Class Member Study Guide: Lesson 8
Genesis 11 Genealogy of Abram & Sarai. Abram leaves Ur for Haran.
Genesis 12 Abrahamic Covenant. Ur to Haran. Haran to Canaan. Famine: Canaan to Egypt.
Genesis 13 Egypt to Canaan. Lot and Abram part. Abraham in Hebron.
Genesis 14 Kings' battle. Lot captured & rescued by Abram. Abram declines Kings' war spoils. Melchizedek administers bread and wine and blesses Abram.
Genesis 15 Abram desires offspring: numbered as stars.
Genesis 16 Sarai gives Hagar to Abram as wife & bears Ishmael.
Genesis 17 Abram commanded to be perfect. Name change to Abraham and Sarah. Circumcision. Covenant everlasting.
Genesis 18 Abraham hosts 3 holy men. Sarah promised a son. The Lord know Abraham's valiance. The Lord and Abraham discuss Sodom and Gomorrah.
Genesis 19 Lot hosts holy men. Sodom residencts seek to abuse holy men and are blinded. Lot leaves Sodom. The Lord destroys cities with brimstone and fire.
Great Supporting Must Read/Watch Articles:
Spencer W. Kimball
The Example of Abraham
Jeffrey R. Holland
Remember Lot's Wife
Abraham's World
Background
The universal history
in Genesis 1-11 ends with the descendants of Noah confounded and scattered
throughout the earth, setting the stage for the call of Abraham by covenant to
leave this world of confusion and to journey to the promised land.
Through the covenant of Abraham, God promises
the possibility that all who are scattered in every age can be spiritually
gathered together by joining this covenant to become the seed of Abraham father
of many nations” (Gen 17:5).
Whereas Genesis 1-11 contains a universal history--demonstrating how the whole world descended first from Adam and Eve and then from Noah and his three sons--Genesis 12-50 is a family history, tracing the lives of Abraham and Sarah and the birthright sons and their wives: Isaac and Rebekah: Jacob and Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah: and Joseph and Asenath. . . . The first chapters of Genesis reveal the consequences of the Fall--murder, death, destruction, pride, and arrogance--that spread across the earth that had once been blessed by the Creator:
In the second portion of Genesis, the Lord instigates a rescue mission to save his creation and his children through Abraham and Sarah. . . .
Thus Genesis 12-50 is composed of four major sections:
chapters 12-25 tell the story of Abraham;
chapters 26, the story of Isaac;
chapters 27-36, the story of Jacob; and
chapters 27-50 the story of Joseph.
The main theme of Genesis 12-50 is the covenant that Jehovah made with Abraham that will remain in place with the righteous followers of Abraham until the the end of time.
(Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament,
Holzapfel, Pike, and Seely, Deseret Book, SLC, 2009)
Abraham
Abraham repeatedly demonstrated his faith by choosing righteousness, obedience, kindness, loyalty, hope and hospitality. Despite his family's unholy practices, Abraham remains true to his faith, shunning the practices of idolatry and human sacrifice mentioned in the Book of Abraham.
He is instantly obedient, circumcising himself and his family in the same day that he is commanded to do so. He also promptly acts on the commandment to sacrifice Issac his beloved son the day after he is commanded to do so despite his personal abhorrence to human sacrifice.
We see the same obedience as he leaves Ur to travel to Haran. True, evil practices and famine at times drive Abraham's journeys; nevertheless, he obeys the Lord. He follows the Lord's command in his journey to Canaan then on to Egypt to weather the famine taking place in Canaan.
After the return to Canaan from Egypt, Abraham selflessly allows his nephew Lot his choice of land. Lot chooses the greener more fertile sections. Abraham is so loyal to his nephew that he rescues the hostage Lot from northern city-state kings. Abraham's dramatic rescue of his nephew with 300 of his own men and his refusal to accept the spoils of war from other city-state kings suggest his complete righteousness. He will not taint himself with the spoils of war.
With great hospitality Abraham welcomes 3 holy men. By contrast the people of Sodom and Gomorrah while having an abundance of bread refused to care for the needy.
