Living Righteously in a Wicked World
Old Testament: Lesson 8 (Genesis 13-14; 18-19)
by Ted L. Gibbons
________________________________________
A personal note: Ted Gibbons has been a friend for many years and lives close by. He is wonderful to share his insights especially his knowledge of the Old Testament. I hope you enjoy his review of some of these Old Testament lessons. Patricia
Introduction
Life is a test.
Richard G. Scott said,
"Although our memory of it is withheld, before we came to this earth we lived in the presence of God, our Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. We shouted for joy when given the privilege of coming to this earth to receive a body and to move forward in God's plan for our happiness. We knew that we would be tested here. Our determination was to live obediently to be able to return to be with our Father forever" ("Jesus Christ, Our Redeemer," Ensign, May 1997, 53—54, emphasis added).
Not only can we say with perfect assurance that this life is a test. We can also identify the kind of test it is. We are taking a multiple choice test. Based on the principle of agency, we must choose from all the opportunities available to us, those that will best assist us in preparing to be with and to be like our Father in Heaven.
Abraham lived in a world rampant with iniquity. People had degenerated to the point that parents were willing to offer their own children as sacrifices to heathen gods. In that environment, Abraham teaches one of the great lessons in all of scripture about Multiple Choice tests.
I. ABRAHAM AND HIS FAMILY SETTLE IN HEBRON, AND LOT AND HIS FAMILY SETTLE NEAR SODOM.
I talked to a co-worker a while ago who has been moved thirteen times during his employment with the Church Education System. He was not bitter, but he was tired. Like most of us, he wanted a place—a permanent place—to call home. Abraham might have felt like that. Following the attempt on his life in the land of Ur, of the Chaldees, he moved to Haran , then to Canaan. A famine in the land of Canaan forced Abraham into Egypt, from whence he returned with his family to Canaan, a wealthy man.
Abraham (at this point in his life his name was still Abram) had been promised that the land of Canaan would one day belong to him and to his seed. (See Abraham 2:18,19; Genesis 12:7.) While he and his nephew Lot lived in Canaan following their sojourn in Egypt, the Lord blessed them so abundantly that it became impossible for them to dwell together, for "the land was not able to bear them. . ." (Genesis 13:7.)
When the herdmen of Lot and the herdmen of Abraham contended, Abraham proposed a solution:
"Is not the whole land before thee? Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain . . ." (Genesis 13:9-12.)
II. ABRAHAM RESCUES LOT, PAYS TITHES TO MELCHIZEDEK, AND REFUSES TO ACCEPT THE SPOILS OF WAR FROM THE KING OF SODOM.
Lot chose the fertile plain along the Jordan River valley and left Abram the rocks of upper Canaan. But some time later a confederation of kings attacked the cities of that valley.
"And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way. And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed" (Genesis 14:11,12).
When Abraham learned that his relatives had been captured, He armed his trained servants, pursued the invading kings and conquered them.
"And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people" (Genesis 14:16).
When he returned, two kings were there to meet him: one was the king of Sodom. Genesis 13:13 tells us that "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly." The other king was Melchizedek, king of Salem. His name is a Hebrew term meaning king of righteousness. And so Abraham returned from his victory to meet two kings: the king of wickedness and the king of righteousness. His experience with them teaches a sublime lesson about multiple choice tests, and about being righteous in a world of wickedness.
"And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, And have sworn that I will not take of thee from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine . . ." (Genesis 14:21-23.JST.)
Abraham refused anything from the king of wickedness—even, as it were, threads and shoelaces. He had lifted up his hand to the Most High. This sounds like covenant language, and Abraham was, as all of us are, under covenant to choose righteousness rather than evil.
What is a shoelace of wickedness? A thread of immorality or Sabbath breaking? Nephi said something about threads. In a commentary on the last days he spoke of the efforts of Lucifer to destroy the children of God.
"And there are also secret combinations, even as in times of old, according to the combinations of the devil, for he is the founder of all these things; yea, the founder of murder, and works of darkness; yea, and he leadeth them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever" (2 Nephi 26:22, emphasis added).
Flax is among the most fragile of natural fibers. Why would Lucifer lead us by the neck with something so fragile and easy to break? For that very reason. Our certainty of our ability to escape at any time encourages us to persist in ways that lead us from safety into danger. And those threads and flaxen cords, unobserved and quietly increasing, may finally become strong cords that bind us forever.
Both Abraham and Nephi seemed to know that the important choices in life are the little ones—the flaxen threads that bind our lives and forge our characters.
Elder Boyd K. Packer said
"We want our children and their children to know that the choice of life is not between fame and obscurity, nor is the choice between wealth and poverty. The choice is between good and evil, and that is a very different matter indeed. . . .
Our lives are made up of thousands of everyday choices. Over the years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly what we value" (Boyd K. Packer, "The Choice," Ensign, Nov. 1980, 21).
It is important to note here that although Abraham refused to accept the tiniest endowment from the king of wickedness, he was willing to give to the king of righteousness.
"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all" (Gen. 14:18-29, emphasis added).
The message delivered by Abraham to us and to the King of Sodom is soon followed in the scriptures by a serious object lesson.
III. THE LORD DESTROYS SODOM AND GOMORRAH.
Remember that Lot, when he separated from Abraham, made his home in the Jordan River Valley, and "pitched his tent toward Sodom." (Genesis 13:12.) I think if we were to listen carefully we might hear Abraham asking his nephew a question. "Lot, you are a part of the covenant race of Jehovah. Why on earth would you pitch your tent toward Sodom?"
I have twelve children. All have been or are teenagers. I think know how Lot would have answered this question: "Abraham, I'm not in Sodom. I'm just close by. It is nice to have a town in the neighborhood in case I need some medicine or want to attend a concert of pick up supplies at Seven-Eleven. But I'm not in Sodom." He might also have said things like, "It's not that bad. I can handle it."
And of course he isn't in Sodom. So why the concern? Because reaching out from centers of iniquity come threads and shoelaces, persuading, inviting, enticing . . . In this context, Sodom may have much in common with your television and the local video store.
When messengers came from the Lord to have a look at the iniquity of Sodom, where did they find Lot? He was not living toward Sodom any more. He was in Sodom. (See Genesis 14:12; 19:1-3)
When the Lord told Abraham that He meant to destroy the wicked cities nearby, including Sodom, Abraham was concerned. He had relatives in Sodom. "And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?" (Genesis 18:23.) He wondered if the Lord would spare the city if there were fifty righteous. The Lord said He would. In fact, in response to continued appeals from Abraham, the Savior finally agreed to spare Sodom for as few as ten righteous people. Abraham then went home.
"And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place" (Genesis 18:33).
In Jeremiah 5:1 the Lord offered to spare Jerusalem if one righteous man could be found. But Abraham was satisfied with a promise to save Sodom if it were home to only ten godly people. Why? Consider these verses.
"And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? Son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it" (Genesis 19:12-13).
Verse 12 mentions sons (at least two) and daughters (at least two) and sons in law (at least two) plus their wives, Lot's married daughters (at least two more), in addition to Lot and his wife (two more). Add the numbers. Lot's family in Sodom had at least ten members. Abraham must have believed he had saved the city.
But when the messengers commanded Lot to take his family and leave, he did not leave with nine other family members. Only his wife and his unmarried daughters accompanied him. And they did not escape unscathed. His wife was unable to depart without a backward glance. (Genesis 19:26; Luke 17:31,32 suggests she went back.) She turned into a pillar of salt in the area of the Dead Sea.
A short time later his daughters committed moral transgressions with their own father. (See Genesis 19:30—36.) Where did they learn such behavior? No doubt the threads and shoelaces of Sodom had become strong cords binding them.
Conclusion
If we expect to pass the test of life as Abraham did, we must exercise great care in the seemingly insignificant choices and dash -the threads and shoelaces—of life, choices like where we decide to pitch our tents. If a visitor were to determine the location of your tent by examining your video collection and your choice of TV shows and movies, what would he conclude? The tiny, seemingly insignificant choices of life are in fact the very fabric and fiber of our lives.
We are made, as it were, not of boulders, but of the finest grains of sand.
"Chemists, who are familiar with analyzing matter, inform you that the globe we inhabit is composed of small particles, so small that they cannot be seen with the unaided natural eye, and that one of these small particles may be divided into millions of parts, each part so minute as to be indiscernible by the aid of the finest microscopes. So the walk of man is made up of acts performed from day to day. It is the aggregate of the acts which I perform through life that makes up the conduct that will be exhibited in the day of judgment, and when the books are opened, there will be the life which I have lived for me to look upon, and there also will be the acts of your lives for you to look upon. Do you not know that the building up of the kingdom of God, the gathering of Israel, is to be done by little acts? You breathe one breath at a time; each moment is set apart to its act, and each act to its moment. It is the moments and the little acts that make the sum of the life of man. Let every second, minute, hour, and day we live be spent in doing that which we know to be right" (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol.3, p.342).
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
"The Abrahamic Covenant"
"The Abrahamic Covenant" Lesson 7,
Compiled by Maren Hale, February 14, 2010,
Pleasant View 1st Ward
Readings: Abraham 1:1-4; 2:1-11; Genesis 12:1-8; 17:1-9
Board: People who accept the gospel and live it are called “the children of
Abraham.” (LDS Institute Old Testament Manual)
INTRODUCTION
In 1957, the First Presidency said:
“Patriarchal blessings [are] an inspired declaration of the lineage of the recipient, and also, where so moved upon by the Spirit, an inspired and prophetic statement of the life mission of the recipient,…” (Letter to stake presidents, June 28, 1957, quoted in Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 1966, p. 558)
I know that most of us have received our patriarchal blessings as well as heard them pronounced on the heads of our children.
QUESTION: When a patriarch declares our lineage, what does he declare to us? [He reveals to us that we are descendants of the prophet Abraham through Ephraim, Manasseh, or another of Abraham’s descendants.]
Our lesson today discusses the blessings we can receive and the responsibilities we have as Abraham’s descendants.
Body
God covenants with Abraham
Abraham’s genealogy:
There are 9 generations between Noah and Abraham. 19 generations between Adam and Abraham.
It is interesting to note that Noah lived past the time of Abraham’s birth and Shem, Noah’s son, actually outlived Abraham.
Chronologically, we have:
4000 B.C. – the fall of Adam
2300-2400 B.C. – the flood
1996 B.C. – the birth of Abraham
Abraham in Ur:
Abraham lived the early part of his life in Ur, in the land of the Chaldeans, not far from the northern tip of the Persian Gulf (now Iraq, close to the borders of Kuwait and Iran).
● Ur was the largest city of Shinar or northern Chaldea, and the principal
commercial center of the country as well as the center of political power.
● Ur was consecrated to the worship of Sin, the Babylonian moon-god.
As a young man, Abraham desired to live righteously and live worthy of the blessings of God. (Abraham 1:1-6).
The Lord made a covenant with Abraham that he would greatly multiply his seed. (Abraham 1:2).
“Abraham would become the father of many nations. The Lord would covenant with Abraham and his seed, and He would be their God.” (Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 296)
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:2
“And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.”
QUESTION: Abraham had a desire for the “blessings of the fathers.” What is that? [The priesthood]
QUOTE #1: Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “…It has become the right of those holding special inheritance in the Lord’s chosen lineage to receive the priesthood, provided they are obedient and faithful. Thus Abraham ‘sought for the blessings of the fathers,’ and by righteousness ‘became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.’ The priesthood, he says, ‘was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundations of the earth to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, on the first man, who is Adam, our first father, through the fathers, unto me. I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed’ (Abraham 1:1-4).” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 478)
Abraham’s fathers turned from righteousness to the worship of the heathen gods.
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:5
“My fathers, having turned from their righteousness, and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them, unto the worshiping of the gods of the heather, utterly refused to hearken to my voice; [They had become apostate]
They “endeavored” to take away Abraham’s life “by the hand of the priest of Elkenah,” who was also a priest of Pharaoh (Abraham 1:7,12).
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:15-16
15. “And as they lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and he filled me with the vision of the Almighty, and the angel of his presence stood by me, and immediately unloosed my hands.
16. “And his voice was unto me: Abraham, Abraham, behold my name is Jehovah, and I have heard thee, and have come down to deliver thee, and to take thee away from thy father’s house, and from all thy kinsfolk, into a strange land which thou knowest not of;
We learn in verse 1:20 that “..The Lord broke down the altar of Elkenah, and of the gods of the land, and utterly destroyed them, and smote the priest that he died.”
A famine was then sent upon the land of Chaldea. Abraham says that his “father was sorely tormented because of the famine, and he repented of the evil which he had determined against me.” (Abraham 1:30)
Then “The Lord God caused the famine to wax sore in the land of Ur.” Abraham’s brother, Haran, died as a result of the famine (Abraham 2:1).
Abraham then took Sarai as his wife and went from Ur. (Abraham 2:2).
