Tag Archives: heavenly father

Here is the next entry in my series from the Old Testament Institute class that I’m teaching. These notes cover Genesis 12 – 23. I have decided not to include any pictures since I’m not sure of copyright issues with them.

To recap… I’m a Stake Institute Teacher. I teach a group of about a dozen YSA in my home on Wednesday evenings. It is a great calling! I decided I would post my notes for the classes. They are just that… notes. They are meant to help me direct the discussion and have references to pictures and quotes. I’ve included the quotes, but not the pictures.

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Covenants

Enrichment section B has information about Covenants

• In order to help His children become like Him, Father in Heaven admonishes them to observe certain gospel principles by means of covenants and ordinances. The entire gospel itself is referred to in scripture as “a new and an everlasting covenant” (D&C 22:1; see also 133:57). That overall covenant includes a series of other covenants that, if observed, will make man like his divine parents. Covenants, covenant making, and covenant keeping thus become the keys to exaltation, or the kind of life God enjoys.
  A covenant is a mutual agreement between two or more persons whereby each contracting party agrees to abide by certain stipulations. Heavenly Father agrees to give to His children all that He enjoys, providing they will keep all of His commandments (see D&C 76:50–60). “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10). Broken covenants have no eternal or lasting value. As Joseph Smith said, “It requires two parties to make a covenant, and those two parties must be agreed, or no covenant can be made” (Teachings, p. 14).

Refer to:

• Deut 7: 9
• 2 Nephi 6: 12
• Romans 9: 6

Genesis Chapter 12

v1
Abram told to leave the country
Abram probably received the Melchizedek Priesthood before leaving.
See Abraham 1: 2, 3: 1

v3

First reference to Abrahamic Covenant (I think)
“In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed”
Often references to covenant are that the nations will be blessed. I like the reference to families

v4

• SHOW SLIDE 3 map of travels from student manual (pg 65)

v5
Lot is Abram’s nephew

v8
Went to a mountain (temple) and called upon the name of the Lord

v10-20
Story of Sarai saying that she is Abram’s sister
Did Pharaoh try to marry her?

• REVIEW notes from manual about why this is or isn’t a lie

Why did Abram speak this way? The Lord told him to do it. See Abraham 2: 22-23
Similar to Nephi killing Laban, sometimes the Lord requires us to do things that might otherwise be wrong. The key is that it needs to be a message direct from the Lord

• SHOW SLIDE 4 family tree from student manual pg 66

Genesis Chapter 13

v4
Returned to an altar he had used before

v6-7
Must have been a huge group travelling!!

v8-9

• SHOW SLIDE 5  image of lot and Abraham splitting land

Let there be no strife
Abram was willing to do what it took to have no contention

v12
Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom

v18
Abram built another altar

Genesis Chapter 14

According to some things I read, there are several evidences to the age of these records

• READ note from Amplified Bible
  Some of the places being referenced were using the original names. Moses had to explain what they were to the audience he was writing to
  14: 2 – Bela that is Zoar
  14:3 Valley of Siddim which is the Salt Sea
  14:4 En-mishpat which is Kadesh
  14:15 Hobah which is north of Damascus
  14:17 Valley oi Shaveh which is King’s Valley

v14
Not referring to his blood brother, but his brother in the gospel

v16
The brother translation could be relative or kinsmen
318 servants!

v18

• SHOW SLIDE 6 picture of Abram with Melchizedek

Reference to Melchizedek

• REVIEW notes from manual about Melchizedek possibly being Shem

v20
Abram paid tithing

Genesis Chapter 15

v1
The Lord was Abram’s shield
In the Armor of God scripture in Ephesians 6: 10-18, you have the shield of faith

v5
Abram has no children, but is promised he will have innumerable descendants

v6
And Abram believed him!
JST adds a vision where Abram sees the Lord and believes

v12
Abram has a vision and experiences great darkness like Joseph Smith

Genesis Chapter 16

v2-3
Abram takes Hagar as another wife

v5
Sarai upset about Hagai

• SHOW SLIDE 7 artwork of Hagai leaving with Ishmael

v7-12
Angel tells Hagar to name son Ishmael
This is the first recorded instance in the Bible of someone being named before birth
See Gen 17: 19 – Isaac
1 Kings 13: 2 – Josiah
1 Chron 22: 9 – Solomon
Matt 1: 21 – Jesus
Luke 1: 13 – John
Ishmael is generally thought to be the father of the Arab people. According to tradition, the prophet Muhammad came through his son Kedar

Genesis Chapter 17

v1
The Lord visits Abram again

v2
A covenant is made again. Why so often?

v5
Name changes from Abram (high exalted father) to Abraham (father of a multitude)

v11
Is circumcision the covenant? It was a sign/token. It was stopped later. See Acts 15: 1, 24-29

v15
Sarai’s name becomes Sarah (princess)

v17
Even the Lord has a sense of humour?

v19
Isaac’s name means laughter

Genesis Chapter 18

v1-10

• SHOW SLIDE 8 artwork of Abraham with 3 men/angels

Visit from 3 men
The first verse is a thought unto itself
The 3 men are generally considered to be angelic visitors. If they ate and cleaned themselves, they must have been resurrected. Others believe that it wasn’t possible for them to be resurrected, so they must have just been men

v14
Is anything too hard for the Lord?

v20-22
Two of the men/angels went to check on Sodom and Gomorrah

v23-32
The Lord would not destroy the city if 10 righteous people could be found
See Alma 10: 22 – the prayers of the righteous save the people

Genesis Chapter 19

v1
Other two men (angels?) arrive at Sodom

v5
The men of the city want to have sex with the men
Is this the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah? It was more than this. See Ezekiel 16: 49-50

v8
Lot willing to hand over daughters?!?! JST clarifies this

v14
Lot warns family of impending destruction but they don’t believe him

v15-16
Lot, wife, 2 daughters are saved

• SHOW SLIDE 9 artwork of Lot and family leaving

v24-25
Sodom, Gomorrah, and other cities are destroyed

• SHOW SLIDE 10 artwork of the destruction

v17, 26
They were not to look back
Lot’s wife lagged behind and looked back. According to the way the wording is and how it compares to other similar lines, some scholars believed she actually went back.
She may have been literally turned to a pillar of salt or it may have been figurative (the traditional spot is now where part of the Dead Sea is)
Her heart was not where it should have been. See Matthew 6: 20-21 or Luke 21:33-34
Refer to Luke 17: 31-33

v31-38
The remaining two daughters get father drunk on successive nights and had sex with him to preserve their race
Moab (of a father)
Ben-ammi (son of my people)

Genesis Chapter 20

v2
Abraham lies again

v11-12
Abraham explains why he lied

Genesis Chapter 21

v1-3
Isaac is born

v9
Sibling rivalry between Ismael (17) and Isaac (3)

v12-21
Ismael and Hagar leave
They almost die but are saved by the Lord

v17
“God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is”

Genesis Chapter 22

Story of Abraham going to sacrifice Isaac

• SHOW SLIDE 11 artwork of the sacrifice

v2
Offer him as a burnt offering

v5
We will worship and come again
Did Abraham believe that another way would come, or was he prophesying?

v7
Where is the lamb?

v8
The statement was both faithful (referring to Isaac) and prophetic (referring to Jesus)

v9
No struggle with Isaac
One thing I read said he was around 25. He must have had great faith as well

v11-12
Angel stops the sacrifice

v18
Abrahamic Covenant
Who is the greatest of his seed? Christ. Refer to Galatians 3: 16

Genesis Chapter 23

Sarah dies (127 years old) and is buried