The God Who Sees Me | Come Follow Me 2026 | Genesis 12-17; Abraham 1-2 | John Hilton III | Feb 9-15

You worship a God who sees you. This is not just ancient history. This is our identity. And when we really get that, it changes how we see ourselves and the world around us. And when we are in our moments of despair, God can open our eyes and help us see what we cannot see. The God who saw Hagar, the God who heard Ishmael, is the God who sees you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. If you remember our big picture overview of the Old Testament from our first class, you probably noticed that so far in our course, we've been focused on the early history events. But now we're going to zoom in for the next several class periods on the patriarchs and matriarchs, Abraham and Sarah and their descendants. And as our course picks up the pace, it can become easy to get lost in the storyline. And so I want to start out with a recommendation that if you haven't already done it, I highly recommend the church's Old Testament stories book. There's a free version of it available online. You can buy a hard copy. It's not just for kids. It is really helpful, I think, even for adults to just get an understanding of the storyline. So I've linked to it on the course website. And again, I just want to recommend that you read through this entire book. It would probably only take 45 minutes or so, but it's so helpful because there's lots of details in the Old Testament. And when we get lost in the storyline, it's easy to get discouraged and just say, oh, I'm going to give up on it. But the storyline is fascinating. So get the big picture and that will help you with some of the smaller details along the way. Today, as we focus on the stories of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, we'll see that one of the biggest challenges in life is managing expectations. And I think we've all been there, right? You've been on Pinterest, you've seen this amazing creation. It's your expectation, but your reality is somewhat different. Or it's the first snowfall of the year, you're so excited to go out with one of your kids, you're going to build this beautiful looking snowman, yours doesn't look quite so nice. Or I think of some of those return missionaries, they get home from their missions, they go to BYU, this is their expectation and their reality. So when our expectations are different from our reality, it can cause problems. It can decrease our happiness. In fact, the researchers of a large scale study wrote, momentary happiness is a state that reflects not how well things are going, but instead whether things are going better than expected. So it sounds strange, but actually, If you want to increase your happiness, lower your expectations. And I bring this up because there's an expectation that I think some of us might have deep in our hearts that can hurt our happiness. That expectation is if I keep the commandments, everything is going to work out for me in the short run. Cognitively, we look at that and we think it's probably not true, but often we act as though it were. But the scriptures clearly show us this is not reality. Just think about Abraham's life. wanted to have a loving family. Instead, he had an abusive father. Sarah and Abraham were married. Their expectation was to have children, but the reality was they struggled with infertility for decades. The Lord told Abraham and Sarah to move to Canaan. Can you sense their high hopes? But the reality, there was a famine in the land when they arrived. Just because you're doing what's right doesn't mean everything is going to work out for you in the short run. And let's explore this by looking more carefully at some parts of Abraham's life. The book of Abraham chapter one, verse one begins with what might be one of the biggest understatements in scripture. Abraham says, I, Abraham saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence. I mean, it kind of sounds like his contract has expired. He's kind of like, you know, move to the next apartment complex or something. But when you keep reading, you find out the reason Abraham has to move is his family members are trying to kill him. Abraham records, my family members turned their hearts to the sacrifice of the heathen and offering up their children unto dumb idols and hearken not unto my voice, but endeavored to take away my life. So in this moment of extreme danger, as they lifted up their hands upon me, Abraham says, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord, my God, 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 the Lord broke down the altar and smote the priest that he died. Now, this is the kind of scripture story I loved as a kid. It's like David and Goliath or Daniel and the lion's den. All the odds are stacked against you and God provides the miracle. And it's actually this kind of story that reinforces the expectation in my heart. If I do what's right, everything's going to work out. In recent years, I've come to appreciate even more another kind of story in the scriptures. It's paired with Abraham's story. It's the story of the three young women at the same altar. Abraham tells us that before he was sacrificed, the same priest had offered upon this altar, three virgins. Because of their virtue, they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or of stone. Therefore, they were killed upon this altar. These three powerful young women remind us that things don't always work out in the short run for the faithful. That's true in scripture and it's true in real life today. I don't know if you've ever seen a church movie. I saw a church movie once kind of like this. It's a bunch of youth are watching a movie and you can tell that something in the movie is bad because the music gets dark and the screen gets dark and you're wondering like, what's going to happen? And one of the youth raises his hand is like, Hey guys, I don't feel good about this. And everyone else is like, yeah, I don't feel good about it either. I just didn't know what to say. And everyone goes up and eats ice cream and they're all happy. So