Abraham Migrates from Ur
SCRIPTURE: 2:3-4
3. “Now the Lord had said unto me: Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.
4. “Therefore I left the land of Ur, of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and I took Lot, my brother’s son, and his wife, and Sarai my wife; and also my father followed after me, unto the land which we denominated Haran.”
Haran was near the Turkish-Syrian border and they lived there for a time.
QUOTE #2
Elder John A. Widtsoe: “Abraham was a chosen spirit, destined to be a great leader of the work of the Lord. He was commanded to move into another land to be shown him where he might be free to worship the Lord of earth and the heavens….In obedience to God’s command, Abraham, with believing members of his family, moved into the promised land known to us as Palestine.” (Evidences and Reconciliations, 3:25)
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 2:5
“And the famine abated; and my father tarried in Haran and dwelt there, as there were many flocks in Haran; and my father turned again unto his Idolatry, therefore he continued in Haran.”
Abraham’s father wavered between idolatry and the true God. This wavering between worshipping the things of this world and the true God is a never ending struggle.
QUESTION: How can we make our commitment to God more consistent? What keeps us on the straight and narrow? [Be anxiously engaged in the gospel – meet with the Saints often, maintain a temple recommends, learn, pray, serve].
Let’s read the advice of 2 of our prophets on our commitment to God:
QUOTE #3
President Joseph F. Smith: "In Christ's Church we cannot be neutral or inert. We must either progress or retrograde. It is necessary for the Latter-day Saints to keep pushing on in order that they may keep their faith alive and their spirits quickened to the performance of their duties. Let us remember that we are engaged in God's work—and when I say God's work, I mean that we are engaged in the work which the Almighty has instituted in the earth for our salvation individually. Every man should be laboring for his own good and as far as possible for the good of others." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 115)
QUOTE #4
President Lorenzo Snow: "We should labor for perfection so far as possible, and seek to go onward. There is no man or woman who can stand still any great length of time. In this path over which we are moving we are very likely to go backward if we undertake to stand still or act indifferently. We must push forward, because as the Church moves on, it is very evident that things of a more difficult character are occurring constantly, and we will find it far from easy to overcome them. Unless we improve as we move along we will find it very difficult to magnify our callings and to perform the work required at our hands. Latter-day Saints should not permit themselves to stand still. It is a privilege we have to serve the Lord and enjoy His spirit in our labors, but many of the people lose that portion of happiness that they might enjoy because of not reflecting seriously upon their duties and acting wisely and prudently." (Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 95)
The Abrahamic Covenant
While in Haran, Abraham prayed and received a vision in which God covenanted to bless him and his posterity. This is called the Abrahamic Covenant.
“The Abrahamic Covenant embraces the divine promise to grant unto the faithful special gathering places of refuge upon the earth, as well as an ultimate home among the mansions of the Father on high.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 298)
Let’s read about this covenant.
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 2:6-11
6. “But I, Abraham, and Lot, my brother’s son, prayed unto the Lord and the Lord appeared unto me, and said unto me: Arise, and take Lot with thee; for I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran, and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, when they hearken to my voice.
7. “For I am the Lord thy God; I dwell in heaven; the earth is my footstool; I stretch my hand over the sea, and it obeys my voice; I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot; I say to the mountains – Depart hence – and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind, in an instant, suddenly.
8. “My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee.
9. “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;
10. “And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father;
11. “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.”
QUOTE #5:
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Abraham’s inheritance in Canaan, for himself and his seed after him, was to be an eternal inheritance, one that would endure in time and in eternity. This promise is the hope of Israel, the hope that the meek shall inherit the earth, first during the millennial era and finally in that same immortal state when the earth becomes a celestial sphere. (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 366-368). The principle is the same as when the Lord spoke to his Latter-day Saints of their ‘land of promise.’’ [D&C 38:19-20].” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:71)
“From time to time, the Lord sets apart certain lands and locations as ordained gathering places [or Holy places] for His covenant people:
● In the Middle East, it was the Holy Land;
● In the Book of Mormon context, it was the Americas;
● In the latter days, it is the stakes of Zion,
and eventually the New Jerusalem.
All of this mortal geography is but a type and symbol for the eternal abode of the righteous in the eventual heavenly courts of the Father and Son.” Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 298)
We as heirs to this covenant are always in search of Holy places
EXPERIENCE: Stand in Holy places.
I’m sure that each of us has had a time in our lives when we felt alone.
As a teenager, I remember feeling quite alone as I walked a mile to seminary at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. After seminary I took a city bus to school. I was one of 2 active members of Church at our large high school.
After school, I waited for a bus, transferred to a second bus, and walked to an empty home. I waited for my younger brother to come home from school. I rode my bike alone to piano lessons. I rode the bus into downtown Washington, D.C. for ballet lessons and art lessons. My mother, a widow, worked in downtown Washington, D.C. I made dinner and waited for her to come home each night.
I don’t remember feeling sorry for myself or alone in my teenage years. I felt secure. I knew my mother loved me. I knew I was a child of God. I knew I could pray to Him and that He would answer my prayers. I felt the Spirit prompt me and guide me. There were occasions where I felt the Spirit warn me to quickly leave some place and I obeyed. I can remember that I used my long walks as a time of prayer and meditation. I realize now that I was in a Holy place.
QUESTION: What are some Holy places we may gather and abide in?
1. Our own hearts and minds are holy places as we purify and make ourselves
a place where the Spirit can abide. [I felt the Spirit as a child]
2. Our own families and homes are holy places when we work diligently to
make them sanctuaries of safety that are hospitable to the Spirit.
[As a mother, I always made sure the house was clean, that there was a healthy snack on the table, and that lovely music was playing as my
children entered our home following a day at school – I wanted them to
feel the Spirit as they entered our home] QUESTION: How have you
brought the Spirit into your homes?
3. Our wards and stakes are holy places for the covenant children of our
Father in Heaven. [I have always loved taking every opportunity to meet
with the Saints – my spirit is fed and my testimony strengthened]
4. Our temples are holy places where we gather for spiritual refuge. [I love
entering the temple where I feel great peace. It is like I’m coming home]
We are Heirs to the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic Covenant.
We understand from verse 9 that Abraham would be made “a great nation” (Abraham 2:9), and that in his seed “all the families of the earth shall be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of eternal life” (Abraham 2/11).
The Abrahamic Covenant embraces the divine promise of the abundance of “seed” (posterity) upon the earth, as well as eternal increase in the hereafter through the blessings of eternal marriage. (Abraham 2:9)
Brigham Young: “Abraham was faithful to the true God; he overthrew the idols of his father and obtained the Priesthood after the order of Mechizedek, which is after the order of the Son of God, and a promise that of the increase of his seed there should be no end; when you obtain the holy Priesthood, which is after the order of Melchizedek, sealed upon you, and the promise that your seed shall be numerous as the stars in the firmament, or as the sands upon the seashore, and of your increase there shall be no end, you have then got the promise of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the blessings that were conferred upon them.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, 106)
Verse 10 tells us that all Church members are the “Seed of Abraham.”
Abraham 2:10. “…for as many as receive this Gospel… shall be accounted thy seed…;”
QUOTE #6:
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph. Those who are not literal descendants of Abraham and Israel must become such, and when they are baptized and confirmed they are grafted into the tree and are entitled to all the rights and privileges as heirs.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:246)
QUOTE #7:
Joseph Smith: "...the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost." (TPJS, p149)
Heirs to the covenant
We become heirs to this Abrahamic Coveant through baptism and temple odinances]
1. When we are baptized into the Church, the Abrahamic covenant’s promise of salvation is renewed with us.
QUOTE #8:
Brother Robert L. Millet: “Those who are not lineal descendants of the ancient patriarchs may, through baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be adopted into Abraham’s family and become heirs to all the blessings promised to those who are actual descendants…” (Alive in Christ: The Miracle of Spiritual Rebirth, 78 - 79)
2. When we are sealed in the temple, the Abrahamic covenant’s promise of exaltation is renewed with us.
Blessings and Responsibilities of the Abrahamic Covenant:
Earthly Blessings:
1. A promised land to live in
2. A great posterity
3. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the
Priesthood for Abraham and his posterity
Eternal Parallels:
1. The celestial kingdom
2. Eternal marriage and eternal increase
3. Exaltation and eternal life
Lets talk about our RESPONSIBILITIES as heirs of the Abrahamic coveant:
1. Help all of God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel (Abraham 2:9,11)
Abraham 2:9: “… thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee,…they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;
Abraham 2:11: “…and in thy seed…shall all the families of the earth be blessed…”
QUOTE #9
Elder John A. Widtsoe: "This covenant with Abraham was also a call to leadership. Therefore, it has been interpreted to mean that Abraham and his descendants were chosen to conserve in purity and to advance on earth the eternal plan for human salvation." (Gospel Interpretations, p. 95)
QUOTE Joseph Fielding McConkie reminds us that –
Joseph Fielding McConkie: “In claiming to be a chosen people, we make no pretense to be superior to any other people but simply claim to have been chosen to serve as the Lord’s messengers in declaring the message of salvation among the nations of the earth. Ours is a call to service, not to privilege, though the service itself is such…” (Answers: Straightforward Answers to Tough Gospel Questions, pp. 181-182)
Another responsibility as heirs of the Abrahamic covenant is to:
2. Obey God’s commandments (Genesis 18:19)
Genesis 18:19: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.]
QUESTION: What are some of the ways we can help all of God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel? [Missionary work, genealogy and temple work, being examples of righteousness]
1. We help God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel through
Missionary work.
QUOTE:
President Ezra Taft Benson: “The responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to ‘bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations’
(Abraham 2:9).” (Conference Report, April 1987, p. 107)
“The solemn obligation associated with the Abrahamic Covenant is to be worthy spiritual servants to the world, delivering to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples the blessings associated with the kingdom of God upon the earth, including the priesthood in all its saving functions.” (Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 304)
Think of our young elders and sister missionaries, our retired missionary couples, our senior single sister missionaries, and each of us as member missionareis, as you read Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s “Mission Commision”:
“I am called of God. My authority is above that of kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master and He has chosen me to represent Him – to stand in His place, to say and do what He Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts; my doctrine is His doctrine. My Commission is to do what He wants done; to say what He wants said; to be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous Latter-day work. How great is my calling!” (How Great Is My Calling)
President Kimball tells how we go about doing this great missionary work:
President Spencer W. Kimball: “We are not interested in numbers. They are secondary. We are interested in warning the nations of the world. I believe we have not scratched the surface….Our goal is nothing less than the penetration of the entire world….Evengelization of the world does not mean that all men will respond, but all men must be given the opportunity to respond as they are confronted with the Christ. (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 545)
2. We help God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel by doing genealogy and performing temple ordinances for the dead.
SCRIPTURE:
D&C 128:24: “Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.”
3. We help God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel by being examples of righteousness.
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:15
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
CONCLUSION
“On April 3, 1836, as part of a magnificent sequence of heavenly manifestations in the newly completed Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced a visitation by Elias, who “committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed” (D&C 110:12).
“Thus the continuity of the Lord’s ancient covenant program was assured in the latter days.
“The Lord delights in blessing his children:
● He gives them places of refuge in this world (lands and gathering places, such as
the stakes of Zion).
● He gives them hope for eternal mansions on high.
● He makes them fruitful in their posterity and gives them the hope of eternal
increase through the blessings of temple marriage.
● He provides the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ and the
priesthood of God, with its ennobling and redeeming power to grant immortality
and eternal life for the valiant who endure to the end.
“For all of these extraordinary blessings, He asks only that we walk in righteousness and obey his commandments, sharing our witness to the world through His missionary program.
“The central blessing for those who participate in the Abrahamic Covenant is to have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ while on earth, including all the essential saving doctrines and the associated blessings of the priesthood, plus the hope and promise of immortality and eternal life in the hereafter.” (Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 304)
I know that the Lord established with Abraham and his posterity a covenant of righteousness, with an eternal promise of granting earthly and heavenly blessings
based on obedience and service. I am grateful for the Abrahamic Covenant.
May we honor this covenant of righteousness, I pray.
References:
Comentaries on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen.
LDS Old Testament Teachers Manual, Lesson 7
LDS Institute Old Testament Manual
Old Testament lesson, Bob Beardall
Personal experience, Maren Hardy Hale
Quote sources as designated in lesson
Compiled by Maren Hale, February 14, 2010,
Pleasant View 1st Ward
Readings: Abraham 1:1-4; 2:1-11; Genesis 12:1-8; 17:1-9
Board: People who accept the gospel and live it are called “the children of
Abraham.” (LDS Institute Old Testament Manual)
INTRODUCTION
In 1957, the First Presidency said:
“Patriarchal blessings [are] an inspired declaration of the lineage of the recipient, and also, where so moved upon by the Spirit, an inspired and prophetic statement of the life mission of the recipient,…” (Letter to stake presidents, June 28, 1957, quoted in Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 1966, p. 558)
I know that most of us have received our patriarchal blessings as well as heard them pronounced on the heads of our children.
