“Bondage, Passover, and Exodus”
Lesson 13, Gospel Doctrine, compiled by Maren Hale
Reading: Exodus 1-2; 5-6; 11-4
Board: The Lord provides us with the light of the gospel and voice of prophecy so we can find our way safely back into His presence.
INTRODUCTION
The story of the Exodus is a story of deliverance through the power of God. The liberation of Israel from Egyptian bondage is parallel to our own deliverance from the consequences of sin through the process of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Today’s lesson is about one of the most dramatic rescues that has ever occurred – the deliverance of the Children of Israel from the plague of death and from Egyptian slavery. In many ways this rescue symbolizes an even greater rescue – our deliverance from sin and death through the Savior’s atoning sacrifice.
BODY
The Lord Calls Moses
In Exodus 1, the Children of Israel multiply and are strong even in their slavery. Pharaoh tells the midwives to kill any male babies, but the midwives feared God more than Pharaoh and the people multiplied.
Moses is born to Levite parents and is hid for 3 months. Then his Mother puts him in “an arc of bulrushes” by the river’s bank and his sister kept watch over him.
The daughter of Pharoah came to wash and had compassion on Moses and said, “This is one of the Hebrew’s children.” The Lord softened her heart and she raised
Moses as her son with Moses’ mother as his nurse maid.
When Moses was grown, he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew.
QUESTION: What does Moses do? [Slays the Egyptian, hides him in the sand. The death is discovered and Moses flees to Midian.]
QUESTION: Do you think Moses knew who he was? [Yes – His Mother had the opportunity to teach him. She was a woman of faith and courage and she instilled in Moses those traits.]
Moses then marries Zipporah and she bore Gershom.
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 2: 23-25
23. And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
24. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, and with Isaac, and with Jacob.
25. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
[God heard the Iraelites’.]
God hears our prayers (The prayer of faith)
Just as the Lord heard the cries of ancient Israel suffering from bondage, He will also listen to our sincere prayers for strength and guidance to overcome the challenges of mortality and lead us out of bondage to spiritual well-being.
EXPERIENCE: Brother in Prison
When we lived in Germany, our stake president told us about an experience he had with an LDS American businessman who had been imprisoned in Germany for fraud.
President Mourik visited him in Prison and learned that the fraud had been committed by this brother’s partner who had lied, stolen, and fled Germany. This brother was left “holding the bag” and was given a prison sentence. President Mourik brought him a Book of Mormon and made a practice of visiting him throughout his incarceration.
When this brother was released from prison, he went to visit President Mourik in his office. President Mourik told the brother how sorry he was that he had to go through this terrible experience of being in prison.
The brother told President Mourik not to mourn for him. He said that he had turned to the Book of Mormon and prayer throughout his sentence, and said that he had been visited by the Savior during his bondage.
He said that he had come to deeply know and love the Savior. He told President Mourik that he was grateful for this opportunity in prison to come to know and love the Savior.
Even through this very difficult trial, this brother chose to draw near to the Lord and be strengthened by him. The testimony he had gained before his ordeal gave him strength and he was further nurtured in prison as he sought out the Lord and His Spirit.
Heber C. Kimball tells us that we need to build our own testimonies right now.
Quote #1, Heber C. Kimball: “The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand?” (Life of Heber C. Kimball, p. 450)
In Exodus 3 we read of the great trials that were upon the Children of Israel as slaves to the Egyptians. Let’s read the Lord’s words regarding them in Exodus 3:7.
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 3:7
“I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.”
We know that through the Atonement, Jesus Christ became fully and painfully aware of all our sorrows.
After the deaths of Joseph and Pharaoh, the Israelites began to suffer under successor regimes. Their burdens became heavy, their oppression painful. They cried to the Lord for relief, and He heard their prayers and intervened to bring a new situation into their lives and redress the wrongs that had befallen them. (Teaching and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 351-2)
We can also cry unto the Lord. Prayer can have a great power in our lives.
Quote #2, President James E. Faust: “Of all that we might do to find solace, prayer is perhaps the most comforting. We are instructed to pray to the Father in the name of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Ghost. The very act of praying to God is satisfying to the soul, even though God, in his wisdom, may not give what we ask for. President Harold B. Lee taught us that all of our prayers are answered, but sometimes the Lord says no. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that the ‘best way to obtain truth and wisdom’ is ‘to go to God in prayer.’ Prayer is most helpful in the healing process. (Finding Light in a Dark World, p. 30-31)
Divine calling/divine power (We, too, receive callings in the Church.)
Then the Lord called Moses to deliver Israel.
Exodus 3:11-12
11. And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12. And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
Moses is apprehensive about his abilities: “Whom am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
But the Lord tells Moses he will be with him and gives him courage: “Certainly I will be with thee.”
When the Lord extends a calling, He supplies the power and guidance to carry it out.
EXPERIENCE: Early Church callings – Maren Hale
The Lord has a way of calling us to responsibilities in His kingdom that always stretch us and improve or develop our talents. I remember my first calling as a teenager was to be the chorister in Sunday School. I had 15 minutes to help the congregation learn a new hymn. I had to learn to lead music, to memorize many verses of our hymns, and to feel comfortable on the stand in front of everyone.
The skill of leading music has been useful to me throughout my life.
Soon after that, I was called as the Junior Sunday School pianist (Primary). I could play the piano by ear, but sight reading the songs was a real struggle for me. I had faith that if I accepted that calling, with the Lord’s help he would help me through that ordeal. I can’t say that I’ve improved a great deal in sight reading through my life, but the Lord helped me through my assignment at Church.
I was called in college to help set up the Latter-day Saint Student Association on the University of Utah campus. I was petrified, but with the guidance of the institute administrator, Brother Christensen, I managed. Through this calling I learned how to organize.
When Forrest and I were newlyweds in a student ward in Salt Lake, I was called to organize and produce a ward dinner and activity night. This experience taught me delegate. Then in the Berkeley married student ward, I was called to be the “flower coordinator.” Now they had to find a calling for everyone, so I had to find “free” flowers for our sacrament meetings each week. For a shyer person like me, this was especially challenging. This unusual calling helped me to be more bold.
These first callings in my life may seem simple to me now, but at the time, I was very apprehensive and worried. I had learned from my parents to accept Church callings. Then I learned for myself that accepting callings helped me to grow, depend on the Lord, and prepared me for future service in the Church and in my family.
QUESTION: What callings have you had that have frightened you? Perhaps you were a convert and given your first calling. Please share some of your experiences.
President Monson gives us counsel on how we will be able to fulfill our callings:
Quote #3, President Thomas S. Monson: “When we come to the temple let us come with the spirit of prayer, with the sprit of inquiry, with the spirit of acquiescence to the Spirit of the Lord and He will give us the power to fill any position that comes to us. He who the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies.” (“A New Temple Is Dedicated,” LDS Church News, September 1, 1990)
President Monson suggests we go to the temple for strength.
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “We are here to assist our Father in His work and His glory, ‘to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39). Your obligation is as serious in your sphere of responsibility as is my obligation my sphere. No calling in this church is small or of little consequence. All of us in the pursuit of our duty, touch the lives of others.
“To each of us in our respective responsibilities the Lord has said: “Wherefore, be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees’ (D&C 81:5). ‘And in doing these things thou wilt do the greatest good unto thy fellow beings, and wilt promote the glory of him who is your Lord’ (D&C 81:4)…
President Hinckley continues: “You have as great an opportunity for satisfaction in the performance of your duty as I do in mine. The progress of this work will be determined by our joint efforts. Whatever your calling, it is as fraught with the same kind of opportunity to accomplish good as is mine. What is really important is that this is the work of the Master. Our work is to go about doing good as did He.” (“This Is the Work of the Master,” Ensign, May 1995, p. 71)
Freedom and the Atonement (Bringing about the effects of the Atonement through obedience.)
Just as the Lord liberated the captive Israelites from Egyptian bondage, He has also put in place the saving truths, ordinances, and powers to bless our lives with redeeming grace through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 5:1
1. And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
“The historical Israelite deliverance and exodus is a pattern for the journey of liberation that each of us must complete as we accomplish our ‘exodus’ from the bondage of sin and worldly entanglements toward a state of spiritual freedom.
“The Journey toward the Promised Land is symbolic of our passage toward Zion, where we can raise our families in truth and light, and taste the joys of the gospel through obedience and righteousness. Just as the Lord liberated Israel through the shedding of the blood of the firstborn of the Egyptians, so he liberated us through the shedding of blood of His Only Begotten, that we might not perish, but have everlasting life.
“The consequences of sin pass over us through the process of faith, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 356)
In Exodus 11 and 12, we read of the plague that was brought upon the Egyptians, but Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened. Then Moses gave instructions from the Lord for the Passover, and the Children of Israel are let go.
QUESTION: What was the Passover? [President Joseph Fielding Smith tell us:]
Quote #4, President Joseph Fielding Smith: “The Passover was a law given…to remind the children of Israel of the coming of Christ who would become the sacrificial Lamb. After he was crucified the law was changed by the Savior himself, and from that time forth the law of the sacrament was instituted. We now observe the law of the sacrament instead of the Passover because the Passover was consummated in full by the death of Jesus Christ.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:153:154)
The Passover gives us a rich understanding and appreciation of the Atonement.
The Passover symbolized and embodied the future sacrifice of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 11:4).
Symbolizes:
The firstborn male lamb The Only Begotten Son
The blood of the lamb saved. That the blood of the Lord purified the
faithful Israelites.
No bones to be broken. As with the Lord (John 19:31-36)
Partake of unleavened bread. The bread of life. As we partake of Him
(taking His name upon us), we can be
purified.
This bread couldn’t spoil or mold. A repentance and purified person.
Partake in haste That we need to respond
enthusiastically to the offer of the Lord.
“The children of Israel were in slavery; Egypt held them in bondage. Likewise, we are in slavery and bondage to Satan because of sin. When the final plague was instituted during the Passover, the firstborn sons of Pharaoh and the Egyptians were taken and Israel was granted its freedom. We, likewise, are made free by the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 357-358)
Quote #5, President Lorenzo Snow: "It appears that the children of Israel…were not very well acquainted with the Lord, or with His ability to carry out His purposes. They, however, had not the opportunities of becoming acquainted with Him, as have the Latter-day Saints. They had seen some of the works of the Lord wrought in the presence of the Egyptians as well as in their own presence; but their hearts had not been touched, neither had their understandings been enlightened by the intelligence of the Holy Spirit, as has been the case with the Latter-day Saints; and therefore, when they were brought to face the Red Sea, which, to all human appearance, was impassable, and with the armies of the Egyptians pressing close upon them, their hearts failed them." (Journal of Discourses, 23:150)
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “I cannot be grateful enough for the Atonement wrought by my Savior and my Redeemer. Through His sacrifice at the culmination of a life of perfection – that sacrifice offered in pain unspeakable – the bonds of death were broken, and the resurrection of all became assured. Beyond this, the doors of celestial glory have been opened to all who will accept divine truth and obey its precepts.” (“My Testimony,” Ensign, November 1993, p. 52)
Remember the Covenant (Particularly the sacrament)
Just as the Lord remembered His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by delivering Israel, so must we show through our daily obedience that we remember His goodness and honor His commandments.
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 13:3
13. And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall be no leavened bread be eaten.”
In this scripture we are reminded about our constant need to show gratitude to our Father in Heaven for the prayers that have been answered through many blessings.
We can show our gratitude for the Savior by remembering him as we partake of the sacrament.
Quote #6, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "Do we see [the sacrament] as our passover, this ordinance commemorating our safety and deliverance and redemption?
"With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions." (Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 68)
Quote #7, President Joseph Fielding Smith: “Partaking of the sacrament is one of the most sacred ordinances given to the Church. It is given in order that we may be brought in closer communion with the spirit of the Lord and thus renew three most sacred covenants. They are first, that we will take upon us the name of Jesus Christ; second, that we will always remember him; third, that we will always keep his commandments which he has given us. We are promised if we will dot this that we will be blessed with the constant companionship of his spirit. If we have violated any one of these covenants, then there should be sincere repentance through which we receive forgiveness of the Church before we partake of the sacrament.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:85)
“King Benjamin taught that as we come to a knowledge of the glory of God, and have tasted of His love and received a remission of our sins, we should always
Remember the greatness of God and His goodness and long-suffering toward us, and we should humble ourselves and call upon His name daily.
“He promised if we will do this we will always rejoice and be filled with the love of God, and retain a remission of our sins; and we will grow in the knowledge of God and of that which is just and true (Mosiah 4:12).” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 359)
Guiding ligh of the gospel (The Holy Spirit nourishes and guides us.)
The Lord provided means to guide the Israelites in their journey out of Egypt. Similarly, He provides for us the light of the gospel and the voice of prophecy so we might find our way safely back into His presence.
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 13:21
21. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light.
The Lord supplied miraculous means for marking the path of liberation and showing the Israelites the way to safety. He had Moses part the Red Sea for their escape! No less miraculous are His blessings to us today, leading us from one milestone to the next in our journey for spiritual liberation.
QUESTION: What have we been given to light the path showing us the way to spiritual safety?
● Scriptures – Book of Mormon
● The voice of living prophets
● The priesthood to provide authorized ordinances and salvation
● The sealing ordinances of the temple
● The Holy Spirit to illuminate our souls
● Our families
The voice of living prophets have again given us counsel and inspiration that show us the way to spiritual safety.
QUESTION: What counsel from conference touched you last week?
EXPERIENCE: Raising children in these difficult times
I visited with one of my daughters recently, and she mentioned the need she felt for guidance in General Conference on how to raise her children in these difficult times. If I had to pick one theme I felt during conference it was “How to Raise Righteous Families.”
I loved Elder Ballard’s counsel to mothers and daughters. He told the young women to “Look to your faithful mothers for a pattern to follow. Model yourselves after them, not after celebrities whose standards are not the Lord’s standards…Listen to her…trust her…be kind to her.”
To the mothers he said, “If the mother’s are thrifty so are their daughters. If the mothers are modest, so are their girls. If the mothers wear flip flops and other causal clothing to sacrament meeting, so do their daughters.” He told them that the world openly embraces casual promiscuity and immodesty. Elder Ballard said, “You need to have frequent, open discussions during which you teach your daughters the truth about these issues…teach them how to repent and how to remain pure and worthy.”
Truly the Lord is aware of our concerns and delights in guiding us as we raise our families.
President Spencer W. Kimball gives an example of how the Holy Ghost gives counsel and inspiration:
Quote #8, President Spencer W. Kimball: “President Heber J. Grant related an example of the revelations of the Lord to him. For twenty-two years he had felt the inspiration of the living God directing him in his labors. He wrote: ‘From the day that I chose a comparative stranger [Melvin J. Ballard] to be one of the apostles, instead of my lifelong and dearest living friend, I have known as I know that I live, that I am entitled to the light and the inspiration and the guidance of God in directing His work here upon the earth.” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 448)
In families we help each other maintain a spiritual safety. We should remain ever vigilant and strong so that Satan will not have power over us and take us from spiritual safety.
Quote #9, President Joseph Fielding Smith: “It should be remembered that Satan has great knowledge and thereby can exercise authority and to some extent the elements, when some greater power does not intervene.” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:176-78)
A greater power did intervene and Moses led the Children of Israel through the Red Sea and the people believed.
SCRIPTURE: Exodus 14:14
15. And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel that they go forward.
16. But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
CONCLUSION
“From the scriptural account of the Exodus, we renew our acquaintance with the miraculous way the Lord delivered Israel from bondage through the leadership of a great prophet.
“Similarly, we can be delivered from the bondage of…sin through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
“The process of deliverance is simple and straightforward.
“Our Heavenly Father hears our sincere prayers of faith and declares His will through the scriptures and the words of living prophets.
“Through obedience to the principles of the gospel, and through the saving ordinances administered by authorized priesthood leaders, we are blessed with the effects of the Atonement in our lives.