the next week you're at your friend's house, you're watching a movie and something dark comes on the screen. And so you're like, Hey guys, I don't think we should be watching this. And everyone says, shut up. And you go eat ice cream with your friend's mom. You know, it's just like, it's not exactly what you had hoped would happen. You can do the right thing and still feel lonely. You can keep all the commandments and still have family members go astray. Dark things happen even in the best of people's lives. The example of these three young women in Abraham chapter one gives me the courage to move forward even when things are hard. I believe there is a strength that comes into our lives when we believe in God, not based on what the outcomes are, but we believe in him whatever the outcomes are. Think about that. Do I believe in God because he's like a cosmic vending machine who can give me whatever I want? Or do I believe in God because he's a loving father who cares about me even when things are hard? So things were definitely hard for Abraham, so he had to move. So scholars debate on Abraham's starting point, but eventually he makes his way to Haran in southern Turkey and then down to Canaan in the promised land. Abraham was 75 years old and Sarah was 65 when they arrived at Canaan. And this begins a new chapter in their lives, not just a new chapter of geography, but a new chapter of their identity that's going to be centered in what we call today the Abrahamic covenant. And because we are part of Abraham's family, we have part in this covenant as well. And something that I hope is really deep in each of our hearts is that the Abrahamic covenant isn't ancient history. It's our identity. Now, some of us might feel a little uncertain about, okay, what exactly is the Abrahamic covenant? Maybe a simple version of it is to remember the three Ps, three promises Abraham is given. A promised land, posterity, and priesthood. And along with these promises, there's a specific responsibility given to Abraham and his descendants. So let's look at this a little more carefully. First is a promised land. When Abraham arrives in Canaan God says to your offspring I will give this land And then in chapter 13 he repeats the promise saying look around from where you are to the north to the south, to the east, to the west, all the land you see, I will give to you and your offspring forever. And this promise is continually reiterated to Abraham and his descendants. Second is posterity. God told Abraham, I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. So we've got promised land, posterity, and in the book of Abraham, chapter two, we see a clear promise about both priesthood, as well as the responsibility that comes with the Abrahamic covenant. God says, I will make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and priesthood unto all nations. As many as receive this gospel shall be called after thy name and shall be accounted thy seed. And in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the gospel. Sometimes a person might wonder like, well, am I really part of Abraham's seed? Is he my literal ancestor? He definitely could be your literal ancestor, But notice here, it says, as many receive this gospel shall be accounted thy seed. So whether or not you're literally Abraham's descendant, you and I are all literally part of this covenant. We've been promised posterity, priesthood, a promised land. And we've been given the responsibility to help take the gospel to the world. This is not just ancient history, this is our identity. And when we really get that, it changes how we see ourselves and the world around us. Elder David A. Bednar taught, we are the seed of Abraham. You and I today and always are to bless all peoples in all the nations of the earth. You and I today and always are to bear witness of Jesus Christ and declare the message of restoration. Proclaiming the gospel is not an assignment we must complete. Rather, missionary work is a manifestation of our spiritual identity and heritage. We were foreordained in the premortal existence and born into mortality to fulfill the covenant and promise God made to Abraham. That is who we are and that is why we are here today and always. How does it change your life to know that is why you are here? You were born to share the gospel. Now you might remember a few class periods ago, we talked about the doctrines, principles, and application framework. So doctrines are truths of salvation that God reveals. Principles grow out of doctrine. They're doctrinally-based guidelines to help us exercise our agency. And then applications grow out of principles. These are specific behaviors. So if we think about this doctrine that we've been talking about, maybe we could fit it into the framework, something like this. God made covenants with Abraham that continue to this day. Growing out of that doctrine as a principle, as Abraham's descendant, I have a role to play in taking the gospel to all the earth. What's the application of this principle for you personally? So there's lots of possible applications, right? I could share the gospel in normal ways, or I could go be a full-time missionary or serve as a service missionary. There's lots of possibilities, and some are really simple. Like let's suppose this Sunday morning, I wake up and I don't feel like going to church. If the doctrine of the Abrahamic covenant is deep in my heart, can you see how I'll view church differently? It's not about, do I feel like going to church? I'm part of a 4,000 year old covenant that is all about gathering Israel. And a portion of Israel is gathering today in sacrament meeting. So for sure, I'm going to go and I'm going to bring a bunch of people with me as well. Even something as simple as a sacrament meeting can be transformed when we feel the Abrahamic covenant in our hearts. So I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on this question. What is God teaching you about your responsibilities with the Abrahamic covenant? In President Monson's very last address that he was well enough and strong enough to give at the