QUESTION: When a patriarch declares our lineage, what does he declare to us? [He reveals to us that we are descendants of the prophet Abraham through Ephraim, Manasseh, or another of Abraham’s descendants.]
Our lesson today discusses the blessings we can receive and the responsibilities we have as Abraham’s descendants.
Body
God covenants with Abraham
Abraham’s genealogy:
There are 9 generations between Noah and Abraham. 19 generations between Adam and Abraham.
It is interesting to note that Noah lived past the time of Abraham’s birth and Shem, Noah’s son, actually outlived Abraham.
Chronologically, we have:
4000 B.C. – the fall of Adam
2300-2400 B.C. – the flood
1996 B.C. – the birth of Abraham
Abraham in Ur:
Abraham lived the early part of his life in Ur, in the land of the Chaldeans, not far from the northern tip of the Persian Gulf (now Iraq, close to the borders of Kuwait and Iran).
● Ur was the largest city of Shinar or northern Chaldea, and the principal
commercial center of the country as well as the center of political power.
● Ur was consecrated to the worship of Sin, the Babylonian moon-god.
As a young man, Abraham desired to live righteously and live worthy of the blessings of God. (Abraham 1:1-6).
The Lord made a covenant with Abraham that he would greatly multiply his seed. (Abraham 1:2).
“Abraham would become the father of many nations. The Lord would covenant with Abraham and his seed, and He would be their God.” (Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 296)
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:2
“And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.”
QUESTION: Abraham had a desire for the “blessings of the fathers.” What is that? [The priesthood]
QUOTE #1: Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “…It has become the right of those holding special inheritance in the Lord’s chosen lineage to receive the priesthood, provided they are obedient and faithful. Thus Abraham ‘sought for the blessings of the fathers,’ and by righteousness ‘became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.’ The priesthood, he says, ‘was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundations of the earth to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, on the first man, who is Adam, our first father, through the fathers, unto me. I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed’ (Abraham 1:1-4).” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 478)
Abraham’s fathers turned from righteousness to the worship of the heathen gods.
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:5
“My fathers, having turned from their righteousness, and from the holy commandments which the Lord their God had given unto them, unto the worshiping of the gods of the heather, utterly refused to hearken to my voice; [They had become apostate]
They “endeavored” to take away Abraham’s life “by the hand of the priest of Elkenah,” who was also a priest of Pharaoh (Abraham 1:7,12).
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:15-16
15. “And as they lifted up their hands upon me, that they might offer me up and take away my life, behold, I lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard, and he filled me with the vision of the Almighty, and the angel of his presence stood by me, and immediately unloosed my hands.
16. “And his voice was unto me: Abraham, Abraham, behold my name is Jehovah, and I have heard thee, and have come down to deliver thee, and to take thee away from thy father’s house, and from all thy kinsfolk, into a strange land which thou knowest not of;
We learn in verse 1:20 that “..The Lord broke down the altar of Elkenah, and of the gods of the land, and utterly destroyed them, and smote the priest that he died.”
A famine was then sent upon the land of Chaldea. Abraham says that his “father was sorely tormented because of the famine, and he repented of the evil which he had determined against me.” (Abraham 1:30)
Then “The Lord God caused the famine to wax sore in the land of Ur.” Abraham’s brother, Haran, died as a result of the famine (Abraham 2:1).
Abraham then took Sarai as his wife and went from Ur. (Abraham 2:2).
Abraham Migrates from Ur
SCRIPTURE: 2:3-4
3. “Now the Lord had said unto me: Abraham, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.
4. “Therefore I left the land of Ur, of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and I took Lot, my brother’s son, and his wife, and Sarai my wife; and also my father followed after me, unto the land which we denominated Haran.”
Haran was near the Turkish-Syrian border and they lived there for a time.
QUOTE #2
Elder John A. Widtsoe: “Abraham was a chosen spirit, destined to be a great leader of the work of the Lord. He was commanded to move into another land to be shown him where he might be free to worship the Lord of earth and the heavens….In obedience to God’s command, Abraham, with believing members of his family, moved into the promised land known to us as Palestine.” (Evidences and Reconciliations, 3:25)
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 2:5
“And the famine abated; and my father tarried in Haran and dwelt there, as there were many flocks in Haran; and my father turned again unto his Idolatry, therefore he continued in Haran.”
Abraham’s father wavered between idolatry and the true God. This wavering between worshipping the things of this world and the true God is a never ending struggle.
QUESTION: How can we make our commitment to God more consistent? What keeps us on the straight and narrow? [Be anxiously engaged in the gospel – meet with the Saints often, maintain a temple recommends, learn, pray, serve].
Let’s read the advice of 2 of our prophets on our commitment to God:
QUOTE #3
President Joseph F. Smith: "In Christ's Church we cannot be neutral or inert. We must either progress or retrograde. It is necessary for the Latter-day Saints to keep pushing on in order that they may keep their faith alive and their spirits quickened to the performance of their duties. Let us remember that we are engaged in God's work—and when I say God's work, I mean that we are engaged in the work which the Almighty has instituted in the earth for our salvation individually. Every man should be laboring for his own good and as far as possible for the good of others." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 115)
QUOTE #4
President Lorenzo Snow: "We should labor for perfection so far as possible, and seek to go onward. There is no man or woman who can stand still any great length of time. In this path over which we are moving we are very likely to go backward if we undertake to stand still or act indifferently. We must push forward, because as the Church moves on, it is very evident that things of a more difficult character are occurring constantly, and we will find it far from easy to overcome them. Unless we improve as we move along we will find it very difficult to magnify our callings and to perform the work required at our hands. Latter-day Saints should not permit themselves to stand still. It is a privilege we have to serve the Lord and enjoy His spirit in our labors, but many of the people lose that portion of happiness that they might enjoy because of not reflecting seriously upon their duties and acting wisely and prudently." (Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, p. 95)
The Abrahamic Covenant
While in Haran, Abraham prayed and received a vision in which God covenanted to bless him and his posterity. This is called the Abrahamic Covenant.
“The Abrahamic Covenant embraces the divine promise to grant unto the faithful special gathering places of refuge upon the earth, as well as an ultimate home among the mansions of the Father on high.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 298)
Let’s read about this covenant.
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 2:6-11
6. “But I, Abraham, and Lot, my brother’s son, prayed unto the Lord and the Lord appeared unto me, and said unto me: Arise, and take Lot with thee; for I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran, and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, when they hearken to my voice.
7. “For I am the Lord thy God; I dwell in heaven; the earth is my footstool; I stretch my hand over the sea, and it obeys my voice; I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot; I say to the mountains – Depart hence – and behold, they are taken away by a whirlwind, in an instant, suddenly.
8. “My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee.
9. “And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;
10. “And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father;
11. “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.”
QUOTE #5:
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Abraham’s inheritance in Canaan, for himself and his seed after him, was to be an eternal inheritance, one that would endure in time and in eternity. This promise is the hope of Israel, the hope that the meek shall inherit the earth, first during the millennial era and finally in that same immortal state when the earth becomes a celestial sphere. (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 366-368). The principle is the same as when the Lord spoke to his Latter-day Saints of their ‘land of promise.’’ [D&C 38:19-20].” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:71)
“From time to time, the Lord sets apart certain lands and locations as ordained gathering places [or Holy places] for His covenant people:
● In the Middle East, it was the Holy Land;
● In the Book of Mormon context, it was the Americas;
● In the latter days, it is the stakes of Zion,
and eventually the New Jerusalem.
All of this mortal geography is but a type and symbol for the eternal abode of the righteous in the eventual heavenly courts of the Father and Son.” Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 298)
We as heirs to this covenant are always in search of Holy places
EXPERIENCE: Stand in Holy places.
I’m sure that each of us has had a time in our lives when we felt alone.
As a teenager, I remember feeling quite alone as I walked a mile to seminary at 6:00 a.m. in the morning. After seminary I took a city bus to school. I was one of 2 active members of Church at our large high school.
After school, I waited for a bus, transferred to a second bus, and walked to an empty home. I waited for my younger brother to come home from school. I rode my bike alone to piano lessons. I rode the bus into downtown Washington, D.C. for ballet lessons and art lessons. My mother, a widow, worked in downtown Washington, D.C. I made dinner and waited for her to come home each night.
I don’t remember feeling sorry for myself or alone in my teenage years. I felt secure. I knew my mother loved me. I knew I was a child of God. I knew I could pray to Him and that He would answer my prayers. I felt the Spirit prompt me and guide me. There were occasions where I felt the Spirit warn me to quickly leave some place and I obeyed. I can remember that I used my long walks as a time of prayer and meditation. I realize now that I was in a Holy place.
QUESTION: What are some Holy places we may gather and abide in?
1. Our own hearts and minds are holy places as we purify and make ourselves
a place where the Spirit can abide. [I felt the Spirit as a child]
2. Our own families and homes are holy places when we work diligently to
make them sanctuaries of safety that are hospitable to the Spirit.
[As a mother, I always made sure the house was clean, that there was a healthy snack on the table, and that lovely music was playing as my
children entered our home following a day at school – I wanted them to
feel the Spirit as they entered our home] QUESTION: How have you
brought the Spirit into your homes?
3. Our wards and stakes are holy places for the covenant children of our
Father in Heaven. [I have always loved taking every opportunity to meet
with the Saints – my spirit is fed and my testimony strengthened]
4. Our temples are holy places where we gather for spiritual refuge. [I love
entering the temple where I feel great peace. It is like I’m coming home]
We are Heirs to the blessings and responsibilities of the Abrahamic Covenant.
We understand from verse 9 that Abraham would be made “a great nation” (Abraham 2:9), and that in his seed “all the families of the earth shall be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of eternal life” (Abraham 2/11).
The Abrahamic Covenant embraces the divine promise of the abundance of “seed” (posterity) upon the earth, as well as eternal increase in the hereafter through the blessings of eternal marriage. (Abraham 2:9)
Brigham Young: “Abraham was faithful to the true God; he overthrew the idols of his father and obtained the Priesthood after the order of Mechizedek, which is after the order of the Son of God, and a promise that of the increase of his seed there should be no end; when you obtain the holy Priesthood, which is after the order of Melchizedek, sealed upon you, and the promise that your seed shall be numerous as the stars in the firmament, or as the sands upon the seashore, and of your increase there shall be no end, you have then got the promise of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the blessings that were conferred upon them.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, 106)
Verse 10 tells us that all Church members are the “Seed of Abraham.”
Abraham 2:10. “…for as many as receive this Gospel… shall be accounted thy seed…;”
QUOTE #6:
President Joseph Fielding Smith: “The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph. Those who are not literal descendants of Abraham and Israel must become such, and when they are baptized and confirmed they are grafted into the tree and are entitled to all the rights and privileges as heirs.” (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:246)
QUOTE #7:
Joseph Smith: "...the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost." (TPJS, p149)
Heirs to the covenant
We become heirs to this Abrahamic Coveant through baptism and temple odinances]
1. When we are baptized into the Church, the Abrahamic covenant’s promise of salvation is renewed with us.
QUOTE #8:
Brother Robert L. Millet: “Those who are not lineal descendants of the ancient patriarchs may, through baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, be adopted into Abraham’s family and become heirs to all the blessings promised to those who are actual descendants…” (Alive in Christ: The Miracle of Spiritual Rebirth, 78 - 79)
2. When we are sealed in the temple, the Abrahamic covenant’s promise of exaltation is renewed with us.
Blessings and Responsibilities of the Abrahamic Covenant:
Earthly Blessings:
1. A promised land to live in
2. A great posterity
3. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the
Priesthood for Abraham and his posterity
Eternal Parallels:
1. The celestial kingdom
2. Eternal marriage and eternal increase
3. Exaltation and eternal life
Lets talk about our RESPONSIBILITIES as heirs of the Abrahamic coveant:
1. Help all of God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel (Abraham 2:9,11)
Abraham 2:9: “… thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee,…they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;
Abraham 2:11: “…and in thy seed…shall all the families of the earth be blessed…”
QUOTE #9
Elder John A. Widtsoe: "This covenant with Abraham was also a call to leadership. Therefore, it has been interpreted to mean that Abraham and his descendants were chosen to conserve in purity and to advance on earth the eternal plan for human salvation." (Gospel Interpretations, p. 95)
QUOTE Joseph Fielding McConkie reminds us that –
Joseph Fielding McConkie: “In claiming to be a chosen people, we make no pretense to be superior to any other people but simply claim to have been chosen to serve as the Lord’s messengers in declaring the message of salvation among the nations of the earth. Ours is a call to service, not to privilege, though the service itself is such…” (Answers: Straightforward Answers to Tough Gospel Questions, pp. 181-182)
Another responsibility as heirs of the Abrahamic covenant is to:
2. Obey God’s commandments (Genesis 18:19)
Genesis 18:19: “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.]