The Lord knows Abraham and Abraham knows the Lord. In Genesis 18:19 the Lord says of Abraham:
It is through a latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, and his translation of the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price that we come to have a more complete and intimate picture of Abraham.
Abraham describes himself in the opening chapter of the Book of Abraham. He says:
The sins of Sodom and Gommorah went well beyond idolatry and sexual perversions. In Ezekial 16: 49-50 we find an analysis of the inhabitants' sins:
Where once Lot was a successful herdsman and tent dweller, his family's life of ease as they moved to Sodom became their downfall.
There are many lessons from this story, chief among them is righteous living and constant obedience.
As Elder Neal A. Maxwell reminds us, we cannot maintain a palace in Zion and a summer cottage in Babylon. We must choose whom we will serve.
Abraham
Abraham repeatedly demonstrated his faith by choosing righteousness, obedience, kindness, loyalty, hope and hospitality. Despite his family's unholy practices, Abraham remains true to his faith, shunning the practices of idolatry and human sacrifice mentioned in the Book of Abraham.
He is instantly obedient, circumcising himself and his family in the same day that he is commanded to do so. He also promptly acts on the commandment to sacrifice Issac his beloved son the day after he is commanded to do so despite his personal abhorrence to human sacrifice.
We see the same obedience as he leaves Ur to travel to Haran. True, evil practices and famine at times drive Abraham's journeys; nevertheless, he obeys the Lord. He follows the Lord's command in his journey to Canaan then on to Egypt to weather the famine taking place in Canaan.
After the return to Canaan from Egypt, Abraham selflessly allows his nephew Lot his choice of land. Lot chooses the greener more fertile sections. Abraham is so loyal to his nephew that he rescues the hostage Lot from northern city-state kings. Abraham's dramatic rescue of his nephew with 300 of his own men and his refusal to accept the spoils of war from other city-state kings suggest his complete righteousness. He will not taint himself with the spoils of war.
With great hospitality Abraham welcomes 3 holy men. By contrast the people of Sodom and Gomorrah while having an abundance of bread refused to care for the needy.
The Lord knows Abraham and Abraham knows the Lord. In Genesis 18:19 the Lord says of Abraham:
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement;Abraham talks with the Lord. He advocates for the righteous in Sodom, pleading with the Lord to save the city if only there are a handful of followers. Finally the holy men go to Sodom and lead Abraham's nephew Lot to safety.
It is through a latter-day prophet, Joseph Smith, and his translation of the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price that we come to have a more complete and intimate picture of Abraham.
Abraham describes himself in the opening chapter of the Book of Abraham. He says:
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.Living Righteously in an Imperfect World: Lessons from Sodom
My fathers, having turned from their righteousness, and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them, unto the worshiping of the gods of the heathen, utterly refused to hearken to my voice; (Abraham 1: 2, 5).
The sins of Sodom and Gommorah went well beyond idolatry and sexual perversions. In Ezekial 16: 49-50 we find an analysis of the inhabitants' sins:
Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.Despite great wickedness, the Lord has compassion for Lot, removing any of his family willing to go. Yet Lot's family had so embraced wickedness, that his wife cannot resists looking back longingly at the life of ease and pleasure she had enjoyed.
And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
Where once Lot was a successful herdsman and tent dweller, his family's life of ease as they moved to Sodom became their downfall.
There are many lessons from this story, chief among them is righteous living and constant obedience.
As Elder Neal A. Maxwell reminds us, we cannot maintain a palace in Zion and a summer cottage in Babylon. We must choose whom we will serve.
The Ancient Near East with Modern Political Boundaries
From Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament
The World of the Patriarchs and Major Trading Routes
Source: Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament
Themes
Testing Stories: People's faithfulnes serve as models to descendants
Birthright stories: Birthright may pass oldest son for someone more qualified
Jehovah talks with patriarchs: Jehovah appeared to four patriarchs
Related Videos
Things of the World (1:19)
No Other Gods (1:27)
