The Abrahamic Covenant

Choice 1: Genesis 12-13, 15-17, 22. The Abrahamic Covenant

 Covenant from the bible dictionary tells us:

Sometimes denotes an agreement between persons or nations; more often between God and man; but in this latter day case it is important to notice that the two parties to the agreement do not stand in the relation of independent and equal contractors. God in his good pleasure fixes the terms, which man accepts.

I thought that it was so interesting that the definition talks about how a covenant is not equal because He sets the terms. In my mind another thing that makes it ‘not equal’ is that we are so imperfect and do not always keep our end of our covenant, where God never breaks His covenant. Since He is the constant in the promise I think that it is more than right that He explains what He will do if we prove to be righteous enough. A covenant is a binding promise between us and God.

 

Genesis 12:1-3; 13:14-16; 15:4-7, 18; 17:1-10, 15-19; Abraham 1:18-19 and 2:9-11;

 

What Abraham Promised to Do

What the Lord Promised Abraham

Leave his home and his family to go where God wants him to go. Ever man child among him will be circumcised. Be perfected and walk with God. To look to God or lift his eyes

God will make him a great nation, bless him, make his name great, make him a blessing. Bless them that bless him and curse them that curse Abraham. He will bless the families of the earth through him. He will give Abraham countless land and seed so great they cannot number. Abraham’s son will be an heir of Gods house. Abraham’s children will be known among all of the nations. His wife will be a mother of all nations and will bear a son in her old age to Abraham. God will lead Abraham and give him the power of the priesthood. As many as accept the gospel will be numbered as his seed.

 

 

3. “Abraham, Covenant of” in the Bible Dictionary and read the Points to Ponder section in the Institute Student Manual (pg. 70–72). Also read Doctrine and Covenants 38:9, 132:29-33; 1 Nephi 15:14-18, 17:40, 19:15; 3 Nephi 20:25-27; and Genesis 22:17. Write a paragraph explaining how the Abrahamic covenant pertains to you and when it will be fulfilled. What are your responsibilities? What promises does the Lord make to you?

Abrahami, Covenant of[Bible Dictionary] :“The portions of the covenant that pertain to personal salvation and eternal increase are renewed with each individual who receives the ordinances of celestial marriage.” Abrahams covenant pertains to me because the Lord makes the same promises to me. Through getting a temple marriage I can have the blessing passed down to me and my posterity. My responsibilities are just to keep my covenants with the Lord and to live righteously so I can fulfill my part of the deal and get those blessings.

 

Genesis 16:1-3 Doctrine and Covenants 132:34, 65

Abraham was asked to take Sarah’s handmaid Hagar to wife and to have children with her since Sarah was old and unable to. He talks about how this is the ‘law’. God promised that Abraham would have a large posterity but with Sarah being unable to carry children because of her age she was being obedient and fulfilling the covenant that had been made.

 

 

Abraham: Father of Many Nations

Abram: Exalted Father

Sarah: Princess

Sarai: Contentions

The name change is significant because God promised Abraham countless posterity so with the covenant It was appropriate that Abraham be called the father of many nations. It is also appropriate for Sarah to be called a Princess because she is going to be a goddess over her countless posterity so she needed a different name.

The Tower of Babel

Genesis 11:1-9. A Tower to Reach Heaven

Genesis 11:1-9, Helaman 6:28, and Ether 1:3-4

• What was the stated purpose of building a tower?

The purpose that they claimed they were building the tower was so that they could reach Heaven by their own works and to be protected from another flood.


• Why do you think this angered the Lord?

The Lord's children were disregarding how He has taught them to get to heaven and they were prideful and thought they could get to heaven without His help. I feel as if they thought they were "outsmarting" God.

• What did God do to scatter the people?

God scattered the people by changing their languages and making them unable to understand each other. Because there was no ability to communicate they were not able to build the tower and they were seperated or scattered from each other.

• Ether 1:33-43 How the Jaredites from the Book of Mormon fit into this story.

I never realized this before but I thought this was really cool. The brother of Jared was at the tower of Babel at the time the Lord confounded everyone's language and manner of speaking. But the brother of Jared saw what was happening and had faith and cried unto God that he would not confound their language. And God had compassion on him because of his belief and promised to bless his his posterity, and through that the Jaredites came to be.

 

As is typical with Satan’s tactics, he will take a truth and twist it into a counterfeit. Note that the people building the tower of Babel tried to make a name for themselves, while the followers of the Lord willingly take His name upon them.

Acts 4:12; Mosiah 3:17, 5:7-15; and Doctrine and Covenants 18:21-25,
How we can receive “a name” (Genesis 11:4) that will truly help us reach heaven...

I think that it is so interesting that Satan works that way. He mingles the truth with a little bit of a lie so that we are confused and are able to justify ourselves. I am sure that is something that everyone is guilty of every once in a while and I think that if we were fully aware that it was Satan gaining power over us we would all be so much more careful in making sure we had ALL of the truth. The people of Babel thought that they could reach heaven with out the atonement and without Christ.

Through Jesus Christ we can recieve a name that will enable us to truly reach heaven. We can take his name upon us when we are baptized and when we endure to the end. None of us will be perfect and that is why we need our Savior, we need to repent and become perfect at repenting. By taking the sacrament ever week we will be able to continue to take His name upon us and make a name for ourselves that will help us reach heaven.

When I took out my endowments I feel like all of this had another meaning to me and I know that we can not be saved with our Savior. The people of Babylon were prideful and I think that we can learn a lot from our example. When we put ourselves above Christ and our Heavenly Father and don't believe that we need them we will suffer a similar fall. If we believe that our name is enough then we will soon be brought down to humility and realize how far we have errored. We need the name of Jesus Christ and I feel so humbled and blessed that we have a Savior who has made it possible for us to return home.