D&C 132 and the Blessings of Abraham

Much of the revelation on eternal marriage, D&C 132, centers around Abraham.  In fact, the name Abraham is specifically mentioned 20 times in the 66 verses.  The revelation begins by echoing Joseph’s question about how the Lord justified Abraham and the other early prophets in “having many wives and concubines” (v1).  The Lord gave part of His answer to this as He reviewed some of the details of Abraham’s life: “God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law….  Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it” (v34-35).  The Lord also discussed Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac: “Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac; nevertheless, it was written: Thou shalt not kill. Abraham, however, did not refuse, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness” (v36).  The Lord wanted Joseph to know that though it may be hard for us to understand parts of Abraham’s life, Abraham was obedient to the law of the Lord and has been greatly blessed because of it.  He, along with Isaac and Jacob, “did none other things than that which they were commanded” and because of that “have entered into their exaltation” (v37).  Abraham’s blessings have indeed been great; we learn from this revelation that Abraham sits on a throne, is a god, and his seed shall “continue as innumerable as the stars” (v30).

               That promise for us in D&C 132 is that if we can live like Abraham—meaning to have the kind of obedience he had—we will have the blessings of Abraham.  The Lord said straightforwardly, “Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved” (v32).  We generally understand the blessings of Abraham to be what has been described as the “3 P’s”, meaning Priesthood, posterity, and property, and I think we see all three types of those blessings promised to the faithful in this section.  The Lord reminded Joseph that he had been given the power of the Priesthood: “For I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things” (v45).  Joseph was told that it was by “the power of my Holy Priesthood” that man and wife could be sealed together.  The Lord emphasized that it was by the “power and keys of this priesthood” that a man and wife could be sealed and “come forth in the first resurrection” (v19).  The priesthood powers have been given in our generation, and because of that the blessings of the priesthood that Abraham had can be ours.  The Abrahamic promise of posterity was also emphasized by the Lord in this section, and He was clear that this same blessing can be given to us.  After describing Abraham’s innumerable seed, He said, “This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself” (v31).  Because of the sealing power we too can be exalted and have the promise of eternal increase.  The Abrahamic promise of property was, during his life, the promise of having the land of Canaan for himself and his seed.  In this revelation, though, the Lord alluded to the eternal property he already has; the fact that Abraham sits upon a throne as a god clearly suggests that he has divine property that he rules over (v37).  We too can receive of this blessing of “property” that Abraham has been promised; the Lord spoke of “eternal worlds” as well as “thrones, kingdoms, principalities”—all suggested some kind of eternal property that will be awarded to the faithful (v19, 55). 

               This section teaches that all of the blessings promised to Abraham can likewise be ours through the new and everlasting covenant.  I surely don’t understand the full extent of how the Lord intends to bless those who make and keep covenants with Him, but clearly the promises are incredible for those who seek to live with the obedience of Abraham.