The Savior Said: A Come Follow Me Podcast

Portrait of Rebekah

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 13:38:00 -0800

I love Rebekah. I love her diligence and her closeness to the Lord. I love that when she had a problem, she knew exactly where to go- to the Lord. Her story is fairly simple. There's not a lot of extra historical text to add in, so I didn't feel like I had quite enough information for an episode. I did want to create a portrait of her though, so here it is! I'll be back next month with an episode about Rachel and Leah (and maybe I'll squeeze a little Rebekah in too). If you want some fun reading while you're waiting, check out the book Rebekah by Orson Scott Card!

Click here to download to download a PDF of the artwork.

Art may be used for non-commercial personal and educational purposes. If shared, please attribute Lexie Austin/The Savior Said as author.

S3 E3: Portraits of the Old Testament, Hagar

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sun, 6 Feb 2022 12:46:00 -0800

Click here to download a PDF of the artwork

Art may be used for non-commercial personal and educational purposes. If shared, please attribute Lexie Austin/The Savior Said as author.

This episode is dedicated to our dog who passed away this week, Captain Kirk.

Now, on to Hagar:

Content warning- discussion of rape and consent

Reminder to check judgements at the door- reminder that there’s not a good girl/bad girl dichotomy

HAGAR

Hagar’s story really bothered me this time.

Some of the titles of texts about Hagar: Biblical Battle of the Wombs, the Rape of Hagar,

Also, IT’S NOT FAIR!

Who was Hagar? -

1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an aEgyptian, whose name was bHagar.

Egyptian born, may have been raised in Sarai and Abram’s household or might have come back with them from Egypt.

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my amaid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

It’s the whole “took Hagar her maid and gave her to Abram to be his wife”

Did Hagar have a choice or voice in this? At first I judged the whole situation very harshly because of personal prejudice.

Genesis 16:4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Imagine your mistress “gave” you to a man and had you no choice. Would you despise your mistress?

Yeah, I would despise her too.

6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her aas it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

Sarah deals hardly with her. Rabbinical tradition says she made her do lots of heavy lifting and hard labor while pregnant and even hit her.

But the Lord was mindful of her:

7 ¶ And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to aShur.

It is likely Hagar was trying to return to Egypt. She was at a fountain in the desert, probably stopped there afraid to go further without water.

This is the first appearance of the Angel of the LORD in the Bible. He didn’t first appear to Noah or Enoch or Abram. The Angel of the LORD first appeared to a single mother-to-be who had a pride problem and was mistreated by the woman who put her into the whole mess.

8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go?

Hagar’s perspective: I came from an awful place and I have nowhere to go.

God’s perspective: You’ve been through some difficult unfair things, but I have a plan for you.

And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

9 And the aangel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and bsubmit thyself under her hands.

I have a REALLY hard time with this. But sometimes the Lord asks us to do things that are not easy or not even fair, but will turn out the best in the end. Hagar and Ishmael needed to survive and they couldn’t do that in the desert.

Also, remember the Lord wasn’t just with her in the desert. He was with her THE WHOLE TIME. With whatever happened.

10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy aseed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

Similar promise to the one Sarah and Abraham are given.

Who are the descendents of Hagar? Ishmael became the ancestor of the Arab people, just as his later half-brother Isaac would become the ancestor of the Jewish people.

11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name aIshmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

The name Ishmael means God will hear.

Given the knowledge that the Lord hears her prayers. He has heard her VOICE.

12 And he will be a awild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

13 And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

If God could see her out in the desert, He was with her before and He will be with her when she returned to Sarah and Abraham.

14 Wherefore the awell was called bBeer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

Beer-lahai-roi, “The well of Him who liveth and seeth me”

AND He is giving her a CHOICE. He’s not forcing her to return.

ComeUntoChrist.org’s daily verse: “Is it possible to be happy when life is hard? To feel peace amid uncertainty and hope in the midst of cynicism? Is it possible to change, to shake off old habits and become new again? … Yes. The answer is yes because of Jesus Christ, whose Atonement ensures that we need not bear the burdens of mortality alone.”

—Sister Sheri L. Dew

Alma 31:

31 O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul ain Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these bafflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people.

Alma 33:
Words of Zenos

4 For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was ain the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine benemies, and thou didst turn them to me.

8 Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou awilt hear them.

.

11 And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my asincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine bafflictions, for in thee is my joy;

___

15 ¶ And Hagar abare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, bIshmael.

The fact that Abram called his son’s name Ishmael means that Hagar told him the story and he believed her.

16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

God see us. AND He always gives us a choice and a voice.

Sending Hagar and Ishmael Away

Fast forward to Genesis 21: 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

This is a traditional ceremonial event that is still celebrated in some parts of the Middle East today. Because of the high infant mortality rate, it was a cause for celebration when a child survived to be weaned. This usually happens around 3 years of age, which seems old to us- but it's possible children nursed for that long to keep them safe from disease which would kill an infant.

They’re ready to party and then Sarah sees Ishmael making fun of Isaac.

Genesis 21:9 ¶ And Sarah saw the son of aHagar the Egyptian, which she had bborn unto Abraham, cmocking.