Partaking of the sacrament allows us to renew our covenants and our commitment to obedience.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p.363)
I am thankful for this great story of Moses and the Exodus of the Children of Israel.
I know that it was through the power of God that they were delivered.
I pray that through our obedience each of us will delivered and return to our Father in Heaven.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
"Fruitful in the Land of My Affliction"
Faithful in the ladn of My Affliction
Old Testament: Lesson 12 (Genesis 40-45)
by Ted L. Gibbons
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Introduction
The story of Joseph makes me think about what it really means to be free. During the early years of Joseph's life, while he was experiencing the viciousness of murderous brothers and the solitude of slavery and the pain of imprisonment, his brothers were
(1) committing murder [Genesis 34]; (2) committing immoral acts [Genesis 35, 38]; (3) plotting murder [Genesis 37]; and lying to their father [Genesis 37]. Which of all the sons of Jacob was most free? There are some lessons to be learned here. Part of the answer to this question comes as we consider who bows to whom, and who sits on a throne, and who lives with decades of guilt and remorse.
I. JOSEPH INTERPRETS THE DREAM OF THE BUTLER, THE BAKER, AND PHARAOH. PHARAOH MAKES JOSEPH RULER OVER ALL EGYPT.
Last week we watched Joseph prosper in the house of Potiphar. His commitment to the commandments enabled the Lord to bless him continuously, although the blessings were not always visible. In fact, the matter of Potiphar's wife led to imprisonment.
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. (Gen. 39:20)
But even in the course of this unjust incarceration, Joseph was faithful to his covenants and was blessed of the Lord.
But LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper (Gen. 39:21-23).
Reading this account reminded me of the promise the Lord made to the Nephites in Helam when they were overrun and placed in servitude by the Lamanites.
And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord (Mos. 24:14,15)
Joseph's burden was not a physical one like those carried by the Nephites, but it was an oppressive burden, and the Lord eased that burden by his blessings to Joseph, while Joseph "did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." It is one thing to be in prison, but it is a better thing to be in prison and in charge of the prison.
Joseph's righteousness is clearly demonstrated by his access to the Spirit. The butler and the baker were placed in the charge of Joseph. One day he noticed that they look sad.
And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad (Gen. 40:5,6)
Think about this. They are in prison, for goodness sakes. Why should it surprise Joseph or anyone else that they are sad? How many happy people do you expect to see in prison? But these prisoners are in the care of a man of God, a man who has apparently arranged things among the prisoners in order to maximize the peace and joy of the inmates. Of course Joseph does more than notice. He tries to help.
And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you (Gen. 40:7,8)
There is a lesson hidden (hopefully not too deeply hidden) here. We ought, by our devotion to the Lord and the principles of his gospel, to make things better wherever we may be. Joseph's treatment of other prisoners reminds us of the requirements of the Lord in Matthew 25:40 and Mosiah 2:17.
The butler and the baker shared their dreams and Joseph interpreted them correctly. To the butler, who would survive prison and return to the service of the king, Joseph made this appeal:
But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon (Gen 40:14,15).
We must not fail to see the hand of the Lord at work here. Joseph may have had a premonition that his interpretation of the dreams would somehow bring him to the attention of Pharaoh, but he could not have known that the Lord had already begun to prepare a way for him to leave prison and to save his father's household and the covenant race of Abraham. I suspect that God is often invisibly at work in our lives. We may be certain that he has forgotten us. Even after his interpretation of the dreams, Joseph spent two more years in prison (see Gen. 41:1), waiting and praying and submitting. Part of the principle of faith in Jesus Christ must be faith in his timing, and also the conviction that he loves us and has our best interests at heart, whether we can see him at work or not.
Discerning the "overruling, almighty hand" of God . . . is not always easy. Only he knows the end from the beginning and has all things present before him. If he can make provision for a needed second set of plates hundreds of years before Martin Harris's misfortune, who but the most spiritual knows at any given moment where he may be taking us? My own feeling is that it might be well for us to remember that although God's children are very important to the accomplishment of his purposes, we often are not unlike the young children at an amusement park who drive those little centrally controlled race cars that travel a circular course on a metal rail with their wheels several inches off the ground. The young, excited drivers furiously pump the gas pedals and spin the steering wheels, fully believing they are having some influence, but the cars go at a speed and in a direction that are largely determined by park management! (Elder Marlin K. Jensen, Out of Obscurity: The LDS Church in the Twentieth Century [29th Annual Sperry Symposium] pp. 2,3)
On the issue of faith in the Lord's timing, Elder Oaks wrote:
The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe he has our welfare at heart, may we not let his plans unfold as he thinks best? The same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the Lord's timing for us personally, not just in His overall plans and purposes (Dallin H. Oaks: Even As I Am, p. 93)
We must allow God to do things in his own way and at his own time. Joseph spent 13 years as a slave and as a prisoner. Could not the Lord have done things in a better, quicker way? Absolutely not. We only ask those kinds of questions because we do not know what things the Lord is doing. Who knows the influence Joseph had on Potiphar and his household, or on the keeper of the prison and the prisoners. How can we know what the other brothers learned in those years after the sale of Joseph. What we must know is that God will not permit these things without a purpose. Elder Scott explained it so well.
While you are passing through [your trials], the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love (Richard G. Scott, "Trust in the Lord," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).
What the Lord said to the elders sent to Missouri to bear testimony of the land of Zion might just as well have been said to Joseph, or to any of us.
Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand (D&C 58:3,4)
Finally, Pharaoh had two dreams.
And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh (Gen. 41:8).
Then the butler remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh of a prisoner who could interpret dreams. You remember the dreams about the cows and the corn. President Hinckley has mentioned them a time or two in recent conferences. After quoting the scriptural text of the dreams in October of 1998, President Hinckley said,
Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.
So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.
We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed (Gordon B. Hinckley, "To the Boys and to the Men," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 53).
Pharaoh had enough faith in Joseph, a man he had just met, to give heed. Will we have enough faith in the Prophet for whom we have such a great love to do the same thing?
II. JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BROTHERS AND FORGIVES THEM.
After 7 years of plenty came the years of famine. Joseph had now been in Egypt for over 20 years. The famine was over "all the face of the earth" (Gen. 41:56) Finally, in Canaan, it became so bad that Israel was forced to send some of his sons to Egypt to buy food.
I have often wondered how Joseph felt when these 10 men who had betrayed him and sold him came in "and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth" (Gen. 42:6). Joseph could not have known when he saw this very event in a dream (see Gen. 37:55-9) that the fulfillment would take 20 years. Once again he had waited on the timing of the Lord. We are told that he remembered the dreams (Gen. 42:9).
His treatment of the brothers cannot be an act of vengeance. Joseph is too close to the Spirit to even consider such an attitude in him. Perhaps his careful manipulation of the circumstances is an attempt to learn about the character of his brothers. He locked them up as spies. After three days of prison (compared to years of prison for Joseph) Joseph gave all but one of them leave to go home. Of course they did not know him, but he knew them and spoke through an interpreter even though he could understand them perfectly.
Notice the reaction of Joseph when he learned of the guilt that these men still felt over their treatment of him.
And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them, and wept . . . (Gen. 42:21-24).
Why did he weep? Almost certainly over the 20+ years of guilt these brothers had endured.
Joseph sent them home but kept Simeon to insure their return. He refused to see them again, however, unless they brought their brother, Benjamin (Joseph's only full brother) with them. Perhaps Joseph wondered if they would return, or if they would sacrifice another brother for their own comfort and safety. His return of their money to their grain sacks was a way to determine something about their integrity.
When Israel heard the story of Simeon and the demand for Benjamin, we was devastated. His language is interesting:
And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me (Gen 42:36).
All these things are against me, he said, but he was wrong. Actually, they were all too be turned into blessings for him. This is often the case with our trials. Remember that when Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, God cursed the ground for their sakes.
Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11—12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain (Elder Richard G. Scott: "Trust in the Lord," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 16—17).
Finally, Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept and told them who he was and forgave them in a moment's time.
And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt (Gen. 45:3-8).
But guilt is an awful taskmaster. Years later, at the time of the death of Jacob, the brothers are still worried about Joseph's feelings for them. They appeal to him again, in the name of their departed father, to forgive them.
And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? (Gen. 50:15-19)
This is, after all, what it is all about. In matters of trial and difficulty and forgiveness we must not demand for ourselves privileges that belong only in the place of God. We must forgive, and we must wait patiently for him and for his will to be made known.
Conclusion
I had the opportunity to learn an important, Joseph-like-lesson about trials and the timing of God. I would like to share it with you here. My experiences were much less difficult than Joseph's, but the lessons seem to be similar.
Nineteen years after the death of my father, my mother remarried. Within three years her second husband was dead and she was living alone with her advancing blindness in the house he had left her. Even though I had a sister living near her, I felt a need to move to the city where she lived in order to be of assistance. I told those in charge of assignments for the Church Educational System, my employer, that I wanted to be moved to the Logan Seminary if possible. I explained my concerns about my mother and was told that every effort would be made to accommodate my request. My wife and I prayed often about this, keeping the Lord informed of our hopes. No selfish desires clouded this request. Even though my wife and I met and married in Logan, we had no desire to live there again, except that my mother was there and she clearly needed me.
When assignments were made in April for the following school year, I was informed that I would not be moving to Logan to teach. There were no openings for me in the seminary there. I was disappointed—profoundly disappointed, but I resigned myself to the circumstance and resolved to apply again the following year.
In the summer before the new school year began I attended a meeting of CES personnel at BYU. While there, I encountered the principal of the Logan Seminary, a dear friend and former bishop. He had a question for me.
"Ted, why did you decide not to come to Logan?"
"I didn't decide," I said. "You didn't have any openings."
"No openings?" he replied. "Ted, we put three new teachers in the Logan Seminary for next year. They could have gone anywhere."
Suddenly my feelings about the situation changed. I could not understand why my request—my righteous request—had not been granted. Why had the Lord not intervened to get me to the place where I was needed? I knew what was best. Didn't he?
These were my feelings on the day I met the principal from Logan, and for several weeks after that. What had happened made no sense at all to me. Everything I could see with my natural eyes specified that I should be moving to Logan that summer.
But just weeks after school started, my mother, who had always been fiercely independent and who loathed the thought that she might become a burden to one of her children, surrendered her independence. She gave her home to the children of her second husband and moved to Orem, where I live, and into the home of an older sister one half mile down the street from my own home.
And just a few months later, my sister and her husband accepted a call to preside over a mission beginning the following summer. Mom needed a new home for three years. When the time came for the move, we only needed one half hour to move her and her belongings to my home.
How grateful I was and continue to be that the Lord did not give me what I had pled for. How thankful I am to worship a being who can see the wide expanse of eternity and allow things to work together for the good of his children (Ted L. Gibbons, This Life is a Test, pp. 39-41).
I think Joseph and his family must also have been grateful that the Lord gave them what they needed rather than what they wanted.
Old Testament: Lesson 12 (Genesis 40-45)
by Ted L. Gibbons
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
The story of Joseph makes me think about what it really means to be free. During the early years of Joseph's life, while he was experiencing the viciousness of murderous brothers and the solitude of slavery and the pain of imprisonment, his brothers were
(1) committing murder [Genesis 34]; (2) committing immoral acts [Genesis 35, 38]; (3) plotting murder [Genesis 37]; and lying to their father [Genesis 37]. Which of all the sons of Jacob was most free? There are some lessons to be learned here. Part of the answer to this question comes as we consider who bows to whom, and who sits on a throne, and who lives with decades of guilt and remorse.
I. JOSEPH INTERPRETS THE DREAM OF THE BUTLER, THE BAKER, AND PHARAOH. PHARAOH MAKES JOSEPH RULER OVER ALL EGYPT.
Last week we watched Joseph prosper in the house of Potiphar. His commitment to the commandments enabled the Lord to bless him continuously, although the blessings were not always visible. In fact, the matter of Potiphar's wife led to imprisonment.
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. (Gen. 39:20)
But even in the course of this unjust incarceration, Joseph was faithful to his covenants and was blessed of the Lord.
But LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper (Gen. 39:21-23).
Reading this account reminded me of the promise the Lord made to the Nephites in Helam when they were overrun and placed in servitude by the Lamanites.
And I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions. And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord (Mos. 24:14,15)
Joseph's burden was not a physical one like those carried by the Nephites, but it was an oppressive burden, and the Lord eased that burden by his blessings to Joseph, while Joseph "did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." It is one thing to be in prison, but it is a better thing to be in prison and in charge of the prison.
Joseph's righteousness is clearly demonstrated by his access to the Spirit. The butler and the baker were placed in the charge of Joseph. One day he noticed that they look sad.
And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, which were bound in the prison. And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad (Gen. 40:5,6)
Think about this. They are in prison, for goodness sakes. Why should it surprise Joseph or anyone else that they are sad? How many happy people do you expect to see in prison? But these prisoners are in the care of a man of God, a man who has apparently arranged things among the prisoners in order to maximize the peace and joy of the inmates. Of course Joseph does more than notice. He tries to help.
And he asked Pharaoh's officers that were with him in the ward of his lord's house, saying, Wherefore look ye so sadly to day? And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me them, I pray you (Gen. 40:7,8)
There is a lesson hidden (hopefully not too deeply hidden) here. We ought, by our devotion to the Lord and the principles of his gospel, to make things better wherever we may be. Joseph's treatment of other prisoners reminds us of the requirements of the Lord in Matthew 25:40 and Mosiah 2:17.
The butler and the baker shared their dreams and Joseph interpreted them correctly. To the butler, who would survive prison and return to the service of the king, Joseph made this appeal:
But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon (Gen 40:14,15).
We must not fail to see the hand of the Lord at work here. Joseph may have had a premonition that his interpretation of the dreams would somehow bring him to the attention of Pharaoh, but he could not have known that the Lord had already begun to prepare a way for him to leave prison and to save his father's household and the covenant race of Abraham. I suspect that God is often invisibly at work in our lives. We may be certain that he has forgotten us. Even after his interpretation of the dreams, Joseph spent two more years in prison (see Gen. 41:1), waiting and praying and submitting. Part of the principle of faith in Jesus Christ must be faith in his timing, and also the conviction that he loves us and has our best interests at heart, whether we can see him at work or not.
Discerning the "overruling, almighty hand" of God . . . is not always easy. Only he knows the end from the beginning and has all things present before him. If he can make provision for a needed second set of plates hundreds of years before Martin Harris's misfortune, who but the most spiritual knows at any given moment where he may be taking us? My own feeling is that it might be well for us to remember that although God's children are very important to the accomplishment of his purposes, we often are not unlike the young children at an amusement park who drive those little centrally controlled race cars that travel a circular course on a metal rail with their wheels several inches off the ground. The young, excited drivers furiously pump the gas pedals and spin the steering wheels, fully believing they are having some influence, but the cars go at a speed and in a direction that are largely determined by park management! (Elder Marlin K. Jensen, Out of Obscurity: The LDS Church in the Twentieth Century [29th Annual Sperry Symposium] pp. 2,3)
On the issue of faith in the Lord's timing, Elder Oaks wrote:
The issue for us is trusting God enough to trust also His timing. If we can truly believe he has our welfare at heart, may we not let his plans unfold as he thinks best? The same is true with the second coming and with all those matters wherein our faith needs to include faith in the Lord's timing for us personally, not just in His overall plans and purposes (Dallin H. Oaks: Even As I Am, p. 93)
We must allow God to do things in his own way and at his own time. Joseph spent 13 years as a slave and as a prisoner. Could not the Lord have done things in a better, quicker way? Absolutely not. We only ask those kinds of questions because we do not know what things the Lord is doing. Who knows the influence Joseph had on Potiphar and his household, or on the keeper of the prison and the prisoners. How can we know what the other brothers learned in those years after the sale of Joseph. What we must know is that God will not permit these things without a purpose. Elder Scott explained it so well.
