It's been centuries since Noah, and we now have these false Egyptian practices across Mesopotamia and the ancient world, and we are having human sacrifices. And as Abraham describes his own experience, he says, before me, there were three virgins at one time who were daughters of Oneida, one of the royal descendants who was from the direct loins of Ham. The family relationship between Abraham and Sarai is a little bit different because one says she's his half-sister. Same father, Tara, different mother. Another suggests that she is his niece. Well, as we continue reading in Abraham, it sounds like... Hello, welcome back to Scripture Central. I'm Lynn Hilton Wilson, part of the team that tries to build enduring faith in Jesus Christ by illuminating and defending the scriptures. And I'm thrilled to be able to be talking about the Old Testament, specifically the women on handmaidens, harems, and heroines. And we've got a fabulous heroine today on our second week on Sarai or Sarah, Abram's wife. We're going to talk about the Egyptian maidservants from Genesis 12 to 17, and we get to be introduced to Hagar. So we're in the Middle Bronze Age. Go back in history to about 2000 BC, up to about 1800 BC, and you are in the right place. I want to start in the book of Abraham. You know, this is a tragic period of time when false traditions have come. It's been centuries since Noah, and we now have these false Egyptian practices across Mesopotamia and the ancient world. and we are having human sacrifices. And as Abraham describes his own experience on the altar, he says, before me, there were three virgins at one time who were daughters of Oneida, one of the royal descendants who was from the direct loins of Ham. And these daughters, these young women gave up their lives. Now, remember the royal lines of Ham is through the righteous line, Ham and Zepta, or sometimes called Egyptus, were married. They were on the ark. Ham is the youngest son of Noah. And their daughter, Egyptus, is the one who discovers Egypt. And their son, Pharaoh, or her son, Pharaoh, becomes a righteous leader. And they don't have the priesthood that goes through the lines of Shem, but they want to follow the laws of God. And so they organize their country after that same practice. But it's been 800 years. A lot of wickedness has come in. And in 1st Abraham, verse 11, it says, because of their virtue, they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or stone. These are young women who are monotheistic. It's a tragic example of the depravity of the people. But it is a fabulous example of these young women who are not only willing to stand for what they believe, but they are willing to die for what they believe. Sometimes I think it's harder to live for what you believe, but in their case, their very lives were given. These are some of our first martyrs. I also want to remind you that when it says a virgin, this means a young girl who has not been married. And in the ancient world, marriages often took place as soon as a girl could procreate. That means these girls are in their very, very early teens. These are 11, 12, 13-year-olds, maybe 14 at most, but these are very young girls, probably. We'll find out in heaven for the exact information, but just tragic. As we now move on to the next female in this week's lessons, we go back to Genesis 12 and look at some of the writings on Sarai, Abraham's wife. And in this section for this week, she's 54 years old up to age 89. And we have so many wonderful writings on Sarai that we'll just touch on her details from this period of time. Remember, she's closely related to Abraham. The family relationship between Abraham and Sarai is a little bit different because each text states it differently. One says she's his half-sister. Same father, Tara, different mother. Another suggests that she is his niece. And in the ancient world, whether you were the daughter of or the granddaughter, sometimes the father and the mother claimed you as theirs. So we aren't exactly sure on the relationship if it's first generation or second generation away, but we know they are very tightly connected. They are very deeply committed to each other and they have a remarkable relationship for the ancient world In Genesis chapter 12 we learn there another famine in the land And by verse 10 as Abram and Sarai and their huge group of people have to head south they cannot stay in Canaan as they're leaving from Haram. And they go all the way down to his growing household south into Egypt, where there is food. And in verse 15, he describes that not only is he going with his family. And he's also bringing his nephew Lot and his family. But he says, we brought not only our substance, but the souls that we had won in Haran. What does that mean? This is Abraham 2 verse 15. Who are these souls they had won? Well, as we continue reading in Abraham, it sounds like there are many people who chose to worship the God of Abraham. And he has a whole community with him. It's about the size of a ward, I think, maybe a large ward because he has 316 people who are young enough to go fight who are male. So we assume that we have over 600 people that are with him now. As Abraham heads south, he's a little bit worried about the customs of the Egyptians and that life is a little cheaper. And so the Lord commanded him. Now in Genesis, it just says they talked about it. But in the book of Abraham, chapter two, verse 23 and 24, it said the Lord commanded Abraham, let Sarai or Sarah, let her say unto the Egyptians, she is thy sister and thy soul shall live. So he's