A MOTHER OF NATIONS

 

No union of two people had a more romantic beginning. It was the union of Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac was forty years old and Rebekah was a damsel most likely in her teens (Genesis 25:20). There was a whole generation between them. Isaac’s mother Sarah was the sister of Rebekah’s grandmother Milcah. This would make Rebekah half of Isaac’s age, if not younger.

He was well-established and rich, a man of God and the heir of the priesthood and the covenant which would make him the progenitor of all the faithful. She was a righteous, young beautiful virgin and everything Abraham desired for his son’s wife (Genesis 24:16)…like Sarah….and she was destined to become ‘a mother of nations’…..like Sarah.

The marriage of Isaac and Rebekah was born out of the covenant between Abraham and his eldest servant whom he commissioned to travel back to his family in Mesopotamia to procure a wife of his family’s lineage for his beloved son. The servant had to covenant that he would not allow Isaac to marry a Canaanite. It was a matter of preserving the rights to the priesthood,  something the Canaanites were not privileged to because they were of Cain’s lineage.

I will not recount here how successful the servant was in meeting Rebekah and her family through the obvious spiritually engineered process. The amazing thing is that Rebekah agreed to leave the security of her family and travel to a land she has never been to, to marry a man she has never seen.

Picture a man out in the field at the eventide spotting a caravan of camels approaching. A young girl he has never before seen, wearing a vail across her face, alights and is introduced as his wife. All Genesis records is that Isaac ‘brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, made her his wife and loved her’ (Genesis 24:67). You can just feel the cupid’s bow, can’t you???

I am amazed how men used to master the frontiers of this earth and women carved dynasties by the children they bore.

The heathen land of Canaan that Isaac and Rebekah lived in was not a paradise but it was the promised land for their posterity and they embraced it with trust and faith. Abraham passed on an estate of great wealth to Isaac which gave him a position of influence and prestige in the land but here is the sting… Life is not smooth sailing even for the most noble and chosen……

Like Sarah who waited 38 years for Isaac, Rebekah waited 20 years to become a mother. Genesis records that Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah and 60 years old when she had Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25:20,26). What went through their minds for those 20 years, no doubt knowing the promises, would have tested them to the limit….

We are told that Isaac ‘intreated’ the Lord so that Rebekah could conceive (Genesis 25:21). The dictionary defines this word as: ask earnestly, beseech, implore, BEG….

The faith and trust paid of. Through one of the children Rebekah had were all the promises realized. Jacob’s 12 sons became the Tribes of Israel which roam this earth to this day….through which all the nations of the earth will be blessed.

And the God of Israel? He ALWAYS fulfils His promises. Mormon testified of this throughout the Book of Mormon with phrases such as ‘all this was done that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled’ and ‘God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words’ (Mosiah 21:4; Alma 37:16; 50:19; Mormon 1:19; Helaman 4:21; Ether 15:3; Words of Mormon 1:4; 3 Nephi 1:13,20).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Rebekah at the Well by Michael Deas)

SACRIFICE OF THE HEART

 

“A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation….” (Joseph Smith, “Lectures On Faith”, N.B. Lundwall, pp 57-59)

“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and follows not after me, is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37,38)

In the still of the night, God called on Abraham and asked of him a supreme sacrifice which became the crowning event of his life: “Abraham, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:1,2)

”God bids him sacrifice his only son, the one link which there was between himself and the promise that his posterity should be as the dust of the ground and the stars of heaven in number: He bids him sacrifice Isaac whom he loved, towards whom his heart yearned with infinite tenderness, who had made his home bright and joyous, and to lose him who would be the darkening of all the days he had yet to live.” (Goldman, “In the Beginning”, 792, quoting J.H. Blunt)

Joseph Smith has said that “if God had known any other way whereby he could have touched Abraham’s feelings more acutely and more deeply He would have done so.” (“Journal of Discourses” 14:360)

And so Abraham rose early, and without murmuring or complaining, and taking his son Isaac, began a three-day journey to the hill country of Moriah carrying a secret in the deepest recesses of his heart which demanded numerous explanations he could not provide.

But the explanation did come….after proof that Abraham would sacrifice his heart for the God he loved: “By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore….and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:16-18)

So it was God’s design to bless Abraham through the greatest trial known to man and the greatest lesson He can teach us…..He will ask for the highest in us….our heart. The sacrifice has to equal the greatness of the reward. Abraham now sits on his throne having received that greatest reward from the God of heaven, his exaltation (D&C 132:29).