While you are passing through [your trials], the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow. Your Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son love you perfectly. They would not require you to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for your personal benefit or for that of those you love (Richard G. Scott, "Trust in the Lord," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).
What the Lord said to the elders sent to Missouri to bear testimony of the land of Zion might just as well have been said to Joseph, or to any of us.
Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand (D&C 58:3,4)
Finally, Pharaoh had two dreams.
And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh (Gen. 41:8).
Then the butler remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh of a prisoner who could interpret dreams. You remember the dreams about the cows and the corn. President Hinckley has mentioned them a time or two in recent conferences. After quoting the scriptural text of the dreams in October of 1998, President Hinckley said,
Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.
So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.
We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed (Gordon B. Hinckley, "To the Boys and to the Men," Ensign, Nov. 1998, 53).
Pharaoh had enough faith in Joseph, a man he had just met, to give heed. Will we have enough faith in the Prophet for whom we have such a great love to do the same thing?
II. JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BROTHERS AND FORGIVES THEM.
After 7 years of plenty came the years of famine. Joseph had now been in Egypt for over 20 years. The famine was over "all the face of the earth" (Gen. 41:56) Finally, in Canaan, it became so bad that Israel was forced to send some of his sons to Egypt to buy food.
I have often wondered how Joseph felt when these 10 men who had betrayed him and sold him came in "and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth" (Gen. 42:6). Joseph could not have known when he saw this very event in a dream (see Gen. 37:55-9) that the fulfillment would take 20 years. Once again he had waited on the timing of the Lord. We are told that he remembered the dreams (Gen. 42:9).
His treatment of the brothers cannot be an act of vengeance. Joseph is too close to the Spirit to even consider such an attitude in him. Perhaps his careful manipulation of the circumstances is an attempt to learn about the character of his brothers. He locked them up as spies. After three days of prison (compared to years of prison for Joseph) Joseph gave all but one of them leave to go home. Of course they did not know him, but he knew them and spoke through an interpreter even though he could understand them perfectly.
Notice the reaction of Joseph when he learned of the guilt that these men still felt over their treatment of him.
And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them, and wept . . . (Gen. 42:21-24).
Why did he weep? Almost certainly over the 20+ years of guilt these brothers had endured.
Joseph sent them home but kept Simeon to insure their return. He refused to see them again, however, unless they brought their brother, Benjamin (Joseph's only full brother) with them. Perhaps Joseph wondered if they would return, or if they would sacrifice another brother for their own comfort and safety. His return of their money to their grain sacks was a way to determine something about their integrity.
When Israel heard the story of Simeon and the demand for Benjamin, we was devastated. His language is interesting:
And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me (Gen 42:36).
All these things are against me, he said, but he was wrong. Actually, they were all too be turned into blessings for him. This is often the case with our trials. Remember that when Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, God cursed the ground for their sakes.
Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11—12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain (Elder Richard G. Scott: "Trust in the Lord," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 16—17).
Finally, Joseph made himself known to his brothers. He wept and told them who he was and forgave them in a moment's time.
And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt (Gen. 45:3-8).
But guilt is an awful taskmaster. Years later, at the time of the death of Jacob, the brothers are still worried about Joseph's feelings for them. They appeal to him again, in the name of their departed father, to forgive them.
And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? (Gen. 50:15-19)
This is, after all, what it is all about. In matters of trial and difficulty and forgiveness we must not demand for ourselves privileges that belong only in the place of God. We must forgive, and we must wait patiently for him and for his will to be made known.
Conclusion
I had the opportunity to learn an important, Joseph-like-lesson about trials and the timing of God. I would like to share it with you here. My experiences were much less difficult than Joseph's, but the lessons seem to be similar.
Nineteen years after the death of my father, my mother remarried. Within three years her second husband was dead and she was living alone with her advancing blindness in the house he had left her. Even though I had a sister living near her, I felt a need to move to the city where she lived in order to be of assistance. I told those in charge of assignments for the Church Educational System, my employer, that I wanted to be moved to the Logan Seminary if possible. I explained my concerns about my mother and was told that every effort would be made to accommodate my request. My wife and I prayed often about this, keeping the Lord informed of our hopes. No selfish desires clouded this request. Even though my wife and I met and married in Logan, we had no desire to live there again, except that my mother was there and she clearly needed me.
When assignments were made in April for the following school year, I was informed that I would not be moving to Logan to teach. There were no openings for me in the seminary there. I was disappointed—profoundly disappointed, but I resigned myself to the circumstance and resolved to apply again the following year.
In the summer before the new school year began I attended a meeting of CES personnel at BYU. While there, I encountered the principal of the Logan Seminary, a dear friend and former bishop. He had a question for me.
"Ted, why did you decide not to come to Logan?"
"I didn't decide," I said. "You didn't have any openings."
"No openings?" he replied. "Ted, we put three new teachers in the Logan Seminary for next year. They could have gone anywhere."
Suddenly my feelings about the situation changed. I could not understand why my request—my righteous request—had not been granted. Why had the Lord not intervened to get me to the place where I was needed? I knew what was best. Didn't he?
These were my feelings on the day I met the principal from Logan, and for several weeks after that. What had happened made no sense at all to me. Everything I could see with my natural eyes specified that I should be moving to Logan that summer.
But just weeks after school started, my mother, who had always been fiercely independent and who loathed the thought that she might become a burden to one of her children, surrendered her independence. She gave her home to the children of her second husband and moved to Orem, where I live, and into the home of an older sister one half mile down the street from my own home.
And just a few months later, my sister and her husband accepted a call to preside over a mission beginning the following summer. Mom needed a new home for three years. When the time came for the move, we only needed one half hour to move her and her belongings to my home.
How grateful I was and continue to be that the Lord did not give me what I had pled for. How thankful I am to worship a being who can see the wide expanse of eternity and allow things to work together for the good of his children (Ted L. Gibbons, This Life is a Test, pp. 39-41).
I think Joseph and his family must also have been grateful that the Lord gave them what they needed rather than what they wanted.
Monday, March 22, 2010
"“How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?”
“How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?”
Lesson 11
Compiled by Maren Hardy Hale,
March 21, 2010
Scriptures: Genesis 34; 37-39
Board: Today’s themes:
1. The wages of Envy
2. The consequences of Moral Weakness
3. The blessings of Leadership and Virtue
INTRODUCTION
There is a huge contrast between the character of Joseph who was sold into Egypt and the characters of his brothers. Joseph was a man with great integrity, honesty and virtue. His brothers exemplified envy, jealousy, and moral laxity. Joseph’s moral courage and leadership show strength, discipline, and stability.
“By way of contrast, those who succumb to unchecked greed or lust display a wavering instability from which harmony, peace, and lasting happiness can never flow.” (Teachings and commentary on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 335)
QUESTION: What is happening to the standards of sexual morality presented today in our movies, television shows, books and magazines? [They are deteriorating]
EXPERIENCE: Media shock
Our family spent 8 years in Europe with the Air Force. During our first 3 years was no television. Then we were able to get Armed Services Television Network. This is one channel with public service announcements and carefully selected programs suitable for the whole family. When the New Era Magazine arrived each month our 3 oldest children fought over who got to read it first. Each of them devoured it from cover to cover. It was a wonderful time for our family.
We returned to the States and lived in the Temporary Living Facility on Mountain Home Air Force Base while we looked for a home in the community. We turned on the television and went through culture shock! We couldn’t believe what we were seeing and hearing. Standards had dropped so much in those 8 years. We turned it off and began, once again, to carefully monitor our family’s television watching.
When moral degradation is all around you, it creeps in slowly and you become numb to it. To safeguard our children, we must be very vigilant. It would be wise to never let our children watch a new TV show unless we sit down and watch it with them to judge its merits.
QUESTION: What are you doing to safeguard your children from TV?
One day one of our daughters mentioned that she had made a new friend at school. She said, Mom, “She’s just like me – her parents put a lock on their TV, too!” [Stimulus control]
“The moral behavior of society often differs from the moral standards that the Lord has established. While the standards of society can change, the Lord’s standards are constant.” (LDS Old Testament Manual, lesson 11)
QUOTE #1 [2nd paragraph is like a beautiful Psalm]
First Presidency Message (President Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., David O McKay): "By virtue of the authority in us vested as the First Presidency of the Church, we warn our people who are offending, of the degradation, the wickedness, the punishment that attend upon unchastity; we urge you to remember the blessings which flow from the living of the clean life; we call upon you to keep, day in and day out, the way of strictest chastity, through which only can God's choice gifts come to you and His spirit abide with you.
"How glorious is he who lives the chaste life. He walks unfearful in the full glare of the noonday sun, for he is without moral infirmity. He can be reached by no shafts of base calumny, for his armor is without flaw. His virtue cannot be challenged by any just accuser, for he lives above reproach. His cheek is never blotched with shame, for he is without hidden sin. He is honored and respected by all mankind, for he is beyond their censure. He is loved by the Lord, for he stands without blemish. The exaltations of eternities await his coming." (Conference Report, Oct 1942)
Today’s lesson has three themes:
1. The wages of Envy
2. The consequences of Moral Weakness
3. The blessings of Leadership and Virtue
BODY
Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers
Jacob married Leah and Rachel, and also married their handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah. Jacob’s wives bore him 12 sons who became the beginnings of the 12 tribes of Israel. We learn in Genesis 32:28 that the Lord told Jacob, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
Joseph was the 11th Son of Jacob. He was the first child of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel. The 12th son was Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-18).
Joseph spent the remaining years of his youth at Hebron (20 miles south of Jerusalem) watching the flocks of sheep and goats.
Reuben was the firstborn through Leah. He was the automatic heir of the birthright.
QUESTION: How did Joseph, the 11th son, become the recipient of the birthright?
● Reuben lost he birthright – transgressed with one of his father’s
concubines
(Genesis 35:22).
● Birthright then fell to the 1st son of next wife – Joseph (1st son of
Rachel, Jacob’s 2nd wife).
● Sons of concubines not eligible because mothers were handmaids to Leah
and Rachel.
The Wages of Envy
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 37:3
37. Now Israel loved, Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.” [Septuagint word = a long coat with sleeves]
“Joseph being favored of Jacob became a target of malice on the part of his older brothers. Joseph was not reluctant to share his dreams regarding his future leadership and hence contributed to his brothers’ feelings of jealousy.
“When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, the stage was set for a future reunion in the courts of Pharaoh when his brethren would confess their sins and admit that Joseph was indeed divinely chosen to be the leader of the family and the patriarchal standard-bearer for many future nations.
“The rent ‘coat of many colors’ became a lasting symbol of the ultimate preservation of the Lord’s chosen lineage (Alma 46:23-34). The story of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, shows the results of jealousy, envy, greed, and hatred, yet shows the power of God in all things.” (“Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 336)
Let’s read 2 quotes from our prophets concerning the destructive nature of jealousy, envy, greed, and hatred.
QUOTE #2
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Ours is the duty to walk by faith. Ours is the duty to walk in faith, rising above the evils of the world. We are sons and daughters of God. Ours is a divine birthright. Ours is a divine destiny. We must not, we cannot sink to the evils of the world – to selfishness and sin, to hate and envy and backbiting, to the ‘mean and beggarly’ elements of life.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, page 7)
QUOTE #3
President David O. McKay: “Jealousy, hatred, envy, animosity – all such evils you must overcome by suppression. That is where your control comes in. Suppress the anger! Suppress that jealousy, that envy! They are all injurious to the spirit.” (Gospel Ideals: Selections From the Discourses of David O. McKay, Improvement era, 1953, p. 356)
QUESTION: How can we overcome envy, jealousy, greed, and hatred?
● Gain gospel values and strive for unconditional love.
● Recognize happiness is within, not based on possessions or having fun.
● Recognize your divine nature – seek to improve yourself.
Envy and jealousy are concerns for everyone because of their power to destroy the souls of men.
As we know, the coat of many colors Joseph received of his father compounded the antagonism of Joseph’s brothers until they “hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him” (Genesis 37:3).
QUESTION: What have you seen when a child receives better treatment than the other siblings his or her family?
● Causes competition, rebellion or low self esteem in families.
● We can avert this situation if we teach our children to love one another
and value each other’s distinct abilities and talents – including their
own.
● Don’t discuss publically a child’s weaknesses or compare them (give
children the opportunity to grow, repent and change without any stigmas
attached. If you need help, go to confidential sources – bishop,
counselor, grandparent)
QUESTION: How can we overcome jealous feelings or anger towards family members, friends, or acquaintances? What should you do?
● If jealous – if you serve someone for whom you feel jealous, more feelings
of love and care come to the foreground and feelings of jealousy
subside.
● If Angry – confront source of frustration – talk about it rather than let
it boil
into a violent explosion. Be willing to carefully listen.
We know that Joseph had dreams that revealed the special relationship Joseph would have with his family and also foreshadowed the eventual mission of his posterity in the eternal salvation of the house of Israel.
Joseph’s brothers were unable to accept his dreams
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 37:8
8. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words”.
Remember the situation with Nephi and his older brothers. After Nephi had shared the meaning of Lehi’s dream and they said: “Thou has declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear.” Nephi went on to say: “…the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center (1 Nephi 1-2)
Joseph’s brothers went 45 miles to Shechem to feed the flocks (Genesis 37:12). Later, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers. Arriving in Shechem, Joseph learned his brothers had gone on another 12 miles. (Genesis 37: 13-17)
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 37: 18-20
18. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
QUESTION: Who wanted to spare his life? [Reuben – oldest, must have felt more responsibility for him – argued he must not be killed, but returned to his father.]
QUESTION: What did the brothers do?
● Stripped off his coat and left him a pit to die
● Joseph sold to a caravan of Ishmeelites headed to Egypt for 20 pieces of
silver (Genesis 37:27-28).
● Tore Joseph’s coat into many pieces, covered it with goat’s blood, and
returned it to Jacob as evidence a wild beast had devoured Joseph (Genesis
37:31-33)
Then Jacob mourned and no one could comfort him. Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Portraits of Moral Weakness
Judah and Tamar
In Genesis 38, we see portraits of moral weakness. Judah takes a Canaanite woman and she bears him children. Judah then takes Tamar as a wife for Er. Er was wicked and the Lord slew him. Then Judah tells his son Onan to raise up seed to his brother Er through Tamar. (Genesis 38:1-8)
The Lord slays Onan for spilling his seed on the ground. Judah tells Tamar to remain in her father’s home until his son, Shelah is old enough, to take her as wife. (Genesis 10-11)
QUESTION: Then what does Tamar do? (Genesis 38:14-27)
● Tamar takes off her widow’s garment and sits by the wayside for Judah’s
now grown son Shelah to see her.
● Judah sees Tamar, thinks she is a harlot, desires her and promises her a
kid.
Tamar asks for his signet, bracelets, and staff as a pledge.
She conceives.
● Tamar leaves, puts on her widow’s garments and the pledge can’t be
delivered because she has gone. Judah wants kid delivered so he isn’t
blamed.
● Judah hears Tamar is with child and has her brought to him to be burnt.
● Tamar produces the signet, bracelets, and staff and Judah acknowledges them saying that Tamar is more righteous than he is'
“because that I gave her not to Shelah my son.”
Now, another portrait of moral weakness.
QUESTION: Who would like to tell us about Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, who is defiled by Shechem (a prince and Hivite)? (Genesis 34:1-31)
● Dinah is defiled by Shechem who wants to marry her and goes to his father.
● Hamor wants to join families and goes to Jacob and his sons.
● Shechem says he’ll give a large dowry.
● Sons of Jacob lie and request that every man be circumcised.
● On the 3rd day when they were sore, Simeon and Levi slew all the males,
Including Shechem and Hamor, and took Dinah.
● Sons of Jacob spoil the city, take their wealth, wives, and children
captive.
