Lesson 22

Genesis 10–11; Abraham 1

Prepare to Learn

Prepare your mind and heart to learn. Remove all distractions and focus on studying and learning. In doing so, you show your willingness to be taught by the Spirit.

Begin your study with prayer.

Think of times when you showed your faith in Jesus Christ by choosing Him above something else. Listen to President Russell M. Nelson as he relates the story of how a young woman demonstrated her faith in Jesus Christ. What can you learn from the young woman’s experience?

You can read the text for this video here: “Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2017, 40–41.

Doctrinal Mastery Review: Moses 1:39

Read Moses 1:39 repeatedly until you feel confident enough to recite it by memory. You could use the following first letters of each word in the verse as a guide to help you memorize.

F b, t i m w a m g—t b t p t i a e l o m.

First Scenario

Consider this scenario:

Imagine you have a friend who appears to be happy and successful even though he is involved in serious sin. Because he appears to be happy and successful, some of your other friends are also considering committing serious sins.

Think about what you could say to your friends to help them avoid making that mistake.

Nimrod, King of Babel

As you study Genesis 10–11, you will learn a principle that will help you know how to respond to those who believe they can avoid the consequences of sinful behavior.

Genesis 10 contains a list of Noah’s descendants. One of Noah’s descendants was a mighty hunter named Nimrod, who was king of Babel in the land of Shinar.

Read Genesis 11:1–4, looking for what the people in Nimrod’s kingdom began to do.

Tower of Babel

The tower in Genesis 11:4 is often referred to as the Tower of Babel. The idea of building the tower was “put into the hearts of the people” by “that same being who did plot with Cain … [to] murder his brother Abel” (Helaman 6:27–28). In other words, building the tower was inspired by Satan.

The phrase “reach unto heaven” could mean the people were making a tower that would physically reach heaven so they could avoid the consequences of sin. It may also be more symbolic and mean that the people were attempting to set aside true temple worship and build a counterfeit temple in order to reach heaven. Additionally, by trying to “make … a name” for themselves the people were willfully opposing the truth that it is only through the name of Jesus Christ that we can be saved (see Mosiah 3:17).

Read Genesis 11:5–9, looking for what the Lord said about the people who were building the tower and for what happened to them.

Quiz 1

1. According to Genesis 11:6, what might the people have believed because they built the tower?

   1. Because they had the ability to build a tower to heaven, they could commit any sin without having to worry about God’s punishments.

   2. Because they could reach heaven on their own, they could receive answers to their prayers quickly.

   3. Because they had built the tower, this showed their love for God and their obedience to His commandments.

2. What did God do because of the wickedness of the people (see verse 7)?

   1. God destroyed the inhabitants of the earth.

   2. God sent prophets to condemn their wickedness.

   3. God confounded (confused) their language.

3. According to verse 8, what resulted from God confounding the language of the people? Please select all that apply.

   1. They stopped building the city.

   2. They were scattered upon the face of the earth.

   3. They repented and glorified the Lord.

The Choice to Turn Away from God

From the scriptural account in Genesis 11:4–9, we can learn that if we choose to turn away from God, we bring undesirable consequences upon ourselves and others.

Let’s review the scenario presented earlier in this lesson:

Imagine you have a friend who appears to be happy and successful even though he is involved in serious sin. Because he appears to be happy and successful, some of your other friends are also considering committing serious sins.

1. Answer the following questions:

• What are some possible undesirable consequences this person might experience because of his involvement in serious sin?

• What are some possible consequences those around him might experience?

• What consequences have you seen as a result of turning away from God, either in your life or in the life of someone you know?

Second Scenario

Genesis 11:10–32 contains a list of the descendants of Noah’s son Shem, including a man named Abram, who married a woman named Sarai (see Genesis 11:26–29). The Lord later changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah (see Genesis 17:5, 15).

To help prepare you to understand Abraham’s experiences, consider the following scenario:

Imagine you have a friend who is the only member of the Church in her family. Her home life is difficult because the Lord’s commandments are taken lightly there and she receives no support for keeping them. She wants to receive all the blessings that come from living the gospel, but some of her family members often ridicule her and discourage her from living her beliefs.

What would you tell your friend that could help her remain faithful? Can she hope to obtain her desires despite her circumstances? Why?

Abraham

The situation of the young woman in the second scenario could be likened to that of Abraham. Abraham was born about 300 years after the Flood.

Read Abraham 1:1–4, looking for the spiritual blessings Abraham desired and sought to obtain.