The prototype of the Saviour in this story is not to be overlooked. Genesis does not mention any struggle of Isaac against his father whom he believed impeccably that his sacrifice was God’s wish and command. This was not obedience by a young child, as some early sources claim that Isaac was well into adulthood (E. Douglas Clark, “Blessings of Abraham” p 207).

This was a reconciliation to death born out of perfect and complete love for the father. Isaac was the prototype of Him who long ago possessed such a love and promised without ever recanting: “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The King by David Bowman)

THE BELOVED SON

 

(Mary and Jesus, "Swaddled by Love" by Gabriel Heaton)

“It is doubtful that ever a son was born who was more loved than Isaac. His father and mother….no doubt, rehearsed over and over again all the great promises of God that centered in him” (Morris, “The Genesis Record”, 367). And just as the angel had predicted, Abraham did teach his son to keep the way of the Lord.

“The Book of Jasher tells that Abraham taught Isaac “the way of the Lord to know the Lord, and the Lord was with him” (Jasher 22:40, in Noah, “Book of Jasher, 62).

“Or, in the words of President Spencer W. Kimball, “Abraham built a strong spiritual reservoir for his son Isaac, a reservoir that never leaked dry” (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Example of Abraham”, Ensign June 1975, 5)

“But the parental instruction of Isaac was as much a joint effort as was the mutual faith that brought about his birth in the first place; Jewish tradition remembers that Sarah “nurtured him….empowering him to become Abraham’s covenantal heir” (Tuchman and Rapoport, “Passion of the Matriarchs”, 81-82)

“In Christian tradition, the birth of Isaac is one of the clearest types of the birth of the Saviour: according to Christopher Wordsworth, Isaac’s birth is yet “another resemblance to Him….whose birth is the cause of joy to all” (Wordsworth, “Holy Bible” 1:94).

“As Isaac’s birth and name were foretold in advance; as he was conceived only by miraculous means, as his coming into the world brought great joy and rejoicing; and as it made possible the blessing of all mankind – so would the birth of Isaac’s descendant Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the world, the Beloved Son.”

-          (E. Douglas Clark, “The Blessings of Abraham”, 195)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A LITTLE MATTER OF FAITH

 

I wrote recently about the exemplary Sarah and of her unfailing support of Abraham and his priesthood leadership within their marriage. I have never lived in her skin so I don’t know what it was like to be a wife of such a ‘visionary man’ but I trust the scriptural account which shows no evidence of her ever complaining or questioning her husband.

I want to highlight here Sarah’s unfailing faith for the God Jehovah by which she became the mother of nations through her beloved son Isaac.

Sarah didn’t question any of the revelations Abraham received from God, including the promise of Isaac. She moved from place to place, wherever he said God wanted them to go. And she ardently believed that the priesthood heir would come from her body even though she was past bearing children. The biggest way she proved this was when she gave Hagar to Abraham to wife.

The ancient custom dictated that if a married woman could not produce children for her husband, she was to give him another wife (D&C 132:34). This Sarah did out of obedience. She gave her young maid, Hagar, to Abraham for a second wife. It is significant that she chose Hagar.

Egyptians were descendants of Ham and his wife Egyptus who was a descendant of Cain. Since Hagar was an Egyptian, her offspring could not hold the priesthood (Abraham 1:21-27), therefore a son that Hagar could bear to Abraham could never become the heir of the covenant. Sarah knew this and she held onto the promise that she would be the mother of such a son. When she told Abraham to take Hagar to wife, she asked him to do so ‘that I may obtain children by her’, NOT ‘so that we might get the heir of the promise ’ (Genesis 16:2)

When the three holy men visited Abraham prior to the annihilation of Sodom, they confirmed that Sarah will have a son. Genesis records that Sarah laughed when she heard it. This was not a laugh of disbelief. It was more a joyous reaction, just as Abraham reacted when the Lord told him the same thing (Genesis 17:17; 18:12). Please see JST Genesis 21:5 which replaces ‘laugh’ with ‘rejoice’.