QUESTION: What are some of the ways we can help all of God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel? [Missionary work, genealogy and temple work, being examples of righteousness]
1. We help God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel through
Missionary work.
QUOTE:
President Ezra Taft Benson: “The responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to ‘bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations’
(Abraham 2:9).” (Conference Report, April 1987, p. 107)
“The solemn obligation associated with the Abrahamic Covenant is to be worthy spiritual servants to the world, delivering to all nations, kindreds, tongues, and peoples the blessings associated with the kingdom of God upon the earth, including the priesthood in all its saving functions.” (Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 304)
Think of our young elders and sister missionaries, our retired missionary couples, our senior single sister missionaries, and each of us as member missionareis, as you read Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s “Mission Commision”:
“I am called of God. My authority is above that of kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my master and He has chosen me to represent Him – to stand in His place, to say and do what He Himself would say and do if He personally were ministering to the very people to whom He has sent me. My voice is His voice, and my acts are His acts; my doctrine is His doctrine. My Commission is to do what He wants done; to say what He wants said; to be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of His great and marvelous Latter-day work. How great is my calling!” (How Great Is My Calling)
President Kimball tells how we go about doing this great missionary work:
President Spencer W. Kimball: “We are not interested in numbers. They are secondary. We are interested in warning the nations of the world. I believe we have not scratched the surface….Our goal is nothing less than the penetration of the entire world….Evengelization of the world does not mean that all men will respond, but all men must be given the opportunity to respond as they are confronted with the Christ. (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 545)
2. We help God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel by doing genealogy and performing temple ordinances for the dead.
SCRIPTURE:
D&C 128:24: “Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.”
3. We help God’s children receive the full blessings of the gospel by being examples of righteousness.
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:15
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
CONCLUSION
“On April 3, 1836, as part of a magnificent sequence of heavenly manifestations in the newly completed Kirtland Temple, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery experienced a visitation by Elias, who “committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed” (D&C 110:12).
“Thus the continuity of the Lord’s ancient covenant program was assured in the latter days.
“The Lord delights in blessing his children:
● He gives them places of refuge in this world (lands and gathering places, such as
the stakes of Zion).
● He gives them hope for eternal mansions on high.
● He makes them fruitful in their posterity and gives them the hope of eternal
increase through the blessings of temple marriage.
● He provides the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ and the
priesthood of God, with its ennobling and redeeming power to grant immortality
and eternal life for the valiant who endure to the end.
“For all of these extraordinary blessings, He asks only that we walk in righteousness and obey his commandments, sharing our witness to the world through His missionary program.
“The central blessing for those who participate in the Abrahamic Covenant is to have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ while on earth, including all the essential saving doctrines and the associated blessings of the priesthood, plus the hope and promise of immortality and eternal life in the hereafter.” (Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 304)
I know that the Lord established with Abraham and his posterity a covenant of righteousness, with an eternal promise of granting earthly and heavenly blessings
based on obedience and service. I am grateful for the Abrahamic Covenant.
May we honor this covenant of righteousness, I pray.
References:
Comentaries on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen.
LDS Old Testament Teachers Manual, Lesson 7
LDS Institute Old Testament Manual
Old Testament lesson, Bob Beardall
Personal experience, Maren Hardy Hale
Quote sources as designated in lesson
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Noah Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House
"Noah Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House"
Old Testament: Lesson 6 (Moses 8:19-30; Genesis 6-9; Genesis 11:1-9)
by Ted L. Gibbons
Introduction:
How about a little quiz to begin with?
What happened in the days of Noah is clearly described in the following quote. There comes a time when the general defilement of a society becomes so great that the rising generation is put under undue pressure and cannot be said to have a fair choice between the way of light and the way of darkness. When such a point is reached the cup of iniquity is full, and the established order that has passed the point of no return and neither can nor will change its ways must be removed physically and forcibly if necessary from the earth, whether by war, plague, famine, or upheavals of nature (Mormon 2:13-15) (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.6, Part.5, Ch.11, p.140).
I. THE PEOPLE REJECT NOAH'S CALL TO REPENTANCE;
NOAH BUILDS AN ARK.
In the days preceding the flood, the Lord made a great effort to rescue his children. The miraculous ministry of the "preachers of righteousness," and the warning voice of God's servants were a continuing invitation to people to set aside their iniquity and join the city of Enoch. Notice the things the Lord did in his effort to reclaim his children from misery and woe.
As the wickedness of men began to increase in the earth (see Moses 5:55 ; 6:15 , etc.), the Lord did what he always does: he called prophets and missionaries to declare repentance "And the Lord said unto me: Go to this people, and say unto them—Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die." (Moses 7:10)
Enoch defended his people with such power, and the Lord acted with such miraculous demonstrations of power that the wicked were terrified. "There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea." (Moses 7:14) 1 Nephi 19:11, D&C 43:25,26, and D&C 88:89-91 describe the preaching that can come when people refuse to listen to the voice of the Spirit.
Those who repented following the translation of Zion (the City of Enoch) were also translated, freeing them from the effects of indiscriminate iniquity. "And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion." (Moses 7:27)
God wept when he beheld the wickedness of men on the earth. "And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?" (Moses 7:28,29)
The language of Moses 8:17 suggests that even in the midst of rampant wickedness, the Spirit continued to labor with men and women. "And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them." (Moses 8:17)
Noah was the final witness, and preached for 120 years. (see Moses 8:17) This seems to have been a time when nobody was repenting. If they were, they must have been caught up to the city of Zion, but the record is silent regarding this matter during the peaching of the Prophet Noah. "And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch . . . And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying: Hearken, and give heed unto my words; Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you; nevertheless they hearkened not" (Moses 8:19, 23,24).
It appears that the Lord tried a lesser catastrophe, perhaps in an effort to encourage repentance before utter destruction became necessary. You probably remember that in Helaman 11, in the midst of a great war of destruction, Nephi prayed for a famine, hoping that the people might be induced to repent. "And so it was done, according to the words of Nephi. And there was a great famine upon the land, among all the people of Nephi. And thus in the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue, and the work of destruction did cease by the sword but became sore by famine . . . And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi" (Hel 11:5,7).
In the days of Methuselah, Noah's grandfather, a similar thing happened. "And there came forth a great famine into the land, and the Lord cursed the earth with a sore curse, and many of the inhabitants thereof died" (Moses 8:4). This catastrophe did not seem effective in curtailing the rising tide of wickedness on the planet.
Finally the time came when the Lord decided to start over with Noah and his three sons. "And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth" (Moses 8:30 ). "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die" (Genesis 6:14 - 17).
In the time when wickedness was spreading over the earth, God exercised his power to protect the righteous so that his purposes could be accomplished.
Notice in the following observations the things the Lord did to keep his people safe:
He endowed Enoch with sufficient power to protect them from their enemies. "And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him" (Moses 7:13).
He came and dwelt with his people. "And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness" (Moses 7:16).
The glory of the Lord was upon his people. "The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish" (Moses 7:17 ).
He allowed them to become a Zion Society. "And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them" (Moses 7:18).
He took them away from the wicked world. "And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever" (Moses 7:21 ).
II. THE LORD CLEANSES THE EARTH WITH A FLOOD.
After all earlier attempts to bring men to repentance had failed and the righteous had been removed to a place of safety, the Lord determined to cleanse the earth by water. The scriptures and the prophets suggest eight things that were happening on the earth, and one that was happening in the premortal world that led to this cataclysm.
It appears that organized iniquity had gained such a hold on the earth that it was impossible for the righteous to live in peace except through the intervention of divine power. "And in those days there were giants on the earth, and they sought Noah to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power of the Lord was upon him." (Moses 8:18)
The daughters of Noah's sons, "the sons of God," began to marry the "sons of men," that is, they married out of the covenant. Thus the possibility of a righteous seed being preserved in the earth became more and more unlikely. "And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God. And when these men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men saw that those daughters were fair, and they took them wives, even as they chose. And the Lord said unto Noah: The daughters of thy sons have sold themselves; for behold mine anger is kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice" (Moses 8:13 -15).
The adjectives used in this instance and in some that follow are important. Over and over again we are shown a world where everything has gone wrong. Words such as "all" or "whole" or "every" or "only" suggest a world of undiluted corruption.
The third cause of the flood in my list is that every man was utterly evil. "And God saw that the wickedness of men had become great in the earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually" (Moses 8:22).
Again in this description we see a world spiraling into anarchy. Things are almost always bad somewhere, unless a Zion society has been established. But in the days of Noah, we are told that things were bad everywhere. We are not shown corruption in some places nor violence in some cities or nations. "The earth was corrupt before God, and it was filled with violence. And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth" (Moses 8:28,30).
The word "corrupt" has synonyms such as spoiled, contaminated, or rotten. My dictionary defines the word as meaning "morally unsound or debased." "And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth." (Moses 8:29)
God showed Enoch the state of the world after the translation of Zion but before the flood. "And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced" (Moses 7:26).
This laughter, this rejoicing in the face of rampant wickedness and impending destruction, reminds me of a similar statement in the Book of Mormon. This comes from the time just following the destructions in America during the days of darkness. "Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!" (3 Nephi 9:2).
The ultimate purpose of the adversary is to "disrupt, disturb, and destroy the home and the family" (Boyd K. Packer, "The Father and the Family," Ensign, May 1994, 19). Note what the following passage suggests about Satan's success in this matter in the days of Noah: "And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood." (Moses 7:33)
Of course the Lord has created worlds without number, and peopled them with his own children. But this world became unusual because of the iniquity preceding the flood. "I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren." (Moses 7:36)
Regarding this wickedness Brigham Young said, "We are inhabitants of a world of sin and sorrow; pain and anguish, every ill that can be heaped upon intelligent beings in a probation we are heirs to. I suppose that God never organized an earth and peopled it that was ever reduced to a lower state of darkness, sin and ignorance than this. I suppose this is one of the lowest kingdoms that ever the Lord Almighty created, and on that account is capable of becoming exalted to be one of the highest kingdoms that has ever had an exaltation in all the eternities. In proportion as it has been reduced so it will be exalted, with that portion of its inhabitants who in their humiliation have cleaved to righteousness and acknowledged God in all things" (Journal of Discourses, X. 175).
The final cause of the flood takes us to the other side of the veil. The simple truth is that there were billions of spirit children there, waiting and anxious for the blessings of flesh and mortality. But as they peered through the veil at the condition of the world they were to be sent to, they had some understandable concerns.
"Let us go back to the time when Satan rebelled against the Almighty and drew away one-third of the hosts of heaven. We find that there were pure spirits that stood that test and who had given to them the promise of bodies on this earth. Let us suppose that you and I were there as spirits, awaiting the privilege of taking bodies, and that we could see the wickedness and corruption that was going on upon the earth, and that we could see Prophets going about teaching the principles of righteousness and warning the people of judgments that should come, of the flood that should overwhelm them and of the prisons prepared in which the ungodly should be cast. And we say, "Father, you see the people on the earth that they are wicked and depraved, fallen and corrupt! Yes. Is it right and just that we who have done no wrong should have to enter into such corrupt bodies and partake of the influences with which they are surrounded?" "No," says the Father, "it is not just, and I will cut them off, I will cause the floods to come upon them to destroy them, and I will send those wicked and disobedient spirits into prison," which he did" (John Taylor, JD XXII, 301-302). I can understand this. If I had been there (and I was) awaiting birth, I would have complained bitterly (if such a thing were possible in that place) about the prospect of being sent into a world without a single source of divine light, a world where everyone was only evil continually, a place filled with violence, a place where everything and everybody was corrupt, a place that was completely veiled with darkness.
III. THE PEOPLE BUILD THE TOWER OF BABEL
After the Flood, the people determined to build a great tower. They found a place on the plain of Shinar with appropriate materials and space and said, "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4).
This verse suggests two—perhaps three—purposes for this tower.
One was to reach to heaven. "But not long after the deluge the wicked tried to build a tower that would reach so high that if ever another flood came they might escape the rising waters by ascending it. This is called the Tower of Babel. The Lord was angry with those who attempted to build this tower, for he had promised that he would never again destroy the earth with the waters of a flood. But they did not believe him; and in their unbelief they went to work to construct it. In his anger he confounded their language, that they could not understand each other. Then he scattered them abroad upon the face of the earth. Some few, better than the others, be brought to America. Here he made them a great nation; and they filled the land for many hundreds of years. By and by they grew exceedingly wicked and gathered together in vast armies to war one with another. And they fought so terribly that at last they were all destroyed,--all except one man. These people were called the Jaredites" (George Reynolds: The Story of the Book of Mormon, introduction).
