As Abram grew older, he was concerned about how God would fulfill the promises He had made regarding Abram’s posterity. The Lord comforted him, reassuring him that all of the promises would be fulfilled. Sarai gave her handmaid Hagar to Abram as a wife to raise up posterity to Abram. After Hagar conceived, a conflict arose between her and Sarai, during which Hagar received divine guidance. In Genesis 17 we learn about further promises and responsibilities the Lord revealed pertaining to the Abrahamic covenant. The Lord also promised Abraham and Sarah that in their old age they would have a son, whom they were to name Isaac.
Prepare the following statements so they will be visible to students one at a time:
God showed Abraham only things that were organized after the Creation.
God prepared Abraham in the premortal world so he could do great things on the earth.
There were only a few people whom God called His “noble and great ones.”
I lived in the presence of God as one of His spirit children before I was born.
Give each student a small piece of paper, and ask students to write down the numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4 on separate lines. Inform students that they will be taking a short true-false quiz. Display each of the four statements and read them aloud, giving students time to record “true” or “false” on their papers.
Tell students this is an open-book quiz, and invite them to turn to Abraham 3:22–23. Give them time to read the scripture passage, and then administer the quiz a second time, allowing students to change their answers if needed. Correct the quiz as a class, discussing correct answers as needed.
God covenants with Abram that His words will be fulfilled
Ask students to think of any concerns or worries that they may have about their future. Invite those who feel comfortable doing so to share some of their thoughts as you write them on the board.
Explain that as recorded at the beginning of Genesis 15, Abram was worried about his future. Invite students to look for truths that can help them overcome their worries about the future as they study Genesis 15–17 today.
Remind students that earlier in Abram’s life, the Lord had promised him that his posterity would be as numerous as the “dust of the earth” (Genesis 13:16). Invite a few students to take turns reading Genesis 15:1–5 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Abraham was worried about and how the Lord responded to his concern.
What was Abram’s concern? (That he was childless and therefore had no heir. You might need to explain that Eliezer was the man in charge of Abram’s house and that Abram wondered if Eliezer would become his heir.)
What was the Lord’s response?
Tell students that Abram was also concerned about the land that the Lord had promised to him and his posterity. Explain that the Joseph Smith Translation shows how the Lord addressed this concern. Ask students to turn to the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis 15:9–12 in the Bible appendix or the Guide to the Scriptures.
Invite a student to read Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 15:9–12 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Abram learned. (You may need to explain that the phrase “Son of Man” is a title for Jesus Christ.)
According to this passage, the Lord told Abram that even if he were to die, God would be able to keep His promise. According to verse 11, why is this so?
Consider inviting students to write a principle in their scriptures based on Abram’s experience. The following is one way students may express this principle: When we believe that the Lord will fulfill His promises to us, whether in mortality or eternity, our souls can find peace.
How can believing this principle give you peace when you consider your future?
What divinely appointed sources could you consult to find some of the promises the Lord has made to you? (Answers might include patriarchal blessings, the scriptures, general conference talks, and For the Strength of Youth.)
Testify of the Lord and His ability to fulfill His promises according to His will and timetable. Encourage students to trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises, and that as they continue to be faithful like Abram, the Lord will bless them.
Summarize Genesis 15:9–18 by explaining that the Lord assured Abram that his seed would be given a land of inheritance, even though they would be “a stranger in a land that is not theirs” for a period of 400 years (see verse 13). This was referring to the Israelites’ bondage to the Egyptians.
Sarai gives Hagar to Abram as his wife, and Hagar bears a son
Write the names Abram, Sarai, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac on the board. Inform students that we will learn about the relationships between these individuals.
Summarize Genesis 16:1–3 by explaining that Sarai could not have any children, so she gave her handmaid Hagar to Abram as a plural wife. From latter-day revelation we understand that this was a commandment from God that Abram and Sarai obeyed (see D&C 132:34), thus fulfilling the Lord’s promise that Abram would have children.
Explain that at certain times the Lord has commanded His people to practice plural marriage. Plural marriage was practiced by Abram and Sarai and by their grandson Jacob, and it was practiced for a time during the early days of the restored Church, beginning with Joseph Smith.
Explain that we read in Genesis 16:4–6 that after Hagar conceived a child she began to despise Sarai. Sarai responded by dealing “hardly” with Hagar, who fled into the wilderness.