In Sarah’s words: “God has made me to rejoice; and also all that know me will rejoice with me” (JST Genesis 21:5). “The Hebrew word here translated as “rejoice” can also be translated as “laugh”, as most translations of Genesis do. “God has brought me laughter”, Sarah exclaims, and “everyone who hears will laugh with me.” She then adds: “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would suckle children?” (JPST Genesis 21:6-7). Why did she say “children” instead of “a child”? Because, according to Jewish interpretation, she was keenly cognizant that this was the covenant son whom God would multiply into a host of covenant people….” (E. Douglas Clark, “The Blessings of Abraham”, p 193)

When the holy men referred to Sarah’s laugh with: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (v 14), it was a confirmation of Sarah’s role in providing an heir that would be in the similitude of God’s own Son….that we might believe if “an aged woman who was sterile brought Isaac to birth according to God’s promise,  we may also believe that God has power to bring it about that even a virgin may give birth.” (Oden, “Ancient Christian Commentary” 2:91).  Isaac was in every way the prototype of Christ.

And here is the ultimate proof of Sarah’s faith in the God of Israel. When Paul wrote to the Hebrews, he spoke of prominent men and women who achieved miraculous things by the power of faith. Amongst those that were so valiant was Sarah, the wife of Abraham and the mother of Isaac, the heir of the covenant:

“Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.” (Hebrews 11:11)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Sarah and Isaac by unknown artist)

 

 

THE GOD WHO HEARS AND SEES ALL PART 2

 

It is fair to say that Abraham is famous for the unthinkable sacrifice of his son Isaac for whom he waited for 38 years from the time of the promise. We often forget about another sacrifice that was asked of Abraham.

Yesterday I wrote about Hagar whom Sarah gave to Abraham as a second wife by whom she hoped to have children (Genesis 16:2). This was according to the law (D&C 132:34). And so began the triangle of trial for three people: Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. And herein lies a lesson. Even when we do the right thing, there is no guarantee that things will always work out…..as many people who have ended up divorced will attest.

When Abraham was ninety-nine years old and Ishmael, his son by Hagar, thirteen, the Lord appeared to Abraham and told him Sarah will bear him a son of the covenant. Abraham's first thought was Ishmael for he loved the boy. He fell on his face and asked the Lord to consider him to be the heir (Genesis 17:18). The Lord denied the request but replied, "I have heard thee" (v20). Once again, as with Hagar, he was saying: "I see you....I see the difficulties you have to live with....I will make it up to you". He said He would give Ishmael twelve sons and Ishmael would be part of the promise of endless posterity that He had made to Abraham (v20). This is mercy and this is justice of the God of Israel: 12 sons for Ishmael and 12 sons for Isaac through his son Jacob…..

And so, because we are flawed humans, this triangle of three people did not work out. When the time came for them to part ways, Genesis gives a highly abbreviated account of Hagar’s departure by stating that Abraham simply expelled Hagar and Ishmael into the desert providing them only with a little bread and a bottle of water (Genesis 21:14). Abraham has been severely criticized for this but anyone who has studied his life knows that this could not be true. Abraham was the kind of a man who sought strangers who needed help. He could not have banished the mother and the son who he loved in such a cruel way.

According to Islamic tradition, Abraham provisioned Hagar and Ishmael well and even accompanied them well into the desert of Beersheba (Knappert, “Islamic Legends”, 1:78), trusting God that He will care for them once he departed as per His promise that He will make out of Ishmael a mighty nation and acting upon God’s instruction to implement Sarah’s wish (Genesis 21:12-13). Nevertheless, having to do this would have rent his heart. This was Abraham’s first sacrifice.

Islamic tradition further states that Abraham “would return frequently for he longed for his son Ishmael” (al-Kisa’I, “Tales of the Prophets” 153). Whether the Islamic tradition is true or not, it certainly aligns well with the character of this great patriarch. The fact that Genesis claims that Ishmael and Isaac buried their father together would also be proof that the family relationships were sustained throughout the rest of their lives (Genesis 25:9).

After Sarah died, Abraham married a woman called Keturah and with her he had six more sons (Genesis 25:1-4). Before he died, he gave gifts to these sons and sent them all “unto the east country”, away from his son Isaac to whom he gave all that he had (v 5,6).

I don’t really understand the custom of the day that the first son inherits everything but in my limited female way, I can see the importance of preserving the priesthood line “after the order of the Son of God” for He too was the firstborn and He too inherited everything. It is through His priesthood that He bestows His inheritance upon all the nations of this earth and all of humanity. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Jesus by Joseph Brickey)

LINKS TO ETERNITY

 

In all of the scriptural writings, no story touches me to my core like the story of Abraham.

