According to Genesis, a man named Abram leaves his hometown of Ur and relocates with his wife, Sarai, his father, Terah, and his nephew, Lot, to a place called Haran. God appears to him and commands him to move on “unto a land that I will shew thee” (Genesis 12:1). Trusting God, Abram again leaves his home and migrates to a new place, Canaan, which God declares to be his home and the home of his descendants. God changes his name to Abraham, promising that he will be the father of numerous people and that his descendants will in turn bless all nations of the earth (Genesis 17:5; Genesis 12:2-3).
Abraham’s descendants know God through the lens of Abraham’s life. God introduces Himself to Abraham’s son Isaac as “the God of Abraham thy father” (Genesis 26:24). He introduces Himself to Isaac’s son Jacob as “the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac” (Genesis 28:13). And several hundred years later, when He appears to Moses in the burning bush, He declares, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6). The God of the Old Testament chooses to be recognized by His interactions with prior generations.
Book of Mormon writers followed this convention. Nephi, the first author, explained his purpose in writing this way:
The fulness of mine intent is that I may persuade men to come unto the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and be saved.
1 Nephi 6:4
Limhi, Alma, Mormon, and Moroni all subsequently referred to God using this same title. (See Mosiah 7:19; Alma 29:11; 36:2; Mosiah 23:23; Mormon 9:11.)
When Jesus visited the Nephites and the Lamanites, He invited them to see themselves as descendants of Abraham, heirs to his promises, and therefore people empowered to bless the whole world:
Ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; 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
Abraham functions as a template for the covenant life. Subsequent generations understand God’s character by observing how He spoke with Abraham, tested Him, and ultimately fulfilled His promises. As Abraham’s descendants, they claim not only his blessings but also his mission.
Today, I will strive to follow the God of Abraham. I will visualize Him in light of His promises to Abraham, and I will exercise faith in Him as Abraham did.
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