Prepare your mind and heart to be taught by the Holy Ghost. Diligently seek knowledge and understanding through study, reflection, and prayer. Then follow the impressions you receive through the Spirit.
Please begin your study with prayer.
Why do we have tests and trials in life?
You can find one answer to this question in the video “God Will Lift Us Up” (4:59). As you watch the video, look for what we can do to receive blessings from God as we endure hardships.
In Genesis 20 we learn that after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham and Sarah traveled to the land of Gerar. As he had previously done, Abraham referred to Sarah as his sister. Abimelech, the king of Gerar, desired Sarah as his wife and took her. However, God warned Abimelech in a dream that Sarah was really Abraham’s wife and that Abraham was a prophet. Abimelech restored Sarah to Abraham and was blessed.
Read Genesis 21:1–5, looking for how God kept His promise to give Abraham and Sarah a son (see Genesis 17:19).
What can we learn from this account about God’s promises?
Genesis 21 offers another example of God fulfilling His promises.
In Genesis 21:6–21, we learn that Sarah rejoiced over the birth of Isaac (see verse 6, footnote a). As Isaac grew up, Sarah noticed Hagar’s son, Ishmael, mocking, or persecuting, Isaac (see Genesis 21:9; see also Galatians 4:28–30). Sarah told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away into the wilderness, which initially saddened Abraham.
God put Abraham’s mind at ease by promising him that Ishmael’s descendants would become a great nation. Ishmael eventually became the principal ancestor of much of the Arab world in fulfillment of these promises (see Old Testament Student Manual: Genesis–2 Samuel, 3rd ed. [Church Educational System manual, 2003], 71).
The Greatest Lesson
What do you think is the greatest lesson we can learn in mortality?
In the following statement, President Thomas S. Monson (1927–2018) provides the answer:
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Thomas S. Monson
“The greatest lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and we obey, we will always be right” (Thomas S. Monson, “They Marked the Path to Follow,” Ensign, Oct. 2007, 7).
As you study Genesis 22, look for how Abraham learned this lesson.
Read Genesis 22:1–2, looking for what the Lord commanded Abraham to do. It may be helpful to know that the word tempt as used in verse 1 means to “test” or to “prove” (see verse 1, footnote a).
What words or phrases in verse 2 can help us understand how difficult this command must have been for Abraham?
Read Genesis 22:3–10, looking for how Abraham responded to the Lord’s command.
1. Please answer the following questions:
What stands out to you about Abraham’s response?
What can we learn about Abraham from his response to this difficult commandment?
Abraham’s Example of Showing Love and Reverence for God
Read Genesis 22:11–14 to find out what happened next. Try to imagine how Abraham and Isaac might have felt.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles provided insight regarding what it means to fear God, as this phrase is used in verse 12. He taught that although “we generally interpret the word fear as ‘respect’ or ‘reverence’ or ‘love,’” we should also “so love and reverence [the Lord] that we fear doing anything wrong in His sight” (D. Todd Christofferson, “A Sense of the Sacred” [Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Nov. 7, 2004], 6, 7, broadcasts.lds.org). You may want to write this explanation in your scriptures.
Please answer the following question.
2. What can we learn from Abraham and Isaac’s experience about what we can do to show the Lord that we love Him?
Willing Obedience
One principle we can learn from Abraham and Isaac’s experience is that when we are willing to do what the Lord commands us, we show our reverence and love for Him.
The following statement by Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teaches how we show our love for God when we willingly obey Him.
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Neal A. Maxwell
“The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him!” (Neal A. Maxwell, “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 24).
When have you felt that you were showing love for the Lord by willingly obeying Him? Consider taking a moment to write a response in your Notes on LDS.org or in a personal journal.
In the scriptures, a type is a person or an event that is similar to or points toward a greater person or event in the future. When we study a type, we learn more about the greater person or event to come. Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac is a type of Heavenly Father’s sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Review Genesis 22:1–14, looking for similarities between Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac and Heavenly Father’s sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Consider marking these similarities in your scriptures.
As we study Abraham and Isaac’s experience, we can learn many lessons about Heavenly Father’s sacrifice of His Son. One truth we should identify is that Heavenly Father demonstrated His love for us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
How does the sacrifice of Jesus Christ demonstrate Heavenly Father’s love for you?
In Genesis 22:15–24, we learn that because Abraham was obedient, the Lord reassured him of the blessings promised in the Abrahamic covenant. After Abraham returned home, he learned about children born into the household of his brother Nahor. One of these children had a daughter named Rebekah, who would play an important role in the fulfillment of the Lord’s promises to Abraham.
The following truths were identified in this lesson:
God always keeps His promises to the faithful according to His timetable.
When we are willing to do what the Lord commands us, we show our reverence and love for Him.
Heavenly Father demonstrated His love for us through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.
How are the truths identified in this lesson important to you? Take a few minutes to think about the choices you will make because of what you have learned.