The most endearing part of Abraham’s story is that of his death. The biblical account is not so descriptive but the Jewish tradition found in forgotten texts is something that makes me weep every time I read it.  Here is the recap: Abraham was 175 years old. It was the Feast of Weeks celebration and both Isaac and Ishmael had come to Hebron with their families to celebrate the Feast with their father.

During the feast, Abraham called Jacob, ‘the chosen patriarch heir with the authority to establish Zion over all the earth’ and invoked the blessings of heaven upon him and his seed forever. And this is the tender part of Abraham’s death. Young Jacob was tired and he and Abraham laid down together on one bed and ‘Jacob slept in the bosom of Abraham, who kissed him seven times and his heart rejoiced over him and he pronounced another blessing upon his head. He then ‘blessed the God of gods, and he covered his face…. and slept the sleep of eternity, and was gathered to his fathers’. (Jubilees 22:26-30, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, 2:47; as quoted in The Blessings of Abraham by E. Douglas Clerk, p 232, 233).

Jubilees goes on to say that Jacob slept in Abraham’s arms and did not know that his grandfather was dead until he awoke in the middle of the night and alerted his mother and father. Upon finding him dead, Isaac ‘fell upon his face and wept and kissed him’. His weeping was heard in all the house which brought Ishmael to his father and ‘he and all of Abraham’s house wept bitterly’ (ibid).

Can you think of a more noble death? It touches me to tears that Abraham died with Jacob in his arms because Jacob would be the fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham that through him the blessings of the priesthood would be given to all the nations of the earth. Abraham waited 38 years for the promise of Isaac and he didn’t live to see his posterity as numerous as the dust of the earth, as promised (Genesis 13:16), but he trusted that through his grandson Jacob this promise would be fulfilled. It’s an incredibly touching story.

I have a grand-daughter that I adore. I consider her to be one of God’s angels that graces this earth. She is 11 years old. She spreads love wherever she goes and she is always on the look out to help whoever needs help. She is my Jacob. She will bless the lives of many as she grows. I cannot think of a more noble death for myself than dying in the arms of my grand-daughter. We are linked together by the family and priesthood ties that will endure into eternity.

The priesthood blessings of the Abrahamic covenant bridges us across time and space and unites us as God’s family. This was made possible by someone greater than even Abraham…..He who has laid the foundations of this earth and declared I am Jehovah, the Messiah, the King of Zion, the Rock of Heaven…” (Moses 7:53).

ODE TO FATHER ABRAHAM

When in heaven we meet knit together

Under the covenant of your name,

Will you consider us your children

Will we in your heart forever remain?

 

Will you gather us in your arms

And kiss us each as your long-awaited son?

Will your heart then rest

When because of the Rock of our salvation

At last we are one?

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus Loves Me by Chris Brazelton)

"THOU GOD, SEEST ME"

 

There is a woman spoken of in the Old Testament that is not highly considered or regarded. Her name is Hagar and her life story rends my heart.  The Genesis account of the Old Testament simply states that she was Egyptian and that she was Sarah's maid but one other source gives more insight into her life. It claims that Hagar was one of the daughters of  Pharaoh and that she was given to Sarah when she and Abraham left Egypt to continue their journey to Canaan (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, 1:223). Considering the riches that Pharaoh showered Abraham and Sarah with as they left Egypt (Genesis 12:16), this claim seems very plausible. In this context, Hagar's life of hardship begins at this point in history. 

Under Sarah's tutelage, Hagar grew into spiritual maturity as she forsook the religious idols of her home and came to know the God of Israel. Imagine, however, a young girl of royal birth, sent away from her home to be the property of total strangers, therefore a slave. But there was more. According to Bible scholars and modern day revelation (D&C 132:34), it was the law for a woman who could not provide children for her husband after ten years of marriage, to give him another wife to ensure continuation of his family line. Sarah decided that Abraham's next wife would be Hagar. I doubt if Hagar had much choice in the matter, being in the situation she was in. I imagine Hagar was fairly young since she fell pregnant straight away, whereas Abraham was 86 years old (Genesis 16:16).

The Old Testament records that Hagar became insolent towards Sarah once she knew she was pregnant (Genesis 16:4). Inexcusable I know, but maybe for once she felt she was worth something more than being a maid. She was now a wife of a rich man and she was going to be a mother, but not really....she was only a second wife with no rights and her child would by law belong to Sarah. She was a concubine. Imagine being of such lowly station for one of royal birth.  When she couldn't take Sarah's correction of her behaviour Sarah fled in search of freedom. And understandably so.