● Jacob voices concern to his sons that they have put his family in harms
way with the Canaanites and Perizzites because of their deed.
● Jacob’s sons answer, “Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?”
“Simeon and Levi’s destruction laid the groundwork for lasting enmity in the land. The lessons overshadowing these portraits of moral weakness is the fact that the Lord’s purposes are not defeated, for Joseph’s sons inherited the birthright, and thus his lineage carried on the leadership role under the Abrahamic Covenant.
Similarly, the Savior would come from the preserved lineage of Judah as the light and life of the world. No matter what some of the Lord’s children do in defiance of His laws, the Lord is still in charge of the process whereby the plan of salvation can unfold to its ultimate destiny.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 337)
Let’s read 3 quotes from latter-day prophets regarding moral weakness and transgression and the need for repentance.
QUOTE #4
Spencer W. Kimball:
“Illicit sex is a selfish act, a betrayal, and is dishonest. To be unwilling to accept responsibility is cowardly, disloyal. Marriage is for time and eternity. Fornication and all other deviations are for today, for the hour, for the “now.” Marriage gives life. Fornication leads to death. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, page 156)
QUOTE #5
Ezra Taft Benson: “Yes, one can repent of moral transgression. The miracle of forgiveness is real, and true repentance is accepted of the Lord. But it is not pleasing to the Lord prior to a mission, or any time, to sow one’s wild oats, to engage in sexual transgression of any nature, and then to expect that planned confession and quick repentance will satisfy the Lord.” (Come, Listen to a Prophet’s Voice, p. 6)
QUOTE #6
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “There is in each of us that sense of modesty and morality to which this writer refers…The Lord has made it clear, and the experience of centuries had confirmed it, that happiness lies not in immortality, but rather in abstinence. The voice of the Church to which you belong is a voice pleading for virtue. It is a voice pleading for strength to abstain from that which is evil. It is a voice declaring that sexual transgression is sin. It is contrary to the will of the Lord. It is contrary to the teachings of the Church. It is contrary to the happiness and well-being of those who indulge in it.” (Teaching of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 48)
In our world today, we have daily reminders in the news of politicians, actors, sports heroes, clergy, and teachers, who have been unfaithful to their wives or who have hurt children. Their “planned confession and quick repentance” have sometimes satisfied the world, but not the Lord. We as Church members need to continue to plead “for the strength to abstain from that which is evil.”
QUOTE: President Spencer W. Kimball
“May I talk to you just a moment or two about that which is most dear and precious above all things. Can you think what it would be? Would it be bonds, stocks, or diamonds? Would it be herds or flocks? Would it be automobiles and houses? Would it be medals in athletics? This is the greatest blessing, the most dear and precious above all things – above all things. It cannot be purchased with money, but may be enjoyed by all, even those of humble circumstances as well as the affluent, as much by the high school student as by those who have doctor’s degrees. Even mortal life when placed upon the balance scales weighs less. That of which I speak is chastity and virtue. The lack of it has caused rivers of tears to flow, broken numerous homes, and deprived large numbers of innocent children.” (quoted in We Believe)
QUOTE #7
Elder Melvin J. Ballard: “Certainly our teachers were right when they held up an ideal that virtue was as sacred as life itself, and that we had better lose our lives than lose our virtue….Next to the crime of murder itself is the crime of sexual impurity.” (Conference Report, April 1929)
QUESTION: Ultimately, who ends up being hurt when lying and infidelity are present in a marriage? [Children – feel abandoned, think they are responsible – they have had a bad example and are afraid of marriage themselves]
Portrait of Leadership and Virtue
Joseph’s example of moral uprightness in Egypt is among the most celebrated instances of strength of character in all of scripture. We read in Genesis 39:23 that “The Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
QUESTION: How was Joseph blessed after being sold into Egypt?
● Joseph became a servant in the household of Potiphar, “a prosperous man.”
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 39:3-4
3. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to proper in his hand.
4. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.”
Joseph was blessed by the Lord because he “was a goodly person (Gen. 39:20).
Then Potiphar’s wife tried to lure Joseph to her. And Joseph answered, “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? (Gen. 39:9).
She continued to tempt Joseph and ‘he harkened not unto her…” (Gen 39:10)
Then Joseph went into the house to do business when no men were there.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 39:12
12. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment into her hand, and fled, and got him out.
QUESTION: Then what does Potiphar’s wife do? [She lies to the men of her house and her husband about Joseph and he is put in prison.]
But the Lord was with Joseph and he found favor with the prison keeper. Joseph was put completely in charge of the prisoners and the Lord made Joseph prosper. (Genesis 39:21-23)
I admire Joseph’s reaction when he was first tempted by Potiphar’s wife. He said “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9). Joseph’s first allegiance was to his God.
Then when Potiphar’s wife cornered him, he had already made his decision for he
“left his garment into her hand, and fled, and got him out.” He wanted to avoid the very presence of evil.
We need to have a close association with our Father in Heaven through prayer so that He will have our first allegiance.
We need to teach our children to always avoid the presence of evil – to obey the promptings of the Spirit – when caught in a difficult situation, just leave and go to a place of safety. Do not hesitate!
EXPERIENCE: Invitation to a party
I was excited in high school to be invited to a party that all the popular kids were attending. After driving home from work, my mother drove me to the home where it was being held which was quite a distance from our home. I went down to the basement where my friends were. I saw them doing things that I was uncomfortable with. I had a bad feeling come over me. I quickly walked up the stairs and waited in the bathroom for a while until I thought my mother had reached home. I used the phone and called my mother to pick me up telling her I had a bad feeling about being there. She said she’d come immediately. As we drove home she never complained about having been in the car so many times and for so long, but instead expressed her happiness that I would listen to the Spirit.
EXPERIENCE: Missionary daughter in Austria
When our daughter, Spring, was serving a mission in Austria, she and her companion lived in a very bad area of the city. One evening as they were walking from an appointment, they felt someone following them. They received promptings that they were in danger and they quickly ran away. They felt blessed that they were in tune so that they could receive such a prompting.
Joseph had many difficult trials in his life, but he learned to turn bad experiences and circumstances into good ones.
QUOTE #8
Elder Harman Rector, Jr.: “[The] ability to turn everything into something good appears to be a godly characteristic. Our Heavenly Father always seems able to do this. Everything, no matter how dire, becomes a victory to the Lord. Joseph, although a slave and wholly undeserving of this fate, nevertheless remained faithful to the Lord and continued to live the commandments and made something very good of his degrading circumstances. People like this cannot be defeated.” (Ensign, January 1973, p. 130)
EXPERIENCE: Reverend Martin Neimoller
“For three years Reverend Martin Neimoller survived the horrors of Dauchau – the smells of burning human flesh and the sights of walking dead men. For three years this German pastor who dared to defy Adolf Hitler was kept in solitary confinement in the world’s worst concentration camp.
“‘How could you stand it without losing your sanity?’ an interviewer asked Pastor Neimoller years later over a Chicago radio station. ‘A man doesn’t realize how much he can stand until he is put to the test,’ Neimoller answered confidently, continuing, ‘you can stand far more than you think you can. You are much stronger than you think you are…if God is dwelling in your life’.” (Move with Possibility Thinking, p. 180)
CONCLUSION
Joseph was a man of integrity.
QUESTION: What is integrity? [Uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles – honesty – honorable]
QUOTE –
President James E. Faust: “I should like to emphasize three important elements of integrity – dealing justly with oneself, dealing justly with others, and recognizing the law of the harvest.” (Conference Report, April 1982)
The law of the harvest means that we sow what we reap.
Joseph demonstrated integrity by:
● Dealing justly with himself – he was true to the principles which he
believe in and was blessed. He worked hard at making the best of a bad
situation.
● Joseph dealt justly with others – he remained true to Potiphar and himself
by not giving in to Potiphar’s wife’s desires.
● Joseph understood the law of the harvest – no matter what situation Joseph
was in, he practiced the Law of the Harvest by always planting righteous
seeds.
Brothers and Sisters, I am so grateful for the example of Joseph who showed great integrity, honor, strength, leadership, and moral virtue.
It is my testimony that we are strong when our Father in Heaven, the Savior,
and the Holy Ghost are dwelling in our lives.
References:
Genesis 34; 37-39
Gospel Doctrine Old Testament Lesson ll, Bob Beardall
LDS Old Testament Teacher’s Manual, Lesson 11
Personal experiences of Maren Hardy Hale
Personal experience of Spring Hale Thibaudeau
Personal experience of Reverend Martin Neimoller (Move with Possibility Thinking, p. 180)
Quotes from General Authorities as noted in lesson
Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 346-341
Lesson 11
Compiled by Maren Hardy Hale,
March 21, 2010
Scriptures: Genesis 34; 37-39
Board: Today’s themes:
1. The wages of Envy
2. The consequences of Moral Weakness
3. The blessings of Leadership and Virtue
INTRODUCTION
There is a huge contrast between the character of Joseph who was sold into Egypt and the characters of his brothers. Joseph was a man with great integrity, honesty and virtue. His brothers exemplified envy, jealousy, and moral laxity. Joseph’s moral courage and leadership show strength, discipline, and stability.
“By way of contrast, those who succumb to unchecked greed or lust display a wavering instability from which harmony, peace, and lasting happiness can never flow.” (Teachings and commentary on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 335)
QUESTION: What is happening to the standards of sexual morality presented today in our movies, television shows, books and magazines? [They are deteriorating]
EXPERIENCE: Media shock
Our family spent 8 years in Europe with the Air Force. During our first 3 years was no television. Then we were able to get Armed Services Television Network. This is one channel with public service announcements and carefully selected programs suitable for the whole family. When the New Era Magazine arrived each month our 3 oldest children fought over who got to read it first. Each of them devoured it from cover to cover. It was a wonderful time for our family.
We returned to the States and lived in the Temporary Living Facility on Mountain Home Air Force Base while we looked for a home in the community. We turned on the television and went through culture shock! We couldn’t believe what we were seeing and hearing. Standards had dropped so much in those 8 years. We turned it off and began, once again, to carefully monitor our family’s television watching.
When moral degradation is all around you, it creeps in slowly and you become numb to it. To safeguard our children, we must be very vigilant. It would be wise to never let our children watch a new TV show unless we sit down and watch it with them to judge its merits.
QUESTION: What are you doing to safeguard your children from TV?
One day one of our daughters mentioned that she had made a new friend at school. She said, Mom, “She’s just like me – her parents put a lock on their TV, too!” [Stimulus control]
“The moral behavior of society often differs from the moral standards that the Lord has established. While the standards of society can change, the Lord’s standards are constant.” (LDS Old Testament Manual, lesson 11)
QUOTE #1 [2nd paragraph is like a beautiful Psalm]
First Presidency Message (President Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., David O McKay): "By virtue of the authority in us vested as the First Presidency of the Church, we warn our people who are offending, of the degradation, the wickedness, the punishment that attend upon unchastity; we urge you to remember the blessings which flow from the living of the clean life; we call upon you to keep, day in and day out, the way of strictest chastity, through which only can God's choice gifts come to you and His spirit abide with you.
"How glorious is he who lives the chaste life. He walks unfearful in the full glare of the noonday sun, for he is without moral infirmity. He can be reached by no shafts of base calumny, for his armor is without flaw. His virtue cannot be challenged by any just accuser, for he lives above reproach. His cheek is never blotched with shame, for he is without hidden sin. He is honored and respected by all mankind, for he is beyond their censure. He is loved by the Lord, for he stands without blemish. The exaltations of eternities await his coming." (Conference Report, Oct 1942)
Today’s lesson has three themes:
1. The wages of Envy
2. The consequences of Moral Weakness
3. The blessings of Leadership and Virtue
BODY
Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers
Jacob married Leah and Rachel, and also married their handmaids, Zilpah and Bilhah. Jacob’s wives bore him 12 sons who became the beginnings of the 12 tribes of Israel. We learn in Genesis 32:28 that the Lord told Jacob, “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
Joseph was the 11th Son of Jacob. He was the first child of Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel. The 12th son was Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-18).
Joseph spent the remaining years of his youth at Hebron (20 miles south of Jerusalem) watching the flocks of sheep and goats.
Reuben was the firstborn through Leah. He was the automatic heir of the birthright.
QUESTION: How did Joseph, the 11th son, become the recipient of the birthright?
● Reuben lost he birthright – transgressed with one of his father’s
concubines
(Genesis 35:22).
● Birthright then fell to the 1st son of next wife – Joseph (1st son of
Rachel, Jacob’s 2nd wife).
● Sons of concubines not eligible because mothers were handmaids to Leah
and Rachel.
The Wages of Envy
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 37:3
37. Now Israel loved, Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours.” [Septuagint word = a long coat with sleeves]
“Joseph being favored of Jacob became a target of malice on the part of his older brothers. Joseph was not reluctant to share his dreams regarding his future leadership and hence contributed to his brothers’ feelings of jealousy.
“When Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers, the stage was set for a future reunion in the courts of Pharaoh when his brethren would confess their sins and admit that Joseph was indeed divinely chosen to be the leader of the family and the patriarchal standard-bearer for many future nations.
“The rent ‘coat of many colors’ became a lasting symbol of the ultimate preservation of the Lord’s chosen lineage (Alma 46:23-34). The story of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt, shows the results of jealousy, envy, greed, and hatred, yet shows the power of God in all things.” (“Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 336)
Let’s read 2 quotes from our prophets concerning the destructive nature of jealousy, envy, greed, and hatred.
QUOTE #2
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “Ours is the duty to walk by faith. Ours is the duty to walk in faith, rising above the evils of the world. We are sons and daughters of God. Ours is a divine birthright. Ours is a divine destiny. We must not, we cannot sink to the evils of the world – to selfishness and sin, to hate and envy and backbiting, to the ‘mean and beggarly’ elements of life.” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, page 7)
QUOTE #3
President David O. McKay: “Jealousy, hatred, envy, animosity – all such evils you must overcome by suppression. That is where your control comes in. Suppress the anger! Suppress that jealousy, that envy! They are all injurious to the spirit.” (Gospel Ideals: Selections From the Discourses of David O. McKay, Improvement era, 1953, p. 356)
QUESTION: How can we overcome envy, jealousy, greed, and hatred?
● Gain gospel values and strive for unconditional love.
● Recognize happiness is within, not based on possessions or having fun.
● Recognize your divine nature – seek to improve yourself.
Envy and jealousy are concerns for everyone because of their power to destroy the souls of men.
As we know, the coat of many colors Joseph received of his father compounded the antagonism of Joseph’s brothers until they “hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him” (Genesis 37:3).
QUESTION: What have you seen when a child receives better treatment than the other siblings his or her family?
● Causes competition, rebellion or low self esteem in families.
● We can avert this situation if we teach our children to love one another
and value each other’s distinct abilities and talents – including their
own.
● Don’t discuss publically a child’s weaknesses or compare them (give
children the opportunity to grow, repent and change without any stigmas
attached. If you need help, go to confidential sources – bishop,
counselor, grandparent)
QUESTION: How can we overcome jealous feelings or anger towards family members, friends, or acquaintances? What should you do?
● If jealous – if you serve someone for whom you feel jealous, more feelings
of love and care come to the foreground and feelings of jealousy
subside.
● If Angry – confront source of frustration – talk about it rather than let
it boil
into a violent explosion. Be willing to carefully listen.
We know that Joseph had dreams that revealed the special relationship Joseph would have with his family and also foreshadowed the eventual mission of his posterity in the eternal salvation of the house of Israel.
Joseph’s brothers were unable to accept his dreams
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 37:8
8. And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? Or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words”.
Remember the situation with Nephi and his older brothers. After Nephi had shared the meaning of Lehi’s dream and they said: “Thou has declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear.” Nephi went on to say: “…the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center (1 Nephi 1-2)
Joseph’s brothers went 45 miles to Shechem to feed the flocks (Genesis 37:12). Later, Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers. Arriving in Shechem, Joseph learned his brothers had gone on another 12 miles. (Genesis 37: 13-17)
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 37: 18-20
18. And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him.
19. And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.
20. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams.