Whether the purpose of the tower was to arrive in heaven by unauthorized means or to get high enough to escape another flood is not clear and not important. That the people acted contrary to the will of God is the important point. This second purpose of Babel was for the people to make a name for themselves—a unifying identity perhaps—to hold them together and prevent a scattering of ideals and intentions. This the Lord would not tolerate. The Lord reshaped the cultural structure of the world so that a single source of wickedness could not contaminate the entire planet ever again. "And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city" (Genesis 11:5 - 8).
Conclusion
We are told that the arks of the Jaredites were in some ways like the Ark of Noah. "And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters" (Ether 6:7, emphasis added).
How tight were they? "And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish" (Ether 2:17).
The ark is a symbol. It was real enough, but for those of us who sense the rising and engulfing tides of wickedness and faithlessness in our own day, there is an additional lesson here. We must prepare for the safety of our families by building our own arks. They will be refuges for us when waves of sin threaten to capsize us and our families, but only if they are tight, and have no leaks of covenant or commitment. If we have built arks of scripture study and made them tight; if we have built arks of prayer and made them tight; if we have built arks of obedience and covenant-keeping and made them tight, then our homes and our lives will be like the ark of Noah and the barges of the Jaredites.
Why make them tight? Years ago I spoke at a youth conference in Oregon. During a break, the teenagers gathered in the cultural hall and played Red Rover. One side would link arms and then cry, "Red Rover! Red Rover! Send Danny (or someone else) right over!" Then Danny would run at full speed to the spot he thought weakest in the linkage of arms and try to break through. But if they were holding tightly enough, he would be held back and kept out. We must hold on to the word of God, to our prayers and scripture study and our covenants and our obedience, that tightly, tightly enough to repel every effort of Lucifer to break through and interrupt our joy. "And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters" (Ether 6:7).
Old Testament: Lesson 6 (Moses 8:19-30; Genesis 6-9; Genesis 11:1-9)
by Ted L. Gibbons
Introduction:
How about a little quiz to begin with?
What happened in the days of Noah is clearly described in the following quote. There comes a time when the general defilement of a society becomes so great that the rising generation is put under undue pressure and cannot be said to have a fair choice between the way of light and the way of darkness. When such a point is reached the cup of iniquity is full, and the established order that has passed the point of no return and neither can nor will change its ways must be removed physically and forcibly if necessary from the earth, whether by war, plague, famine, or upheavals of nature (Mormon 2:13-15) (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.6, Part.5, Ch.11, p.140).
I. THE PEOPLE REJECT NOAH'S CALL TO REPENTANCE;
NOAH BUILDS AN ARK.
In the days preceding the flood, the Lord made a great effort to rescue his children. The miraculous ministry of the "preachers of righteousness," and the warning voice of God's servants were a continuing invitation to people to set aside their iniquity and join the city of Enoch. Notice the things the Lord did in his effort to reclaim his children from misery and woe.
As the wickedness of men began to increase in the earth (see Moses 5:55 ; 6:15 , etc.), the Lord did what he always does: he called prophets and missionaries to declare repentance "And the Lord said unto me: Go to this people, and say unto them—Repent, lest I come out and smite them with a curse, and they die." (Moses 7:10)
Enoch defended his people with such power, and the Lord acted with such miraculous demonstrations of power that the wicked were terrified. "There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea." (Moses 7:14) 1 Nephi 19:11, D&C 43:25,26, and D&C 88:89-91 describe the preaching that can come when people refuse to listen to the voice of the Spirit.
Those who repented following the translation of Zion (the City of Enoch) were also translated, freeing them from the effects of indiscriminate iniquity. "And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion." (Moses 7:27)
God wept when he beheld the wickedness of men on the earth. "And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?" (Moses 7:28,29)
The language of Moses 8:17 suggests that even in the midst of rampant wickedness, the Spirit continued to labor with men and women. "And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them." (Moses 8:17)
Noah was the final witness, and preached for 120 years. (see Moses 8:17) This seems to have been a time when nobody was repenting. If they were, they must have been caught up to the city of Zion, but the record is silent regarding this matter during the peaching of the Prophet Noah. "And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch . . . And it came to pass that Noah continued his preaching unto the people, saying: Hearken, and give heed unto my words; Believe and repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, even as our fathers, and ye shall receive the Holy Ghost, that ye may have all things made manifest; and if ye do not this, the floods will come in upon you; nevertheless they hearkened not" (Moses 8:19, 23,24).
It appears that the Lord tried a lesser catastrophe, perhaps in an effort to encourage repentance before utter destruction became necessary. You probably remember that in Helaman 11, in the midst of a great war of destruction, Nephi prayed for a famine, hoping that the people might be induced to repent. "And so it was done, according to the words of Nephi. And there was a great famine upon the land, among all the people of Nephi. And thus in the seventy and fourth year the famine did continue, and the work of destruction did cease by the sword but became sore by famine . . . And it came to pass that the people saw that they were about to perish by famine, and they began to remember the Lord their God; and they began to remember the words of Nephi" (Hel 11:5,7).
In the days of Methuselah, Noah's grandfather, a similar thing happened. "And there came forth a great famine into the land, and the Lord cursed the earth with a sore curse, and many of the inhabitants thereof died" (Moses 8:4). This catastrophe did not seem effective in curtailing the rising tide of wickedness on the planet.
Finally the time came when the Lord decided to start over with Noah and his three sons. "And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth" (Moses 8:30 ). "Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die" (Genesis 6:14 - 17).
In the time when wickedness was spreading over the earth, God exercised his power to protect the righteous so that his purposes could be accomplished.
Notice in the following observations the things the Lord did to keep his people safe:
He endowed Enoch with sufficient power to protect them from their enemies. "And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him" (Moses 7:13).
He came and dwelt with his people. "And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness" (Moses 7:16).
The glory of the Lord was upon his people. "The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish" (Moses 7:17 ).
He allowed them to become a Zion Society. "And the Lord called his people ZION, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them" (Moses 7:18).
He took them away from the wicked world. "And it came to pass that the Lord showed unto Enoch all the inhabitants of the earth; and he beheld, and lo, Zion, in process of time, was taken up into heaven. And the Lord said unto Enoch: Behold mine abode forever" (Moses 7:21 ).
II. THE LORD CLEANSES THE EARTH WITH A FLOOD.
After all earlier attempts to bring men to repentance had failed and the righteous had been removed to a place of safety, the Lord determined to cleanse the earth by water. The scriptures and the prophets suggest eight things that were happening on the earth, and one that was happening in the premortal world that led to this cataclysm.
It appears that organized iniquity had gained such a hold on the earth that it was impossible for the righteous to live in peace except through the intervention of divine power. "And in those days there were giants on the earth, and they sought Noah to take away his life; but the Lord was with Noah, and the power of the Lord was upon him." (Moses 8:18)
The daughters of Noah's sons, "the sons of God," began to marry the "sons of men," that is, they married out of the covenant. Thus the possibility of a righteous seed being preserved in the earth became more and more unlikely. "And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God. And when these men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, the sons of men saw that those daughters were fair, and they took them wives, even as they chose. And the Lord said unto Noah: The daughters of thy sons have sold themselves; for behold mine anger is kindled against the sons of men, for they will not hearken to my voice" (Moses 8:13 -15).
The adjectives used in this instance and in some that follow are important. Over and over again we are shown a world where everything has gone wrong. Words such as "all" or "whole" or "every" or "only" suggest a world of undiluted corruption.
The third cause of the flood in my list is that every man was utterly evil. "And God saw that the wickedness of men had become great in the earth; and every man was lifted up in the imagination of the thoughts of his heart, being only evil continually" (Moses 8:22).
Again in this description we see a world spiraling into anarchy. Things are almost always bad somewhere, unless a Zion society has been established. But in the days of Noah, we are told that things were bad everywhere. We are not shown corruption in some places nor violence in some cities or nations. "The earth was corrupt before God, and it was filled with violence. And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth" (Moses 8:28,30).
The word "corrupt" has synonyms such as spoiled, contaminated, or rotten. My dictionary defines the word as meaning "morally unsound or debased." "And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth." (Moses 8:29)
God showed Enoch the state of the world after the translation of Zion but before the flood. "And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced" (Moses 7:26).
This laughter, this rejoicing in the face of rampant wickedness and impending destruction, reminds me of a similar statement in the Book of Mormon. This comes from the time just following the destructions in America during the days of darkness. "Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice, because of the slain of the fair sons and daughters of my people; and it is because of their iniquity and abominations that they are fallen!" (3 Nephi 9:2).
The ultimate purpose of the adversary is to "disrupt, disturb, and destroy the home and the family" (Boyd K. Packer, "The Father and the Family," Ensign, May 1994, 19). Note what the following passage suggests about Satan's success in this matter in the days of Noah: "And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood." (Moses 7:33)
Of course the Lord has created worlds without number, and peopled them with his own children. But this world became unusual because of the iniquity preceding the flood. "I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce them also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren." (Moses 7:36)
Regarding this wickedness Brigham Young said, "We are inhabitants of a world of sin and sorrow; pain and anguish, every ill that can be heaped upon intelligent beings in a probation we are heirs to. I suppose that God never organized an earth and peopled it that was ever reduced to a lower state of darkness, sin and ignorance than this. I suppose this is one of the lowest kingdoms that ever the Lord Almighty created, and on that account is capable of becoming exalted to be one of the highest kingdoms that has ever had an exaltation in all the eternities. In proportion as it has been reduced so it will be exalted, with that portion of its inhabitants who in their humiliation have cleaved to righteousness and acknowledged God in all things" (Journal of Discourses, X. 175).
The final cause of the flood takes us to the other side of the veil. The simple truth is that there were billions of spirit children there, waiting and anxious for the blessings of flesh and mortality. But as they peered through the veil at the condition of the world they were to be sent to, they had some understandable concerns.
"Let us go back to the time when Satan rebelled against the Almighty and drew away one-third of the hosts of heaven. We find that there were pure spirits that stood that test and who had given to them the promise of bodies on this earth. Let us suppose that you and I were there as spirits, awaiting the privilege of taking bodies, and that we could see the wickedness and corruption that was going on upon the earth, and that we could see Prophets going about teaching the principles of righteousness and warning the people of judgments that should come, of the flood that should overwhelm them and of the prisons prepared in which the ungodly should be cast. And we say, "Father, you see the people on the earth that they are wicked and depraved, fallen and corrupt! Yes. Is it right and just that we who have done no wrong should have to enter into such corrupt bodies and partake of the influences with which they are surrounded?" "No," says the Father, "it is not just, and I will cut them off, I will cause the floods to come upon them to destroy them, and I will send those wicked and disobedient spirits into prison," which he did" (John Taylor, JD XXII, 301-302). I can understand this. If I had been there (and I was) awaiting birth, I would have complained bitterly (if such a thing were possible in that place) about the prospect of being sent into a world without a single source of divine light, a world where everyone was only evil continually, a place filled with violence, a place where everything and everybody was corrupt, a place that was completely veiled with darkness.
III. THE PEOPLE BUILD THE TOWER OF BABEL
After the Flood, the people determined to build a great tower. They found a place on the plain of Shinar with appropriate materials and space and said, "Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4).
This verse suggests two—perhaps three—purposes for this tower.
One was to reach to heaven. "But not long after the deluge the wicked tried to build a tower that would reach so high that if ever another flood came they might escape the rising waters by ascending it. This is called the Tower of Babel. The Lord was angry with those who attempted to build this tower, for he had promised that he would never again destroy the earth with the waters of a flood. But they did not believe him; and in their unbelief they went to work to construct it. In his anger he confounded their language, that they could not understand each other. Then he scattered them abroad upon the face of the earth. Some few, better than the others, be brought to America. Here he made them a great nation; and they filled the land for many hundreds of years. By and by they grew exceedingly wicked and gathered together in vast armies to war one with another. And they fought so terribly that at last they were all destroyed,--all except one man. These people were called the Jaredites" (George Reynolds: The Story of the Book of Mormon, introduction).
Whether the purpose of the tower was to arrive in heaven by unauthorized means or to get high enough to escape another flood is not clear and not important. That the people acted contrary to the will of God is the important point. This second purpose of Babel was for the people to make a name for themselves—a unifying identity perhaps—to hold them together and prevent a scattering of ideals and intentions. This the Lord would not tolerate. The Lord reshaped the cultural structure of the world so that a single source of wickedness could not contaminate the entire planet ever again. "And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city" (Genesis 11:5 - 8).
Conclusion
We are told that the arks of the Jaredites were in some ways like the Ark of Noah. "And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters" (Ether 6:7, emphasis added).
How tight were they? "And they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish" (Ether 2:17).
The ark is a symbol. It was real enough, but for those of us who sense the rising and engulfing tides of wickedness and faithlessness in our own day, there is an additional lesson here. We must prepare for the safety of our families by building our own arks. They will be refuges for us when waves of sin threaten to capsize us and our families, but only if they are tight, and have no leaks of covenant or commitment. If we have built arks of scripture study and made them tight; if we have built arks of prayer and made them tight; if we have built arks of obedience and covenant-keeping and made them tight, then our homes and our lives will be like the ark of Noah and the barges of the Jaredites.