Sarah was the wife of the covenant and honoured by God for her righteousness but Jehovah is a protector of women and He knew Hagar and her life. When the angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness he told her, "the Lord hath heard thy affliction" (Genesis 16:11); that she will not be overlooked by Him and that her posterity will not be able to be numbered for multitude (Genesis 16:10). In other words, "I will make it up to you Hagar for the life you are required to live". Hagar was astonished and in response called the Lord, "Thou God seest me". What incredible difference that must have made to one woman who felt insignificant and 'unseen'. God who sees all, had regard for her and held her in the palm of His hand. This must have been what made her return to Sarah bearable.

What a triangle of trial this situation was for Sarah, Hagar and Abraham. We all know how things turned out for Sarah and Abraham but we don't know anything about Hagar's life once she parted company with Abraham. Did she spend the rest of her days alone and husbandless? One thing I do believe: Hagar was a good woman. Various ancient sources claim that Abraham provided well for Ishmael and his mother when it was time for them to leave and that he stayed in closed contact with them, visiting Ishmael often. Ishmael and Isaac also remained close as Genesis records they buried their father together (Genesis 25:9). This is how I know Hagar was a good woman. There was no hatred or animosity between Ishmael and Isaac. The credit for that must go to Hagar who didn't teach her son to hate but to love.

When Abraham was ninety nine years old and Ishmael thirteen, the Lord appeared to Abraham and told him Sarah will bear him a son of the covenant. Abraham's first thought was of his love for Ishmael. He fell on his face and asked the Lord to consider him to be the heir (Genesis 17:18). The Lord denied the request but replied, "I have heard thee" (v20). Once again, "I see you....I see the difficulties you have to live with....I will make it up to you". He said He would give Ishmael twelve sons and he would be part of the promise of endless posterity that He had made to Abraham (v20).

Are you a woman with what you think is an insignificant life? Or a man who is feeling the weight of incredibly difficult decisions? Is your heart torn by the vicissitudes of life? The God of heaven sees all. And He makes up for it all, to those who seek Him and would have Him be their God.  May you, who are in the waiting room, receive an increase of faith in the God of Abraham.....the God who fulfils His promises through grace and mercy, now and forever.   

- Cathryne Allen, Did Not Our Hearts Burn When He Opened To Us The Scriptures,

published 2021 by Amazon.com

THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM

How would you feel if you were told that through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed?  Would it make a difference in how you view yourself, how you live your life and how you parent your children?  How much would such a promise strengthen your commitment to God and to living righteously?  This promise was given to Father Abraham after he had passed the ultimate test of being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham's whole life was a life of righteousness and perfect example to us, his posterity. In his First Presidency Message in 1975,  President Kimball claimed that Abraham was such a model of righteousness that following his example will lead us to eternal life:

"As we follow Abraham's example, we will grow from grace to grace, we will find greater happiness and peace and rest, we will find favour with God and with man.  As we follow his example, we will confirm upon ourselves and our families joy and fulfillment in this life and for all eternity." (President Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, June 1975, p 7)

From the very beginning of his life, Abraham had an acute spiritual sensitivity to the reality of the one true and living God.  Consider these insights from his early life:

"At just three years of age, as one source has it, the boy already 'began to understand the nature of God', so that the next year he resisted when his grandfather tried to teach him to worship idols.  Nor could Abraham's father, despite long and persistent effort, persuade his son to revere the statues.  Young Abraham 'was all alone with God', says Hugh Nibley, 'dependent on no man and no tradition, beginning as it were from scratch .... Having no human teachers, he must think things out for himself, until he receives light from above'."
(E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming A Zion People, p. 40)

"An ancient and widespread legend tells of bold action taken by the young Abraham.  The story is not found in the Bible, but it is the most oft-repeated Abrahamic narrative in the Qur'an, is found in numerous ancient Jewish sources, and was repeated by Brigham Young, John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff.  As recounted by Jewish sources, it began when the young Abraham found himself alone in a room full of idols.  But one important source, the Maaseh Avraham Avinu, specifies that this was not just any occasion and not just any room full of idols.  The event was a major religious festival called by King Nimrod himself and was centered at Nimrod's pagan temple.  Abraham had been urged to attend by his father but declined to go and was instructed to stay behind to guard the idols.

