An Old Testament Guide to Embracing Divine Identity

In the Beginning Was the Word, by Eva Timothy, may be copied for Church use only

I would be lying if I told you I’ve never questioned my role in God’s plan.

How could I—as imperfect as I am—possibly fit into His perfect plan? How could I be worthy of the second chances Heavenly Father gives me time after time? How could I be trusted to share His love with others when I sometimes struggle to feel it myself?

If this doom spiral seems familiar, you’re not alone.

One of the adversary’s greatest tactics is to attack our understanding of divine identity. Elder Brian K. Taylor of the Seventy taught, “This great war over divine identity rages fiercely as Satan’s proliferating arsenal aims to destroy our belief in and knowledge of our relationship with God.”

Luckily, Heavenly Father has taught—and continues to teach—His children about their worth. From the very beginning, people in the scriptures may have grappled with some of the same questions you and I might have today.

As you study the Old Testament this year, you can learn about your own divine identity by applying the experiences of people in the scriptures to your own life. And perhaps you’ll find the answers to a very important question along the way:

Who am I?

Adam and Eve mark the very beginning of humanity’s need to understand divine identity. Heavenly Father created them in His own image, gave them stewardship over the earth and all creatures upon it, and commanded them to multiply and replenish the earth (see Moses 2:26–28).

As a descendant of Adam and Eve, you can apply these same principles of identity to yourself. You’re a literal spirit child of God with the divine responsibility to act as a wise steward and build an eternal family.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they were cast out of the Garden of Eden. Although they were cut off from Heavenly Father’s presence, both temporally and spiritually, He provided a Savior to help them overcome both physical and spiritual death through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Like Adam and Eve, your worth is “great in the sight of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).

Abraham’s story is tied directly to divine identity. The Lord made a promise of eternal consequence to Abraham:

“I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:2–3).

After many years of waiting in faith, Abraham and Sarah were blessed with the birth of their son, Isaac. God then commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as “a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son” (Jacob 4:5). When Abraham showed he was willing to make such a sacrifice, he was stopped by an angel of the Lord.

We read:

“By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

“That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:16–18).

This powerful story teaches that all who make and keep covenants with Heavenly Father can access the blessings promised to Abraham’s posterity. As a child of the covenant, you can receive the promised blessings of the Abrahamic covenant by clinging to the promises you make with the Lord through baptismal or temple covenants.

Hagar—Sarah’s handmaiden and Ishmael’s mother—teaches our impressive capacity for resilience. Following the birth of Isaac, Abraham and Sarah’s son, Hagar and Ishmael were exiled to the desert (see Genesis 21:9–14).

Seeing her distress and earnest pleas for Ishmael’s life, the Lord sent an angel to comfort her: “Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation” (Genesis 21:17–18).

Even when Hagar felt completely alone in the desert, Heavenly Father didn’t abandon her. She was protected and rewarded for her faith and diligence.

Like Hagar, you may feel like you’re wandering a desert on your own. But you are of great worth to your Heavenly Father. You may wander the desert for a season, but He hasn’t forgotten you. He is preparing you to do great things for the building up of His kingdom.

Moses was called by Heavenly Father to liberate Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He performed a series of powerful miracles that led to their eventual escape (see Exodus 7; 14).

Though successful in his call, Moses wasn’t always confident in his ability to do as Heavenly Father asked of him. When Moses expressed his feelings of inadequacy, the Lord responded, “Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain” (Exodus 3:12).

Moses embraced his identity as a child of God and accessed the power of Heavenly Father to perform His miracles. Like Moses, you can access power to do God’s work as you embrace your eternal relationship with Heavenly Father.

So, who are you?

Now it’s time for you to discover the answer for yourself.

Search the scriptures for answers to your questions, and you will find them. Heavenly Father wants you to understand exactly who you are so you can love yourself as He loves you.

Knowledge of your eternal, divine identity is just around the corner—so what are you waiting for?