This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study covers Genesis 12-17 and Abraham 1-2, which includes God’s promise to Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (see Genesis 15:5).
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders and scholars about these chapters of scripture.
Abraham 1
“Consider some examples of faithful men and women who trusted God, confident that His promised blessings would be upon them in life or in death. Their faith was based not on what God did or did not do in a particular circumstance or moment in time but on knowing Him as their benevolent Father and Jesus Christ as their faithful Redeemer.
“When Abraham was about to be sacrificed by the Egyptian priest of Elkenah, he cried out to God to save him, and God did (see Abraham 1:7, 15, 20). Abraham lived to become the father of the faithful through whose seed all the families of the earth would be blessed. Earlier, on this very same altar, that same priest of Elkenah had offered up three virgins who ‘because of their virtue … would not bow down to worship gods of wood or of stone’ (Abraham 1:11). They died there as martyrs. …
“In the end, it is the blessing of a close and abiding relationship with the Father and the Son that we seek. It makes all the difference and is everlastingly worth the cost. … I bear witness that no matter what our mortal experience may entail, we can trust God and find joy in Him.”
— President D. Todd Christofferson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2022 general conference, “Our Relationship with God”
“Your ability to lead does not come from an outgoing personality, motivational skills or even a talent for public speaking. It comes from your commitment to follow Jesus Christ. It comes from your desire to be, in Abraham’s words, ‘a greater follower of righteousness’ (Abraham 1:2). If you can do that — even if you aren’t perfect at it, but you’re trying — then you are a leader.”
— Brother Stephen W. Owen, then the Young Men general president, April 2016 general conference, “The Greatest Leaders Are the Greatest Followers”
Abraham 2
“Your patriarchal blessing is a message from your Heavenly Father and will likely include promises and inspired counsel to guide you throughout your life. …
“As you receive a declaration of lineage, you will come to know that you are of the house of Israel and the seed of Abraham. To understand the significance of this, focus on the promises the Lord made to the house of Israel through Abraham.
“Those promises include:
- “His posterity would be numerous (see Genesis 17:5-6; Abraham 2:9; 3:14).
- “His seed, or descendants, would receive the gospel and bear the priesthood (see Abraham 2:9).
- “Through the ministry of his seed, ‘all the families of the earth [would] be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal’ (Abraham 2:11).
“As members of the Church, we are children of the covenant. We receive the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant as we obey the laws and ordinances of the gospel.”
— Elder Kazuhiko Yamashita, then a General Authority Seventy, April 2023 general conference, “When to Receive Your Patriarchal Blessing”
Genesis 12
“When the Lord commands us to ‘go,’ it is always with a purpose. His direction is intentional, leading us toward growth, greater faith and blessings — even though sometimes the destination is unknown to us. Throughout scripture, we see powerful examples of this sacred call. [For example], the Lord told Abraham to leave an idolatrous city and go into a new land (see Genesis 12:1). …
“When the Lord says, ‘Go,’ He is inviting us to trust Him and to proceed with courage. The very mission of this wonderful university comes to mind: ‘Enter to learn; go forth to serve.’ As we act in faith, we will come to see that wherever the Lord leads, He also prepares the way — and it requires work.”
— Brother Gabriel W. Reid, second counselor in the Sunday School general presidency, during the March 2025 Brigham Young University devotional, “‘Go to Work and Build’”
Genesis 13
“One of the great lessons in the Old Testament period relates to Father Abraham. Abraham and Lot, his nephew, were wealthy but found they could not dwell together. To eliminate strife, Abraham allowed Lot to choose the land he wanted. Lot chose the plain of Jordan, which was both well-watered and beautiful. Abraham took the less fertile plain of Mamre. The scriptures read that Abraham then pitched his tent and built ‘an altar unto the Lord’ (Genesis 13:18). Lot, on the other hand, ‘pitched his tent toward Sodom’ (Genesis 13:12). To have peaceful relationships, the lesson is clear: we should be willing to compromise and eliminate strife with respect to matters that do not involve righteousness. … But on conduct relating to righteousness and doctrinal imperatives, we need to remain firm and steadfast.”
— Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2021 general conference, “Personal Peace in Challenging Times”
“It is so easy for some to become obsessed with what they possess and to lose eternal perspective. When Abraham went out of Egypt, his nephew Lot went with him to Bethel. Both Abraham and Lot had flocks and herds and tents, ‘and the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together’ (Genesis 13:6). After some friction between the herdmen of Abraham and Lot, Abraham made a proposal to Lot: ‘Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren. …
“‘If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left’ (Genesis 13:8-9).
“Lot saw what was in it for him as he looked over the fruitful plain of Jordan and chose to take the land which was close to the worldly place of Sodom (see Genesis 13:10-11). Abraham was content to take his flocks to live in the more barren land of Canaan, yet he accumulated even more wealth there.