When Abraham was all alone, he acted boldly and decisively.  Some sources report that 'the Spirit of God came upon him'.  As recounted by the Maaseh Avraham Avinu, 'He took an axe in his hand, and as he saw the idols of the king sitting, he said, 'The Eternal, He is God', and he 'pushed them off their thrones to the ground, and he smote them mightily.  With the large ones he began, and with the small ones he finished.  He lopped off this one's hands, he cut off this one's head and blinded this one's eyes, and he broke that one's legs' until 'all of them were broken'.  Then, placing 'the axe in the hand of the largest idol', Abraham left.

When his father and the king returned and discovered the wreckage, they were wroth.  'The king commanded that Abraham be brought before him.  And they brought him.  The king and his ministers said to him, 'Why did you shatter our gods?'  He said to them, 'I didn't break them, no.  Rather, the large one of them smashed them.  Don't you see that the axe is in his hand? And if you won't believe it, ask him and he will tell'.  And as the king heard his words, he became angry to the point of killing him."  (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming A Zion People, p. 47)

How appropriate then that the Lord would hear Abraham's cries for help whilst under the knife of the priest of Elkenah and honour Abraham's fortitude in destroying Nimrod's dumb idols.  Abraham had two admirable desires which God honoured by rescuing him from human sacrifice:  he desired to change his world by removing himself from a family and society that sought 'to do evil' (Abraham 1:6); and he sought for the blessings of the priesthood.  There would have been no more righteous desire than this that was in the heart of Abraham:

"......I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God...." (Abraham 1:2)

Not only did Abraham desire to be a father of many nations but he ensured he was a father that could be followed in righteousness and example in all things.  One Jewish tradition records that Abraham's deliverance from human sacrifice was so marvelous that many onlookers who witnessed it came to believe in God and bore witness to others of God's power and that Abraham was his servant (Gorion, Mimekor Yisrael, 1:45-46).  In addition, 'many followed Abraham home, and brought their children to him, and said, 'Now we see that the God in whom thou trustest, is the only true God: teach our children the truth, that they may serve Him in righteousness (Baring-Gould, Legends of the Patriarchs, 160). (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, p. 58

Abraham was all a good father should be.  The available Jewish writings portray him as a man full of loving-kindness, humility, submission and gentleness.  A man who loved righteousness, was clean of heart and pure from sin and who sought to establish Zion wherever he went.  He is remembered among his Jewish descendants as 'the embodiment of hesed (loving-kindness), 'for the decisive factor in Abraham's personality was the unceasing urge to help others'.  It is remarkable to note that the three messengers who came to announce the promise of a long awaited son, were 'found' by Abraham whilst he was searching for someone who might be in need of help.

"....Abraham 'was sitting at the entrance of the tent as the day grew hot' (JPST Gen 18:2).  It was the hottest part of a very hot day, say the rabbis, with the sun beating down mercilessly.  As one writer recounts, 'Abraham sits in his tent door enjoying its grateful shade, and looking out on the plain of Mamre, from which the sun's fiery beams have driven men, birds and panting beasts to such shelter as rocks and trees and tents can afford'.

Abraham, however, was not focused on himself and his discomfort, compounded by his recent circumcision, but was worrying for travelers who might need assistance on a day like that.  'Notwithstanding the intense heat and his own sickness he still sat there to invite any stray passer-by'.  When no one came, he sent his servant to go in search of anyone needing help, even though Abraham had planted trees for the benefit of travelers - rest stops along the way.  When the servant returned without success, Abraham determined to go himself.  It was then, says rabbinic tradition, that Abraham discovered the three travelers.

Abraham might easily have remained seated, and simply directed a servant or subordinate to attend to these travelers. Or, says one writers, 'he may wait their approach, leaving them to solicit his hospitality.  Not he - Abraham arose and despite the scorching heat, and 'although he was in great pain from his wound, ran forward to meet them'.  Genesis tells that upon reaching them he 'bowed himself towards the ground' (Gen. 18:2)." (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, p. 172)

It is then that he received the promise of Isaac.

The sacrifice the Lord asked of him which followed some years later is just unimaginable in my mind. Through his willingness to offer this sacrifice Abraham proved that he loved God above all else.  Is it any wonder then that the Lord was willing to make a covenant with him that would grant him the blessings he most desired?  This covenant is known to us as the Abrahamic Covenant, a covenant with which we should make ourselves very familiar because by virtue of being of Abraham's seed, we are entitled to every blessing that comes under its' promise.  Not only are direct descendants of Abraham counted as his seed but all who accept Christ's gospel and are baptised into his Church become his 'adopted' children.  Looking at the diversity of the members of the Church, we can easily see how Abraham becomes 'a father of many nations'.

