May 15–21

Genesis 18–23

“Now I Know That Thou Fearest God”

Your preparation begins by reading and pondering Genesis 18–23 and recording your spiritual impressions. Come, Follow Me for individuals and families and this outline can help you understand the doctrine in these chapters and help those you teach desire to acquire the godly traits exemplified by Abraham.

Record Your Impressions

Improving Our Teaching

Promise blessings. After every invitation to act, promise your learners that they will receive the blessings that God has promised to those who live that principle. Blessings shouldn’t be our primary motivation for obedience, but Heavenly Father desires to bless all His children. (See Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 35.)

Invite Sharing

Our tests and trials often become some of our life’s defining moments. These chapters describe several such moments in Abraham’s life. Invite class members to share a verse they found during their personal study this week that describes one of Abraham’s “defining moments.”

Teach the Doctrine

Genesis 18:9–15; 21:1–7

God fulfills His promises in His own time.

• The account in these verses can be inspiring to class members who wonder if God’s promises to them will be fulfilled. As a class, review the account of God’s promise that Abraham and Sarah would have a son, found in Genesis 17:4, 15–22 (from last week’s reading) and Genesis 18:9–15; 21:1–7. (See also the related information in this week’s study outline in Come, Follow Me for individuals and families.) To help class members personalize this account, invite them to consider what they would say to a friend who has been waiting for God’s promises to be fulfilled but is starting to lose hope. What could we say to help them? What other scriptures or personal experiences might we share? (See, for example, Romans 8:28; Mormon 9:19–21; D&C 88:64.) Why should we trust that nothing is “too hard for the Lord”? (Genesis 18:14).

• The video “Continue in Patience” (LDS.org) may help class members apply Abraham and Sarah’s experience to modern situations. What statements or teachings in this video help us better understand what it means to wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled in our lives?

• It might be interesting for class members to see how the family of Abraham and Sarah grew; God did eventually fulfill His promises regarding their posterity. As recorded in Numbers 1:19–45, Moses numbered the men aged 20 and older from the tribes of Israel (Abraham’s grandson). Class members could use these verses to calculate how large Abraham’s family had become (see verse 46). What experiences could class members share in which God’s promises were fulfilled in their lives?

Genesis 19:17–26

Once we decide to follow Christ, we should not look back.

• To help class members apply the account in these verses to their lives, you could ask a class member to be a reporter and interview another class member who is “a member of Lot’s family.” The reporter could ask questions about the actions and feelings of Lot’s family and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (The information about these verses in this week’s study outline in Come, Follow Me for individuals and families may be helpful.) Invite class members to think of a headline for the reporter’s news story—something that summarizes the main message of the story. Encourage them to use words and phrases from the scriptures.

• What can you do to help class members understand why they should not look back as Lot’s wife looked back? (see verse 26; see also Luke 9:62). You could start by reading Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s statement in “Additional Resources.” On the board, class members could list things that people look back to longingly that may prevent them from accepting blessings that the Lord has prepared for them. Some examples may include past sins, previous stages of life, or a previous job. What experiences could class members share that illustrate the importance of not looking back?

Genesis 22:1–14

Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac is a similitude of God and His Son.

• If members of your class studied the similarities between Isaac and the Savior suggested in this week’s study outline in Come, Follow Me for individuals and families, invite them to share insights they gained. Or you could review these similarities as a class. Given what we know about his life, why would this test be especially difficult for Abraham?

• How can you help class members understand what this account teaches about God’s sacrifice of His Son and about the Savior’s atoning sacrifice? (see Jacob 4:5). You could assign half of the class to ponder Genesis 22:1–14 from the perspectives of Abraham and God the Father, while the other half ponders this account from the perspectives of Isaac and Jesus Christ. Ask class members to share insights they gain. Consider sharing the quotation by Elder Richard G. Scott in “Additional Resources,” displaying the picture Abraham Taking Isaac to Be Sacrificed (Gospel Art Book, no. 9), or showing the video “Akedah (The Binding)” (LDS.org).

Encourage Learning at Home

To encourage class members to read the scriptures for next week (Genesis 24–33), you could tell them that these chapters contain one of the greatest love stories in the Bible.

Additional Resources

Genesis 18–23

Don’t look back.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught:

“It is possible that Lot’s wife looked back with resentment toward the Lord for what He was asking her to leave behind. … So it isn’t just that she looked back; she looked back longingly. In short, her attachment to the past outweighed her confidence in the future. …

“… I plead with you not to dwell on days now gone nor to yearn vainly for yesterdays, however good those yesterdays may have been. The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future. Faith always has to do with blessings and truths and events that will yet be efficacious in our lives.

“… [Lot’s wife] did not have faith. She doubted the Lord’s ability to give her something better than she already had. Apparently, she thought that nothing that lay ahead could possibly be as good as what she was leaving behind” (“The Best Is Yet to Be,” Ensign or Liahona, Jan. 2010, 24, 27).

The Father’s sacrifice of His Son.

Elder Richard G. Scott said: “I try to imagine what an intensely poignant moment it must have been for our Father in Heaven when the Savior cried out from the cross, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). I don’t believe Father in Heaven forsook His Son on the cross. I do believe the cry was motivated when that Son felt removed the sustaining support He had always enjoyed from His Father. His Father recognized that the Savior needed to accomplish the Atonement totally and completely on His own, without external support. The Father did not abandon His Son. He made it possible for His perfect Son to win the eternal fruits of the Atonement” (“He Lives! All Glory to His Name!” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 77).