“Abraham, however, is remembered more as the grand patriarch of the Lord’s covenant people. … Abraham had the confidence of the Lord, who showed him the intelligences of the premortal world, the choosing of a Redeemer and the Creation. Abraham is also known for his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. This tremendous act of faith is symbolic of the ultimate selfless act in all of history, when the Savior gave His life for all of us to atone for our sins.”
— The late President James E. Faust, then the second counselor in the First Presidency, October 2002 general conference, “What’s in It for Me?”
Genesis 14
“God promises that a Melchizedek Priesthood holder will receive keys to understand the mysteries of God. He will become perfect so that he can stand in the presence of God. He will be able to fulfill his role in the work of salvation. Jesus Christ will prepare the way before the priesthood holder and will be with him. The Holy Ghost will be in the priesthood holder’s heart, and angels will bear him up. His body will be strengthened and renewed. He will become heir to the blessings of Abraham and, along with his wife, joint-heir with Jesus Christ to Heavenly Father’s kingdom (see Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 14:26-37). These are ‘exceeding great and precious promises’ (2 Peter 1:4). No greater promises can be imagined.
“To each man who receives the Melchizedek Priesthood, God affirms His covenant promises with an oath (see Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 14:27-31). This oath pertains only to the Melchizedek Priesthood, and it is God who swears the oath, not the priesthood holder. Because this unique situation involves His divine power and authority, God uses an oath, employing the most forceful language He can, to assure us of the binding and irreversible nature of His promises.”
— Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2017 general conference, “The Priesthood and the Savior’s Atoning Power”
“‘Every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;
“‘To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world’ (Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 14:30-31).
“One way to respond to such awe-inspiring descriptions of the power of the priesthood is to assume that they do not apply to us. Another way to respond is with soul-searching questions, asked in our own hearts, such as these: Have I ever felt that the heavens have been opened to me? Would anyone use the phrase ‘ministering of angels’ to describe my priesthood service? Do I bring the ‘power of godliness’ into the lives of those I serve? Have I ever broken a mountain, defied an army, broken someone’s bands, or subdued worldly powers — even if only figuratively — in order to accomplish God’s will?
“Such introspection always brings a feeling that we could be doing more in the service of the Lord. I hope it also brings you a feeling that you want to do more — a longing to participate more fully in the Lord’s miraculous work. Such feelings are the first step toward becoming the kind of men that priesthood service is meant to produce.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2017 general conference, “‘Walk with Me’”
Genesis 15
“One lesson we have to learn is that fear is the beginning of defeat. On the other hand, courage is the beginning of success. We gain courage by the realization that we have a lot going for us. We derive strength from the knowledge that the Lord is with us. To Abraham he declared, ‘Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield’ (Genesis 15:1). This is exactly what we need in this tempting, permissive world — a shield to protect us from the ‘fiery darts of the wicked’ (Doctrine and Covenants 27:17).”
— The late Elder Derek A. Cuthbert, then a General Authority Seventy, during the May 1984 Brigham Young University devotional, “The Futility of Fear”
Genesis 16
“Important components of faith are patience, long-suffering and enduring to the end. The Apostle Paul recounts the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, concluding that ‘these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth’ (see Hebrews 11:4-13). These faithful Saints knew that this earth life was a journey, not their final destination.
“When Abram was 75 years old, the Lord promised him, ‘I will make of thee a great nation’ — this at a time when he and Sarai as yet had no children. He was 86 when Sarai’s handmaiden Hagar ‘bare Ishmael to Abram’ (Genesis 16:16).
“And the Lord changed Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah, and when he was nearly 100 and she was 90, they were promised that Sarah would bear a son to be named Isaac (see Genesis 17:17, 19). Amidst their disbelief the Lord asked, ‘Is any thing too hard for the Lord?’ (Genesis 18:14)”
— Elder Spencer J. Condie, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2007 general conference, “Claim the Exceeding Great and Precious Promises”
Genesis 17
“Faithful daughters of God desire children. In the scriptures we read of Eve (see Moses 4:26), Sarah (see Genesis 17:16), Rebekah (see Genesis 24:60) and Mary (see 1 Nephi 11:13-20), who were foreordained to be mothers before children were born to them. Some women are not given the responsibility of bearing children in mortality, but just as Hannah of the Old Testament prayed fervently for her child (see 1 Samuel 1:11), the value women place on motherhood in this life and the attributes of motherhood they attain here will rise with them in the Resurrection (see Doctrine and Covenants 130:18). Women who desire and work toward that blessing in this life are promised they will receive it for all eternity, and eternity is much, much longer than mortality. There is eternal influence and power in motherhood.”
— Sister Julie B. Beck, then the Relief Society general president, October 2007 general conference, “Mothers Who Know”