"The covenant that the Lord first made with Abraham and reaffirmed with Isaac and Jacob is of transcendent significance.  It contained several promises:

• Abraham's posterity would be numerous,
• and will bear the priesthood;
• He would become a father of many nations;
• Christ and kings would come through Abraham's lineage;
• Certain lands would be inherited;
• All nations of the earth would be blessed by his seed.

That covenant would be everlasting - even through 'a thousand generations."

(Elder Russell M Nelson, Ensign, May 1995, p 33)

These promises came to Abraham only after he married Sarah for without her he could not obtain them.  The blessings promised could not be obtained unless Abraham entered into the 'Order of the Priesthood' and this order could not be entered into without a legal wife. But not just any wife.  Sarah was in every way Abraham's equal.  She was devoted, righteous and submissive.  Together they were a perfect example of what a marriage union should be; he lead in righteousness and she followed in righteousness. "Together Abraham and Sarah were, in the words of Erastus Snow, 'models of noble character, purity of purpose' and 'superior integrity to God', whom they 'hesitated not to obey....at all hazards even to the sacrifice of that which was nearest and dearest unto them". (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming a Zion People, p. 107)

We cannot have ancestral parents of more noble character than Sarah and Abraham.  Because of their exceedingly righteous example, God commands us to look to them for understanding of our origin and our destiny.  In Isaiah chapter 51, we read:

"Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock from whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from whence ye are digged.  Look unto Abraham, your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.  For the Lord shall comfort Zion. (Isaiah 51:1-3)

TO PROVE US HEREWITH

I have always admired Father Abraham, not just for his infallible commitment to obedience but for his amazing righteousness.  I am terribly attracted to people who are strong enough to be righteous in this evil world.  I consider them people magnets.  My patriarchal blessing tells me that I am 'a true Israelite, being of the seed of Abraham'.  I therefore hope that in me lies Abraham's ability to follow God in whatever circumstances I find myself in this life. 

It is ironic to me that Abraham was the one who was shown the pre-existence with its' plan to "prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them". (Abraham 3:25)  Abraham was truly proved and tested and thus became the perfect example of this plan. Abraham longed for posterity and he longed for an heir to the blessings of the priesthood which he himself received.  This desire was foremost in his heart and it corresponded with a vision the Lord gave him of innumerable posterity that would be his.  Because he was so righteous and faithful and didn't give up on God's promises he was blessed with the desire of his heart in his old age.  The fulfilment of this desire was in and of itself a miracle since both Abraham and his wife were well stricken in years.  I always imagine that Abraham must have felt exceedingly loved by God because he gave him Isaac.  That feeling of love must have been questioned to a great degree when Abraham was asked to give up the son that all of his hopes rested upon and do that which he considered most heinous in his youth.  I cannot imagine with what heaviness of heart Abraham ascended Moriah's hill to offer his son as a human sacrifice.  Not only did the promise of posterity hang in balance but what Abraham was asked to do 'threatened to empty all the meaning from the story of his life'. (E. Douglas Clark, The Blessings of Abraham, Becoming A Zion People, p 210).   He had laboured exceedingly to bring about Zion and had converted many people who he brought into his circle to live with him. 

"What would happen to his followers and those who admired him if he slaughtered Isaac and the world learned that Abraham's teachings had been violated in the grossest manner by the teacher himself?  His entire lifetime of achievement would have been nullified.  He would have been despised, vilified, ridiculed". (Hayden, Love of Abraham and Sarah, 46)

Abraham stood to lose everything by sacrificing Isaac, even perhaps his undaunting faith in God.  Would he have felt the same towards God after the sacrifice was accomplished?  The story of Abraham astounds me.  It is the greatest lesson of power that can be received through faith in God.

I believe every true follower of Christ stands to be tried and tested in likewise manner with whatever is at the centre of their heart.  When the test comes, you will be the deciding factor between power and weakness.  You will either be lost or found.  You will either turn away from God or turn to Him.  If you turn away, you will most likely abandon the truth you now have and if you turn to God you will gain the riches of eternity.  God knows what our response would be to any trial so why test us so?  Apostle George Q. Cannon offered this explanation regarding Abraham:

"Why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham?  Because, knowing what his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable posterity, He was determined to test him.  God did not do this for His own sake for He knew by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but the purpose was to impress upon Abraham a lesson and to enable him to attain unto knowledge that he could not obtain in any other way.  That is why God tries all of us.  It is not for his own knowledge for He knows all things beforehand.  he knows all your lives and everything you will do.  But He tries us for our own good that we may know ourselves; for it is most important that a man should know himself". 

