Fire and Ice (Water)

Many say the world will end in either fire or ice. However in the story of Moses, the Israelites are saved by both Fire and Water.

 

The Lord sends and angel that literally appeared to Moses and the Israelites as a pillar of FIRE that allowed them to escape the pursuing Egyptians. They then came upon the Red Sea and the Lord permitted Moses to part the waters. As they left the water closed behind them blocking the Egyptians from following them. 

In Exodus 14: 19-20 it says, "19:And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. 20: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these; so that the one came not near the other all the night." In the foot note for verse 20 it says, "it was a cloud and darkness to the Egyptians, but it gave light by night to the Israelites."

Then in Exodus 14: 21-22 it says, "21:And Moses streched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22: And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left."

Later in verse 26 it says, " And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen."

So after the Israelites had been saved by a pillar of FIRE the night before, they are saved by the WATER of the sea.

In 1 Corinthians 10:1 it says, " Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea"

In this passage it discusses the pillar of fire and the water of the sea. It shows how fire and water saved the Israelites.

The Abrahamic Covenant

I am currently studying the Old Testament this semester and the topic of the Abrahamic Covenant came up in our studies for this week.

Many of you may know that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, nicknamed The Mormons. I have a strong testimony in the Gospel and in our Savior and elder brother Jesus Christ.

I received my Patriarchal Blessing in 2009 (at the time I was 14 years old). There is a section in the very first paragraph that I would like to share with you now,

"Sister Fromm, the Abrahamic Covenant is a great blessing, and as you study it, and come to understand the promises made in this covenant, you will realize the great blessing this covenant will be in your life."

Only recently have I realized how amazing these words are to me. At fourteen I don't think I even knew what the Abrahamic Covenant was. As I have grown and gained more knowledge and understanding of the gospel, I have learned just how amazing this covenant is.

There are several blessing promised to Abraham:

(https://www.lds.org/manual/the-pearl-of-great-price-student-manual/the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng)

Here we see the scriptures from the Pearl of Great Price with discuss the promises. In the Old Testament we find the promises in Genesis 17. The chapter heading states,

"Abram is commanded to be perfect—He will be a father of many nations—His name is changed to Abraham—The Lord covenants to be a God unto Abraham and his seed forever—Also, the Lord gives Abraham the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession—Circumcision becomes a token of the everlasting covenant between God and Abraham—Sarai’s name is changed to Sarah—She will bear Isaac, with whom the Lord will establish His covenant—Abraham and the men of his house are circumcised."

Here we see a brief summary of the Abrahamic Covenant. We learn that Abram's name is changed to Abraham, as his wife's name Sarai is changed to Sarah. We learn that they will bear Issac, their son, and some of the blessings and promises are revealed.

Abraham is promised to be the Father of many Nations. His name is changed. He is told that God will make him exceedingly fruitful and that kings shall come from his lineage. He is, in fact, from the House of David. The same house the Christ is from. Abraham's seed will receive the Promised Land. After this God commands that all the male descendants shall be circumcised when they are 8 days old. This is to show that they are faithful to God's commandment.

The next blessing or promise that Abraham receives is the news that he and Sarah will bear a son. Abraham is 90 years old when he is receiving this revelation. You can imagine how shocking this information would have been, especially after years and years of Abraham and Sarah not being able to have children.

In Genesis 17:19 it says,

"And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him."

Later in Genesis, we read the story of God commanding Abraham to sacrifice Issac. This is a huge part of the Covenant.

Abraham and Sarah were promised a son, a much wanted son. And only a few short years of having him, Abraham is commanded to sacrifice this most beloved son. Abraham trusted the Lord, and knew that the Lord knew what he was doing. Issac also trusted the Lord as well as Abraham, his earthly father.

We know that the Lord will never make a covenant that he won't fulfill. And that he won't present us with a trial that we cannot overcome. We have to remember that the Lord knows what he is doing. He does things in His own time, not ours. That is why we need to put our trust and faith in the Lord and rely on Him for strength.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained:

“Abraham stands in the same position as Noah for all who have lived since his day, as far as eternal blessings are concerned. Even those who are not his literal seed shall receive their eternal blessings through him and the covenant God made with him. The Lord made repeated promises to Abraham that he would become a great nation and also that in him should ‘all families of the earth be blessed.’ (Genesis 12:2–3.)

After we join the church we are adopted into Abraham's line. We then can receive all these blessings if we are obedient and faithful.

To close I will quote from The Pearl of Great Price Institute Manual,

“What, then, is the Abrahamic covenant? It is that Abraham and his seed (including those adopted into his family) shall have all of the blessings of the gospel, of the priesthood, and of eternal life. The gate to eternal life is celestial marriage, which holy order of matrimony enables the family unit to continue in eternity, so that the participating parties may have posterity as numerous as the sands upon the seashore or the stars in heaven. The Abrahamic covenant enables men to create for themselves eternal family units that are patterned after the family of God our Heavenly Father. A lesser part of the covenant is that the seed of Abraham have the Millennial destiny of inheriting as an everlasting possession the very land of Canaan whereon the feet of the righteous have trod in days gone by” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 503–5; see also “The Abrahamic Covenant,” pp. 93–98 of this manual)."

As I study and prepare to take my Endowments out (possibly this coming winter) I am even more grateful for the power and blessings that the Abrahamic Covenant has and can bestow upon us.

-Sydney

To learn more about my faith you can visit www.mormon.org