Is Any Thing Too Hard for the Lord?

Come, Follow Me Interfaith Conversations | The Sacrifice of Isaac with Mark Diamond

Mark S. Diamond, Jacob Rennaker

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation Podcast (Feb. 2022)

A Jewish scholar, Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, and a Latter-day Saint scholar, Dr. Jacob Rennaker, discuss what the narrative of Abraham binding Isaac means to Jews and Latter-day Saints. Why would a compassionate God test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son? Why did Abraham not protest? The narrative demonstrates the deep, inscrutable faith of Abraham and also that God sent an angel to intervene. Both Jews and Latter-day Saints understand that devotion to God can require chastening, trial, and offering up all we have.

Luke 6:20–49, the Sermon on the Plain

S. Kent Brown

The Testimony of Luke, BYU New Testament Commentary, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (Feb. 2019)

This post provides an introduction, a new version of the Greek text, verse-by-verse commentary, and analysis of Luke 6:20–49, known as the Sermon on the Plain.

The Abrahamic Covenant

S. Michael Wilcox

Ensign 28, no. 1 (Jan. 1998)

The Abrahamic covenant actually began with Adam. Abraham was promised innumerable posterity both as literal descendants and as those who would accept the gospel. Modern revelation, namely in the Doctrine and Covenants, describes how we should do the works of Abraham today.

The Lost Commandments: The Sacred Rites of Hospitality

Peter J. Sorensen

BYU Studies 44, no. 1 (2005)

Hospitality in the ancient world included bonds of trust between host and guest; a host would vouch for a guest’s character. “We seldom pay attention to the ironic juxtaposition of the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19 and Abraham’s hospitable treatment of the three holy men in chapter 18. Part of that irony is Sodom’s failure to be hospitable to the stranger in the gates. With that irony also comes a certain logic: if hospitality is a lost commandment of God, it makes perfect sense that the most wicked city would also be the most inhospitable.”

Reexamining Lot

RoseAnn Benson

Religious Educator 14, no. 1 (2013)

Peter calls Lot “righteous, godly, and just.” The book of Abraham tells us that Abraham and Lot prayed together, and that Jehovah told Abraham to take Lot with him. Lot chose grazing lands near Sodom. The article suggests that Lot preached the gospel in Sodom and Gomorrah and may have felt compassion for those people that caused his apparent reluctance to leave. The Joseph Smith Translation helps us understand that Lot was not participating in sin.

The Lost Commandments: The Sacred Rites of Hospitality

Peter J. Sorensen

BYU Studies 44, no. 1 (2005)

Hospitality in the ancient world included bonds of trust between host and guest; a host would vouch for a guest’s character. “We seldom pay attention to the ironic juxtaposition of the destruction of Sodom in Genesis 19 and Abraham’s hospitable treatment of the three holy men in chapter 18. Part of that irony is Sodom’s failure to be hospitable to the stranger in the gates. With that irony also comes a certain logic: if hospitality is a lost commandment of God, it makes perfect sense that the most wicked city would also be the most inhospitable.”

Come, Follow Me Interfaith Conversations | The Sacrifice of Isaac with Mark Diamond

Mark S. Diamond, Jacob Rennaker

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation Podcast (Feb. 2022)

A Jewish scholar, Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, and a Latter-day Saint scholar, Dr. Jacob Rennaker, discuss what the narrative of Abraham binding Isaac means to Jews and Latter-day Saints. Why would a compassionate God test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son? Why did Abraham not protest? The narrative demonstrates the deep, inscrutable faith of Abraham and also that God sent an angel to intervene. Both Jews and Latter-day Saints understand that devotion to God can require chastening, trial, and offering up all we have.

Jesus, the Great Shepherd-King

Dana M. Pike

Celebrating Easter (2007)

John 10 teaches how the Lord’s flock consists of his covenant people.

“Behold the Lamb of God”

David Rolph Seely, Jo Ann H. Seely

“Behold the Lamb of God”: An Easter Celebration (2008)

The ultimate example of sacrifice in the Old Testament is the story of Abraham and Isaac. There is no explanation given of why God commands the sacrifice. When Abraham tells Isaac that God will provide a lamb, perhaps he is prophetically foretelling of Christ as well as reassuring Isaac that God would help them.

“Thou Knowest That I Believe”: Invoking the Spirit of the Lord as Council Witness in 1 Nephi 11

David A. Bokovoy

Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture, no. 1 (2012)

Lehi, Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah all received visions of the Lord in some form. This is often interpreted as being shown a vision of the heavenly court and the divine council. The following essay explores some of the ways in which an Israelite familiar with ancient religious experiences and scribal techniques might have interpreted this event.

Abraham

E. Douglas Clark

Encyclopedia of Mormonism (1992)

Abraham was foreordained as a prophet and received divine promises for himself and all people. This short article outlines his life and the sources about him and the covenant.

Chiasmus in the Book of Genesis

Gary A. Rendsburg

“Chiasmus: The State of the Art,” BYU Studies Quarterly 59, supplement (2020)

Genesis 25–35 is studied as the Jacob cycle. Gary Rendsburg identifies the chiastic structure of this narrative and points out themes. The focal point of the Jacob cycle is Genesis 30:22–25, in which Rachel gives birth and Jacob decides to return to Canaan. This article points out many details that show how these events are part of the major themes of the Bible: the covenant with God, the land of Canaan, and the people of Israel.

Come, Follow Me Interfaith Conversations | The Sacrifice of Isaac with Mark Diamond

Mark S. Diamond, Jacob Rennaker

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation Podcast (Feb. 2022)

A Jewish scholar, Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, and a Latter-day Saint scholar, Dr. Jacob Rennaker, discuss what the narrative of Abraham binding Isaac means to Jews and Latter-day Saints. Why would a compassionate God test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son? Why did Abraham not protest? The narrative demonstrates the deep, inscrutable faith of Abraham and also that God sent an angel to intervene. Both Jews and Latter-day Saints understand that devotion to God can require chastening, trial, and offering up all we have.

Jesus, the Great Shepherd-King

Dana M. Pike

Celebrating Easter (2007)

John 10 teaches how the Lord’s flock consists of his covenant people.

Learning to Sit with Sacred Discomfort: Reflections on Genesis 22

Katharina Paxman

Old Testament Reflections (2026)

What do we do when scripture makes us uncomfortable? In this reflection on Genesis 18–23, Katie Paxman considers the story of Abraham and Isaac through the lens of empathy, friendship with God, and the courage to feel. Rather than rushing toward tidy theological explanations, she invites readers to linger in sacred discomfort—and discover how God may be teaching us through it.

The Path of Angels: A Biblical Pattern for the Role of Angels in Physical Salvation

Taylor Halverson

The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (2009)

In Exodus 14, the angel of God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians by causing a cloud of darkness for the Egyptians and a light for the Israelites. This event may be the foundational event of Israelite identity: the Israelites are physically tested to their limit and saved while the Egyptians drown; they must trust Moses and God.

Worship: Bowing Down and Serving the Lord

Jennifer C. Lane

Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, Sidney B. Sperry Symposium 48 (2013)

We can study worship in Old Testament vocabulary and usage, and examine what this suggests about worship in our day. Both the vocabulary and temple context of worship in the Old Testament give us a vision of worship as the embodiment of a true relationship of submission to God.