received revelation to use part of the truth, but not the whole truth. They're related, but it's going to be presented that way rather than at their marriage covenant. Now, interestingly, God commanded Sarai to speak to the Egyptians, not Abram. Now in the ancient culture, Women usually did not speak out. So this is really wonderful that we see God's examples here and Abraham's willing to follow it as well. We learned that Sarai was a praying woman. We learned that she receives divine direction. In fact, Isaiah later, you know, generations later in Isaiah 51 says that Sarai was his example of righteousness. He says, hearken unto me, O ye that follow after righteousness, and look unto Sarah that bear you. She is their example in chapter 51, verse 1 and 2. And that very chapter happens to be repeated in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi chapter 8. So it's something that was important to also Lehi and Nephi and their posterity. But Abraham and Sarai discuss this conversation. I just don't want you to miss this fact that as Abrams is telling Sarai about this revelation that he received, he told Sarai, my wife, all that God had said unto me. That's verse 25. And I see as I continue reading, especially in the restored scripture, this same pattern where this couple is discussing important matters in their marriage. And that may seem common to you, but in the ancient world, this is very unusual. I also wanted to point out that Sarai or Sarah is used in the New Testament at least three different times as a positive example. I already mentioned Isaiah, but she's also a prototype for the baron Elizabeth, the priestess, and for our wonderful Virgin Mary. We also have Apostle Peter talking about to the female saints. And he says, you are daughters if you do what's right. Daughters of Sarah. And he says, don't give way to fear. I thought that was interesting that Sarah was his example of not being fearful in chapter 3, verse 6. And then in the book of Hebrews, Sarah's faith is our wonderful example. This is Hebrews 11, 11. Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed. So we not only have restored scripture to look at Sarah or Sarai at this time, we also have the New Testament. And I'm very grateful for Isaiah and Peter and Paul's writings or whoever wrote Hebrews on this. But let's get back to the text in Genesis. Genesis 12 sounds as if Abram wants to sell Sarah's for his safety. I mean, it doesn't sound right at all. And in fact, it happens again in chapter 20 next week because Sarai is poising as Abraham's sister twice. But because we have the other text, I just want to step back and say, we do not have the whole picture. That is not what's happening. I'm so grateful for the book of Abraham and also for the Dead Sea Scrolls. Now, the Dead Sea Scrolls section on this story speaks of the beauty of the biblical Sarai. And then it goes on in one of the scrolls to say, the punishments and plagues were given to the Pharaoh and his household and, quote, all the healers of Egypt, unquote, they couldn't solve this problem. They didn't know why Pharaoh and all of his people were being plagued until they realized that Sarai was Abram wife And so the Pharaoh asks Abram would you please pray for me And so we learn that Abraham placed his hands upon Pharaoh heads And afterward his household was able to recover his palace. All the women were able to bear again. And as gratitude for this, Pharaoh gave Abraham sheep and oxen. This is Genesis 12, 16. Asses, men servants, maid servants, and camels, and they all return back again to the area where he's from. Now, I was a little surprised about this men servants, maid servants things, but I have to remind you that in the ancient world, especially in the Hebrew language, as well as Greek from the New Testament, the word servant and slave are the same word. And because I trust that Abraham is a man of God, because I trust he is a prophet, it. I do not think he is abusing these people. I also want to remind you that in the New Testament, the Lord does not get rid of servitude. So I don't want to look at this as if it were slavery in our day and age or slavery in early Americana or slavery in the horrific aspects of it throughout the history of the world. I believe these people are absorbed into the community. I think they're living a sort of a law of consecration from what the best I can read out of this text is. And the men, women, and children are working together to make this community work. And I admire that they are able to come and change and be converted and work. The next section I'd like to talk about is with Hagar. Now, at this point, Sarai is 75 years old. And she's been working with Hagar now for at least a decade or so. We aren't given the exact dates from when they leave Egypt. But we know that Sarai is beyond the ability to bear children. And so she goes back to the way that they did it in that day and age, and she wants to have a child through a surrogate mother. And so she goes to Abram and asks if he would bear children through her maid. Now, this is how it says it in Genesis. But as we compare this to Abraham chapter 2, verse 2 and 4 and 15 and 22 and 25, and we also look at section 132, verse 65, we realize that the Lord is calling this the law of Sarah. And it is through his command and his direction. I don't know all the ins and outs. It's complicated. It's difficult. But this sweet relationship that Sarah trusted Hagar, that Abraham trusted Sarah, and that they were willing to do something very uncomfortable and very difficult. but it was part