Why make them tight? Years ago I spoke at a youth conference in Oregon. During a break, the teenagers gathered in the cultural hall and played Red Rover. One side would link arms and then cry, "Red Rover! Red Rover! Send Danny (or someone else) right over!" Then Danny would run at full speed to the spot he thought weakest in the linkage of arms and try to break through. But if they were holding tightly enough, he would be held back and kept out. We must hold on to the word of God, to our prayers and scripture study and our covenants and our obedience, that tightly, tightly enough to repel every effort of Lucifer to break through and interrupt our joy. "And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep there was no water that could hurt them, their vessels being tight like unto a dish, and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters they did cry unto the Lord, and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters" (Ether 6:7).
Monday, February 1, 2010
“If Thou Doest Well, Thou Shalt Be Accepted.”
Old Testament, Lesson 5: “If Thou Doest Well, Thou Shalt Be Accepted.”
January 31, 2010, Compiled by Maren Hale, Pleasant View 1st Ward gospel doctrine class
Readings: Moses 5-7
“I need not remind you that this cause in which we are engaged is not an ordinary cause. It is the cause of Christ. It is the kingdom of God our Eternal Father. It is the building of Zion on the earth, the fulfillment of prophecy given of old and of a vision revealed in this dispensation.” Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign, Nov. 1989, p. 53.)
INTRODUCTION
Today we will discuss Moses 5-7 and gain insight into the matchless gifts of love granted to us by our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ.
For these gifts, we are asked only to make an offering of a broken heart and contrite spirit. We will look at how we can be a Zion society if we will be unified and pure in heart.
BODY
An acceptable Offering
In Moses 5 we see Adam and Eve and their family.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:2-3
2. And Adam knew his wife, and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.
3. And from that time forth, the sons and daughters of Adam began to divide two and two in the land, and to till the land, and to tend flocks, and they also begat sons and daughters.”
We know that Adam and Eve taught the gospel to their children
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:12
12. And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and daughters.
So we see here that Adam and Eve were having family home evenings J.
Adam and Eve hoped their son Cain would follow the Lord as they did. But we know that Cain “hearkened not” to his parents and the Lord, and asked, “Who is the Lord that I should know him?” (Moses 5:16)
In Moses 5:18 we learn who Cain followed.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:18
And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him saying: Make an offering unto the Lord.
QUESTION: What do Cain and Abel bring as offerings to the Lord?
[Cain brings an offering of the fruit of the ground. Abel brings of the firstlings of his flock]
QUESTION: Why does the Lord reject Cain’s offering? [The Lord had commanded Adam and Eve and their children to offer the firstlings of their flocks. Abel obeyed, but Cain heeded the words of Satan and offered the fruit of the ground.]
QUOTE #1 Let’s read what Joseph Smith said about these offerings.
Joseph Smith: “Abel offered to God a sacrifice that was accepted, which was the firstlings of the flock. Cain offered of the fruit of the ground, and was not accepted, because he could not do it in faith…Shedding the blood of the Only Begotten to atone for man…was the plan of redemption;…and as the sacrifice was instituted for a type, by which man was to discern the great Sacrifice which God had prepared; to offer a sacrifice contrary to that, no faith could be exercised…; consequently Cain could have no faith; and whatsoever is not of faith, is sin.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith 1976, p 58)
QUESTION: Why do you suppose a child of these righteous parents was so rebellious? ◦ Cain rejected God’s counsel
◦ He rejected the spirit
◦ He swore allegiance to Satan
◦ He became part of the secret combination to murder and get gain
The Lord then calls Cain to repentance.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:23-24 – Verse 23 is the theme for today’s lesson.
23. “If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up…”
24:…“For from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be called Perdition; for thou wast also before the world.”
Quote #2, Elder Milton R. Hunter: “Why should Cain become Perdition? He committed murder, but there have been thousands and thousands of murders committed since his day and God has not pronounced the murderers sons of Perdition. The answer to this question lies in the fact that Cain must have held the Holy Priesthood.” (Pearl of Great Price Commentary, p. 167)
Quote #3: Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “From the scriptural records available to us, from the sermons of the Prophet, and from a knowledge of the revealed requisites for becoming a son of perdition, we know that Cain was a liar and a rebel in pre-existence; that, like Lucifer, he had power and influence there; that in this life he was taught the gospel, received the priesthood, and knew of the divinity of the Lord’s work; that he then came out in open rebellion against God; that he in fact loved Satan more than God, choosing to worship and serve that evil one rather than the Lord; and that he offered false sacrifices at Satan’s behest and slew Abel because the devil directed him so to do. (Genesis 4; Moses 5:16-55).” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:197)
QUESTION: How did Cain react to the Lord’s call to repent? [Angry, not teachable]
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:26
“And Cain was wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, his brother, who walked in holiness before the Lord.”
QUESTION: What are some of the reasons it is hard to repent?
1. Pride – we don’t like to be told what to do.
2. Set in our ways – we hate to move out of our comfort zones and away
from bad habits).
3. Lazy – may not feel like doing what we are commanded (rather do
what we want to do).
QUESTION: So how do we develop repentant hearts?
1. Be humble – pray, obey
2. Be open to change – be willing to be taught
3. Develop Self discipline – work and serve
The bondage of darkness/freedom of light
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:32-34
32. And Cain went into the field, and Cain talked with Abel, his brother. And it came to pass that while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him.
33. And Cain glorified in that which he had done, saying: I am free; surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands.
34. And the Lord said unto Cain: Where is Abel, thy brother? And he said: I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?
Cain murdered, he wanted to steal, he lied, and he didn’t want responsibility for another.
Note that after the murder, Cain says, “I am free.” Actually, this sin had decreased Cain’s freedom.
QUESTION: What are the consequences of not living the Word of Wisdom?
[bad health, lack of the Spirit]
What are the consequences of a moral transgression? [hurt others, unworthy, shame, lack of the Spirit].
QUESTION: How does obedience increase our freedom? [We are free of guilt. The Spirit abides with us, lifts us up, and we are further taught and blessed].
Cain then asks the Lord, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Bishop Robert L. Simpson teaches us that we are our brother’s keeper.
QUOTE #4, Bishop Robert L. Simpson: “The world today tells you to leave your friend alone. He has the right to come and go as he pleases. The world tells you that persuasion to attend church or priesthood meeting or to discard a bad habit might lead to frustration and undue pressures; but again I repeat the word of the Lord: You are your brother’s keeper, and when you are converted, you have an obligation to strengthen your brother.” (Conference Report, October 1971, p. 114)
This counsel especially applies to us as parents and teachers.
◦ Children must be carefully guided to make the right choices.
◦ We let them have more choice as they demonstrate they can choose the right.
◦ We need to be parents more than we need to be friends.
EXPERIENCE: Nephi and the disco—Maren Hale
I’m reminded of an experience my son-in-law had as a youth while growing up in Germany. His father and Mother, Dutch and Belgian converts to the Church, loved the Lord and had taught their 7 children the gospel.
One day one of their son’s Nephi came to his father and said, “A lot of my friends are going to downtown Frankfurt to a disco. It will be a lot of fun. Do you think I should go?
Nephi’s father said, “Nephi, you’ve been taught well. You are capable of making the right choice.”
Nephi left and pondered on that. Later that evening, Nephi came in and announced that he was on his way to the disco with his friends. His father said, “Oh, no you’re not!”
Nephi said, “But Dad, I thought you said I was old enough to make the right decision.”
His father said, “I did, but you’ve just proved that you are not mature enough to make the right choice.”
Nephi said that he has always been grateful that his father was willing to be his parent and love him enough to take back some of his freedom to choose until he was able to prove he could make a good decision. His father was Nephi’s keeper.
We should live by President Harold B. Lee’s wise counsel to us.
President Harold B. Lee. “Remember always that the most important of the Lord’s work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes.”
Cain’s choice to follow Satan affected his descendants as well as himself. It is important for us to realize that our righteous or unrighteous choices affect our family members and our progeny.
EXPERIENCE: Marriage of 2 nephews –Maren Hale
One of my nephews was married in November in the Manhattan temple. As family gathered around the altar in the ceiling room I looked at his father, 5 of his brothers, and my 90-year-old mother. I felt his mother, my sister, was there from the other side of the veil. Our joy was an eternal joy.
In sharp contrast, another nephew was also married in November in Mexico. It was his 2nd marriage. He is a returned missionary. I wasn’t able to attend, but learned that he and his bride were married by a minister on the beach and liquor was served to the guests. Rather than joy, I mourned for him, his parents, his siblings, and his future children. Our righteous or unrighteous choices affect our family members and our progeny.
Zion: a righteous people
In chapters 6 and 7 of Moses, we read of Enoch and the blessings of righteousness.
Enoch was the 4th great-grandson of Adam and lived in the land of Cainan.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 6:21 we read that
“Jared taught Enoch in all the ways of God.” So we know that Enoch was taught the gospel.
The Lord called Enoch to teach repentance to the people in Moses 6:27-28.
SCRIPTURE:
27. “And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people and say unto them – Repent, for thus saith the Lord; I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against thee, for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off;
28. “And for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam.”
These are the same problems and transgressions we see in today’s world.
SCRIPTURE: Here is Enoch’s response in Moses 6:31.
“And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?”
Then the Lord gives Enoch great promises if he will fulfill this call:
◦ “No man shall pierce thee…”
◦ “Open thy mouth and it shall be filled.”
◦ “The spirit is upon you.”
◦ “The mountains shall flee before you.”
◦ “The rivers shall turn from their course.”
◦ “Thou shalt abide in me and I in you.”
◦ The Lord tells Enoch to anoint his eyes with clay and wash them and
he will see. Then the Lord shows Enoch His creations and Enoch
becomes a seer.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 6:37
“And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him.”
The people were offended, yet they continued to listen to Enoch because they were curious. Enoch taught the people the gospel. Many listened to him, were converted, and repented of their sins.
We see here that preaching truth has great power. Consider the faith of Enoch and the people in verse 13.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 7:13
And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lion was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.”
Remember that Enoch told the Lord of his great weakness – “I am slow of speech.” Again we see that the Lord qualifies those who obey and serve him – “…so great was the power of the language which God had given him.”
Elder Bruce R. McConkie talks of the power of faith.
QUOTE #5, Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Faith is power; by faith the worlds were made; nothing is impossible to those who have faith. If the earth itself came rolling into existence by faith, surely a mere mountain can be removed by that same power. ‘Let Mount Hermon be cast into the Great Sea.’ Such would not be one whit different than the brother of Jared saying ‘unto the mountain Zerin, Remove – and it was removed.’ (Ether 12:30).” (Mortal Messiah, 3:73)
Brigham Young tells us how we can develop this kind of faith
QUOTE #6, Brigham Young: “Were your faith concentrated upon the proper object, your confidence unshaken, your lives pure and holy, every one fulfilling the duties of his or her calling according to the Priesthood and capacity bestowed upon you, you would be filled with the Holy Ghost, and it would be as impossible for any man to deceive and lead you to destruction as for a feather to remain unconsumed in the midst of intense heat.” (Diary of Brigham Young, p. 132)
It is this kind of faith that made Enoch’s Zion.
Let’s read Joseph Smith’s thoughts on the cause of Zion
QUOTE #7, Joseph Smith: “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with particular delight…[It is]a work God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past; that fired the souls of ancient patriarchs and prophets; a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, and renovation of the earth, the glory of God and the salvation of the human family.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 231)
The Lord referred to His people as “Zion” (Moses 7:18) because:
1. They were of one heart and one mind.
2. There was no poor among them.
“I feel like I am part of such a community here in the Pleasant View 1st Ward and I feel that way about my family as well.” Maren Hale
EXPERIENCE: Maren Hale
I had a lovely experience Monday night, Forrest and I hosted a family home evening for some 232nd BYU ward members. As they sang the Primary song, “I’m Trying to be Like Jesus” Acappella, I felt the Spirit witness to me that in our living room was a Zion community.
QUOTE: Pres. Kimball tells us how to become a Zion people:
1. “We must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul,
shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind.
2. “We must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There
must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our actions.
3. “We must lay on the altar and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We
begin by offering a ‘broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ We follow this by
giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn
our duty and execute it fully. Finally we consecrate our time, talents, and
means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of
the Spirit.”
I love Sister Elaine Dalton’s words from a CES Fireside last September.
QUOTE #8, Elaine S. Dalton: “Zion was then, and is now, the goal. It is the cause of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. And now is the time…to ‘be faithful in Christ’ (Moroni 9:25) and to “lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing” (Moroni 10:30). Now is the time to “awake, and arise from the dust, . . . that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled” (Moroni 10:31). Now is the time to return to virtue! (“Zion Is the Pure in Heart.” CES Fireside, September 12, 2009, BYU)E-mail story
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President Joseph F. Smith teaches us how to prepare to redeem Zion.