QUESTION: Who wanted to spare his life? [Reuben – oldest, must have felt more responsibility for him – argued he must not be killed, but returned to his father.]
QUESTION: What did the brothers do?
● Stripped off his coat and left him a pit to die
● Joseph sold to a caravan of Ishmeelites headed to Egypt for 20 pieces of
silver (Genesis 37:27-28).
● Tore Joseph’s coat into many pieces, covered it with goat’s blood, and
returned it to Jacob as evidence a wild beast had devoured Joseph (Genesis
37:31-33)
Then Jacob mourned and no one could comfort him. Joseph was sold to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
Portraits of Moral Weakness
Judah and Tamar
In Genesis 38, we see portraits of moral weakness. Judah takes a Canaanite woman and she bears him children. Judah then takes Tamar as a wife for Er. Er was wicked and the Lord slew him. Then Judah tells his son Onan to raise up seed to his brother Er through Tamar. (Genesis 38:1-8)
The Lord slays Onan for spilling his seed on the ground. Judah tells Tamar to remain in her father’s home until his son, Shelah is old enough, to take her as wife. (Genesis 10-11)
QUESTION: Then what does Tamar do? (Genesis 38:14-27)
● Tamar takes off her widow’s garment and sits by the wayside for Judah’s
now grown son Shelah to see her.
● Judah sees Tamar, thinks she is a harlot, desires her and promises her a
kid.
Tamar asks for his signet, bracelets, and staff as a pledge.
She conceives.
● Tamar leaves, puts on her widow’s garments and the pledge can’t be
delivered because she has gone. Judah wants kid delivered so he isn’t
blamed.
● Judah hears Tamar is with child and has her brought to him to be burnt.
● Tamar produces the signet, bracelets, and staff and Judah acknowledges them saying that Tamar is more righteous than he is'
“because that I gave her not to Shelah my son.”
Now, another portrait of moral weakness.
QUESTION: Who would like to tell us about Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, who is defiled by Shechem (a prince and Hivite)? (Genesis 34:1-31)
● Dinah is defiled by Shechem who wants to marry her and goes to his father.
● Hamor wants to join families and goes to Jacob and his sons.
● Shechem says he’ll give a large dowry.
● Sons of Jacob lie and request that every man be circumcised.
● On the 3rd day when they were sore, Simeon and Levi slew all the males,
Including Shechem and Hamor, and took Dinah.
● Sons of Jacob spoil the city, take their wealth, wives, and children
captive.
● Jacob voices concern to his sons that they have put his family in harms
way with the Canaanites and Perizzites because of their deed.
● Jacob’s sons answer, “Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?”
“Simeon and Levi’s destruction laid the groundwork for lasting enmity in the land. The lessons overshadowing these portraits of moral weakness is the fact that the Lord’s purposes are not defeated, for Joseph’s sons inherited the birthright, and thus his lineage carried on the leadership role under the Abrahamic Covenant.
Similarly, the Savior would come from the preserved lineage of Judah as the light and life of the world. No matter what some of the Lord’s children do in defiance of His laws, the Lord is still in charge of the process whereby the plan of salvation can unfold to its ultimate destiny.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, p. 337)
Let’s read 3 quotes from latter-day prophets regarding moral weakness and transgression and the need for repentance.
QUOTE #4
Spencer W. Kimball:
“Illicit sex is a selfish act, a betrayal, and is dishonest. To be unwilling to accept responsibility is cowardly, disloyal. Marriage is for time and eternity. Fornication and all other deviations are for today, for the hour, for the “now.” Marriage gives life. Fornication leads to death. (Faith Precedes the Miracle, page 156)
QUOTE #5
Ezra Taft Benson: “Yes, one can repent of moral transgression. The miracle of forgiveness is real, and true repentance is accepted of the Lord. But it is not pleasing to the Lord prior to a mission, or any time, to sow one’s wild oats, to engage in sexual transgression of any nature, and then to expect that planned confession and quick repentance will satisfy the Lord.” (Come, Listen to a Prophet’s Voice, p. 6)
QUOTE #6
President Gordon B. Hinckley: “There is in each of us that sense of modesty and morality to which this writer refers…The Lord has made it clear, and the experience of centuries had confirmed it, that happiness lies not in immortality, but rather in abstinence. The voice of the Church to which you belong is a voice pleading for virtue. It is a voice pleading for strength to abstain from that which is evil. It is a voice declaring that sexual transgression is sin. It is contrary to the will of the Lord. It is contrary to the teachings of the Church. It is contrary to the happiness and well-being of those who indulge in it.” (Teaching of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 48)
In our world today, we have daily reminders in the news of politicians, actors, sports heroes, clergy, and teachers, who have been unfaithful to their wives or who have hurt children. Their “planned confession and quick repentance” have sometimes satisfied the world, but not the Lord. We as Church members need to continue to plead “for the strength to abstain from that which is evil.”
QUOTE: President Spencer W. Kimball
“May I talk to you just a moment or two about that which is most dear and precious above all things. Can you think what it would be? Would it be bonds, stocks, or diamonds? Would it be herds or flocks? Would it be automobiles and houses? Would it be medals in athletics? This is the greatest blessing, the most dear and precious above all things – above all things. It cannot be purchased with money, but may be enjoyed by all, even those of humble circumstances as well as the affluent, as much by the high school student as by those who have doctor’s degrees. Even mortal life when placed upon the balance scales weighs less. That of which I speak is chastity and virtue. The lack of it has caused rivers of tears to flow, broken numerous homes, and deprived large numbers of innocent children.” (quoted in We Believe)
QUOTE #7
Elder Melvin J. Ballard: “Certainly our teachers were right when they held up an ideal that virtue was as sacred as life itself, and that we had better lose our lives than lose our virtue….Next to the crime of murder itself is the crime of sexual impurity.” (Conference Report, April 1929)
QUESTION: Ultimately, who ends up being hurt when lying and infidelity are present in a marriage? [Children – feel abandoned, think they are responsible – they have had a bad example and are afraid of marriage themselves]
Portrait of Leadership and Virtue
Joseph’s example of moral uprightness in Egypt is among the most celebrated instances of strength of character in all of scripture. We read in Genesis 39:23 that “The Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.
QUESTION: How was Joseph blessed after being sold into Egypt?
● Joseph became a servant in the household of Potiphar, “a prosperous man.”
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 39:3-4
3. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to proper in his hand.
4. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.”
Joseph was blessed by the Lord because he “was a goodly person (Gen. 39:20).
Then Potiphar’s wife tried to lure Joseph to her. And Joseph answered, “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God? (Gen. 39:9).
She continued to tempt Joseph and ‘he harkened not unto her…” (Gen 39:10)
Then Joseph went into the house to do business when no men were there.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 39:12
12. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment into her hand, and fled, and got him out.
QUESTION: Then what does Potiphar’s wife do? [She lies to the men of her house and her husband about Joseph and he is put in prison.]
But the Lord was with Joseph and he found favor with the prison keeper. Joseph was put completely in charge of the prisoners and the Lord made Joseph prosper. (Genesis 39:21-23)
I admire Joseph’s reaction when he was first tempted by Potiphar’s wife. He said “…how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (Gen. 39:9). Joseph’s first allegiance was to his God.
Then when Potiphar’s wife cornered him, he had already made his decision for he
“left his garment into her hand, and fled, and got him out.” He wanted to avoid the very presence of evil.
We need to have a close association with our Father in Heaven through prayer so that He will have our first allegiance.
We need to teach our children to always avoid the presence of evil – to obey the promptings of the Spirit – when caught in a difficult situation, just leave and go to a place of safety. Do not hesitate!
EXPERIENCE: Invitation to a party
I was excited in high school to be invited to a party that all the popular kids were attending. After driving home from work, my mother drove me to the home where it was being held which was quite a distance from our home. I went down to the basement where my friends were. I saw them doing things that I was uncomfortable with. I had a bad feeling come over me. I quickly walked up the stairs and waited in the bathroom for a while until I thought my mother had reached home. I used the phone and called my mother to pick me up telling her I had a bad feeling about being there. She said she’d come immediately. As we drove home she never complained about having been in the car so many times and for so long, but instead expressed her happiness that I would listen to the Spirit.
EXPERIENCE: Missionary daughter in Austria
When our daughter, Spring, was serving a mission in Austria, she and her companion lived in a very bad area of the city. One evening as they were walking from an appointment, they felt someone following them. They received promptings that they were in danger and they quickly ran away. They felt blessed that they were in tune so that they could receive such a prompting.
Joseph had many difficult trials in his life, but he learned to turn bad experiences and circumstances into good ones.
QUOTE #8
Elder Harman Rector, Jr.: “[The] ability to turn everything into something good appears to be a godly characteristic. Our Heavenly Father always seems able to do this. Everything, no matter how dire, becomes a victory to the Lord. Joseph, although a slave and wholly undeserving of this fate, nevertheless remained faithful to the Lord and continued to live the commandments and made something very good of his degrading circumstances. People like this cannot be defeated.” (Ensign, January 1973, p. 130)
EXPERIENCE: Reverend Martin Neimoller
“For three years Reverend Martin Neimoller survived the horrors of Dauchau – the smells of burning human flesh and the sights of walking dead men. For three years this German pastor who dared to defy Adolf Hitler was kept in solitary confinement in the world’s worst concentration camp.
“‘How could you stand it without losing your sanity?’ an interviewer asked Pastor Neimoller years later over a Chicago radio station. ‘A man doesn’t realize how much he can stand until he is put to the test,’ Neimoller answered confidently, continuing, ‘you can stand far more than you think you can. You are much stronger than you think you are…if God is dwelling in your life’.” (Move with Possibility Thinking, p. 180)
CONCLUSION
Joseph was a man of integrity.
QUESTION: What is integrity? [Uncompromising adherence to moral and ethical principles – honesty – honorable]
QUOTE –
President James E. Faust: “I should like to emphasize three important elements of integrity – dealing justly with oneself, dealing justly with others, and recognizing the law of the harvest.” (Conference Report, April 1982)
The law of the harvest means that we sow what we reap.
Joseph demonstrated integrity by:
● Dealing justly with himself – he was true to the principles which he
believe in and was blessed. He worked hard at making the best of a bad
situation.
● Joseph dealt justly with others – he remained true to Potiphar and himself
by not giving in to Potiphar’s wife’s desires.
● Joseph understood the law of the harvest – no matter what situation Joseph
was in, he practiced the Law of the Harvest by always planting righteous
seeds.
Brothers and Sisters, I am so grateful for the example of Joseph who showed great integrity, honor, strength, leadership, and moral virtue.
It is my testimony that we are strong when our Father in Heaven, the Savior,
and the Holy Ghost are dwelling in our lives.
References:
Genesis 34; 37-39
Gospel Doctrine Old Testament Lesson ll, Bob Beardall
LDS Old Testament Teacher’s Manual, Lesson 11
Personal experiences of Maren Hardy Hale
Personal experience of Spring Hale Thibaudeau
Personal experience of Reverend Martin Neimoller (Move with Possibility Thinking, p. 180)
Quotes from General Authorities as noted in lesson
Teachings and Commentaries on the Old Testament, Ed. J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 346-341
"Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant"
Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant
Old Testament: Lesson 10 (Genesis 24-29)
by Ted L. Gibbons
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
In the Provo Daily Herald on the date of Friday, July 13, 1990, page D1, I found a photo of Glynn "Scotty" Wolfe, "who holds the title as 'World's Most Married Man . . .'" He is pictured with his 27th wife, Daisy, whom he plans to divorce to marry her 15-year-old sister. The 81-year-old ordained minster said he plans to pay for his new bride's trip from the Philippines by having Daisy, 19, pose nude for a magazine for $10,000. Neither they nor she are interested.
Somewhere in the passage of time, this ordained minister and millions of others have mislaid a correct understanding of what marriage is all about. But the voice of the scriptures and the prophets is clear on this matter, and some of the clearest teachings appear in Genesis.
In fact, no episode in the Bible teaches the importance of marriage in the covenant better than the experiences of Isaac and Rebekah. These are followed closely in the text by the accounts of the marriages of Jacob and Esau, which also teach powerful lessons about this subject.
I. ABRAHAM EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE IN THE COVENANT (ETERNAL MARRIAGE).
Brigham Young said,
There is not a young man in our community who would not be willing to travel from here to England to be married right, if he understood things as they are; there is not a young woman in our community, who loves the Gospel and wishes its blessings, that would be married in any other way; they would live unmarried until they could be married as they should be, if they lived until they were as old as Sarah before she had Isaac born to her. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.195—p.196)
Abraham understood this principle. When Isaac was 40 (Gen. 25:20), Abraham made the most careful of arrangements for his son's marriage. He called his trusted servant, Eliezer, and put him under oath to insure by every precaution that his son married someone worthy to continue the covenant blessings the Lord had promised him and his posterity.
The oath included these provisions.
"Thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell" (Gen 24:2)
"Thou shalt go unto my country" (24:4)
"Thou shalt go . . . to my kindred" (24:4)
"Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again" (24:6)
And the servant put his hand under the hand of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter (Gen 24:9, JST).
If we were to begin a list of the marriage decisions that matter most, based on this account, our first entry would be this one: FIND A SPOUSE WORTHY OF THE COVENANT. No matter how many other qualities one might find in a prospective mate, if this one is missing, the others are less lasting than water on a summer sidewalk.
For the journey, the servant took ten camels. Since they are important in this story, let me say a word about them. The distance to be traveled from Hebron to Haran was probably over 400 miles, perhaps as many as 450. Camels average about 3 miles per hour for about 8 hours a day. So we may assume that the trip would take 18 days of travel each way, and two additional days for Sabbath observance without travel. So the round-trip time, not counting the time in Haran, would have been about 40 days.
When Eliezer arrived in Haran, he stopped at the city well and prayed.
And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master (Genesis 24:12-14).
Following Abraham's offer to sacrifice Isaac, the Lord had promised him, "In blessing I will bless thee . . ." (Gen 22:17 ). Eliezer asks for this blessing on that basis—the righteousness of his master whom the Lord has blessed in all things (see Gen. 24:1).
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known the like unto her. . . (Gen. 24:15,16, JST).
There is a statement in these verses about the beauty of Rebekah: she "was very fair to look upon." But I have not and will not include external beauty in my list of important characteristics in a spouse. The media has nearly ruined the ability of our youth to think clearly and logically about such things. We are bombarded constantly with messages about chemistry, about physical attraction. Physical beauty is thin and temporary, but the other qualities suggested by this story are thick and eternal.
I have sometimes taught the encounter at the well between Rebekah and Abraham's servant with this caption: JOHNNY LINGO, EAT YOUR HEART OUT! Rebekah is not an 8-cow wife, but she is a 10-camel woman! A thirsty camel can drink up to 25 gallons of water. There are ten camels to be watered, and she must do it with whatever jar or container she has with her. The record calls it a pitcher (24:18,20). And note the location of the well. Genesis 24:16 and 45 both indicate that this water in this well is in a deep hole, probably reached by descending a spiral path or stairs. Rebekah "went down to the well, filler her pitcher, and came up." Archaeologists uncovered a well of this sort at Gibeon. The water level was 80 feet below ground level (see Atlas of the Bible, p. 97). And note that she hasted (24:18,20) to serve this stranger.
We can now add a second quality to our list of important attributes. WE OUGHT TO SEEK A SPOUSE WHO IS WILLING TO SERVE. There is another quality implied here. IT WILL BE A GREAT BLESSING TO HAVE A SPOUSE WHO KNOWS HOW TO WORK.
Eliezer needed to know if the Lord had answered his prayer so suddenly, and asked Rebekah about her family.