How would you feel if you had been in Sarai’s position? How would you feel if you had been in Hagar’s position?
Explain that while Hagar was in the wilderness, an angel appeared to her and told her the Lord would “multiply [her] seed exceedingly” and she would bear Abraham a son who would be named Ishmael (Genesis 16:10–11). Explain that Hagar and her son Ishmael are revered in the Islamic faith as ancestors of Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Muslims (followers of Islam) also honor Abraham as a prophet.
Ask a student to read aloud Genesis 17:1–2. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord commanded Abram to do and to be. Invite students to report what they find. (You may need to explain that the command to be perfect refers to becoming like Heavenly Father. This is an ongoing process that will extend beyond this life and can be accomplished only by drawing upon the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ through diligent efforts to live His gospel.)
Explain that as part of establishing His covenant with Abram, the Lord did something to remind Abram and Sarai of the promised blessings. Divide the class in half, and invite one half to read Genesis 17:3–5 and the other half to read Genesis 17:15–16, looking for what the Lord did as a reminder of the covenant.
What did the Lord do for Abram and Sarai as a reminder of the covenant? (He changed their names.)
Explain that in Hebrew the name Abram means “exalted father” and Abraham means “father of a multitude” (see Bible Dictionary, “Abraham”). Both names represent what was possible for Abraham to become because of the covenant—an exalted being, like God. Explain that the name Sarai could mean “contentions” and the name Sarah means “princess” (see Bible Dictionary, “Sarah or Sarai” and Genesis 17:15, footnote a). You may want to suggest that students make note of the meaning of these names in the margin of their scriptures.
Invite a student to read Genesis 17:6 aloud. Ask the class to follow along and identify promises the Lord confirmed upon Abraham that correspond to this new name. Invite them to share what they discovered.
Explain that God wants all of His children to receive the same blessings that He promised to Abraham.
What would we need to do in order to receive the same blessings promised to Abraham? (Following responses from students, make sure they understand that we too must covenant with the Lord and take upon ourselves the same responsibilities as Abraham. This begins with baptism and includes each of the saving ordinances of the gospel.)
Write the following principle on the board: As we make and keep covenants with the Lord, we become heirs to the responsibilities and blessings given to Abraham.
To help students understand this principle, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President Russell M. Nelson.
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Russell M. Nelson
“The ultimate blessings of the Abrahamic covenant are conferred in holy temples. These blessings allow us to come forth in the First Resurrection and inherit thrones, kingdoms, powers, principalities, and dominions, to our ‘exaltation and glory in all things’ (D&C 132:19)” (Russell M. Nelson, in “Special Witnesses of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, Apr. 2001, 7).
What blessings will we inherit if we make and keep these sacred temple covenants? (You might give students a moment to consider the blessings they have listed in their class notebooks or study journals. You may also want to remind students of lesson 23, in which they listed the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic covenant.)
Explain that our making and keeping this covenant of exaltation can also bless our posterity. Invite a student to read Genesis 17:7–8 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what the Lord promised to do for Abraham and his seed. Encourage them to add any new promise they find to their charts.
What do you think it means that the Lord will be a God to Abraham’s posterity?
In what ways can your decision to enter into and keep covenants with the Lord bless your future children?
In what ways have you seen the lives of children affected by their parents’ making and keeping covenants? (You might want to share your own experience or an example here.)
Encourage students to keep the covenants they made at baptism and to look forward to making and keeping the other covenants available only in the temple.
Summarize Genesis 17:9–14, 23–27 by explaining that as a token or reminder of the covenant God made with Abraham, He commanded that Abraham and all male members of his household be circumcised. This symbol would act as a reminder of the responsibilities and blessings of the Abrahamic covenant (see Bible Dictionary, “Circumcision”). Circumcision as a token of the Abrahamic covenant was no longer required after Jesus Christ’s mortal ministry (see Moroni 8:8).
Explain that Abraham may have considered Ishmael to be the answer to his prayers for children, but the Lord planned to fulfill His covenant with Abraham in an additional way. Invite a few students to take turns reading Genesis 17:15–22 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for how the Lord further kept His covenant with Abraham. Invite students to report what they find.
What was Abraham’s reaction? (You may need to explain that laughed means “rejoiced” [see Genesis 17:17, footnote b].)