QUOTE #9, Pres. Joseph F. Smith: “When I am ready to say, ‘Father, all that I have, myself included, is Thine; my time, my substance, everything that I possess is on the altar, to be used freely, agreeable to Thy holy will, and not my will, but Thine, be done,’ then perhaps I will be prepared to go and help to redeem Zion.” (quoted in The Doctrine & Covenants Speaks, 2:299-300)
EXPERIENCE: Maren Hale
These words by President Joseph F. Smith reminded me of 2 companion articles I read last Sunday in the Deseret New by Scott Taylor and Elizabeth Howell. Yesterday’s Church News also told this story. It is a story well worth repeating. Elizabeth Howell is a nurse and part of the Church-sponsored team of doctors, nurses [and social workers] (and only woman), sent to aid Haitians following the earth quake. Let me give you a little of her background.
Liz and her husband Brady were living in Arlington, Virginia, where “Brady was serving as a presidential management intern in Naval intelligence and [Liz] was positioning herself in the medical field with prestigious national and international connections. That all ended on September 11, 2001, when Liz’s husband, Brady, was one of the 188 killed in the attack on the Pentagon.
“Liz found life difficult without her husband. She said, ‘There’s a scripture that says the worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God. I really grew to understand what that meant with the loss of my husband, just how great a loss it is. I realized there are other people in the world who are suffering, and while I by no means am an expert on grief or trial, I’m acquainted with grief. I just realized at that point that I wanted to serve others with all my heart, with everything that I had, and I realized that I had been blessed so much after the loss of my husband and comforted so much.’
“[Liz] had come to the realization that the worth of a soul is great, as is the value of comforting and caring for that soul. Humanitarian service then became a natural for combining compassion and medical care.
“Medical training and education took alterations; [Liz] refuses to call them ‘changes’ but rather ‘enhancements.’ She looked for opportunities to serve others.
“Liz said, ‘That’s why I decided at 30 that I would go on a mission’…She served her ….mission in Portugal several years ago. She said, ‘It was a difficult transition period…People can take away your loved ones, they can take away your greatest treasures, but they cannot take away or change the way you respond to a situation….And that’s what I made. I took the responsibility to channel my grief in a positive direction.’
“In addition to being a nurse, [Liz] is one of eight full-time employees in the…Church’s Humanitarian Services, working in the neonatal resuscitation training program.
“Liz said, ‘When you’re of service you lose yourself…All of a sudden, your trials don’t seem nearly as big because everybody else is going through something. It puts it in perspective, and it’s very, very healing.’ (Scott Taylor, Deseret News, Sunday, January 24,2010, pp. A1,A7)
In her own words in a companion article, Liz Howell wrote of her experience in Haiti:
“We arrived at the [LDS] meetinghouse, people were all over the grass, people were inside the cultural hall….We had been there about 10 minutes and in comes this little boy. He’s in a little crude litter that had been made from sticks and clothing…The little boy was 4 years old, but he looked like he was [a baby]…His mother had died in the earthquake; his father was alive. When they found the boy, they found him with a dead body – another boy, maybe a brother. His aunt and his father, who lived up in the hills, walked for hours with this litter and the boy, looking for a place to stay.
“They were near the church when they were spotted by one of the LDS members…given the responsibility to find people in need of medical help…The little baby will probably lose his hand; his bones were exposed. He had lacerations so deep we could see the bones...chunks were missing from his scalp, and his left ear was kind of hanging there…He had a real high fever; he was just burning up. By the time we got to him, it appeared he was septic, full of infection. I think maybe he would have had two days, if that, before he would have passed…I bandaged him, cleaned all of his wounds and gave him antibiotics.
“We wrapped him up and he held me. He didn’t understand English, but I just kept telling him that I loved him and that we would take care of him, that we would make sure that he would receive the best care…We wrapped him up, and with the rest of the medical team, we went into University Hospital. He just held on so tight to me, and I held on; he just whimpered all the way to the hospital.
“I asked (Ogden UT emergency-room doctor Jeremy Booth), who was in the back seat, to give the baby a priesthood blessing. He did – and in Creole, he blessed the baby…We heal with our hands, but there’s also a healing we have access to that comes in times of need.
“I don’t have children. I don’t know if I’ll ever have children. I don’t know if that’s the Lord’s will for me. But I’d like to think that maybe if I were a mother who passed away, that someone would take care of my child, and I was grateful I could do that.”
They were met by Swiss doctors who have revolutionized a procedure and have done marvelous work in reconstruction. They told Liz they had not lost an arm or a foot in all their surgical procedures there.
Liz ended with, “As I was getting ready to go, I looked him in his big brown eyes and told him, ‘We love you, and you’re going to be taken care of.’…I’m grateful the Lord led us to him, that the members were in tune enough to find him and bring him to us.” (Elizabeth Howell, Deseret News, January 24, 2010, pp. A1, A7)
The journalist who wrote the initial article said, “Few of the men in her medical team, and certainly none of the Haitians she has seen, know how aptly [Liz Howell] fits the fifth stanza of James Montgomery’s 1826 poem, “The Stranger and His Friend.” The poem later became the lyrics to ‘A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.’ YOU SEE, [Liz] HERSELF HAS A WOUND CONCEALED.”
Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
I found him by the highway side.
I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,
Revived his spirit, and supplied
Wine, oil, refreshment – he was healed.
(I had myself a wound concealed),
But from that hour forgot the smart,
And peace bound up my broken heart.
A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” (Scott Taylor, Deseret News, Sunday, January 24,2010, pp. A1,A7)
Let me repeat the words of President Joseph F. Smith:
QUOTE
President Joseph F. Smith: “When I am ready to say, ‘Father, all that I have, myself included, is Thine; my time, my substance, everything that I possess is on the altar, to be used freely, agreeable to Thy holy will, and not my will, but Thine, be done,’ then perhaps I will be prepared to go and help to redeem Zion.” (quoted in The Doctrine & Covenants Speaks, 2:299-300)
CONCLUSION
January 31, 2010, Compiled by Maren Hale, Pleasant View 1st Ward gospel doctrine class
Readings: Moses 5-7
“I need not remind you that this cause in which we are engaged is not an ordinary cause. It is the cause of Christ. It is the kingdom of God our Eternal Father. It is the building of Zion on the earth, the fulfillment of prophecy given of old and of a vision revealed in this dispensation.” Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley (Ensign, Nov. 1989, p. 53.)
INTRODUCTION
Today we will discuss Moses 5-7 and gain insight into the matchless gifts of love granted to us by our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ.
For these gifts, we are asked only to make an offering of a broken heart and contrite spirit. We will look at how we can be a Zion society if we will be unified and pure in heart.
BODY
An acceptable Offering
In Moses 5 we see Adam and Eve and their family.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:2-3
2. And Adam knew his wife, and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.
3. And from that time forth, the sons and daughters of Adam began to divide two and two in the land, and to till the land, and to tend flocks, and they also begat sons and daughters.”
We know that Adam and Eve taught the gospel to their children
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:12
12. And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and daughters.
So we see here that Adam and Eve were having family home evenings J.
Adam and Eve hoped their son Cain would follow the Lord as they did. But we know that Cain “hearkened not” to his parents and the Lord, and asked, “Who is the Lord that I should know him?” (Moses 5:16)
In Moses 5:18 we learn who Cain followed.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:18
And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him saying: Make an offering unto the Lord.
QUESTION: What do Cain and Abel bring as offerings to the Lord?
[Cain brings an offering of the fruit of the ground. Abel brings of the firstlings of his flock]
QUESTION: Why does the Lord reject Cain’s offering? [The Lord had commanded Adam and Eve and their children to offer the firstlings of their flocks. Abel obeyed, but Cain heeded the words of Satan and offered the fruit of the ground.]
QUOTE #1 Let’s read what Joseph Smith said about these offerings.
Joseph Smith: “Abel offered to God a sacrifice that was accepted, which was the firstlings of the flock. Cain offered of the fruit of the ground, and was not accepted, because he could not do it in faith…Shedding the blood of the Only Begotten to atone for man…was the plan of redemption;…and as the sacrifice was instituted for a type, by which man was to discern the great Sacrifice which God had prepared; to offer a sacrifice contrary to that, no faith could be exercised…; consequently Cain could have no faith; and whatsoever is not of faith, is sin.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith 1976, p 58)
QUESTION: Why do you suppose a child of these righteous parents was so rebellious? ◦ Cain rejected God’s counsel
◦ He rejected the spirit
◦ He swore allegiance to Satan
◦ He became part of the secret combination to murder and get gain
The Lord then calls Cain to repentance.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:23-24 – Verse 23 is the theme for today’s lesson.
23. “If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up…”
24:…“For from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be called Perdition; for thou wast also before the world.”
Quote #2, Elder Milton R. Hunter: “Why should Cain become Perdition? He committed murder, but there have been thousands and thousands of murders committed since his day and God has not pronounced the murderers sons of Perdition. The answer to this question lies in the fact that Cain must have held the Holy Priesthood.” (Pearl of Great Price Commentary, p. 167)
Quote #3: Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “From the scriptural records available to us, from the sermons of the Prophet, and from a knowledge of the revealed requisites for becoming a son of perdition, we know that Cain was a liar and a rebel in pre-existence; that, like Lucifer, he had power and influence there; that in this life he was taught the gospel, received the priesthood, and knew of the divinity of the Lord’s work; that he then came out in open rebellion against God; that he in fact loved Satan more than God, choosing to worship and serve that evil one rather than the Lord; and that he offered false sacrifices at Satan’s behest and slew Abel because the devil directed him so to do. (Genesis 4; Moses 5:16-55).” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:197)
QUESTION: How did Cain react to the Lord’s call to repent? [Angry, not teachable]
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:26
“And Cain was wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, his brother, who walked in holiness before the Lord.”
QUESTION: What are some of the reasons it is hard to repent?
1. Pride – we don’t like to be told what to do.
2. Set in our ways – we hate to move out of our comfort zones and away
from bad habits).
3. Lazy – may not feel like doing what we are commanded (rather do
what we want to do).
QUESTION: So how do we develop repentant hearts?
1. Be humble – pray, obey
2. Be open to change – be willing to be taught
3. Develop Self discipline – work and serve
The bondage of darkness/freedom of light
SCRIPTURE: Moses 5:32-34
32. And Cain went into the field, and Cain talked with Abel, his brother. And it came to pass that while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and slew him.
33. And Cain glorified in that which he had done, saying: I am free; surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands.
34. And the Lord said unto Cain: Where is Abel, thy brother? And he said: I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?
Cain murdered, he wanted to steal, he lied, and he didn’t want responsibility for another.
Note that after the murder, Cain says, “I am free.” Actually, this sin had decreased Cain’s freedom.
QUESTION: What are the consequences of not living the Word of Wisdom?
[bad health, lack of the Spirit]
What are the consequences of a moral transgression? [hurt others, unworthy, shame, lack of the Spirit].
QUESTION: How does obedience increase our freedom? [We are free of guilt. The Spirit abides with us, lifts us up, and we are further taught and blessed].
Cain then asks the Lord, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Bishop Robert L. Simpson teaches us that we are our brother’s keeper.
QUOTE #4, Bishop Robert L. Simpson: “The world today tells you to leave your friend alone. He has the right to come and go as he pleases. The world tells you that persuasion to attend church or priesthood meeting or to discard a bad habit might lead to frustration and undue pressures; but again I repeat the word of the Lord: You are your brother’s keeper, and when you are converted, you have an obligation to strengthen your brother.” (Conference Report, October 1971, p. 114)
This counsel especially applies to us as parents and teachers.
◦ Children must be carefully guided to make the right choices.
◦ We let them have more choice as they demonstrate they can choose the right.
◦ We need to be parents more than we need to be friends.
EXPERIENCE: Nephi and the disco—Maren Hale
I’m reminded of an experience my son-in-law had as a youth while growing up in Germany. His father and Mother, Dutch and Belgian converts to the Church, loved the Lord and had taught their 7 children the gospel.
One day one of their son’s Nephi came to his father and said, “A lot of my friends are going to downtown Frankfurt to a disco. It will be a lot of fun. Do you think I should go?
Nephi’s father said, “Nephi, you’ve been taught well. You are capable of making the right choice.”
Nephi left and pondered on that. Later that evening, Nephi came in and announced that he was on his way to the disco with his friends. His father said, “Oh, no you’re not!”
Nephi said, “But Dad, I thought you said I was old enough to make the right decision.”
His father said, “I did, but you’ve just proved that you are not mature enough to make the right choice.”
Nephi said that he has always been grateful that his father was willing to be his parent and love him enough to take back some of his freedom to choose until he was able to prove he could make a good decision. His father was Nephi’s keeper.