So God tested Abraham so that Abraham would know Abraham and his true commitment to God.  Herein lies a great lesson for us.  And why didn't God test Abraham in another way, why ask of Him something almost impossible to give?  Because the test of faith has to equal the stature of the man.  For instance, not just any trial would have done for Job.  Job was an incredibly righteous man and the test of his faith had to equal the measure of his faith and righteousness. 

Everybody's test of faith is the heaviest one for them to bear.  What might seem not so great to one person could just about break another.  My test of faith was without doubt my divorce.  I had joined the Church primarily because I wanted an eternal marriage and an eternal family.  I believed I was led to the person who I thought I would have that with.  Eleven years later I was a single mother reeling from the most intense emotional pain I had ever experienced and I was hanging by a thread in the Church.  I was angry, bitter, upset, resentful and through it all I lost all trust in God.  The only thing that saved me from turning away from Him was my faith that only He could deliver me from the pain I was in, that no other power on earth could do it.  That pain was an incredible blessing to me.  Not only did it help me see how much I loved the Church and believed it was true, but it led me to study about the Atonement and to come to know God.  The good that came out of this darkest time of my life helped me survive the following years of hardship and pain as I struggled with single parenting. 

Like Abraham, I had an Isaac in the centre of my heart.  I wanted an eternal family as much as he wanted Isaac and despite my best efforts in being a good member of the Church, it was taken away from me.  What followed the biggest test of my life was years of living without any security, a lot of effort to regain my self-esteem and a necessity to redefine my standing in the Church.  All you who have been unfortunate enough to get divorced will know what I am saying here, especially the women.  On top of these great challenges,  my beautiful, sensitive and spiritual daughter was terribly affected by my struggles and went through adolescent depression which derailed her from the Church and stretched me almost beyond my capacity to endure.  But even this horrendous experience and all the consequences and repercussions of divorce have proved to be a blessing to my growth as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I could not have endured any of it had I not immersed myself into the scriptures and come to understand the power of the Atonement.  I came to know that nobody understood my life like the Saviour did because he experienced it for a few short moments in his greatest agony. 

It was during my study of the Atonement that I had my second dream of the Saviour.  This time I found myself in the Garden of Gethsemane and saw the Saviour writhing in excruciating pain on the ground.  Remembering my own pain and how severe it was, I knew the Saviour was experiencing the same, only multiplied by all the people who would ever live on this earth and I could not stand the thought of it.  I was beside myself and begged for someone to stop it.  Beside me was someone who was consoling me and reassuring me that it was needful for this to take place and that it would all end well.

 The Atonement became personal to me in two ways.  The first happened one Stake Conference when we were singing Redeemer of Israel and I had a vision of myself in pre-existence preaching the gospel to others less converted to the Saviour's plan.  The second came years later when during prayer one day as I expressed my remorse for all my weaknesses and struggles I remembered this vision. An instant understanding came to me that the Saviour had died for me because I was valiant in my testimony of Jesus in my pre-existence, that His Atonement was a gift to me because of my faith in Him before I was even born.  I understood that He knew I would struggle greatly in this life and that I would need His sacrifice and grace to get me home.  I am sure that this is true of all of us.  Our salvation was and is of utmost importance to Him who bled at every pore so we can have eternal life.

I believe this personal understanding of the Atonement would not have come to me had I turned my back on God during my test of faith.  I would not have come to know God like I now know Him.  I would not have been blessed with many personal revelations I have had and my testimony would not now be on firm ground.  The blessings I have received have far outweighed the trial of my faith.  It is all worth it. I have seen many blessings in my life as a result of my continued faithfulness.  Blessings that seem to be missing from the lives of those I have seen who did not continue to walk in paths of righteousness because of their trials.  My greatest blessing has been my daughter who was saved from the clutches of the adversary and brought back into the fold.  She is now a returned missionary and has fulfilled the promise in my patriarchal blessing that my children would grow up to bless and honour my name.

If you are hanging by a thread, I testify the Saviour is your only hope.  He has cried your tears, suffered your sorrows, walked in your shoes.  Only He knows what it is like to be you.  He has the power to heal you and He has the power to rescue you.  The Atonement is not something, it is everything.