Pearl of Great Price - Abraham 1 - February 10, 2022

 2/10/2022 – Abraham 1

The Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price comes from the Egyptian Papyrus and was written by his [Abraham] own hand. Joseph Smith said that Abraham was of the tenth generation from Noah, which is several hundred years. We think of the progress that can come with time. Unfortunately, there is much back-sliding that can come with time.

Abraham doesn’t linger on the fact that he came from quite a troubled family. He merely says in v 1 that he “saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence.” That comment comes, I believe, after an angel had rescued him from the sacrificial table. The things Abraham does say are that he sought greater happiness and peace and rest: “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, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.” (v 2)

His family had started out following “the holy commandments”, but in the course of time had “turned from their righteousness”. …”unto the worshiping of the gods of the heathen”. They “utterly refused to hearken to my voice; For their hearts were set to do evil…” “…they turned their hearts to the sacrifice of the of the heathen in offering up their children unto these dumb idols, and hearkened not unto my voice, but endeavored to take away my life by the hand of the priest of Elkenah.”(v’s 5-7)  Many of those who were being sacrificed “were offered up because of their virtue; they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or stone, therefore they were killed upon this alter…after the manner of the Egyptians.” (v11)

Abraham then tells us more of his experience: “And as they lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened, and heard, and he filled me with the vision of the Almighty, and the angel of his presence stood by me, and immediately unloosed my bands. And his voice was unto me: Abraham, Abraham, behold, my name is Jehovah, and I have heard thee, and have come down to deliver thee, and to take thee away from thy father’s house, and from all thy kinsfolk, into a strange land which thou knowest not of;” (v’s 16-17) 

If we truly learn from Abraham’s writings, then in our times of trouble we should call upon the Lord immediately, and He will comfort us with truth and help. Of course, I remind myself, that Abraham was following the Lord’s commandments, and seeking the Lord’s truths, and was trying to convince the others of the error of their ways. That is the kind of living that allowed Christ to come to him and to say: “Behold, I will lead thee by my hand, and I will take thee, to put upon thee my name, even the priesthood of thy father, and my power shall be over thee.” (v18)

We also learn a history of Egypt. The area was discovered by the wife of Ham. The first Pharaoh was a “righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam…” (v 26)

In v 31, when Abraham fled from Egypt taking along with him the scriptures that had been passed down:  “…the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers have I kept even unto this day, and I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me.” 

There was then, and there is now, wisdom, and power, and knowledge, and guidance, and comfort in the Holy Scriptures.


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