Isaac is 3, Ishmael is likely 16/17

Paul says in Galatians 4 that Ishmael “persecuted” Isaac.

Josephus claimed that Sarah loved Ishmael with an affection not inferior to that of her own son until she feared that due to the significant difference in the two boy’s ages, Ishmael should “do Isaac injuries when their father should be dead”.

Sarah wants them cast out. Abraham doesn’t like it, but God agrees.

10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, aCast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be bheir with my son, even with Isaac.

11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his ason.

12 ¶ And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in aIsaac shall thy bseed be called.

What were Sarah’s options for Hagar? CFO- Ancient law suggested three different options were available to a chief wife who saw cause to reprimand her servant who was elevated to concubine status. She could free the concubine and send her away, brand her a slave and return her to servitude, or punish her. Sarah chose the first and most generous option. Hagar was likely given a legal document verifying her emancipation status.

Hagar is cast out:

14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and asent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of bBeer-sheba.

15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the aangel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

She was weeping, but God was answering the cries of the boy. God hears the prayers of our children as well as our own.

18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great anation.

19 And God aopened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an aarcher.

21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a awife out of the land of bEgypt.

We see that Hagar retained her freed status and even had some sort of power as she was able to find a wife for Ishmael from her home country.

Maybe the Lord’s happy ever after isn’t our ideal, but it is still ideal

CFO- One possible meaning for Hagar’s name is “flight”, reflecting in her desire to run away from problems. But God allowed her to turn around and receive His power that enabled endless “flight” to the highest heavens. As her blessing indicates, Hagar’s inheritance included the covenant’s promise of eternal life. Though an outsider to Abraham’s community, Hagar was not outside the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

______

Art, process of making the two paintings

S3 E2: Portraits of the Old Testament, Sarah

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 08:57:00 -0800

Click here to download a PDF of the artwork.

Art may be used for non-commercial personal and educational purposes. If shared, please attribute Lexie Austin/The Savior Said as author.

Notes for Sarah:

People are neither completely good nor bad- it is tempting to paint them as one or the other in this story. We are complex and their story is just as complex.

Literature- the good girl/bad girl dichotomy.

Check your judgements at the door- I had a HARD time with this!

How the Bible introduces Sarah and Abraham:

Genesis 11: 27 ¶ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the aChaldees.

29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was aSarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, bMilcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

Is Iscah another name for Sarai? Possibly…

Wikipedia: The difficult genealogy of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 11:29 led to confusion as to the identity of Iscah. The resolution found in the Talmud, and other rabbinic sources is that Sarah was Iscah, and that Iscah was a seer. This meaning is derived from the Aramaic root of Iscah, which denotes seeing. This led to the tradition that Sarah was a prophetess as great or greater than Abraham. The implication is that Iscah is a kind of alter ego for Sarah, and that when she turned to her prophetic side, she became Iscah.

I like this idea, because it tells us Sarai had a talent as a seer, which could explain why she was so attractive to Pharaoh and Abimelech (beyond her physical beauty).

The name "Jessica" comes from a character in Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice, the daughter of Shylock. Iscah was supposedly rendered "Jeska" in some English Bibles available in Shakespeare's day,

Here’s how Sarah is introduced: Sarai was infertile.

30 But Sarai was abarren; she had no child.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the aChaldees, to go into the land of bCanaan; and they came unto cHaran, and dwelt there.

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Why does God include so many stories of infertility in the OT? It’s a great metaphor for waiting on the Lord. What a reminder it would be to the children of Israel in the coming years!

Let’s begin Sarah and Abraham's story.

They start their story in Haran which today would be northwestern Syria today. Abraham’s father Terah began worshiping idols.

Abraham 2:15 And I took Sarai, whom I took to wife when I was in Ur, in Chaldea, and Lot, my brother’s son, and all our substance that we had gathered, and the souls that we had awon in Haran, and came forth in the way to the land of Canaan, and dwelt in tents as we came on our way;

Who were the souls they had won?

CFO- “A Midrash, or rabbinic tradition or legend, speaks of Abram devoting himself for two years in turning the hearts of men to God and His teachings, suggesting a scenario for how they may have won many souls in Haran. Sarai was equally involved in this missionary endeavor according the Jewish tradition. “While Abram exhorted the men and sought to convert them,” the Midrash Reads, “Sarai addressed herself to the women. She was a helpmeet worthy of Abraham. Indeed in prophetic powers she ranked higher than her husband. She was sometimes called Iscah, the seer on that account.”

Then the famine comes and they go to Egypt.

Why Egypt? This is during the Middle Kingdom period of time in Egypt- a time of enlightenment and prosperity. Pharaohs ruled for longer periods of time, which led to a period of peace. Egypt was very welcoming to foreigners, wanting to show them their “superior society” and even had a specific area for them to reside, which was int he underdeveloped area of Goshen, near th eastern delta of the Nile.

This is when the sister stuff begins.

Genesis 12: 11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he asaid unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:

12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.

13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my asister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.