And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor (Gen. 24:24).
Abraham had sent his servant to find a wife among his kindred. This woman qualified. Abraham had two brothers, Nahor and Haran. Nahor had a son named Bethuel, and Rebekah was his daughter. When Eliezer learned this, he immediately "bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord" (24:26).
In his prayer of gratitude, he teaches another important lesson about finding a spouse.
And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren. (24:27, emphasis added).
Eliezer found a bride for Isaac because he looked for her in the right place. "I being in the way . . ." he says. This is another lesson worth teaching to the unmarried youth of Zion. AS YOU SEEK A WORTHY, ETERNAL COMPANION, STAY IN THE WAY—the strait and narrow way. That is where you are most likely to find a person worthy of the covenant. Chances of success in this diminish at dance clubs and rock concerts and undisciplined parties.
Eliezer went to the home of Rebekah and explained his mission to her father and her brother Laban. When he had finished his recitation, he said,
And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left (Gen. 24:49).
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said
The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken (Gen. 24:50,51).
Upon hearing this, the servant again bowed his head in thanksgiving before the Lord (see Gen. 24:52). There were two questions yet to be answered. Would Rebekah be willing to accompany him? and when could Eliezer begin his return journey to Hebron?
Rebekah's relatives were understandably reluctant to bid her farewell at once. They said, "Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go" (24:55). But Eliezer knew that Abraham was very old ("well stricken in age" Gen 24:1), and he also knew that Isaac wasn't getting much sleep for worry and anticipation.
And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. (24:56)
To resolve the difference in opinion, they determined to ask Rebekah. Would she be willing to travel over 400 miles with a man she had just met to marry a man she did not know because she believed the Lord wanted her to? She said, "I will go" (24:58). Her response is every whit as impressive as that of Nephi when asked to get the plates from Laban. "I will go . . ." (1 Nephi 3:7)
Here is another lesson in seeking an eternal companion. FIND SOMEONE DISPOSED TO OBEY THE LORD.
The priesthood blessing given to Rebekah by her relatives suggests that they knew of the Abrahamic covenant: "Be thou the mother of thousands of millions . . ." (24:60)
We are told that on the day the travelers arrived in Hebron, "Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide" (24:63). Does anyone wonder what he is meditating about? I wonder what he thought when he saw the camels coming.
I do not mean to overemphasize the sequence in the final verse of Genesis 24, but it is important.
And Isaac (1) brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and (2) took Rebekah, and she became his wife; (3) and he loved her . . . (24:67)
The love came last. I know this is not a popular thing to say, but I believe it is true. What I feel for my wife is not what I felt for her almost 38 years ago. I thought I loved her then. I guess I did love her. But 60,000 dirty diapers and 27 cars and 13 homes and 24 vacuum cleaners have shown me what love really means. What I felt then and what I feel now are perhaps the same thing, but they are not the same amount. If my love was water, 33 years ago it would have been a puddle. Today it is the Pacific Ocean.
II. ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT TO JACOB.
Rebekah was without children for the first 20 years of her marriage (see Gen. 25:20,26). But her husband prayed for her (and blessed her?) and she conceived. Something about the pregnancy troubled her and she prayed to understand.
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger (Gen 25:23).
Rebekah knew something about her sons that even her husband seemed not to know. The younger of the two would preside. One would think she would have told him. Perhaps she did but he did not listen to his wife. What a mistake that would be, for all of us.
These two sons were men of different interests. There is nothing wrong with that. But there was something wrong with Esau's attitude about spiritual things. His willingness to give up the birthright responsibilities and opportunities for a bowl of red pottage (25:30), and the announcement that "Esau despised his birthright" (25:34) show us quite clearly why the Lord had determined before the birth of the twins that the birthright should go to Jacob. At least he wanted it.
Rebekah made preparations to insure that Jacob got the birthright blessing. It seems that she was not sure the Lord could handle it himself. However, the blessing that came to Jacob from Isaac was reiterated by the Lord (see Gen. 28:10-15).
When Esau was 40 (the age at which his father married) he took matters into his own hands and married two wives. Neither were of the covenant, and they were therefore "a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah" (26:34,35), both of whom knew from personal experience the power and blessings of the covenant. (Esau would later take a wife from the descendants of Abraham. The account is in Gen. 28:8,9).
III. JACOB MARRIES LEAH AND RACHEL IN THE COVENANT, AND THROUGH HIM THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT CONTINUES.
Rebekah spoke to her husband about the marriage of her sons.
I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me? (Gen. 27:46)
Jacob was therefore sent to Haran to find a wife worthy of the covenant. Jacob journeyed where his grandfather's servant had journeyed before, and joined himself to Laban, the brother of his mother. In the course of 20 years (see Gen. 31:41), Jacob married four wives and had 11 sons and at least one daughter. Benjamin, the 12th son, would be born after the return of Jacob to his home.
Conclusion
Every normal young man desires a wife. Every normal young woman desires a husband. Be worthy of the mate you choose. Respect him or her. Give encouragement to him or her. Love your companion with all your heart. This will be the most important decision of your life, the individual whom you marry.
There is no substitute for marrying in the temple. It is the only place under the heavens where marriage can be solemnized for eternity. Don't cheat yourself. Don't cheat your companion. Don't shortchange your lives. Marry the right person in the right place at the right time (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Life's Obligations," Ensign, Feb. 1999, 2, emphasis added).
Proper marriage is life's most important decision. I know you believe that. I believe it too. I met my wife in High School. I do not remember her, but she says she remembers me. I have occasionally reflected on the remarkable fact that I must have passed my wife hundreds of times in the halls and on the grounds of Logan High without knowing . . . I wrote a poem to her about it.
I now suppose creation
Froze
Each time I met you there,
And growing things
Stopped growing
As I passed by
Unaware.
And mighty suns fell soundlessly,
In grief
That I could pass
Unseeing,
By eternity,
To be on time to class.
—by Ted L. Gibbons, 1969
I pray that none of us will pass unseeing by eternity for any reason.
Old Testament: Lesson 10 (Genesis 24-29)
by Ted L. Gibbons
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Introduction
In the Provo Daily Herald on the date of Friday, July 13, 1990, page D1, I found a photo of Glynn "Scotty" Wolfe, "who holds the title as 'World's Most Married Man . . .'" He is pictured with his 27th wife, Daisy, whom he plans to divorce to marry her 15-year-old sister. The 81-year-old ordained minster said he plans to pay for his new bride's trip from the Philippines by having Daisy, 19, pose nude for a magazine for $10,000. Neither they nor she are interested.
Somewhere in the passage of time, this ordained minister and millions of others have mislaid a correct understanding of what marriage is all about. But the voice of the scriptures and the prophets is clear on this matter, and some of the clearest teachings appear in Genesis.
In fact, no episode in the Bible teaches the importance of marriage in the covenant better than the experiences of Isaac and Rebekah. These are followed closely in the text by the accounts of the marriages of Jacob and Esau, which also teach powerful lessons about this subject.
I. ABRAHAM EMPHASIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF MARRIAGE IN THE COVENANT (ETERNAL MARRIAGE).
Brigham Young said,
There is not a young man in our community who would not be willing to travel from here to England to be married right, if he understood things as they are; there is not a young woman in our community, who loves the Gospel and wishes its blessings, that would be married in any other way; they would live unmarried until they could be married as they should be, if they lived until they were as old as Sarah before she had Isaac born to her. (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.195—p.196)
Abraham understood this principle. When Isaac was 40 (Gen. 25:20), Abraham made the most careful of arrangements for his son's marriage. He called his trusted servant, Eliezer, and put him under oath to insure by every precaution that his son married someone worthy to continue the covenant blessings the Lord had promised him and his posterity.
The oath included these provisions.
"Thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell" (Gen 24:2)
"Thou shalt go unto my country" (24:4)
"Thou shalt go . . . to my kindred" (24:4)
"Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again" (24:6)
And the servant put his hand under the hand of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter (Gen 24:9, JST).
If we were to begin a list of the marriage decisions that matter most, based on this account, our first entry would be this one: FIND A SPOUSE WORTHY OF THE COVENANT. No matter how many other qualities one might find in a prospective mate, if this one is missing, the others are less lasting than water on a summer sidewalk.
For the journey, the servant took ten camels. Since they are important in this story, let me say a word about them. The distance to be traveled from Hebron to Haran was probably over 400 miles, perhaps as many as 450. Camels average about 3 miles per hour for about 8 hours a day. So we may assume that the trip would take 18 days of travel each way, and two additional days for Sabbath observance without travel. So the round-trip time, not counting the time in Haran, would have been about 40 days.
When Eliezer arrived in Haran, he stopped at the city well and prayed.
And he said, O LORD God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master (Genesis 24:12-14).
Following Abraham's offer to sacrifice Isaac, the Lord had promised him, "In blessing I will bless thee . . ." (Gen 22:17 ). Eliezer asks for this blessing on that basis—the righteousness of his master whom the Lord has blessed in all things (see Gen. 24:1).
And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known the like unto her. . . (Gen. 24:15,16, JST).
There is a statement in these verses about the beauty of Rebekah: she "was very fair to look upon." But I have not and will not include external beauty in my list of important characteristics in a spouse. The media has nearly ruined the ability of our youth to think clearly and logically about such things. We are bombarded constantly with messages about chemistry, about physical attraction. Physical beauty is thin and temporary, but the other qualities suggested by this story are thick and eternal.
I have sometimes taught the encounter at the well between Rebekah and Abraham's servant with this caption: JOHNNY LINGO, EAT YOUR HEART OUT! Rebekah is not an 8-cow wife, but she is a 10-camel woman! A thirsty camel can drink up to 25 gallons of water. There are ten camels to be watered, and she must do it with whatever jar or container she has with her. The record calls it a pitcher (24:18,20). And note the location of the well. Genesis 24:16 and 45 both indicate that this water in this well is in a deep hole, probably reached by descending a spiral path or stairs. Rebekah "went down to the well, filler her pitcher, and came up." Archaeologists uncovered a well of this sort at Gibeon. The water level was 80 feet below ground level (see Atlas of the Bible, p. 97). And note that she hasted (24:18,20) to serve this stranger.
We can now add a second quality to our list of important attributes. WE OUGHT TO SEEK A SPOUSE WHO IS WILLING TO SERVE. There is another quality implied here. IT WILL BE A GREAT BLESSING TO HAVE A SPOUSE WHO KNOWS HOW TO WORK.
Eliezer needed to know if the Lord had answered his prayer so suddenly, and asked Rebekah about her family.
And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor (Gen. 24:24).
Abraham had sent his servant to find a wife among his kindred. This woman qualified. Abraham had two brothers, Nahor and Haran. Nahor had a son named Bethuel, and Rebekah was his daughter. When Eliezer learned this, he immediately "bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord" (24:26).
In his prayer of gratitude, he teaches another important lesson about finding a spouse.
And he said, Blessed [be] the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren. (24:27, emphasis added).
Eliezer found a bride for Isaac because he looked for her in the right place. "I being in the way . . ." he says. This is another lesson worth teaching to the unmarried youth of Zion. AS YOU SEEK A WORTHY, ETERNAL COMPANION, STAY IN THE WAY—the strait and narrow way. That is where you are most likely to find a person worthy of the covenant. Chances of success in this diminish at dance clubs and rock concerts and undisciplined parties.
Eliezer went to the home of Rebekah and explained his mission to her father and her brother Laban. When he had finished his recitation, he said,
And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left (Gen. 24:49).
Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said
The thing proceedeth from the LORD: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the LORD hath spoken (Gen. 24:50,51).
Upon hearing this, the servant again bowed his head in thanksgiving before the Lord (see Gen. 24:52). There were two questions yet to be answered. Would Rebekah be willing to accompany him? and when could Eliezer begin his return journey to Hebron?
Rebekah's relatives were understandably reluctant to bid her farewell at once. They said, "Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go" (24:55). But Eliezer knew that Abraham was very old ("well stricken in age" Gen 24:1), and he also knew that Isaac wasn't getting much sleep for worry and anticipation.
And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the LORD hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. (24:56)
To resolve the difference in opinion, they determined to ask Rebekah. Would she be willing to travel over 400 miles with a man she had just met to marry a man she did not know because she believed the Lord wanted her to? She said, "I will go" (24:58). Her response is every whit as impressive as that of Nephi when asked to get the plates from Laban. "I will go . . ." (1 Nephi 3:7)
Here is another lesson in seeking an eternal companion. FIND SOMEONE DISPOSED TO OBEY THE LORD.
The priesthood blessing given to Rebekah by her relatives suggests that they knew of the Abrahamic covenant: "Be thou the mother of thousands of millions . . ." (24:60)
We are told that on the day the travelers arrived in Hebron, "Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide" (24:63). Does anyone wonder what he is meditating about? I wonder what he thought when he saw the camels coming.
I do not mean to overemphasize the sequence in the final verse of Genesis 24, but it is important.
And Isaac (1) brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and (2) took Rebekah, and she became his wife; (3) and he loved her . . . (24:67)
The love came last. I know this is not a popular thing to say, but I believe it is true. What I feel for my wife is not what I felt for her almost 38 years ago. I thought I loved her then. I guess I did love her. But 60,000 dirty diapers and 27 cars and 13 homes and 24 vacuum cleaners have shown me what love really means. What I felt then and what I feel now are perhaps the same thing, but they are not the same amount. If my love was water, 33 years ago it would have been a puddle. Today it is the Pacific Ocean.
II. ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT TO JACOB.
Rebekah was without children for the first 20 years of her marriage (see Gen. 25:20,26). But her husband prayed for her (and blessed her?) and she conceived. Something about the pregnancy troubled her and she prayed to understand.
And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger (Gen 25:23).
Rebekah knew something about her sons that even her husband seemed not to know. The younger of the two would preside. One would think she would have told him. Perhaps she did but he did not listen to his wife. What a mistake that would be, for all of us.
These two sons were men of different interests. There is nothing wrong with that. But there was something wrong with Esau's attitude about spiritual things. His willingness to give up the birthright responsibilities and opportunities for a bowl of red pottage (25:30), and the announcement that "Esau despised his birthright" (25:34) show us quite clearly why the Lord had determined before the birth of the twins that the birthright should go to Jacob. At least he wanted it.
Rebekah made preparations to insure that Jacob got the birthright blessing. It seems that she was not sure the Lord could handle it himself. However, the blessing that came to Jacob from Isaac was reiterated by the Lord (see Gen. 28:10-15).
When Esau was 40 (the age at which his father married) he took matters into his own hands and married two wives. Neither were of the covenant, and they were therefore "a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah" (26:34,35), both of whom knew from personal experience the power and blessings of the covenant. (Esau would later take a wife from the descendants of Abraham. The account is in Gen. 28:8,9).
III. JACOB MARRIES LEAH AND RACHEL IN THE COVENANT, AND THROUGH HIM THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT CONTINUES.
Rebekah spoke to her husband about the marriage of her sons.
I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me? (Gen. 27:46)
Jacob was therefore sent to Haran to find a wife worthy of the covenant. Jacob journeyed where his grandfather's servant had journeyed before, and joined himself to Laban, the brother of his mother. In the course of 20 years (see Gen. 31:41), Jacob married four wives and had 11 sons and at least one daughter. Benjamin, the 12th son, would be born after the return of Jacob to his home.
Conclusion
Every normal young man desires a wife. Every normal young woman desires a husband. Be worthy of the mate you choose. Respect him or her. Give encouragement to him or her. Love your companion with all your heart. This will be the most important decision of your life, the individual whom you marry.
There is no substitute for marrying in the temple. It is the only place under the heavens where marriage can be solemnized for eternity. Don't cheat yourself. Don't cheat your companion. Don't shortchange your lives. Marry the right person in the right place at the right time (Gordon B. Hinckley, "Life's Obligations," Ensign, Feb. 1999, 2, emphasis added).
