Episode 141: The Ten Tests of Abraham and Sarah (David Seely & Jo Ann Seely)
Y Religion
BYU Religious Education
4.9 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 1 March 2026
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Isaiah 51:1–2 instructs us to, "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you." In this episode, David and Jo Ann Seely unpack their article "The Ten Tests of Abraham and Sarah," uncovering how Abraham and Sarah emerge as models of covenant discipleship. The Seelys explore how these tests developed in scriptural commentary, highlight Sarah's often-overlooked trials, and discuss connections to the Book of Abraham. From this episode, we can gain a deeper understanding of how ancient traditions can illuminate the covenant path and enrich our own discipleship.
Publications:
- "The Ten Tests of Abraham and Sarah" in Abraham and His Family in Scripture, History, and Tradition: Proceedings of the Conference Held May 3 & 10, 2025 at Brigham Young University, The Interpreter Foundation (2025)
- "'Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you' (Isa. 51:2): The Ten Tests of Abraham and Sarah," 2026 BYU Religious Education Symposium in Honor of Sidney B. Sperry, Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness: The Goodness of God in the Old Testament, Religious Education (2026)
- Tender Mercies and Loving-Kindness: The Goodness of God in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2026)
- "The Cry of the Widow, the Fatherless, and the Stranger: The Covenant Obligation to Help the Poor and Oppressed," in God's Word in Our Hearts: Learning from the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2025)
- Approaching Holiness: Exploring the History and Teachings of the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2021)
- Ascending the Mountain of the Lord: Temple, Praise, and Worship in the Old Testament, Religious Studies Center (2013)
- "Jesus the Messiah: Prophet, Priest, and King," in Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, Religious Studies Center (2002)
Click here to learn more about Jo Ann Seely and here to learn more about David Seely
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, Why Religion Friends. John Hilton here. |
| 0:02.7 | We often talk about the faith of Abraham, and rightly so. |
| 0:06.7 | Do we also spend time thinking about Sarah's faith? |
| 0:10.3 | Yes, it took Abraham great faith to leave his hometown, but Sarah faced the identical test. |
| 0:15.6 | For decades, Sarah had to grapple with the conflicting reality that God had promised Abraham |
| 0:20.0 | a posterity as numerous as the stars of the sea, but she couldn't have children. |
| 0:25.7 | That took great faith. |
| 0:27.5 | And even though there was a miracle baby for Abraham and Sarah, some of the blessings that |
| 0:31.4 | they had been promised weren't realized in this life. |
| 0:34.8 | For example, Abraham and Sarah never inherited the promised land. This was a blessing |
| 0:39.3 | given only to their descendants. But still, Abraham and Sarah never lost their faith. |
| 0:45.4 | There's a passage about Sarah and Abraham in Hebrews chapter 11 that touches my heart. We read, |
| 0:51.3 | Sarah and Abraham were still living by faith when they died. |
| 0:55.2 | They did not receive the things promised. |
| 0:58.0 | They only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, |
| 1:01.8 | admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. |
| 1:05.9 | Perhaps the greatest test of faith for both Abraham and Sarah |
| 1:09.6 | came with the command to sacrifice Isaac. |
| 1:13.2 | I feel like this is like when Abraham puts Isaac on the altar, I feel like Sarah, she laid |
| 1:20.2 | herself on the altar. And she did this out of love and out of obedience and out of faith, |
| 1:26.1 | all of this. I feel like we miss giving her due as this |
| 1:31.7 | equal helpmate with Abraham. In this episode of Why Religion, we will focus on the faith of both |
... |
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