BUT, the book of Abraham tells us the LORD told Abraham to tell Sarai to tell people she was his sister:

Abraham 2:22 And it came to pass when I was come near to enter into Egypt, the Lord asaid unto me: Behold, Sarai, thy wife, is a very fair woman to look upon;

23 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see her, they will say—She is his wife; and they will kill you, but they will save her alive; therefore see that ye do on this wise:

24 Let her say unto the Egyptians, she is thy sister, and thy soul shall live.

25 And it came to pass that I, Abraham, told Sarai, my wife, all that the Lord had said unto me—Therefore say unto them, I pray thee, thou art my asister, that it may be well with me for thy sake, and my soul shall live because of thee.

Interesting that Abram does not tell Sarai to tell people she is his sister, he asks her. “I pray thee” Modern translations say “Please tell them..” This allowed her to make her own decision

Why did Pharoh want Sarai? She was 65 years old when they came to Egypt.

Genesis 12: 14 ¶ And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians abeheld the woman that she was very fair.

15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.

Was she so beautiful, it created a “Babe Alert” when she walked into the city???

Possible reasons:

Different or fairer complexion than the Egyptians and Canaanites.

Wealth and position

Talent as a seer

Cementing friendship between two nations

As a “sister” of Abram, she represented a guarantee that she would bear a pious and favored posterity.

Noticed Abram’s unusual power and glory and sought to access it through Sarai.

Because she was very beautiful

This puts Sarai into a very scary position. What anger was Sarai facing? We saw in Abraham 1, the daughters of Onitah were sacrificed on an altar for refusing to worship the gods of the Egyptians. Sarai likely knew this story well because Abram saw this account first hand and was rescued by the Lord.

Only the Lord could deliver her and HE DOES. Great plagues fell on Pharaoh's house.

Genesis 12: 17 And the Lord aplagued Pharaoh and his house with great bplagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.

18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast adone unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?

19 Why saidst thou, She is my asister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.

20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

They return to Canaan from Egypt, blessed and wealthy, with a maid named Hagar.

Genesis 16: 1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an aEgyptian, whose name was bHagar.

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my amaid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.

Did Sarah “give” her maid to Abraham? Or did the Lord command Sarah to do so?

D&C 132:34 God acommanded Abraham, and Sarah gave bHagar to Abraham to wife.

See the Hagar episode for more info about Hagar.

Genesis 16: 4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Why was did Sarah and Hagar have beef? A couple of reasons, more in the Hagar episode but here’s one:

Babylonian Law, the Code of Hammurabi said “If a man takes a wife and she gives this man a maid-servant as wife and she bears him children, then this maid assumes equality with the wife.”

Just because the Lord commanded something, doesn’t make it easy and doesn’t mean there’s not emotional fall out. There’s jealousy, and obviously because Abram was able to conceive with Hagar, the problem is Sarai. So guilt and envy are strong here- reminds me of the Bachelor.

Genesis 16:5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was adespised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.

6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her aas it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

The Covenant of Abraham:

Genesis 17: 1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord aappeared to bAbram, and said unto him, I am the cAlmighty God; dwalk before me, and be thou eperfect.

2 And I will make my acovenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.

3 aAnd Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,

4 As for me, behold, my acovenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a bfather of many cnations.

5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be aAbraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.

6 And I will make thee exceeding afruitful, and I will make bnations of thee, and ckings shall come out of thee.

7 aAnd I will establish my bcovenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an ceverlasting covenant, to be a dGod unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8 And I will agive unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the bland wherein thou art a cstranger, all the dland of eCanaan, for an everlasting fpossession; and I will be their gGod.

What does the Abrahamic Covenant promise to us? From ChurchofJesusChrist.org:
Abraham made covenants with God when he received the gospel, when he was ordained a high priest, and when he entered into celestial marriage. In these covenants, God promised great blessings to Abraham and his family. These blessings, which extend to all of Abraham’s seed, are called the Abrahamic covenant.

Among the promises made to Abraham were the following:

His posterity would be numerous (see Genesis 17:5–6; Abraham 2:9; 3:14).

His seed, or descendants, would receive the gospel and bear the priesthood (see Abraham 2:9).

Through the ministry of his seed, “all the families of the earth [would] be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11).

A person can receive all the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant—even if he or she is not a literal descendant of Abraham—by obeying the laws and ordinances of the gospel.

Sarai was included in this covenant.

Genesis 17:15 ¶ And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but aSarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, and agive thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a bmother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.

17 aThen Abraham fell upon his face, and blaughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an chundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

21 But my acovenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set btime in the next year.

Three holy men visit, representatives of the Lord

Gensis 18: 1 And the Lord aappeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three amen stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bbowed himself toward the ground,

3 And said, My aLord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and awash your feet, and brest yourselves under the tree:

5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and acomfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye bcome to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.

6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.

8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

In more modern versions of the Bible, 8 is translated as “yogurt and milk and roast meat”.

What did they actually eat?

CFO records the meals of the Bedouin tribes which would have been similar: “They had dug two broad, shallow pits in the ground, in which they had made fires of wood and thorns. In one a lamb was being baked whole, and over the other a caldron of rice was boiling.”

A brisk wood-fire was kindled in the open air, on a small circular hearth, formed of smooth round pebbles, spread evenly and close together. When this primitive hearth was sufficiently heated, the embers were carefully removed, and well-kneaded paste, flattened out by the hand, was thrown on to the hot stones, and quickly covered with the burning ashes. In this way several large cakes of unleavened bread were soon made ready.