Proper marriage is life's most important decision. I know you believe that. I believe it too. I met my wife in High School. I do not remember her, but she says she remembers me. I have occasionally reflected on the remarkable fact that I must have passed my wife hundreds of times in the halls and on the grounds of Logan High without knowing . . . I wrote a poem to her about it.
I now suppose creation
Froze
Each time I met you there,
And growing things
Stopped growing
As I passed by
Unaware.
And mighty suns fell soundlessly,
In grief
That I could pass
Unseeing,
By eternity,
To be on time to class.
—by Ted L. Gibbons, 1969
I pray that none of us will pass unseeing by eternity for any reason.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
"God Will Provide Himself a Lamb”
“God Will Provide Himself a Lamb”
Lesson 9
Compiled by Maren Hale, Pleasant View 1st Ward Gospel Doctrine Class, March 7, 2010
Readings: Abraham 1; Genesis 15-17; 21-22
Board: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
INTRODUCTION
The life of Abraham is an exemplary pattern of spiritual growth. From his early youth, he was schooled by experiences of adversity and oppression…The lessons of obedience and valor he learned carried him through life on the wings of divine support and blessing.
“Never losing the vision of his destined calling, he set an unequaled example of one willing to do everything asked of him by God, without hesitation and without question.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 315-16)
BODY
Abraham is nearly sacrificed by the false priests of Pharaoh.
All these things shall give thee experience
In Abraham, Chapter 1, we learn that Abraham spent his early years in Ur of Chaldea. His fathers had turned from righteousness and did not keep the commandments. They worshiped the false gods of the heathen. “Their hearts were set to do evil.” They even offered up their men, women, and children as human sacrifices to these idols.
Pharaoh’s false priests tried to offer him as a sacrifice to their false gods.
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:15
“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.”
Abraham had within his heart a desire to serve God in the future. He had to depend on the Lord and his faith to preserve and deliver him.
How was Abraham saved from these false priests – what happened?
● Abraham called upon the Lord and an angel loosed the bands with which he
was tied – Abraham 1:15-16
● The Lord broke down the altar of Elkenah and smote the priest -- Abraham 1:20
Abraham’s experience on the altar of the false priests helped him prepare for future trials:
● It strengthened his faith in the Lord.
● He also knew what fear Isaac might face and he could prepare Isaac.
How can our trials prepare us for future difficulties? [They give us experience. We learn that we can be comforted, guided, and strengthened by the Lord through His Spirit]
I love this advice by the writer Harriet Beecher Stowe: “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
EXPERIENCE: Student at Berkeley
During High School, There were times when I was singled out by teachers in a negative fashion because I was a Mormon. I remember the promptings I received to respond and stand firm in the faith. One teacher taught one day that all Mormon boys serve missions for 5 years and all Mormon girls become nurses. I raised my hand and incurred her ire as I tried to gently correct her. She ended with, “You’re wrong!”
I recall the time when I was a student in a Race and Ethnic Relations class at Berkeley. It was a smaller class and we would sit around a large, rectangular oak table. We got to know each other fairly well as the professor called upon each of us often in class.
One day we were discussing prejudice and its effects in America. The teacher suddenly turned to me and said, “Miss Hale, because you were born in Utah, I assume you are a Mormon.” I acknowledged that I was. He continued, “Then you, Miss Hale, are the prime example in America of prejudice against blacks.”
I felt my neck and face flush and my heart started to pound wildly (I began a pleading prayer for help from the Lord). The teacher went on to explain to the class that Mormons withhold their priesthood from blacks. He turned to me and said, “Isn’t that so, Miss Hale?”
I answered that indeed blacks were restricted from holding the priesthood. I explained that there have been times when the priesthood was restricted to a certain group or withheld from certain groups throughout history.
I told the class that I was very uncomfortable having the priesthood withheld from blacks, but that I had faith that one day a revelation would be given to our prophet that the priesthood would be extended to them, and that I was praying for that day.
I mentioned my esteem and affection for many blacks I had been acquainted with growing up in Washington, D.C., and that I regarded all people as equal. As I sat down my heart was heavy because I knew that my explanation fell short of my teacher’s scrutiny.
To my surprise the black student seated next to me raised his hand and said, “There is something wrong here. I don’t understand how you can single Miss Hale out for being prejudice when she has explained to us that she is not. I think perhaps she is the one feeling the prejudice, not me.”
As I walked out of that class, I felt my prayer had been answered – that the Spirit had strengthened me and had touched the student sitting beside me.
“I [had] lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard.” Abraham 1:15
Abraham has children through Hagar and Sarah.
Abraham was concerned about being childless.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 15:5-6
5. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
This must have been amazing to Abraham. He was an older man and did not have children, but “he believed in the Lord.”
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 16:3
“And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.”
Sarah had not born Abraham any children, so she sent Abraham to Hagar so that she could “obtain children by her.” (Genesis 16:1-2)
Let’s read an explanation from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism on why that happened.
QUOTE #1
Encyclopedia of Mormonism: “In her old age, Sarah gave Hagar, her maid, to Abraham. Modern revelation indicates that Sarah thereby ‘administered unto Abraham according to the law’ (D&C 132:65), and more recent scholarship has confirmed the widespread legal obligation of the childless wife in the ancient Near East to provide her husband with a second wife.” (p. 1260)
SCRIPTURE D&C 132:34-35
34. God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises.
35. Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.
Abraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore him a son, Ishmael (Genesis 16:34-35).
QUESTION: Prior to the birth of Ishmael did Sarah and Hagar get along? [They had a falling out, Hagar fled, was stopped by an angel and told that she would bear a child and that her seed would be multiplied “exceedingly.”]
Elder Bruce R. McConkie tells us that “The son’s of Ishamel peopled the north and west of the Arabian peninsula and supposedly formed the chief element of the Arab nation, the wandering Bedouin tribes. They are now mostly [Muslims].” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 389)
In Genesis 17 the Lord appeared to Abraham when he was 99 years old and renewed the covenant.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 17:15-17
15. “And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
The Joseph Smith Translation reads:
“Then Abraham fell upon his face and rejoiced...”
In the Genesis version Abraham “laughed” at the Lord’s promises.
In the Joseph Smith Translation, Abraham is a man of tremendous faith.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 17:20-21
20. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
When we think about the yearning over the years of Abraham and Sarah to have a child, we understand that the Lord always fulfills his promises. His blessings may not come when we think they will come, but they will come. Sometimes we must have our faith tested over a period of time.
in Genesis 18:14 we read: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?...”
QUOTE #2
George Q. Cannon: “It is time, with the experience we have had now as a Church, that we should be a people of unbounded faith, willing to believe that all things are possible with God and that when He commands us to do anything, we should go to with our might and with unyielding determination to accomplish that end according to the mind and will of God. (Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, p. 115)
God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22:1-2
1. And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test or prove) Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
QUESTION: Did Abraham question the Lord? [Abraham was a man of great faith and absolute obedience]
Still, he may have had some of these thoughts about this terribly difficult request:
● This is my only son with Sarah.
● I have been promised that Isaac was the covenant child.
● Sarah and I are a little old to start over having children.
● It is wrong to kill another human being.
● As a young man I was nearly sacrificed by the priests of Pharaoh.
But Abraham was obedient.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22:7-13
7. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8. And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said Here am I.
12. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Isaac was obedient to his father, Abraham, and trusted him completely.
QUOTE #3
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “…The bible says, ‘Abraham…bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood’ (Genesis22:9). What did Isaac think when Abraham did such a strange thing? The Bible mentions no struggle or objection. Isaac’s silence can be explained only in terms of his trust in and obedience to his father.” (Conference Report, October 1992, p. 51).
I love this insight from Truman Madsen as he questioned President Hugh B. Brown about Abraham:
QUOTE: Handout front, bottom right
Truman G. Madsen: “Modern revelation indicates at least three times that each of us who seek eternal life must one day be tried, even as Abraham. I put the question once to President Hugh B. Brown, when we were in Israel: Why was Abraham commanded to go up on that mountain (traditionally Mount Moriah in Jerusalem) and offer as a sacrifice his only hope for the promised posterity? President Brown wisely replied, ‘Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham.’ By being tested, all of us will one day know how much our hearts are really set on the kingdom of God.” (Joseph Smith the Prophet, p. 92)
Trials and Sacrifice are blessings in our lives.
EXPERIENCE: A story of trial – President Allen
I am reminded of a fast and testimony meeting when our family was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A member of our stake presidency who resided in our ward stood up to bear his testimony.
He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer 6 months earlier. He had received a priesthood blessing telling him to search and that the Lord would bless him. He had been drawn to a book in an airport shop that gave him some important health information. He researched and found a clinic in Texas where he underwent treatments. He was now standing before us cured.
In his testimony he told us how he had felt the Lord’s guidance and love. He had learned many things about himself and found that he was able to endure more than he ever thought he could. He told us how he loved feeling so close to the Spirit during the past physically and emotionally agonizing months. He ended his testimony with this statement. ‘I pray that the Lord will find me worthy to try again so that I might prove myself, learn and grow, and feel His close presence again in my life.’” He had learned about himself and desired that closeness engendered through trial and sacrifice.
EXPERIENCE: A story of sacrifice – Elder Buck Bailey, Munich/Austria Mission
I read in this week’s Mormon Times about Elder Buck Bailey who is serving in the Munich/Austria Mission. This Park City native has skied since he was 2 years old and was a shoe-in for the U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team in Vancouver.
A year ago, he had experienced a chance meeting with Elder Uchtdorf and told him about his dilemma of joining the team or serving a mission. “Elder Uchdorf’s reply surprised Bailey. ‘It was not a straightforward answer, ‘Yes, you should serve now,’ or ‘No, you should serve later,’ which [he] was looking for at the time….It was, ‘You’ll know when to serve when you pray about it.’”
Buck prayed about it for the next three months. He said, ‘When I was ready to accept the Lord’s answer and act on it, I got my answer, which is why I am in Germany today…[My] coaches were shocked and not pleased [at all].’ But the future missionary stood firm on his decision.
Elder Bailey said, ‘I am constantly reminded of what I love to do [in Germany]. Between the billboards and media…I see ski jumping everywhere,…But I have work to do…There is nothing better than helping people come close to our Heavenly Father.’
“When investigators find out [he] loves ski jumping, they offer to drive him to the nearest venue. They are confused when he declines the invitation. [He said] ‘My ward mission leader gave me a newspaper with the [Olympic]ski jumping schedule…I will use it to schedule appointments with investigators when jumping is on and when a member calls and invites me over, I can say we already have an appointment… Everyone has to give up something to go on a mission, but it’s worth it because the Lord gives you a lot more back.’”
Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. (Deseret News, Mormon Times, March 4, 2010, p. M4)
SCRIPTURE: D&C 101:4-5
4. Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.
5. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.”
QUOTE #4
President Ezra Taft Benson:
“To press on in noble endeavors, even while surrounded by a cloud of depression, will eventually bring you out on top into the sunshine. Even our master, Jesus the Christ, while facing that supreme test of being temporarily left alone by our Father during the Crucifixion, continued performing His labors for the children of men, and then shortly thereafter He was glorified and received a fullness of joy.
“While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and count the blessings that you do have with a sure hope of greater ones to follow if you are faithful. And you can have that certain knowledge that in due time God will wipe away all tears (Revelations 7:17) and that ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 396)
Let’s read the council Joseph Smith on why sacrifice is necessary for our salvation.
QUOTE #5
Joseph Smith: “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life (Lectures of Faith, 6:7)
As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith regarding his trials, “…Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7) Listen to Joseph’s words.
QUOTE #6
Joseph Smith: “I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force…all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 304)
President Eyring said in our last General Conference, “The message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is that we can and must expect to become better as long as we live…None of us is perfect yet. But we can have frequent assurance that we are following along the way. He leads us, and He beckons for us to follow Him.”(Ensign, November 2010, pp 70-72)
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac was a similitude of Heavenly Father’s willingness to sacrifice his son (Jacob 4:5).
QUOTE #7
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “The story…shows the goodness of God in protecting Isaac and in providing a substitute so he would not have to die. Because of our sins and our mortality, we, like Isaac, are condemned to death. When all other hope is gone, our Father in Heaven provides the Lamb of God, and we are saved by his sacrifice.” (Conference Report, October 1992, p 51)
Abraham was commanded to offer up the thing most dear to his heart – his own son. Only through a commitment to sacrifice all that we have, if required to do so, can we manifest to the Lord that our love for Him and His divine cause is perfect.
QUOTE #8
President Thomas S. Monson: “Remember the qualifying statement of the Master: “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34). A latter-day minister advised: ‘until willingness overflows obligation, men fight as conscripts rather than following the flag as patriots. Duty is never worthily performed until it is performed by one who would gladly do more if only he could’.” (Be Your Best Self, p. 59)
QUOTE #9
Joseph Smith: “Remember that all your hopes of deliverance from danger and from death, will rest upon your faithfulness to God; in His cause, you must necessarily serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing mind.” (History of the Church 2:192-93)
Listen to the experience of those in Chile “serving Him with a perfect heart and willing mind.”
EXPERIENCE: Chile East Mission and the Feb. 2010 Earthquake
When they were set apart for their calling, Elder Richard G. Scott told Santiago Chile East Mission President Larry Laycock and his wife, Lisa, to record promptings they receive during the night telling them that “He will speak to you then because that is when you are still enough to hear,” and to keep a notebook by their bed to record those precious promptings.
Sister Laycock writes, “Nearly two-and-one-half weeks ago, I was awakened at around 4:00 a.m. by just such a prompting. I did not hear a voice, but the thought was as clear as if it had been in the form of spoken words: ‘There is going to be an earthquake. Prepare your missionaries.’ I sat up in bed and immediately remembered Elder Scott's counsel. That morning I told Larry what had happened. He immediately set to work organizing our missionaries to prepare for an earthquake.
“In talking with our office missionaries to arrange for them to put together a list of everything we would need to prepare...in both Spanish and English...we discovered that the Lord had also let two of our office missionaries know of the possibility of an earthquake (in the form of dreams) and the need to prepare our mission.
“We set a goal and arranged our schedule so that we could visit every apartment in the mission to check for safety and to review with our missionaries what to do in case of an earth quake. [We] brought specific instructions on what to do, supplied water purification bottles for the missionaries, told them how to create a 36-hour kit for emergencies and how to stay in communication should an earthquake
strike. What a wonderful experience we have had as we have met with them and shared scriptures with them about being spiritually and physically prepared.
“When the earthquake came, we were prepared. We did not experience the panic that many felt. We knew we were prepared. Because of the words of the Lord's chosen Apostle, Elder Scott, we had listened and heeded the quiet, but clear promptings of the Holy Ghost. We were blessed with peace in the midst of chaos.
“We learned an important lesson: our preparation helped us to avoid panic and fear, but the Lord, in His wisdom, allowed us to experience enough discomfort to know that He has all power. He is in charge. We are nothing without Him. We are
dependent upon Him for every breath we take. Only He can save us from death and destruction. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is our perfect example. If we follow Him, we will be saved through obedience to the laws and ordinances of His Gospel.” (Meridian Magazine, March 4, 2010)
All 171 proselyting missionaries are safe and only one member of the Church died in the earthquake. Again from Joseph Smith: “All your hope of deliverance from danger and death, will rest upon your faithfulness to God.”
President Monson tells us that if we are to pass the tests in life, we must not fear.