We should live by President Harold B. Lee’s wise counsel to us.
President Harold B. Lee. “Remember always that the most important of the Lord’s work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes.”
Cain’s choice to follow Satan affected his descendants as well as himself. It is important for us to realize that our righteous or unrighteous choices affect our family members and our progeny.
EXPERIENCE: Marriage of 2 nephews –Maren Hale
One of my nephews was married in November in the Manhattan temple. As family gathered around the altar in the ceiling room I looked at his father, 5 of his brothers, and my 90-year-old mother. I felt his mother, my sister, was there from the other side of the veil. Our joy was an eternal joy.
In sharp contrast, another nephew was also married in November in Mexico. It was his 2nd marriage. He is a returned missionary. I wasn’t able to attend, but learned that he and his bride were married by a minister on the beach and liquor was served to the guests. Rather than joy, I mourned for him, his parents, his siblings, and his future children. Our righteous or unrighteous choices affect our family members and our progeny.
Zion: a righteous people
In chapters 6 and 7 of Moses, we read of Enoch and the blessings of righteousness.
Enoch was the 4th great-grandson of Adam and lived in the land of Cainan.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 6:21 we read that
“Jared taught Enoch in all the ways of God.” So we know that Enoch was taught the gospel.
The Lord called Enoch to teach repentance to the people in Moses 6:27-28.
SCRIPTURE:
27. “And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people and say unto them – Repent, for thus saith the Lord; I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against thee, for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off;
28. “And for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam.”
These are the same problems and transgressions we see in today’s world.
SCRIPTURE: Here is Enoch’s response in Moses 6:31.
“And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?”
Then the Lord gives Enoch great promises if he will fulfill this call:
◦ “No man shall pierce thee…”
◦ “Open thy mouth and it shall be filled.”
◦ “The spirit is upon you.”
◦ “The mountains shall flee before you.”
◦ “The rivers shall turn from their course.”
◦ “Thou shalt abide in me and I in you.”
◦ The Lord tells Enoch to anoint his eyes with clay and wash them and
he will see. Then the Lord shows Enoch His creations and Enoch
becomes a seer.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 6:37
“And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him.”
The people were offended, yet they continued to listen to Enoch because they were curious. Enoch taught the people the gospel. Many listened to him, were converted, and repented of their sins.
We see here that preaching truth has great power. Consider the faith of Enoch and the people in verse 13.
SCRIPTURE: Moses 7:13
And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lion was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.”
Remember that Enoch told the Lord of his great weakness – “I am slow of speech.” Again we see that the Lord qualifies those who obey and serve him – “…so great was the power of the language which God had given him.”
Elder Bruce R. McConkie talks of the power of faith.
QUOTE #5, Elder Bruce R. McConkie: “Faith is power; by faith the worlds were made; nothing is impossible to those who have faith. If the earth itself came rolling into existence by faith, surely a mere mountain can be removed by that same power. ‘Let Mount Hermon be cast into the Great Sea.’ Such would not be one whit different than the brother of Jared saying ‘unto the mountain Zerin, Remove – and it was removed.’ (Ether 12:30).” (Mortal Messiah, 3:73)
Brigham Young tells us how we can develop this kind of faith
QUOTE #6, Brigham Young: “Were your faith concentrated upon the proper object, your confidence unshaken, your lives pure and holy, every one fulfilling the duties of his or her calling according to the Priesthood and capacity bestowed upon you, you would be filled with the Holy Ghost, and it would be as impossible for any man to deceive and lead you to destruction as for a feather to remain unconsumed in the midst of intense heat.” (Diary of Brigham Young, p. 132)
It is this kind of faith that made Enoch’s Zion.
Let’s read Joseph Smith’s thoughts on the cause of Zion
QUOTE #7, Joseph Smith: “The building up of Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with particular delight…[It is]a work God and angels have contemplated with delight for generations past; that fired the souls of ancient patriarchs and prophets; a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the powers of darkness, and renovation of the earth, the glory of God and the salvation of the human family.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 231)
The Lord referred to His people as “Zion” (Moses 7:18) because:
1. They were of one heart and one mind.
2. There was no poor among them.
“I feel like I am part of such a community here in the Pleasant View 1st Ward and I feel that way about my family as well.” Maren Hale
EXPERIENCE: Maren Hale
I had a lovely experience Monday night, Forrest and I hosted a family home evening for some 232nd BYU ward members. As they sang the Primary song, “I’m Trying to be Like Jesus” Acappella, I felt the Spirit witness to me that in our living room was a Zion community.
QUOTE: Pres. Kimball tells us how to become a Zion people:
1. “We must eliminate the individual tendency to selfishness that snares the soul,
shrinks the heart, and darkens the mind.
2. “We must cooperate completely and work in harmony one with the other. There
must be unanimity in our decisions and unity in our actions.
3. “We must lay on the altar and sacrifice whatever is required by the Lord. We
begin by offering a ‘broken heart and a contrite spirit.’ We follow this by
giving our best effort in our assigned fields of labor and callings. We learn
our duty and execute it fully. Finally we consecrate our time, talents, and
means as called upon by our file leaders and as prompted by the whisperings of
the Spirit.”
I love Sister Elaine Dalton’s words from a CES Fireside last September.
QUOTE #8, Elaine S. Dalton: “Zion was then, and is now, the goal. It is the cause of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. And now is the time…to ‘be faithful in Christ’ (Moroni 9:25) and to “lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing” (Moroni 10:30). Now is the time to “awake, and arise from the dust, . . . that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled” (Moroni 10:31). Now is the time to return to virtue! (“Zion Is the Pure in Heart.” CES Fireside, September 12, 2009, BYU)E-mail story
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President Joseph F. Smith teaches us how to prepare to redeem Zion.
QUOTE #9, Pres. Joseph F. Smith: “When I am ready to say, ‘Father, all that I have, myself included, is Thine; my time, my substance, everything that I possess is on the altar, to be used freely, agreeable to Thy holy will, and not my will, but Thine, be done,’ then perhaps I will be prepared to go and help to redeem Zion.” (quoted in The Doctrine & Covenants Speaks, 2:299-300)
EXPERIENCE: Maren Hale
These words by President Joseph F. Smith reminded me of 2 companion articles I read last Sunday in the Deseret New by Scott Taylor and Elizabeth Howell. Yesterday’s Church News also told this story. It is a story well worth repeating. Elizabeth Howell is a nurse and part of the Church-sponsored team of doctors, nurses [and social workers] (and only woman), sent to aid Haitians following the earth quake. Let me give you a little of her background.
Liz and her husband Brady were living in Arlington, Virginia, where “Brady was serving as a presidential management intern in Naval intelligence and [Liz] was positioning herself in the medical field with prestigious national and international connections. That all ended on September 11, 2001, when Liz’s husband, Brady, was one of the 188 killed in the attack on the Pentagon.
“Liz found life difficult without her husband. She said, ‘There’s a scripture that says the worth of a soul is great in the eyes of God. I really grew to understand what that meant with the loss of my husband, just how great a loss it is. I realized there are other people in the world who are suffering, and while I by no means am an expert on grief or trial, I’m acquainted with grief. I just realized at that point that I wanted to serve others with all my heart, with everything that I had, and I realized that I had been blessed so much after the loss of my husband and comforted so much.’
“[Liz] had come to the realization that the worth of a soul is great, as is the value of comforting and caring for that soul. Humanitarian service then became a natural for combining compassion and medical care.
“Medical training and education took alterations; [Liz] refuses to call them ‘changes’ but rather ‘enhancements.’ She looked for opportunities to serve others.
“Liz said, ‘That’s why I decided at 30 that I would go on a mission’…She served her ….mission in Portugal several years ago. She said, ‘It was a difficult transition period…People can take away your loved ones, they can take away your greatest treasures, but they cannot take away or change the way you respond to a situation….And that’s what I made. I took the responsibility to channel my grief in a positive direction.’
“In addition to being a nurse, [Liz] is one of eight full-time employees in the…Church’s Humanitarian Services, working in the neonatal resuscitation training program.
“Liz said, ‘When you’re of service you lose yourself…All of a sudden, your trials don’t seem nearly as big because everybody else is going through something. It puts it in perspective, and it’s very, very healing.’ (Scott Taylor, Deseret News, Sunday, January 24,2010, pp. A1,A7)
In her own words in a companion article, Liz Howell wrote of her experience in Haiti:
“We arrived at the [LDS] meetinghouse, people were all over the grass, people were inside the cultural hall….We had been there about 10 minutes and in comes this little boy. He’s in a little crude litter that had been made from sticks and clothing…The little boy was 4 years old, but he looked like he was [a baby]…His mother had died in the earthquake; his father was alive. When they found the boy, they found him with a dead body – another boy, maybe a brother. His aunt and his father, who lived up in the hills, walked for hours with this litter and the boy, looking for a place to stay.
“They were near the church when they were spotted by one of the LDS members…given the responsibility to find people in need of medical help…The little baby will probably lose his hand; his bones were exposed. He had lacerations so deep we could see the bones...chunks were missing from his scalp, and his left ear was kind of hanging there…He had a real high fever; he was just burning up. By the time we got to him, it appeared he was septic, full of infection. I think maybe he would have had two days, if that, before he would have passed…I bandaged him, cleaned all of his wounds and gave him antibiotics.
“We wrapped him up and he held me. He didn’t understand English, but I just kept telling him that I loved him and that we would take care of him, that we would make sure that he would receive the best care…We wrapped him up, and with the rest of the medical team, we went into University Hospital. He just held on so tight to me, and I held on; he just whimpered all the way to the hospital.
“I asked (Ogden UT emergency-room doctor Jeremy Booth), who was in the back seat, to give the baby a priesthood blessing. He did – and in Creole, he blessed the baby…We heal with our hands, but there’s also a healing we have access to that comes in times of need.
“I don’t have children. I don’t know if I’ll ever have children. I don’t know if that’s the Lord’s will for me. But I’d like to think that maybe if I were a mother who passed away, that someone would take care of my child, and I was grateful I could do that.”
They were met by Swiss doctors who have revolutionized a procedure and have done marvelous work in reconstruction. They told Liz they had not lost an arm or a foot in all their surgical procedures there.
Liz ended with, “As I was getting ready to go, I looked him in his big brown eyes and told him, ‘We love you, and you’re going to be taken care of.’…I’m grateful the Lord led us to him, that the members were in tune enough to find him and bring him to us.” (Elizabeth Howell, Deseret News, January 24, 2010, pp. A1, A7)
The journalist who wrote the initial article said, “Few of the men in her medical team, and certainly none of the Haitians she has seen, know how aptly [Liz Howell] fits the fifth stanza of James Montgomery’s 1826 poem, “The Stranger and His Friend.” The poem later became the lyrics to ‘A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.’ YOU SEE, [Liz] HERSELF HAS A WOUND CONCEALED.”
Stript, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
I found him by the highway side.
I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,
Revived his spirit, and supplied
Wine, oil, refreshment – he was healed.
(I had myself a wound concealed),
But from that hour forgot the smart,
And peace bound up my broken heart.
A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief” (Scott Taylor, Deseret News, Sunday, January 24,2010, pp. A1,A7)
Let me repeat the words of President Joseph F. Smith:
QUOTE
President Joseph F. Smith: “When I am ready to say, ‘Father, all that I have, myself included, is Thine; my time, my substance, everything that I possess is on the altar, to be used freely, agreeable to Thy holy will, and not my will, but Thine, be done,’ then perhaps I will be prepared to go and help to redeem Zion.” (quoted in The Doctrine & Covenants Speaks, 2:299-300)
CONCLUSION
It must be our greatest desire to build a Zion community.
When we choose to be in the company of Satan, we are led to a life of misery and captivity.
I pray that we will strive to be worthy of the spirit and desire to follow the Savior and his commandments.
It is my testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us freedom, happiness, and eternal life.
References:
When we choose to be in the company of Satan, we are led to a life of misery and captivity.
I pray that we will strive to be worthy of the spirit and desire to follow the Savior and his commandments.
It is my testimony that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings us freedom, happiness, and eternal life.
References:
Bible- Old Testament
Bob Beardall Old Testament Class
Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, pp. 271-283
General Authority quotes – references noted in written lesson
Maren Hardy Hale, personal experiences
Nephi Mark Mourik, story of Nephi and the disco
Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teachers Manual
Pearl of Great Price, Moses 5-7
Scott Taylor, Elizabeth Howell, Deseret News, Sunday, January 24, pp. A1, A7
Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, pp. 271-283
General Authority quotes – references noted in written lesson
Maren Hardy Hale, personal experiences
Nephi Mark Mourik, story of Nephi and the disco
Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teachers Manual
Pearl of Great Price, Moses 5-7
Scott Taylor, Elizabeth Howell, Deseret News, Sunday, January 24, pp. A1, A7
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