Wooden bowls of cream and milk were brought, and the flat cakes of bread were served quite hot. They were about half an inch in thickness, and had received the impression of the pebbles of which the hearth was composed. This most likely was the same sort of bread which Sarah of old made for the strangers, in obedience to Abraham 's desire, when he said, "Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth."

The full Bedouin dinner consisted of lamb served on a large metal tray, mountains of rice, yellow with butter; wooden bowls filled with sweet clotted cream, new milk or a yogurt like substance, and flat cakes of bread served hot.”

Reminds me of greek gyros with tzatziki sauce!

The men “tell” Abraham and Sarah she will have a son:

9 ¶ And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.

10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, aSarah thy wife shall have a bson. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were aold and well stricken in age; and it bceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.

12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being aold also?

13 And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah alaugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am bold?

14 Is any thing too ahard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the btime of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.

God of the last minute

CFO- Anyone who has long sought fulfillment of a righteous desire, daily praying and at times pleading with God to grant a miracle, can relate to Sarah’s waiting a lifetime for a child. The most feasible time to be granted the promised desire passes and no scenario that even approximates the dream can be imagined. Then, at the least probable time, when every circumstance underscores the fulfillment is impossible, the Spirit whispers that God has kept His promise and will now bestow the blessing. The first emotion is typically a combination of fear and doubt. Nothing in our rational world can explain it. Then the boundless joy sets in, with the realization that the promised blessing is all the sweeter for the wait and much grander even than reimagined. God may not answer when we claim we need Him, but He is always on time.

MEANWHILE, Abimelech kidnaps Sarah!
Genesis 12: 1 And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and aShur, and sojourned in bGerar.

(Why were they there? Likely another famine situation. Isaac and Rebekah go there later during a famine)

2 And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and aAbimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.

3 But aGod came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife.

4 But Abimelech had not come near her: and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also aa righteous nation?

5 Said he not unto me, She is my asister? and she, even she herself said, He is my bbrother: in the cintegrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

6 And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

7 Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall apray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

8 Therefore Abimelech rose early in the morning, and called all his servants, and told all these things in their ears: and the men were sore afraid.

Abraham restores Abimelech, Sarah’s reputation is intact, and Sarah and Abraham are gifted with wealth and given a place to live:

14 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife.

15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my aland is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee.

16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy abrother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.

17 ¶ So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.

18 For the Lord had fast aclosed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham’s wife.

Sarah has Isaac

Favorite scripture in this whole story:
Genesis 21:1 And the Lord avisited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto bSarah as he had spoken.

–

2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a ason in his bold age, at the set ctime of which God had spoken to him.

3 And Abraham called the name of his ason that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac

CFO- Hebrew root word of Isaac meaning laugh/laughter, but reflects a harmony of emotions including smile, jest, sport, and play. JST says it means “rejoice”.

The Sacrifice of Isaac

Gensis 22: 2 And he said, aTake now thy son, thine bonly son Isaac, whom thou clovest, and get thee into the land of dMoriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Did this include Sarah? Has there EVER been a spot in this entire story when Sarah was NOT included? I suspect she absolutely knew.

Spencer W. Kimball- “Father Abraham and Mother Sarah knew- knew the promise would be fulfilled. How? They did not know and did not demand to know. Isaac positively would live to be the father of numerous posterity. They knew he would, even though he might need to die.They knew he could still be raised from the dead to fulfill the promise, and faith here preceded the miracle”.

Sarah’s Death:

Only women in scripture whose age at death is recorded.

Gensis 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.

Some traditions state that Sarah died while Abraham and Isaac were at Mount Moriah, or shortly after their return.

Sarah was buried in the cave of Machpelah, which would become the closest thing Abraham’s family could claim as a homeland. Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Jacob were also buried there.

Shortly before the birth of Christ, Herod the Great enclosed the traditional site of the cove of Machpelah with a large building that still stands today.

What do we learn from Abraham and Sarah?

Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too ahard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the btime of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

—

About Abraham, but could apply to Sarah as well.

Romans 4:16 aTherefore it is of faith, that it might be by bgrace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the cfaith of Abraham; who is the dfather of us all,

17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who aquickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

18 Who against hope believed in ahope, that he might become the father of many bnations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy cseed be.

19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years aold, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:

20 He astaggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had apromised, he was able also to perform.

NLT Romans 4: 16…Abraham is the father of all who believe. 17 That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”[d] This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

18 Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”[e] 19 And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.

S3:E1 Portraits of the Old Testament- Eve

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 04:00:00 -0800

Click here to download a free PDF of this portrait.
Art may be used for non-commercial personal and educational purposes. If shared, please attribute Lexie Austin/The Savior Said as author.

References for this episode include:

Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson

Lessons from Eve by Russell M Nelson

Show notes:

Introduction to me and why

Introduction to format

Introduction to sources

- Old Testament, scriptures in general including LDS scriptures

- Women of the Old Testament by Camille Fronk Olson (CFO)

- Leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

- Greek Septuagint

- Hebrew Midrash

- Others like the Quran, Nag Hammadi, early Christian texts, Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.

-EVE-

Eve is important to contemplate because the way we look at Eve many times impacts and influences the way we view women and the woman’s place in the home and church.

