January 9, 2026

This scripture in Abraham 2 stood out to me today.

17 Now I, Abraham, built an altar in the land of Jershon, and made an offering unto the Lord, and prayed that the famine might be turned away from my father’s house, that they might not perish.

Abraham's Father had delivered him to the priest of Elkenah to be a human sacrifice. If we visualize the epidome of a bad father, this might be even worse. Yet Abraham prays for him and his house. The more I ponder and learn about Abraham as a person earnestly seeking righteousness, the more I understand why Jehovah chose him.

Throughout Abraham's life, God helps him intimately understand His and His Only Begotten's role. From being asked to sacrifice his own son and get a glimpse of how Heavenly Father might feel about His son's sacrifice, to being the sacrifice at his father's hands, and then to still praying on behalf of his father, a symbol of forgiveness just as our Savior forgave on the cross. It makes sense why Abraham was chosen as the father of God's covenant. Who else could understand Christ the way he did and therefore bring should to Him?