pulpit was in the October 2015 general conference. And he said, as we follow the teachings in the example of the Savior and live as He did, there'll be a light in us that will light the way for others. And I've just tried to use that as my platform every day, because I don't think I'm a real strong missionary when it comes to pulling out scriptures and that. But if I can just love as the Savior loved, I think that I'm getting close to living that covenant. Thank you. Our son isn't active in the church, but my husband and I just feel like the most important way, I guess, that we can be keeping this Abrahamic covenant is just to be that light that the sister just talked about. the more that we can just love others and accept them where they're at, but also that we can be where we're at, it's okay. And I think that's all the Lord expects of us at this time. Thank you. So we're part of a 4,000-year-old covenant, but we've got to have the right expectations. Just because we're part of the Abrahamic covenant does not mean everything's going to be easy for us, and things certainly weren't easy for Abraham. because he'd been given all of these promises, but they didn't seem to be happening. So on one occasion, Abraham pours his heart out to God and he says, Lord, how can I know? God says, I'm giving you a promised land. I'm giving you posterity. But Abraham's like, none of it's coming. And maybe we feel the same way. Maybe you have a patriarchal blessing that talks about your future marriage and your future children. And now you're getting up in age and you're wondering, like, what's happening with those promises? Sometimes we're going to say, Lord, how can I know? And in Abraham's case, God gives a very interesting response. He says, bring me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon. I mean, I think that's a strange request. Honestly, like if I were praying, like, Lord, how can I know? And he's like, bring me a cow, a goat. I'd be like, how about Chick-fil-A? But Abraham was obedient. And notice what Abraham does. We read, Abraham brought all these things to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other. Now, God did not tell Abraham to cut any of the animals in two. Abraham just knows automatically how to do that. How does Abraham know what to do? It's because Abraham's saying, oh, I get it. We're going to be cutting a covenant. The Hebrew phrase that we translate into English as make a covenant, literally in Hebrew is to cut a covenant. In the ancient Near East, sometimes there was a ritual involved with making a covenant where animals would be cut in half and put on either side of a path. And the two parties making the covenant would walk between the paths or walk in a path between the animals. It was a symbolic way of saying something like, if I break the covenant I'm about to make, May what's happened to these animals happen to me. And this is a lot more intense than a pinky promise, that's for sure. Now, something very surprising happens after Abraham lays out the animals. We read, when the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking fire pot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces. Now, let's be honest. Most of us probably read that verse and we're like, hmm, that's weird. And we just keep reading. But like, let's slow it down. This verse connects directly to Mount Sinai, where God appears in the book of Exodus and makes a covenant with his people. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire. The same basic elements, smoke and fire, are present in both accounts. In other words, this smoking fire pot and blazing torch in Genesis 15 this is God himself is walking between the animals making a covenant with Abraham And there something surprising about this story which is you might have noticed that God himself walks between the pieces, but Abraham doesn't. That's a reversal because in an ancient Near Eastern context, sometimes the king would not walk between the pieces. It was the lower status person that would walk between the pieces. But God reverses that. He walks through. It's like God is saying to Abraham, even if you fail, I will not fail. So the answer to Abraham's question, Lord, how can I know, was a covenant. You see, Abraham's future doesn't depend on Abraham's strength. It depends on God's promise. So if you're in doubt about a decision in your life, if deep down inside somewhere, you're saying, Lord, how can I know? The answer is in our covenants. As we hold fast to our covenants, we'll feel God's peace. And I testify that is true. So in Genesis chapter 17, God appears to Abraham again and promises him posterity, a promised land. But this time the covenant is connected to a new name and a token. In Genesis 17, the token is circumcision. We read, and ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. Other Bible translations refer to this as a sign of the covenant. So the terms token and sign point to circumcision being a tangible reminder of the covenant Abraham is making, just like we recently saw with Noah's flood and the rainbow being a token or sign of the covenant. At this time, Abraham and Sarah are also given new names. Now what happens next is powerful. God commands Abraham and we read on that very day, Abraham took every male in his household and circumcised them as God told him. That is faith. No delaying for Abraham. Think about what the word itself means. The word circumcision comes from two Latin roots, meaning around, like circumference, and to cut into, like incision. So it literally means to cut around. And a person might think to themselves, why are we even talking about this? Because Jesus Christ himself said the law of circumcision is done away in me. So for us, physical circumcision, it's not part of the gospel. But notice what the apostle Paul wrote. When you came to Christ, you were circumcised, but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision, the cutting away of your sinful nature. That's a powerful verse. Now, just I'm going to put a few questions up on the screen. Think about what Paul's words might mean for us in our covenants. Can