CFO- For example, if we scorn mother Eve as the cause of the world’s woes and the loss of paradise for humankind, we are apt to see women as weak, incapable, overly emotional, reactive, vulnerable, and less intelligent than men. If however, we consider Eve's decision in the Garden of Eden as courageous and faith-driven and the results of that decision to be conducive to God’s plan, we are more likely to recognize intelligents, strength, rational thinking, and great ability in women in general.

___

Eve was created in the image of God:

Moses 6:8-9

8 …In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

9 In the aimage of his own bbody, male and female, ccreated he them, and blessed them, and called their dname Adam, in the day when they were created and became living esouls in the land upon the ffootstool of God.

Adam AND Eve were given dominion over all the earth:

Genesis 1: 26, 28
26 ¶ And God said, Let aus bmake cman in our dimage, after our elikeness: and let them have fdominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be afruitful, and bmultiply, and creplenish the dearth, and subdue it: and have edominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Important to note- NO WHERE in scriptures is man given dominion over woman.

In fact, in 1 Corinthians 1:11, “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord”.

Eve’s name:

In Hebrew, Eve means “Life Giver”.

We can see the equality between man and woman in the name the Lord gives to Eve. He calls her a “help meet” for Adam.

Let’s break it down, first the word “help''.

CFO, The first word ezer, translated (from Hebrew) “help” implies not a subordinate but rather someone who has the strength to do what another cannot do for himself. Hebrew scholar Donald W. Parry argued that the women’s unique strength, or “help” is as a ``life giver” or a “life force”. Therefore, Eve was blessed with tremendous power and strength to provide Adam with a life-giving power that typifies God’s help.”

Same word Ezer is used multiple times in the Bible (see Ezra’s name) and frequently appears in reference to God.

Psalm 70:5 - 5 But I am poor and needy: make ahaste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O Lord, make no tarrying.

Deuteronomy 33: 26- 26 ¶ There is none like unto the God of aJeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his bexcellency on the sky.

CFO- “The second word, kenegdo, translated “meet” is a compound of three common words that collectively appear in this form only in the Eden account. The root word within this compound is the middle word, kgd, which means “to be conspicuous”, or “to be apparent”. THe word is used the noun form only in these two verses, allowing for such suggested meaning as “in front of, opposite, or counterpart”. In Jewish Midrashim, the word means, “equal” as the saying, “The study of the Torah is equal to all other commandments' '. The collective meaning of the term suggests that Eve was an appropriate and worthy partner for Adam.

Eve was created from Adam’s rib, not his foot or his head.

—

Okay, let’s jump into the story.

Who is the tempter? Genesis gives us no background other than: “1 Now the aserpent was more bsubtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.”

But Moses from the POGP, Moses 4: 3 Wherefore, because that aSatan brebelled against me, and sought to destroy the cagency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be dcast down;

4 And he became aSatan, yea, even the bdevil, the father of all clies, to ddeceive and to blind men, and to lead them ecaptive at his will, even as many as would not fhearken unto my voice.

5 And now the serpent was more asubtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made.

6 And aSatan put it into the heart of the serpent, and he sought also to cbeguile Eve, for he dknew not the emind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world.

Satan “knew not the mind of God”. He didn’t understand God’s plan and assumed A&E were to stay in the Garden forever. What happens when we do not understand God? Do we make mistakes too? This shows importance of studying God’s word and understanding His meaning.

Satan implies that we should partake in every experience and God holds us back.

Genesis 3:1, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

Then implies that God is a liar, Genesis 3:4 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, aYe shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your aeyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, bknowing good and cevil.

Did God lie? NO. They didn’t immediately experience physical death after eating from the tree. However, they were cast out of God’s presence in a spiritual death and then after taking on an aging physical body, they would die.

How long did this conversation go on before Eve ate from the fruit? In scripture, it happens almost automatically. But it could have taken weeks, months, or even years of Satan cajoling, and Eve contemplating. Why did Eve decide to eat of the fruit? I have a theory…

Moses 4:12 implies that she at least thought about it, “12 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be adesired to make her wise she took of the bfruit thereof, and did ceat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat.”

Time out- so why was this whole tree thing set up like this? We don’t know, but I have a theory….

CFO- “By placing the tree of knowledge in the center of the Garden with the warning, “thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee,” God created an environment in which Adam and Eve were free to discover the only way they and their posterity could access the power of Christ’s Atonement and thereby reach their divine potential.”

It’s important to note that nowhere in scripture did God punish or require them to repent after eating from the tree. Even God himself refers to it not as a sin, but a transgression. In Moses 6:53, he says Behold I have aforgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden.

In fact, when God does start handing out curses in Eden, none of them apply to Eve and Adam. He curses two things- the serpent and the ground. The scriptures tell us in Genesis 3: bcursed is the ground for thy sake

CFO- In contrast to His cursing the ground and the serpent, God strengthened and empowered Adam and Eve. Because of their transgression in the Garden, Eve and Adam received from God opportunities for growth, not punishments. God bestowed a natural aversion of “enmity” between Satan and the woman and between Satan and “her seed”.

