“Genesis 18–23,” Old Testament Institute Teacher Manual (2026)
Jehovah Jireh, by Eva Koleva Timothy
Genesis 18–23
Through the birth of Isaac, God fulfilled His promise that Abraham and Sarah would have posterity. The Lord warned Lot and his family to flee the land of Sodom before it was destroyed. Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt. As a test of Abraham’s faith, the Lord commanded Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. When Abraham proved his faithfulness, the Lord spared Isaac and provided a substitute sacrifice.
Additional Resources
Scripture Helps: Old Testament, “Genesis 18–23”
Note: The “Introduction to the Course” provides guidance on how to use the standard lesson elements that follow.
Encouraging Personal Study
Before class, consider sending students one or more of the following messages or some of your own:
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What do you do when life isn’t turning out quite as you planned? Ponder this as you study the experiences of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18:1–15; 21:1–3.
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As you read the story of Lot’s family fleeing Sodom in Genesis 19:1–29, think about why the Lord asks us not to “look back” at harmful influences in our lives.
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Ponder your feelings about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as you read Genesis 22:1–19. What symbols do you find in this account that remind you of Them?
Questions and Sharing
Provide time for students to ask questions and share insights and truths they discovered in their personal study of Genesis 18–23.
Skill Training
The learning activity for Genesis 22:1–19 could be a helpful place to use the skill “Understanding Symbolism in the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.
Learning Activity Options
Multiple learning options are provided for you and your students. Prayerfully choose which option or options will be most meaningful for your class. You could also seek input from your students.
Improving Our Teaching and Learning
Help learners strengthen their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The purpose of teaching and learning about Jesus Christ is to help each person draw closer to Him and our Heavenly Father. Help the people you teach to never lose sight of that purpose. Encourage them to strengthen their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by studying the scriptures, repenting continually, speaking with the Father in prayer, and testifying of the Father and the Son (see Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 9).
How can I increase my trust in the Lord and His timing?
Consider sharing the following scenario, or create a different one that better meets the needs of your students:
Miguel’s life does not look the way he always thought it would. His friends and family members are achieving life milestones—graduating from college, starting careers, getting married, and having children. Though Miguel has been promised many things in his patriarchal blessing, he has not yet seen many of these promised blessings fulfilled. It is hard for Miguel not to feel frustrated. He’s trying to do the right things, but he wonders if the blessings will ever come.
Consider asking students to think about whether they or someone they know have had feelings similar to Miguel’s. You could also invite students to write down a blessing they are waiting to receive from the Lord (such as marriage, family, education, answers to questions, relief from a trial, opportunities, and so on).
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What can be hard about waiting for promised blessings to be fulfilled?
Remind students that part of God’s covenant with Abraham was a promise that he and Sarah would have a large posterity (see Genesis 13:16; 15:5; 17:15–19). Abraham and Sarah became very old and still did not have a child. Consider asking:
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What thoughts or questions do you think you might have if you were in the situation of Abraham and Sarah?
Explain that the Lord sent three messengers to visit Abraham and Sarah. Invite students to study the interaction between Abraham, Sarah, and the Lord’s messengers in Genesis 18:9–14, along with what occurred later in Genesis 21:1–3.
After they read, ask students to share what they learned about the Lord and His promised blessings. (Students could identify truths like these: Nothing is too hard for the Lord, and The Lord fulfills His promises to us in His time.) Consider discussing questions like the following:
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What are situations you face where it would be helpful to remember these truths? How could remembering these truths make a difference in these situations?
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What experiences have you had that showed you nothing is too hard for the Lord?
During your discussion, it may be helpful to emphasize that waiting for the Lord’s promised blessings sometimes requires patience and trust in the Lord’s timing. Consider sharing the following statement by Elder Gerrit W. Gong:
During this life, we sometimes wait upon the Lord. We may not yet be where we hope and wish to be in the future. A devout sister says, “Waiting faithfully upon the Lord for His blessings is a holy position. It must not be met with pity, patronizing, or judgment but instead with sacred honor.” In the meantime, we live now, not waiting for life to begin. (“Room in the Inn,” Liahona, May 2021, 27)
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How might we benefit from times when the Lord’s promises are not immediately fulfilled in our lives?
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How can you follow Elder Gong’s counsel to “live now” even as you wait for God’s promises to be fulfilled?
Ask students to think about the blessing they are waiting for, which they wrote down at the beginning of this learning activity. Invite students to make a list of ways they can demonstrate faith in the Lord as they await the blessing. You might ask students to share with the class meaningful ideas they wrote down that are not too personal to share.
What do I need to leave behind to help me follow the Savior?