you think of an experience where God helped you cut away something harmful in your life? How did it change you? In ancient times, circumcision marked someone as belonging to the covenant. How does Paul's metaphor help us understand what it means to belong to Christ today? On the day God commanded circumcision, Abraham obeyed. Is there something you're feeling like you should cut out of your life right now? Now, these questions might lead us to start thinking about specific things in our lives to remove. Like maybe there's some bad media in my life and I need to cut it out. And that's not a bad application. But notice in the verse, Paul is specifically talking about changing our natures, the cutting away of our sinful nature. Just like the people of King Benjamin who had no disposition to do evil. In time, Christ changes our very natures. And what does that look like, an application versus just like cutting out something and then just replacing it with something that is the same thing, but different? A little bit of a thought that I have is, you're right, like sometimes we want a checklist, like I'm going to cut out these three bad things, I'm going to do these three good things, but it's not just about the actions I'm taking, it's about becoming. And so at least for me, part of the answer is to metaphorically speaking, immerse myself in Jesus Christ, to stare at him, his love, his sacrifice, to really just let it marinate my heart. And you can do that through scripture study, through the temple, through music, through movies. And you can do it in a way that's just like checklist, doing all the things. And you can also do it in a way where it's just like you're standing at awe of the beauty of Jesus. and the more I see the beauty of Christ and his life and his love and his mercy, then that changes my nature. The scripture passage that we looked at said that he is the one who's going to cut away the sinful nature. So yes, I've got to do my part and cut out certain things from my life, but ultimately this is a spiritual rebirth in Christ. Here's one last thought on this topic. Circumcision was a mark that was covered by clothing and it reminded people of their covenants. Consider a quote from Elder Carlos Acey in the Ensign. He wrote, Temple garments bear several simple marks of orientation toward the gospel principles of obedience, truth, life, and discipleship in Christ. These marks worn under our clothing, remind us of the covenants that we have made. And keeping these covenants connects us with Christ. Now, I acknowledge this is a sensitive topic. Maybe we shouldn't have spent so much time discussing it. But our next topic might be even more sensitive. It's the story of Sarah and Hagar. You remember the basic storyline. Abraham and Sarah don't have any children. By the time we get to Genesis 16, Abraham is 85, Sarah is 75. It does not look like kids will be coming naturally. So Sarah comes up with a plan. She said to Abraham, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. I pray thee, go in unto my maid, that it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. Now for us in a modern perspective, this is a terrible story. Like, what is going on? From Sarah's perspective, though, this is a valid form of surrogate motherhood. But once Hagar is expecting, tension rises. Hagar is disrespectful towards Sarah. Sarah takes offense. She starts becoming abusive. And so Hagar runs away into the wilderness. Now, let's just pause and remember, this story is more than 4,000 years old, and we only have fragments of it. So we've got to be really careful how we interpret it. We can just kind of make some tentative ideas. It's interesting that a lot of Bible commentators criticize Sarah. They say, Sarah is not exercising faith. She should have trusted in God's timing. They're thinking that by offering Hagar, you know, to be the surrogate mother, that that's a failure on Sarah's part. And maybe it was. There definitely are times where we need to stand still and let God do his work. But I also think there's a very different way we could look at Sarah. We could see her as a woman of great faith. I mean, she left her home with Abraham. She's been struggling in the promised land. The promises that she's been given haven't been fulfilled. So she says to herself, you know, you're supposed to do everything you possibly can. I'm going to take this terrible step and even offer my maid to Abraham. I can see Sarah doing this as an act of great faith. And again, we don't have all the details. For example, Doctrine and Covenants section 132 adds in an insight that's not present in the Genesis account. The Lord says, I commanded Abraham to take Hagar to wife. So with this added perspective, it seems Sarah's not interfering with God's plan. She's helping to bring it about. So I hope that we can admire Sarah's faith. That obviously doesn't justify her abusing Hagar, But none of us want to be judged by our very worst moments. But let's turn to Hagar, because as tough as Sarah's situation is, Hagar's could be much worse. We have no idea how Hagar ended up in Sarah and Abraham household but it pretty sure that she did not sign up for it She from another country She a woman She a servant It hard to think of somebody with less power than Hagar When the plan comes up to have her be a surrogate mother it's very doubtful she had any say in the matter. Hagar reminds us that sometimes we are going to be in a dark, difficult place that we didn't choose to be, and we're there through no fault of our own. When Sarah starts abusing Hagar, Hagar flees into the wilderness. Picture a pregnant woman alone, scared, exhausted. She has no power, no protection, no plan. Some of you might be thinking to yourself, wow, I wish I could just watch a movie about Hagar. Which granted, there actually is a short film about Hagar. I've linked to it on our course website and I definitely encourage you to check it out. So Hagar is on the run. She's desperate, alone in the desert, but even still, she is not too lost to be found. We read the angel of the Lord found Hagar. Now just pause for a moment. Did