One of the things God says about the serpent in Genesis 3 is 15 And I will put aenmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; bit shall cbruise thy head, and thou shalt dbruise his heel.

Okay, keep that in mind when we fast forward to the Gospel of Luke. Christ is in Nazarith and He announces His divinity by saying,

Luke 4: 18 The aSpirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath banointed me to cpreach the dgospel to the epoor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to fpreach gdeliverance to the hcaptives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at iliberty them that are bruised

Christ truly heals us from sin and sets us free from Satan’s grasp.

—

Okay, so Eve and Adam took a big ol bite. They started to understand truths.

They were nakey!

Genesis 3: 7 And the eyes of them both were aopened, and they knew that they were bnaked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves caprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God awalking in the garden bin the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

I think we almost always think of this as literal nakedness. But think of their spiritual nakedness as well.

CFO- Nakedness suggests being unclothed, unprotected, ashamed, and ill-equipped to succeed…Only after eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge could they acknowledge their need for a covering. In truth, Christ’s perfect love is the only complete covering. The Hebrew word for Atonement literally means to cover or covering. The imagery evoked of the Savior’s sacrifice being symbolized by a covering indicates what could have been the first blessing of the Fall: awareness of the absolute need for a Redeemer.

They were naked so they tried to come up with their own solution: fig leaves. However this was inadequate. Many times we make mistakes or fall short of God’s expectations for us and we try to cover it up ourselves. We are inadequate to cover our own sins, only the Atonement of Jesus Christ can do that.

Much like this, God provided a much more effective covering for Eve and Adam, animal skins. These required the first sacrifice of life and reminds us of the sacrifice Christ made to truly cover us.

—

Let’s talk about Gensis 3:16 16 Unto the awoman he said, I will greatly bmultiply thy csorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth dchildren; and thy desire shall be to thy ehusband, and he shall rule over thee.

CFO - The Hebrew word translated “sorrow” does not imply feeling sorry over something; it means pain or hurt. Furthermore, “multiply” in this passage means repetition or something happening over and over again, not something being added or increased. Therefore, God promised Eve that life in the fallen world would require her to do painful things over and over again…meaning that she would repeatedly experience pain associated with bearing and rearing her children.

THIS IS ACTUALLY A BLESSING.

It wasn’t until after being cast out of Eden, Eve’s role as life giver came into play!

Sometimes our role as women is filled with more sorrow and less conception.

Russell M. Nelson, Lessons from Eve 1987- For you childless sisters and those without companions, remember the eternal timetable of the Lord is much longer than the lonely hours of your preparation or the total of this mortal life. These are only as microseconds when compared to eternity. Your willingness and worthiness are surely known to Him.
__

Let’s talk about the “Thy husband and he shall rule over thee” in Genesis 3:16. This has been used to justify mistreatment of women throughout eons of time. However, I love this quote from Gordon B. Hinckley that says, “the word rule means that the husband shall have a governing responsibility to provide for, to protect, to strengthen, and shield his wife”.

CFM- Furthermore (it) has been suggested that the Hebrew preposition in the world translated “over” in the phrase “rule over” is often translated as “with” in the Hebrew Bible. Adam and Eve could rule together, in a partnership.

—-

After the Garden

We turn mostly to the book of Moses for this information. Moses 5 says that they worked the ground, had children, prayed, made sacrifices, and were even visited by an Angel who explained the symbolism behind sacrifices- that it shows them how Christ will sacrifice Himself for them. Adam and Eve are joyful to learn this.

Moses 5: 10 And in that day Adam blessed God and was afilled, and began to bprophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my ctransgression my deyes are opened, and in this life I shall have ejoy, and again in the fflesh I shall see God.

11 And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had aseed, and never should have bknown good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.

12 And Adam and aEve blessed the name of God, and they made all things bknown unto their sons and their daughters.

CFO- Clothed in Christ’s enabling power and obedient to His will, our glorious Mother Eve gave direction and purpose to all of her faithful daughters. In their unique way, in their own time, and amid their own challenges, other women whose stories are related in scripture show that the principles learned from Eve are timeless and just as essential today as in the beginning.

—

Let’s talk about Art.

Tried to paint the apple scene over and over….

Would we want to be reduced to a mistake we made in our youth?

Instead, portrayed Eve as reaching towards the light of Christ and placed her testimony on the portrait.

S2 E49 (Dec. 21-27) "He Shall Come into the World to Redeem His People”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 5 Dec 2020 13:43:00 -0800

It's Christmas Mixtape time! We take the suggested readings from Come Follow Me and listen to some songs that echo the sentiment in the scriptures. Also, I say goodbye in our final episode together.

Track listing:
#1 Mother by Love & The Outcome
#2 Noel by Lauren Daigle
#3 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (He Has Come For Us) by Meredith Andrews
#4 Come Thou Long Expected Jesus by Laura Story
#5 O Come O Come Emmanuel by David Archuleta
#6 Redemption Song by Mikeschair

S2 E48 (Dec. 14-20) “Come unto Christ, and Be Perfected in Him”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 28 Nov 2020 14:10:00 -0800

Awww, this is our last scripture reading assignment together! 😢 Waterworks ahead! This week we talk about Moroni's promise, how we can feel the Spirit answer the question "Is the Book of Mormon true?", and the work that Christ has for us to do.