Consider sharing the following statement by President Jeffrey R. Holland:
The past is to be learned from but not lived in. (“The Best Is Yet to Be,” Ensign, Jan. 2010, 18)
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In what ways can remembering the past help us?
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Why do you think it is important to avoid living in the past?
As students study the story of Lot and his family leaving behind their home in Sodom, invite them to consider whether there are things they find challenging to leave in the past. You could encourage students to write down thoughts and feelings about whether any of these things hold them back from following the Lord.
Share the following explanation to help students understand the context for the account they will study. You could also invite a student to read the explanation.
Lot was Abraham’s nephew. After moving with Abraham from Egypt to the land of Canaan, Lot and his family settled in the plain of Jordan (see Genesis 13:1–11). Lot “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Genesis 13:12), a city known for being wicked (see Genesis 13:13). Lot and his family eventually ended up living in Sodom (see Genesis 14:12). In His mercy, the Lord sent messengers to Sodom to warn Lot and his family to leave before the city was destroyed (see Genesis 19:12–13).
Invite students to study Genesis 19:14–19, 24–26 and look for how Lot and his family responded to the Lord’s instructions to leave the city. (To help students better understand what took place in these verses, consider studying “Genesis 19:15–26. Why did Lot’s wife become a pillar of salt?” in Scripture Helps: Old Testament.)
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What did you notice about Lot and his family as you studied these verses? What did you notice about the Lord?
Explain that in the New Testament, the Savior used the story of Lot’s family to teach about what it would be like at the Second Coming (see Luke 17:28–32). Invite students to read Luke 17:32, looking for the Savior’s warning. Consider having students mark this verse in their scriptures.
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What are some important lessons we can learn from the account of Lot’s wife? (Student responses could include a truth like this: The Lord commands us to flee from and completely forsake wickedness.)
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What are some example of ways people might be tempted to “look back” on sins or evil influences that were previously part of their life?
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How can the Savior help us leave our past mistakes behind and move forward with faith?
To help with your discussion, you could share the following statement by President Jeffrey R. Holland:
Don’t be surprised if the pull of the past is great. It may involve old friends and old habits—strong habits that may have been deeply entrenched in your behavior, such as addictions to tobacco, alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, sexual transgression, or dishonesty, to name just a few. These things separated you from the influence of the Holy Ghost then, and they would be even more damaging if you were to return to them now. But the power of your covenants is greater than the power of temptation. Don’t let the fear of past transgressions weaken your resolve to repent and abandon them. Remember! God has promised to save you “from the hand of him that hated [you], and [redeem you] from the hand of the enemy” [Psalm 106:10]. (“What I Wish Every New Member Knew—and Every Longtime Member Remembered,” Ensign, Oct. 2006, 14)
Consider inviting students to quietly reflect on and record their answer to the following question:
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What are some things I can do to leave sins or evil influences behind?
You could invite a few students to testify of their ability to forsake sin and evil influences with the Lord’s help.
What can I learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from Abraham and Isaac?
Invite the class to think about significant sacrifices that others have made for them. You might invite a few students to share.
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How do you feel about people who sacrificed for you?
You could display the following picture of Abraham and Isaac and invite a student to summarize what is being depicted for the class.
Abraham and Isaac, by Harold Copping
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Why might the commandment to sacrifice Isaac have been a particularly difficult trial of faith for Abraham?
Point out that this account of Abraham and Isaac is deeply symbolic. Consider inviting students to read Jacob 4:5, looking for what the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob taught about the symbolism of this account. (For more about symbolism, see “Understanding Symbolism in the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.)
Give students time to study Genesis 22:1–19, searching for details that can symbolically teach them about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. They could make notes of these symbols and similarities in their scriptures.
After students finish studying, invite several to share with the class which symbols or comparisons impressed them and why. You could also ask questions like these:
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How does the account of Abraham and Isaac help you better appreciate Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
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What truths do you learn about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ from this account? (Here is an example of a truth students might identify: Heavenly Father showed His perfect love for us through the willing sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.)
Consider displaying the following image and inviting a student to read the statement by Sister J. Anette Dennis:
When God the Father offered His Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice for us, Jesus Christ Himself became the highest symbol of our Father in Heaven’s undying love for each of us. (“Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ,” Liahona, May 2024, 10)
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In what ways does the sacrifice of Jesus Christ demonstrate the love of our Heavenly Father?
Give students an opportunity to reflect on the love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by playing or singing “God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son,” “Behold the Wounds in Jesus’ Hands,” or another hymn that focuses on God’s love (see Hymns—For Home and Church). Students could share words or phrases from the hymn that stood out to them.
Conclude by inviting students to reflect on what they learned or felt from the Holy Ghost during this learning activity. Give them some time to record the thoughts, feelings, or spiritual impressions they had.