Act in Faith
Genesis 12
1 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
Abraham acted in faith by doing this.
He obeyed God's commandment to leave. And it probably took a lot of trust to leave behind everything you knew and loved.
Hebrews 11:8-10
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
"View ideas based on the Lord's standard of truth rather than accepting the world's premises or assumptions." (i.e. they were physically too old to have children.)
Abraham questioned how the promise of posterity to him would be fulfilled when he and Sara had not yet had a child. God used this symbol of nature to remind him of His promise.
What is the stars of the of the heavens.
Genesis 15:5
5 And 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.
Abraham's father was going to sacrifice his own son to the Egyptian Gods. This "divine source" intervened and saved his life. (Abraham 1:15)
What is Jehovah
Abraham 1
15 And as they lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and he filled me with the vision of the Almighty, and the angel of his presence stood by me, and immediately unloosed my bands;
16 And his voice was unto me: Abraham, Abraham, behold, my name is Jehovah, and I have heard thee, and have come down to deliver thee, and to take thee away from thy father’shouse, and from all thy kinsfolk, into a strange land which thou knowest not of;
Abraham 12:5
This verse indicates that Abraham sought to help others acquire spiritual knowledge as well. This line tells us that.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
What is . . . "and the souls that they had gotten in Haran;"
Lot's wife was turned into this, for "looking back."
What is a pillar of salt.
Everywhere that Abraham moved, he built this.
What is an alter.
"We act in faith when we choose to trust God and turn to Him first through sincere prayer . . ."
Abraham also worried about the promise of inheriting a promised land. He then has a vision of Jesus' mortal ministry. (JST Genesis 15:9-12)
When we have questions about something, we should "consider them in the context of the plan of salvation."
In his vision of the Savior's life, this event made Abraham "glad" and helped his "soul find rest."
What is. . . Christ's resurrection. Knowing that Christ would live and die again, meant that death was not the end. And that even if Abraham did not inherit the land in this mortal life, he would in a future day!
According to Abraham 1:31, Abraham was put in charge of this divine source.
What is . . . Scriptures
31 But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers, have I kept even unto this day, and I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me."
"As part of the Lord's appointed process for obtaining spiritual knowledge, He has established sources (parents, church leaders, etc.) through which He reveals truth and guidance to His children."
Genesis 19Lot, the nephew of Abraham was not fully committed to leaving Sodom and Gomorrah and so he and his wife and two daughters were "brought forth" and "set without the city" by this source.
What is 3 Holy men, messengers (angels)
"Even when Lot hesitated, God's messengers pulled him out. The Lord doesn't wait for perfect readiness. Sometimes He sends others to take your hand and lead you to safety."
Jo Jo found a scripture that also talks about Abraham in Alma 29:11. Abraham's name in this verse also happens to be this well-known Title of Christ! (Gold gold star for Jo Jo!)
Lord God, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob!
"As we seek to develop our understanding and to resolve concerns, it is important that we rely on the testimony that we already have of Jesus Christ . . ."
Genesis 22:7-8
"And Issac spake unto Abraham, his father, and said. . .Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb. . ."
So Abraham knew this truth about God.
God will take care of us and provide a way for us in our trials.
"We seek the help of the Holy Ghost in order to see things as the Lord sees them."
In Genesis 13, Abraham had lost a good piece of land by giving it to Lot in order to avoid contention. The Lord then tells him to "Lift up now thine eyes," and reminds him of this promise.
What is he would receive more lands than Lot for his great posterity.
14 ¶ And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
Abraham's father was not a righteous priesthood holder. So Abraham left his homeland to seek his "appointment unto the Priesthood" (Abraham 1:4) from someone else. He would later meet this man and receive the priesthood from him.
Who was . . .Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-19)
Though Abraham had a troubled past with his father, his father must have recognized that Abraham was someone who could help him spiritually. It says in Abraham 2:4 that his "father followed after him."
And his father had also repented of "the evil which he had determined against [Abraham], to take away [his] life." (Abraham 1:30). But later, his father again turned back to his idolatry. However, this scripture shows that Abraham still cared for him and didn't give up on him.
Abraham 2:17
Abraham did this for his father's house.
What is . . . prayed for them that the famine would not hurt them.
Abraham 2:17
Now I, Abraham, built an altar in the land of Jershon, and made an offering unto the Lord, and prayed that the famine might be turned away from my father’s house, that they might not perish.
Name some of the "types of Christ" that we find in the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son "Issac"?
Abraham was asked to sacrifice his "only son" just like Heavenly Father gave his "only begotten son"
Issac was a willing sacrifice, just like Christ willingly gave his life.
Issac carried the sticks on his back, symbolizing Christ carrying his cross on his back.
Mount Moriah, where Isaac was take, is in the same general location of Golgotha where Christ was later sacrificed.
They offered a burnt animal sacrifice, Christ is the Lamb of God
Issac was bound and laid on the alter, Christ was bound to the cross with nails
"As we continue to seek for answers, we must live by faith - trusting that we will eventually receive the answers we seek."
In Genesis 21, Hagar had been cast out of Abraham's house and she was without water in the wilderness. She called out to the Lord for help, worried that Ishmael was going to die. Then an angel called to her and reminded her to act in faith.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
The angel then provided her with this help.
What is . . .he helped her see a well where she could get water.
19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
By the way . . .
Ishmael = God hears
the well of water was called "Beer-lahai-roi" which means "the well of him who liveth and seeth me" (What a cool promise!)
"What do I already know about Heavenly Father, His plan, and how He deals with his children?"
In Genesis 14, Abraham was promised lots of earthly treasures and wealth from the king of Sodom for his conquest in the war, but he rejected it. Instead, he chose to maintain an eternal perspective and trust in obeying a commandment that promised to "unlock the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing."
What is paying our tithing.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
The city of Bethel means this.
"The House of God"
Names in the Bible often have special meaning. Isaac means this.
"laughter" also "to rejoice"
Genesis 20:6 ¶ And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.