Also I begin saying goodbye to all of my amazing listeners! We have one episode left, the Christmas episode.

Read more »

S2 E47 (Dec. 7-11) "May Christ Lift Thee Up"

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Fri, 27 Nov 2020 12:09:00 -0800

This week we talk about how to judge righteously, the light of Christ and I interview a very brave lady: my friend Brianne! She tells us some things she's pondered as she read Moroni 8 and about the miracles she's witnessed in her son's life.

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S2 E45 (Nov. 23-29) “By Faith All Things Are Fulfilled”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 7 Nov 2020 13:01:00 -0800

This week we get to talk about one of my FAVORITE stories of the Book of Mormon- Moroni's "weakness in writing". I love what it teaches us about approaching the Lord with humility in our weakness and how He can make weak things become strong. I talk about the importance of faith and hope, and what I learned about hope and my family this week.

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S2 E44 (Nov. 16-22) “That Evil May Be Done Away”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 13:22:00 -0700

Do you hear that? It's the sound of waves crashing, wind blowing....and mixtapes playing! That's right, it's a mixtape episode! Since we're traveling with the Jaredites to the promised land, I thought it was appropriate that we listen to some inspirational tunes about water.

Songs featured in this mixtape:

Into The Sea (It's Gonna Be Ok) by Tasha Layton

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) Lyric Video by Hillsong UNITED

Wade in the Water by The Petersens
Master the Tempest Is Raging by Ruben Alves

Walking on Water by NEEDTOBREATHE

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S2 E43 (Nov. 9-15) “Rend That Veil of Unbelief”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 12:30:00 -0700

We've made it to the book of Ether! Why do we not call the Brother of Jared by his actual name? How does the Lord show compassion towards us (like He did to the Brother of Jared)? How did the Brother of Jared make the stones? Why did the Lord say "never before have I shown myself"? All this and more on this week's episode.

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S2 E42 (Nov. 2-8) “I Speak unto You As If Ye Were Present”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 17 Oct 2020 07:28:00 -0700

This week I really wondered about Mormon and Moroni's mental health. I mean, I've been wondering about it for awhile, but this week I really started looking at the way trauma impacted Moroni's writing style. We talk about why Moroni is one of my favorite scriptural writers, why bad things happen to good people, and why gold plates aren't a weird writing material in the ancient world.

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S2 E41 (Oct. 26- Nov. 1) “I Would That I Could Persuade All to Repent”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Fri, 9 Oct 2020 11:45:00 -0700

As I've read the assigned reading this week, I keep thinking "Poor Mormon!" What did he see? What did his son see? The wickedness of the people he lived among had to be mindboggling. Yet through it all he loved them and loved the Lord. In this episode I try to find ways we can do that in our own lives.

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S2 E40 (Oct 19-25) “There Could Not Be a Happier People”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 13:46:00 -0700

What's in a name? Apparently a lot! Then we explore the church culture X-files around the three disciples! And can you believe the people of Christ were happy for a record breaking ~200 years? What happened to break that streak? All that and more in this week's episode.

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S2 E39 (Oct. 12-18) "Ye Are The Children Of the Covenant"

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 08:09:00 -0700

Why did Jesus give the crowd the sacrament for a second time? Why did He mix Isaiah and Micah? How can we feel like we belong?

*Please note: I made a major "oopsy!" I kept saying He was mixing MALACHI and Isaiah. I should have said MICAH and Isaiah!

Song featured is: "There Was Jesus" by Zach Williams and Dolly Parton

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S2 E38 (Sept 28- Oct 11) "Behold, My Joy is Full"

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 12 Sep 2020 14:12:00 -0700

Jesus Christ had a limited amount of time to spend with the Nephites. What were His priorities? What does that teach us about what our priorities should be? How did He teach them to

minister? And what did they learn about prayer? We talk about all this and more!

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S2 E 37 (Sept 21-27) "I Am The Law And The Light"

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 5 Sep 2020 14:29:00 -0700

This week it’s a faceoff between Matthew 5 and 3 Nephi 12! Well, not really. But we can learn some things by examining the differences between the various sermons and the versions of the Lord’s Prayer. Also, we learn that perfection is pending!

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S2 E36 (Sept 14-20) “Arise and Come Forth unto Me”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 06:06:00 -0700

Fires, tornadoes, and floods...OH MY! This week the Nephites experience the calamities that occurred on the Earth after Christ was crucified. After going through some of my own struggles, I realized that the destruction could be a good metaphor for some of the stuff we face in this life. And that made me think of ART! Specifically one of my favorite sculptors, Auguste Rodin and one of my favorite painters, Robyn from Art By Geek Girl! Rodin was unavailable (he died in 1917), but Robyn was willing to be an interviewee for this week's episode. We talk about the contrast between light and dark in art and in life and how Christ truly is the Light of the World.

You can find Robyn's artwork at https://www.artbygeekgirl.com/ , https://www.facebook.com/Artbygeekgirl/, or https://www.instagram.com/geekgirlph/

Also the painting she talks about in this episode (I Know That My Redeemer Lives) is the cover art for this episode!