Quiz 2

1. Even though Abraham was already righteous, what spiritual blessings did he desire and seek to obtain (see verse 2)? Please select all that apply.

   1. To possess greater knowledge and be a greater follower of righteousness.

   2. To be a father of many nations and a prince of peace.

   3. To receive instructions and to keep God’s commandments.

   4. To become a rightful heir and to be ordained a high priest.

2. What happened to Abraham because he desired and sought for the blessings of the gospel (see verses 3–4)? Please select all that apply.

   1. He received all he sought for.

   2. He was translated and taken to heaven.

   3. The blessings of the priesthood were conferred upon him.

Our Righteous Desires

Considering the blessings Abraham received from God in Abraham 1:3–4, we can learn that if we seek for righteousness, God will bless us according to our desires.

Let’s review the second scenario:

Imagine you have a friend who is the only member of the Church in her family. Her home life is difficult because the Lord’s commandments are taken lightly there and she receives no support for keeping them. She wants to receive all the blessings that come from living the gospel, but some of her family members often ridicule her and discourage her from living her beliefs.

How might the principle we learned help your friend remain faithful even though her family members make it difficult for her to live the gospel?

Difficult Circumstances

Even though Abraham sought to live righteously, he faced circumstances that made it difficult to obtain his righteous desires.

In Abraham 1:5–11, we read that Abraham faced many challenges. His fathers had turned away from wickedness and done many evil things. They sacrificed children on an altar, and at one point, they put Abraham on an altar and “endeavored to take away [his] life by the hand of the [wicked] priest” of Pharaoh (see Abraham 1:7).

Despite these challenges, Abraham remained faithful to his covenants and continued to teach his family the gospel. In the land of Chaldea, the three daughters of Onitah were also righteous despite their circumstances. These three were sacrificed by the priests because of their virtue and because they would not bow down to false idols.

Based on the examples of Abraham and the three daughters of Onitah, what can we choose to do regardless of the circumstances in which we live?

Righteousness in All Circumstances

We can learn the following principle from the account in Abraham 1:5–11: We can choose righteousness regardless of the circumstances in which we live.

Think about the second scenario presented in this lesson. How might believing this principle help this friend continue to live the gospel even though it is difficult for her to do so?

2. Write about a time when you or someone you know made righteous choices while in difficult circumstances.

Righteous Choices

Read the following statement by President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972):

“None of us likes to be ridiculed. Few are able to withstand popular opinion even when they know it is wrong, and it is difficult to comprehend the magnificent courage displayed by Abraham in his profound obedience to Jehovah, in the midst of his surroundings. His moral courage, his implicit faith in God, his boldness in raising his voice in opposition to the prevailing wickedness, is almost beyond comparison” (Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way to Perfection [1946], 86).

Set a goal to make righteous choices regardless of the circumstances you may be in. God will bless you as you make those righteous choices.

Abraham on the Altar

Look at the images of Abraham that depict Abraham 1:12–14. The depictions represent Abraham on the altar, with the false priest preparing to sacrifice him. These depictions also contain images of the many false gods the people worshipped at that time.

Read Abraham 1:15–20, looking for what happened to Abraham after he was placed on the altar.

What promises did Jehovah make to Abraham? You may want to consider marking what you find.

The Land of Egypt

After saving Abraham from the wicked priests, the Lord promised Abraham would “obtain the right belonging to the fathers” (Abraham 1:2), which means that Abraham would be ordained to the higher, or Melchizedek, priesthood. During Old Testament times, this priesthood came down from father to son, or “from the fathers” (Abraham 1:3). Abraham’s “name [would] be known in the earth forever” (see Abraham 1:19) because of his righteous ministry. The Lord destroyed the wicked priest Elkenah and the false gods of the land and sent a famine into the land (see Abraham 1:20, 29–30).

We read in Abraham 1:21–31 that after the Flood, a woman named Egyptus, who was Noah’s granddaughter through Ham, settled in a land with her sons. The land became known as the land of Egypt, and Egyptus’s oldest son, Pharaoh, established the first government (subsequent leaders of Egypt were also called Pharaoh).

Important Truths

The following truths were identified in this lesson:

• If we choose to turn away from God, we bring undesirable consequences upon ourselves and others.

• If we seek for righteousness, God will bless us according to our desires.

• We can choose righteousness regardless of the circumstances in which we live.

Consider sharing these truths with someone during a visit or through social media. You may want to include your testimony of the principles we discussed.

Answer Key

Quiz 1: (1) a; (2) c; (3) a, b

Quiz 2: (1) a, b, c, d; (2) a, c