of the culture at the time in order to try to fulfill God's command. They had already been promised seed for a long time. And Abraham does not want to take on another wife, but he will take on a surrogate because Sarah has asked for it. However, once Hagar conceives, as you well remember from the text, their relationships change dramatically. And in fact, the servant girl becomes very proud and slights Sarai, who feels despised. And unfortunately, Sarah's hurt and she feels jealous and displaced and she's confused and frustrated and this heart full of emotion blurts out. And who does she blame? But her husband. She blames Abraham. And I'm going to read from the NIV translation of Genesis chapter 16, verse 5. You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms. And now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me. And the most amazing thing for me about this is that Abraham does not respond defensively. He is humble and meek. And he demonstrates his love for Sarai. And he trusts her and he empowers her. And he even says, your slave is in your hands. Do with her whatsoever you think is best. And Sarai and Hagar both overreacted. You know, Sarai's upset. Hagar's upset. And it says that she mistreated her. She afflicted Hagar. And then Hagar overreacts and she runs away. So they're both in a bad shape. We go back to the text and we learn in Genesis chapter 14 that an angel of the Lord comes to intervene. And the angel calms down Hagar. And we understand that he gives her a prophecy. And he says, go back and get to work and remember your position. And I just want to remind you that angels often come to redirect someone. You know if you doing what right you rarely get an angel visitation Angels usually come to either turn people around or refocus them But in this situation Hagar follows the angelic direction And not only does she go back, but in Genesis 16, verses 11 and 15, it says that she shares this prophecy with Abraham as the father of the child that she's bearing. I want to talk for just a minute, though, about this wonderful experience of an angel coming and telling Hagar that not only is she going to go back, but that she will have a son and what the son is to be named and a sign. And he goes on and on. This is a biblical annunciation that is repeated in at least seven different women that are recorded. I don't know how any other got this experience, but there's a pattern that the biblical enunciations follow. Almost all of them begin with an appearance by an angel of the Lord, and then the person in great fear prostrates themselves. And then there's a divine message given. The angel often calls them by name. The angel often urges them to not be afraid. Then the angel tells the woman or the man that they will have a male child. They give the name of the child. The angel or the divine personage often gives the etymology of the name of the child, why this child is to hold this name. And then the fourth step is an objection by the visionary. and they usually request a sign and then a sign is usually given to the person receiving this. Now, this Hagar is our first one to have it, but we see it in the next chapter in Sarah or in Sarai as also in Rebecca. We see it in Manoah's wife. We see it in Hannah and Elizabeth and Mary. But The time period between Hagar and Sarai is 12 years. And I assume that Sarai knew about Hagar's experience. And it's very precious to me. But by the time Hagar delivers her child, the relationship is healed enough that for over a decade, they're living peaceably together. And the two women are back in sync, at least the best they could. I'm sure it was very difficult, but they all love this child, this little Ishmael. But when Sarah is 89 years old and Abraham is 99, do you remember the three visitors come? The three visitors are angelic beings of some sort or translated beings. I personally think they're translated because they eat. And I don't think you could do that if you're premortal or postmortal, because there's no resurrected beings yet until after the Lord's, the Savior of the earth's resurrection. So as we look at Genesis chapter 17, verse 15, these three visitors come to Abram and give him prophecies and they change their names. Abram receives a new name, now father of many nations. And Sarai, my princess, receives a new name of a grander princess or a woman of strength. There's two or three different definitions of what Sarah means. But there's a prophecy given. And Sarah, in addition to receiving a new name, is told, I will bless her and I will give thee a son also of her. Yea, I will bless her and she shall be the mother of nations. Kings of people shall be of her. That's verse 15 and 16 in chapter 17. And that's where our readings end this week. That's where the Lord is able to move forward and begin the fulfillment of this prophecy that for decades they have been looking forward to. The timing of the Lord is always part of the miracle. And I hope and pray in your lives, as you are striving to live worthy of the blessings that the Lord has given you, that we, like Sarai, like Abram, can be patient for the day when the Lord can fulfill all those promises. And whether they're on this side of the veil or the other, I can trust in God. I know his ways are just, and I know he is the God of not only the Old Testament, but now, and we have a prophet in the land now. I am so grateful for this witness through the Spirit of God, and pray in your scripture study today that you can draw closer to the Lord in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank you.