S2 E35 (Sept 7-13) “Lift Up Your Head and Be of Good Cheer”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 05:57:00 -0700

This is a super mini episode. This week was nuts, the kids returned (virtually) to school, and then...I got a migraine. So please give me a little grace this week, this episode is basically a short little testimony about the Savior.

Also migraines apparently take my ability to use punctuation, so this episode is a 5 minute run-on sentence. Sorry about that. Again, grace. Lots and lots of grace please!

S2 E34 (Aug 31-Sept 9) "Glad Tidings of Great Joy"

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 07:17:00 -0700

It’s Christmas time! In August! Well, I guess it’s not *really* Christmas time, that won’t happen for another 5 years. At least that’s what Samuel the Lamanite tells us. We talk about that, how I LOVE the way that Samuel teaches about repentance, and why having a specifically 5 year (and a 400 year) prophecy is interesting.

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S2 E33 (August 24-30) "Remember the Lord"

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 8 Aug 2020 13:24:00 -0700

What kind of Prophet was Nephi? How does understanding Nephi's teachings as a Prophet help us appreciate our current Prophet, President Nelson? And is ponderizing even a word??? (My spell check says no.) But that doesn't mean ponderizing can't have a HUGE impact on our lives! We talk about all of this and more in this week’s episode.

Listen at:
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S2 E32 (Aug 17-23) "The Rock of Our Redeemer"

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 1 Aug 2020 12:43:00 -0700

I got quote-y in this episode! I loved the scripture assignment from this week because I saw how much Helaman's society is reflected in our own modern day society. I thought it would be interesting to pair some modern day scripture (quotes from General Authorities) with some of the ancient scripture from this week's reading. Enjoy!

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S2 E31 (August 10-16) “Preserved by His Marvelous Power”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 13:55:00 -0700

WHO'S READY FOR A MIXTAPE??? It's been months since our last mixtape, and I thought a mixtape might be a great way to get your amped up for the Army of Helaman! So get your headphones out and get ready to jam with the stripling warriors.

Here's the song list:
Truth I’m Standing On by Leanna Crawford
Another in the Fire by Hillsong United
My God Fights for Me by Charity Gayle (feat. Micah Tyler & Kaden Slay)
Revolutionary by Josh Wilson
Fires by Jordan St. Cyr
EFY Medley 20th Anniversary: As Sisters in Zion / We'll Bring the World His Truth (feat. Heritage Youth Chorus)

S2 E30 (Aug 3-9) “Stand Fast in the Faith of Christ”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 13:49:00 -0700

This week we dive into the "War Chapters" of the Book of Mormon. I wanted to do a scholarly reading and go into the different characters, the battles, the tactics, the strategies...but life had other plans.

This has been a difficult week anxiety-wise as I start to look at going back to school in the middle of a pandemic hotspot. It has made focusing and really "studying" my scriptures difficult. However I found that "feasting on the words of Christ" sometimes means not studying the culture, the word usage, and all the other scholarly information on the text we're reading, but instead it means taking the scriptures that mean something to you and etching them on your heart. Clinging to them in the middle of the war you're fighting. Using them as your umbrella in the storm. So that's what I did this week. I learned several lessons from Captain Moroni, but I distilled the concepts I'm focusing on into 3 P's. I will be: Prayerful, Peaceful, and Prepared just like Captain Moroni.

S2 E29 (July 27- August 3) “The Great Plan of Happiness”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 13:46:00 -0700

LISTENER ADVISORY: This episode is geared towards adults trying to help youth stay sexually pure. As a result, some content may not be appropriate to listen to in a family setting.

This week I had a TON of stuff going on in my life and I didn’t have time to record an episode... YIKES!

However, because Alma is talking to his son Corianton about sexual purity, I thought it might be a good time to revisit the law of chastity like we did last year when we were in 1 Corinthians. I went back and listened to the episode from Season 1 and honestly, I think it’s better than anything I could put together now! So this is a re-release of episode 33 from Season 1.

Description of Episode from Season 1: Because Paul talks about sexual immorality in 1 Corinthians, I decided it was time to talk a little bit about chastity. I'm talking from my experience of working with thousands of teens in my profession, as a mother of a teenage boy, and just as someone who cares about kids. I talk about the stuff I think we need to be addressing with our kids besides "don't have sex until you're married". Things like consent, sex and technology, using respectful language, and sexual harassment.

These are my own personal opinions and not meant to be any sort of official anything. Just some thoughts I had that I thought others might find helpful.

S2 E28 (July 20-26 ) “Look to God and Live”

TheSaviorSaid@gmail.com (Lexie Austin) — Sat, 4 Jul 2020 12:51:00 -0700

This week’s assignment felt like a warm honey gold summer afternoon! I loved it and I hope you love it too. We discuss conversion, chiasmus (pronounced Key Az Mus), and how Shiblon suffered from middle child syndrome.

Also, I ask YOU the question: As you read Alma 37:6–7, ponder and record ways you’ve seen this principle at work in your life. What are some small and simple things the Lord uses to bless you and accomplish His work?If you want to send your answer in either as a recording (check your phone for a voice recorder app) or written format, just email it to thesaviorsaid@gmail.com or comment/message my Facebook or Instagram page. Your answers may be used in an upcoming episode of The Savior Said!