you know that in the Bible, the first time an angel appears to anyone is to Hagar right here? It's not to Moses. It's not to Abraham. It's to a runaway servant girl. What does that tell us about how God views the marginalized? So the angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert and said, Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going? We sometimes say that God doesn't care about where you've been. He only cares about where you're going. But this verse makes me wonder about that because the angel specifically asks, where have you been? This is the first time that anyone has called Hagar by name in the story. This is the first time we're going to hear Hagar's voice. I love how God is making a space for Hagar to tell her story. He cares about our story. And Hagar says, I'm running away from my mistress. Notice that the angel asked, where are you going? But Hagar, I don't think she knows where she's going. She says what she's leaving, but she doesn't know what she's going to. I wonder if the same thing is true for us sometimes. We're running away from something, but we don't know what we're running towards. It doesn't matter. The Lord found Hagar right where she was. And to Hagar, the Lord said, go back to your mistress and submit to her. Now, again, with modern ears, this might sound kind of disturbing. And I hope that no one gets a principle from this story. You should go back into an abusive relationship. Clearly, that is not the message for us. In context, it's very possible that in Hagar's circumstance, this is the only way that Hagar and her child will survive. And this is going to be a very special child. The Lord says, you are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael. I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count. What a promise. So Hagar returns and she gives birth to Ishmael. And as you know, Ishmael will become the father of many Arab nations and according to tradition, the father of Muhammad. So the story that we're talking about here in Genesis 16 is really foundational for the three Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Now at the end of the conversation between the Lord and Hagar, Hagar does something that no one else in the Bible has done up to this point. to this point. She names God. She says, you are the God who sees me. Think about that for a moment. You worship a God who sees you. If you've ever felt like the phone isn't ringing as much as it used to, Hagar's story is for you. And if you've ever poured years of your life into raising children, only to wonder if anyone remembers your sacrifice, Hagar's story is for you. And if you're recovering from trauma that no one should have ever had to experience, Hagar's story is especially for you because God found Hagar in the wilderness and he can find you in your wilderness. If Hagar can say, you are the God who sees me, God sees you as well. Now, it would be great to say that Hagar's story ended with a happily ever after, but remember our expectations. Even when you're on the Lord's errand, life is still going to offer many challenges. So 14 years later, Ishmael is now a young man. Sarah gives birth to Isaac. Family conflict again arises and Ishmael and Hagar are sent away. As they wander through the desert, Hagar and Ishmael run out of water. read, Hagar put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bow shot away for she thought, I cannot watch the boy die. And as she sat there, she began to sob. Ishmael was sobbing too. And we read, God heard the boy crying. God saw Hagar. He heard Ishmael. And he said, what is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid. Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. Now, maybe the well just magically appeared, but I think the well had been there all along. God opened her eyes and helped her see what she couldn't see in her moment of despair. And when we are in our moments of despair, God can open our eyes and help us see what we cannot see. Let's just pause. Any comments anyone wants to make about anything we've been talking about so far? My heart really goes out to Hagar. She was trying to do her best. She was doing what she was asked to do. And it seemed like no matter what she did, it all turned against her. And I think a lot of us can relate to that. I love that. The atonement refines us. He is the only one that can change us. If we turn to him, we can try all our might to do it ourselves. but unless we turn to him, we can't change. He refines us. He is the one that will change us. So how do you know that? How have you seen that in your own life? I thought that I would never need the atonement. Just growing up, I thought I'm never going to do anything wrong. I thought the atonement was for mistakes. And I realized I needed that refinement for hurt, anger, and all those things, healing. And that's when I had to turn to him to get that purification through my soul and heart that I needed. And that's when I realized that he is there for every experience in life. Thank you. Now, we often think of the story of Abraham and Isaac and how it's a type of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I wonder if we could do the same for Hagar in Ishmael. Hagar was a servant, despised and cast out. Jesus, too, was a suffering servant, the stone rejected by the builders. Ishmael wept in the wilderness, reminding us of Christ from the cross. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But there's a difference. God hears Ishmael's cry and provides water to save him. But when Jesus cries out, there's no rescue. What's the difference? Why? It's because Christ was taking the place of every Ishmael, every Hagar, every one of us. He said, I am thirsty so that we could drink the living waters. Christ was cast out so that we could be brought in. And that means Hagar's story is our story. The God who saw Hagar, the God who heard Ishmael, is the God who sees you. He is the same God who has promised to each and every one of us in John chapter 14, I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. He is the God who sees you. Transcription by CastingWords