Because Ye Are of Abraham

When Abraham was 99 years old, God appeared to him and renewed a covenant they had made many years earlier. Up until this time, Abraham had been known as Abram, which means “exalted father.” On this occasion, God expanded his name:

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

Genesis 17:5

The addition of a syllable to Abram’s name creates a play on words in Hebrew. The name Abraham (אַבְרָהָם) is similar to ab-hamon (אַב־הֲמֹ֥ון), which means “father of a multitude.” This small change emphasized to Abraham that the covenant was not with him alone: innumerable people would be the beneficiaries of his faithfulness, including his own descendants and the people they would love and serve. (See Genesis 22:18.)

Centuries later, in 1843, God affirmed to Joseph Smith that he was one of those beneficiaries:

Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.

This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham.

Doctrine and Covenants 132:30-31

The Savior emphasized this same truth when He visited the Nephites and the Lamanites following His resurrection. “Ye are the children of the prophets,” He said, echoing Peter’s testimony in the Jerusalem temple, “and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed” (3 Nephi 20:25; compare Acts 3:25). Then He added:

The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant—

And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed—unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles.

3 Nephi 20:26-27; compare Acts 3:26

So the covenant comes to us first. God sends His Son to turn us away from our sins and toward Him. But its ultimate purpose is to turn us outward, to empower us to bless other people. We are blessed by Abraham’s covenant, and we in turn bless others as we make and keep covenants with God.

Today, I will remember the outward-facing character of God’s covenants. I will be grateful for the blessings I have received because of my ancestors’ covenants, and I will strive to keep my covenants so that others can be blessed through my faithfulness.