who was told to offer him as a sacrifice. (Genesis 22:9). Isaac was as old as 37 years of age at this point.

Jesus/the Father Jesus is the only begotten Son (John 3:16). Jesus was offered by the Father as a sacrifice for sin (John 3:14, 17). In the vicinity of Mt. Moriah, outside the temple walls, Jesus was crucified (Matt. 27:2122). Jesus carried cross beam for the cross to the place of his own sacrifice (John 19:1718). Jesus was obedient, obeying the father and offering himself as a sacrifice (Matt. 26:39).

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

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vii) Communing with God. b) Over and over again, the Lord has stated his intent of testing and trying his people. (See D&C 58:4; 95:1; 98:12; 136:31, 51.) c) Each of us, in our own individual way, must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son; for all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified (D&C 101:45). d) [SLIDE 14] Joseph Smith:
The sacrifice required of Abraham in the offering up of Isaac, shows that if a man would attain to the keys of the kingdom of an endless life; he must sacrifice all things.38

e) Lectures on Faith 6:
[SLIDE 15] 5For a man to lay down his allhis character and reputation, his honor and applause, his good name among men, his houses, his lands, his brothers and sisters, his wife and children, and even his own life also, counting all things but filth and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christrequires more than mere belief or supposition that he is doing the will of God. It requires actual knowledge, realizing that when these sufferings are ended, he will enter into eternal rest and be a partaker of the glory of God. . [SLIDE 16] 7Let us here observe that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation. For from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It is through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life. And it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing the things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truths sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he has been called to make this sacrifice because he seeks to do His will, he does know, most assuredly, that God does and will accept his sacrifice and offering and that he has not sought nor will he seek His face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life. [SLIDE 17] 8It is in vain for persons to fancy to themselves that they are heirs with those, or can be heirs with them, who have offered their all in sacrifice, and by this means obtained faith in God and favor with him so as to obtain eternal life, unless they in like manner offer unto him the same sacrifice and through that offering obtain the knowledge that they are accepted of him.

f) [SLIDE 18] Truman G. Madsen:

We too, somehow, someday, must reach the point at which we hold our physical life cheap, or our eternal life dear, even to the point of being willing to lay our life down in the image and pattern of the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed are ye, said the Lord to the Prophet [Joseph Smith] early on, even if they do unto you even as they have done

38 Joseph Smith, 27 August 1843, recorded by Willard Richards. HC 5:555 (http://byustudies.byu.edu/hc/5/29.html#555); TPJS 322 (http://scriptures.byu.edu/stpjs.html#322). Richards record is a little unclear, and has been emended by later scribes; the original reads by the offering of Isaac.if a man would attainhe must sacrifice all to attain to the keys of the kingdom of an endless life. WJS 244.

2013, Mike Parker

http://bit.ly/ldsarc

For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

Hurricane Utah Adult Religion Class

Old Testament: Abraham

Week 8, Page 12

unto me,for you shall dwell with me in glory (D&C 6:2930). In 1843 the Prophet recorded the Lords words addressed to him: I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father (D&C 132:49).39

7) [SLIDE 19] Next week: a) Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 2436).

39

Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet, 12526. http://bit.ly/ldsarc For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

2013, Mike Parker