To conclude the lesson, invite students to review the elements of the Abrahamic covenant and share their feelings about it and its blessings. You may also want to share your feelings. Encourage students to choose one thing they can do to more fully live up to their covenants with God so they can receive His promised blessings.
Commentary and Background Information
Genesis 15:9–18. Why did God pass through the carcasses of animals?
Genesis 15:9–18 contains the account of the Lord certifying in a unique way that He would keep His promises to Abram. God commanded Abram to take various animals, cut their carcasses into two pieces, and set them apart from each other. A “smoking furnace, and a burning lamp” representing the Lord’s presence then “passed between those pieces” (see verse 17). In ancient times, when such a covenant was made, the individual passing between the carcasses was essentially saying, “May I also be cut in two if I do not keep my part of this covenant.”
Genesis 16:3. How plural marriage in the Old Testament connects to plural marriage in the last dispensation
“Latter-day Saints believe that the marriage of one man and one woman is the Lord’s standing law of marriage. In biblical times, the Lord commanded some to practice plural marriage—the marriage of one man and more than one woman [Doctrine and Covenants 132:34–38; Jacob 2:30; see also Genesis 16]. By revelation, the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to institute the practice of plural marriage among Church members in the early 1840s. For more than half a century, plural marriage was practiced by some Latter-day Saints under the direction of the Church President [Doctrine and Covenants 132:7].
“Latter-day Saints do not understand all of God’s purposes in instituting, through His prophets, the practice of plural marriage. The Book of Mormon identifies one reason for God to command it: to increase the number of children born in the gospel covenant in order to ‘raise up seed unto [the Lord]’ [Jacob 2:30]” (“Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Gospel Topics, topics.lds.org).
For more information about the Church’s practice of plural marriage, go to Gospel Topics at topics.lds.org and search for “plural marriage.”
Jehovah (Jesus Christ) commanded Abraham to be perfect (see Genesis 17:1). The biblical meaning of the word perfect usually means whole, complete, or finished, rather than sinless. During His mortal ministry, Jesus Christ restated this command to “be ye therefore perfect” (Matthew 5:48). For Abraham to become perfect, he would need to become like God. Modern revelation confirms that Abraham eventually received the fulness of God’s blessings and “hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne” (D&C 132:29). Abraham’s son Isaac and grandson Jacob also received of the fulness of Heavenly Father’s blessings and “sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods” (D&C 132:37). For more information about what it means to become like God, see the Gospel Topics “Becoming Like God,” “Eternal Life,” and “Exaltation” at topics.lds.org.
Genesis 17:7. “I will establish my covenant [with] thy seed after thee”
President Russell M. Nelson taught how we enter into the same covenant as Abraham and how that covenant can bless our children:
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Russell M. Nelson
“At baptism, we covenant to serve the Lord and keep his commandments. When we partake of the sacrament, we renew those covenants. We may receive covenants of the priesthood [see D&C 84:39–40] and the crowning blessings of the endowment, the doctrine, and the covenants unique to the holy temple.
“The new and everlasting covenant of the gospel allows us to qualify for marriage in the temple and be blessed to ‘come forth in the first resurrection’ and ‘inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, … to [our] exaltation and glory in all things’ [D&C 132:19].
“Children born to parents thus married are natural heirs to the blessings of the priesthood. They are born in the covenant. Hence, ‘they require no rite of adoption or sealing to insure their place in the posterity of promise’ [James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith (1977), 446].
“Rewards for obedience to the commandments are almost beyond mortal comprehension. Here, children of the covenant become a strain of sin-resistant souls. And hereafter, … other children of the covenant, and ‘each generation would be linked to the one which went on before … [in] the divine family of God’ [Joseph Fielding Smith, in Conference Report, Oct. 1950, 13–14]. Great comfort comes from the knowledge that our loved ones are secured to us through the covenants” (Russell M. Nelson, “Children of the Covenant,” Ensign, May 1995, 33–34).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:
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Bruce R. McConkie
“When he [or she] is married in the temple for time and for all eternity, each worthy member of the Church enters personally into the same covenant the Lord made with Abraham. This is the occasion when the promises of eternal increase are made, and it is then specified that those who keep the covenants made there shall be inheritors of all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith [1985], 508).