Quote #10, President Thomas S. Monson: “Such knowledge will dispel that hidden and insidious enemy who lurks within and limits our capacity, destroys our initiative, and strangles our effectiveness. This enemy of whom I speak is fear: a fear to wholeheartedly accept a calling; a fear to provide direction to others; a fear to lead, to motivate, to inspire. In His wisdom, the Lord provided a formula whereby we might overcome the archvillain of fear. He instructed: ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30).” (Be Your Best Self, pp. 195-96)
CONCLUSION
“[One lesson we can] gain from the story of Abraham is that we need to learn to sacrifice at whatever level of spirituality we are at. To sacrifice one’s son is near the ultimate sacrifice, yet daily there are opportunities to sacrifice and, like Abraham, we need to be willing to do what we know we should. It may be as simple as a kind word to a family member…this is what living by the Spirit means. We will be prompted when opportunities arise and we need to be willing to respond as did Abraham.” (Bob Beardall, Gospel Doctrine Lesson 9, p. 5)
I am grateful for Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice all.
I have a testimony that it is through the sacrifices we make, that we learn about ourselves and our relationship to the Savior.
References:
Gospel Doctrine Class, Old Testament Lesson 9, Bob Beardall,
Maren Hardy Hale, personal experiences
Meridian Magazine, Chile Earthquake, Sister Lisa Laycock, March 4, 2010
Mormon Times, Deseret News, Elder Buck Bailey’s experience, March 4, 2010, p. M4
Scripture References: Abraham 1; Genesis 15-17; 21-22; Doctrine and Covenants 132; 101
Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 315-24
Ten Quote references as noted in body of lesson
Lesson 9
Compiled by Maren Hale, Pleasant View 1st Ward Gospel Doctrine Class, March 7, 2010
Readings: Abraham 1; Genesis 15-17; 21-22
Board: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
INTRODUCTION
The life of Abraham is an exemplary pattern of spiritual growth. From his early youth, he was schooled by experiences of adversity and oppression…The lessons of obedience and valor he learned carried him through life on the wings of divine support and blessing.
“Never losing the vision of his destined calling, he set an unequaled example of one willing to do everything asked of him by God, without hesitation and without question.” (Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 315-16)
BODY
Abraham is nearly sacrificed by the false priests of Pharaoh.
All these things shall give thee experience
In Abraham, Chapter 1, we learn that Abraham spent his early years in Ur of Chaldea. His fathers had turned from righteousness and did not keep the commandments. They worshiped the false gods of the heathen. “Their hearts were set to do evil.” They even offered up their men, women, and children as human sacrifices to these idols.
Pharaoh’s false priests tried to offer him as a sacrifice to their false gods.
SCRIPTURE: Abraham 1:15
“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.”
Abraham had within his heart a desire to serve God in the future. He had to depend on the Lord and his faith to preserve and deliver him.
How was Abraham saved from these false priests – what happened?
● Abraham called upon the Lord and an angel loosed the bands with which he
was tied – Abraham 1:15-16
● The Lord broke down the altar of Elkenah and smote the priest -- Abraham 1:20
Abraham’s experience on the altar of the false priests helped him prepare for future trials:
● It strengthened his faith in the Lord.
● He also knew what fear Isaac might face and he could prepare Isaac.
How can our trials prepare us for future difficulties? [They give us experience. We learn that we can be comforted, guided, and strengthened by the Lord through His Spirit]
I love this advice by the writer Harriet Beecher Stowe: “When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”
EXPERIENCE: Student at Berkeley
During High School, There were times when I was singled out by teachers in a negative fashion because I was a Mormon. I remember the promptings I received to respond and stand firm in the faith. One teacher taught one day that all Mormon boys serve missions for 5 years and all Mormon girls become nurses. I raised my hand and incurred her ire as I tried to gently correct her. She ended with, “You’re wrong!”
I recall the time when I was a student in a Race and Ethnic Relations class at Berkeley. It was a smaller class and we would sit around a large, rectangular oak table. We got to know each other fairly well as the professor called upon each of us often in class.
One day we were discussing prejudice and its effects in America. The teacher suddenly turned to me and said, “Miss Hale, because you were born in Utah, I assume you are a Mormon.” I acknowledged that I was. He continued, “Then you, Miss Hale, are the prime example in America of prejudice against blacks.”
I felt my neck and face flush and my heart started to pound wildly (I began a pleading prayer for help from the Lord). The teacher went on to explain to the class that Mormons withhold their priesthood from blacks. He turned to me and said, “Isn’t that so, Miss Hale?”
I answered that indeed blacks were restricted from holding the priesthood. I explained that there have been times when the priesthood was restricted to a certain group or withheld from certain groups throughout history.
I told the class that I was very uncomfortable having the priesthood withheld from blacks, but that I had faith that one day a revelation would be given to our prophet that the priesthood would be extended to them, and that I was praying for that day.
I mentioned my esteem and affection for many blacks I had been acquainted with growing up in Washington, D.C., and that I regarded all people as equal. As I sat down my heart was heavy because I knew that my explanation fell short of my teacher’s scrutiny.
To my surprise the black student seated next to me raised his hand and said, “There is something wrong here. I don’t understand how you can single Miss Hale out for being prejudice when she has explained to us that she is not. I think perhaps she is the one feeling the prejudice, not me.”
As I walked out of that class, I felt my prayer had been answered – that the Spirit had strengthened me and had touched the student sitting beside me.
“I [had] lifted up my voice unto the Lord my God, and the Lord hearkened and heard.” Abraham 1:15
Abraham has children through Hagar and Sarah.
Abraham was concerned about being childless.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 15:5-6
5. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
6. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
This must have been amazing to Abraham. He was an older man and did not have children, but “he believed in the Lord.”
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 16:3
“And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.”
Sarah had not born Abraham any children, so she sent Abraham to Hagar so that she could “obtain children by her.” (Genesis 16:1-2)
Let’s read an explanation from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism on why that happened.
QUOTE #1
Encyclopedia of Mormonism: “In her old age, Sarah gave Hagar, her maid, to Abraham. Modern revelation indicates that Sarah thereby ‘administered unto Abraham according to the law’ (D&C 132:65), and more recent scholarship has confirmed the widespread legal obligation of the childless wife in the ancient Near East to provide her husband with a second wife.” (p. 1260)
SCRIPTURE D&C 132:34-35
34. God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises.
35. Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.
Abraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore him a son, Ishmael (Genesis 16:34-35).
QUESTION: Prior to the birth of Ishmael did Sarah and Hagar get along? [They had a falling out, Hagar fled, was stopped by an angel and told that she would bear a child and that her seed would be multiplied “exceedingly.”]
Elder Bruce R. McConkie tells us that “The son’s of Ishamel peopled the north and west of the Arabian peninsula and supposedly formed the chief element of the Arab nation, the wandering Bedouin tribes. They are now mostly [Muslims].” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 389)
In Genesis 17 the Lord appeared to Abraham when he was 99 years old and renewed the covenant.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 17:15-17
15. “And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17. Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
The Joseph Smith Translation reads:
“Then Abraham fell upon his face and rejoiced...”
In the Genesis version Abraham “laughed” at the Lord’s promises.
In the Joseph Smith Translation, Abraham is a man of tremendous faith.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 17:20-21
20. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
When we think about the yearning over the years of Abraham and Sarah to have a child, we understand that the Lord always fulfills his promises. His blessings may not come when we think they will come, but they will come. Sometimes we must have our faith tested over a period of time.
in Genesis 18:14 we read: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?...”
QUOTE #2
George Q. Cannon: “It is time, with the experience we have had now as a Church, that we should be a people of unbounded faith, willing to believe that all things are possible with God and that when He commands us to do anything, we should go to with our might and with unyielding determination to accomplish that end according to the mind and will of God. (Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, p. 115)
God commands Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22:1-2
1. And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt (test or prove) Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
QUESTION: Did Abraham question the Lord? [Abraham was a man of great faith and absolute obedience]
Still, he may have had some of these thoughts about this terribly difficult request:
● This is my only son with Sarah.
● I have been promised that Isaac was the covenant child.
● Sarah and I are a little old to start over having children.
● It is wrong to kill another human being.
● As a young man I was nearly sacrificed by the priests of Pharaoh.
But Abraham was obedient.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 22:7-13
7. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8. And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said Here am I.
12. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
Isaac was obedient to his father, Abraham, and trusted him completely.
QUOTE #3
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “…The bible says, ‘Abraham…bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood’ (Genesis22:9). What did Isaac think when Abraham did such a strange thing? The Bible mentions no struggle or objection. Isaac’s silence can be explained only in terms of his trust in and obedience to his father.” (Conference Report, October 1992, p. 51).
I love this insight from Truman Madsen as he questioned President Hugh B. Brown about Abraham:
QUOTE: Handout front, bottom right
Truman G. Madsen: “Modern revelation indicates at least three times that each of us who seek eternal life must one day be tried, even as Abraham. I put the question once to President Hugh B. Brown, when we were in Israel: Why was Abraham commanded to go up on that mountain (traditionally Mount Moriah in Jerusalem) and offer as a sacrifice his only hope for the promised posterity? President Brown wisely replied, ‘Abraham needed to learn something about Abraham.’ By being tested, all of us will one day know how much our hearts are really set on the kingdom of God.” (Joseph Smith the Prophet, p. 92)
Trials and Sacrifice are blessings in our lives.
EXPERIENCE: A story of trial – President Allen
I am reminded of a fast and testimony meeting when our family was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A member of our stake presidency who resided in our ward stood up to bear his testimony.
He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer 6 months earlier. He had received a priesthood blessing telling him to search and that the Lord would bless him. He had been drawn to a book in an airport shop that gave him some important health information. He researched and found a clinic in Texas where he underwent treatments. He was now standing before us cured.
In his testimony he told us how he had felt the Lord’s guidance and love. He had learned many things about himself and found that he was able to endure more than he ever thought he could. He told us how he loved feeling so close to the Spirit during the past physically and emotionally agonizing months. He ended his testimony with this statement. ‘I pray that the Lord will find me worthy to try again so that I might prove myself, learn and grow, and feel His close presence again in my life.’” He had learned about himself and desired that closeness engendered through trial and sacrifice.
EXPERIENCE: A story of sacrifice – Elder Buck Bailey, Munich/Austria Mission
I read in this week’s Mormon Times about Elder Buck Bailey who is serving in the Munich/Austria Mission. This Park City native has skied since he was 2 years old and was a shoe-in for the U.S. Olympic Ski Jumping Team in Vancouver.
A year ago, he had experienced a chance meeting with Elder Uchtdorf and told him about his dilemma of joining the team or serving a mission. “Elder Uchdorf’s reply surprised Bailey. ‘It was not a straightforward answer, ‘Yes, you should serve now,’ or ‘No, you should serve later,’ which [he] was looking for at the time….It was, ‘You’ll know when to serve when you pray about it.’”
Buck prayed about it for the next three months. He said, ‘When I was ready to accept the Lord’s answer and act on it, I got my answer, which is why I am in Germany today…[My] coaches were shocked and not pleased [at all].’ But the future missionary stood firm on his decision.
Elder Bailey said, ‘I am constantly reminded of what I love to do [in Germany]. Between the billboards and media…I see ski jumping everywhere,…But I have work to do…There is nothing better than helping people come close to our Heavenly Father.’
“When investigators find out [he] loves ski jumping, they offer to drive him to the nearest venue. They are confused when he declines the invitation. [He said] ‘My ward mission leader gave me a newspaper with the [Olympic]ski jumping schedule…I will use it to schedule appointments with investigators when jumping is on and when a member calls and invites me over, I can say we already have an appointment… Everyone has to give up something to go on a mission, but it’s worth it because the Lord gives you a lot more back.’”
Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. (Deseret News, Mormon Times, March 4, 2010, p. M4)
SCRIPTURE: D&C 101:4-5
4. Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son.
5. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.”
QUOTE #4
President Ezra Taft Benson:
“To press on in noble endeavors, even while surrounded by a cloud of depression, will eventually bring you out on top into the sunshine. Even our master, Jesus the Christ, while facing that supreme test of being temporarily left alone by our Father during the Crucifixion, continued performing His labors for the children of men, and then shortly thereafter He was glorified and received a fullness of joy.
“While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and count the blessings that you do have with a sure hope of greater ones to follow if you are faithful. And you can have that certain knowledge that in due time God will wipe away all tears (Revelations 7:17) and that ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 396)
Let’s read the council Joseph Smith on why sacrifice is necessary for our salvation.
QUOTE #5
Joseph Smith: “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life (Lectures of Faith, 6:7)
As the Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith regarding his trials, “…Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7) Listen to Joseph’s words.
QUOTE #6
Joseph Smith: “I am like a huge, rough stone rolling down from a high mountain; and the only polishing I get is when some corner gets rubbed off by coming in contact with something else, striking with accelerated force…all hell knocking off a corner here and a corner there. Thus I will become a smooth and polished shaft in the quiver of the Almighty.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 304)
President Eyring said in our last General Conference, “The message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is that we can and must expect to become better as long as we live…None of us is perfect yet. But we can have frequent assurance that we are following along the way. He leads us, and He beckons for us to follow Him.”(Ensign, November 2010, pp 70-72)
Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac was a similitude of Heavenly Father’s willingness to sacrifice his son (Jacob 4:5).
QUOTE #7
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “The story…shows the goodness of God in protecting Isaac and in providing a substitute so he would not have to die. Because of our sins and our mortality, we, like Isaac, are condemned to death. When all other hope is gone, our Father in Heaven provides the Lamb of God, and we are saved by his sacrifice.” (Conference Report, October 1992, p 51)
Abraham was commanded to offer up the thing most dear to his heart – his own son. Only through a commitment to sacrifice all that we have, if required to do so, can we manifest to the Lord that our love for Him and His divine cause is perfect.
QUOTE #8
President Thomas S. Monson: “Remember the qualifying statement of the Master: “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34). A latter-day minister advised: ‘until willingness overflows obligation, men fight as conscripts rather than following the flag as patriots. Duty is never worthily performed until it is performed by one who would gladly do more if only he could’.” (Be Your Best Self, p. 59)
QUOTE #9
Joseph Smith: “Remember that all your hopes of deliverance from danger and from death, will rest upon your faithfulness to God; in His cause, you must necessarily serve Him with a perfect heart and a willing mind.” (History of the Church 2:192-93)
Listen to the experience of those in Chile “serving Him with a perfect heart and willing mind.”
EXPERIENCE: Chile East Mission and the Feb. 2010 Earthquake
When they were set apart for their calling, Elder Richard G. Scott told Santiago Chile East Mission President Larry Laycock and his wife, Lisa, to record promptings they receive during the night telling them that “He will speak to you then because that is when you are still enough to hear,” and to keep a notebook by their bed to record those precious promptings.
Sister Laycock writes, “Nearly two-and-one-half weeks ago, I was awakened at around 4:00 a.m. by just such a prompting. I did not hear a voice, but the thought was as clear as if it had been in the form of spoken words: ‘There is going to be an earthquake. Prepare your missionaries.’ I sat up in bed and immediately remembered Elder Scott's counsel. That morning I told Larry what had happened. He immediately set to work organizing our missionaries to prepare for an earthquake.
“In talking with our office missionaries to arrange for them to put together a list of everything we would need to prepare...in both Spanish and English...we discovered that the Lord had also let two of our office missionaries know of the possibility of an earthquake (in the form of dreams) and the need to prepare our mission.
“We set a goal and arranged our schedule so that we could visit every apartment in the mission to check for safety and to review with our missionaries what to do in case of an earth quake. [We] brought specific instructions on what to do, supplied water purification bottles for the missionaries, told them how to create a 36-hour kit for emergencies and how to stay in communication should an earthquake
strike. What a wonderful experience we have had as we have met with them and shared scriptures with them about being spiritually and physically prepared.
“When the earthquake came, we were prepared. We did not experience the panic that many felt. We knew we were prepared. Because of the words of the Lord's chosen Apostle, Elder Scott, we had listened and heeded the quiet, but clear promptings of the Holy Ghost. We were blessed with peace in the midst of chaos.
“We learned an important lesson: our preparation helped us to avoid panic and fear, but the Lord, in His wisdom, allowed us to experience enough discomfort to know that He has all power. He is in charge. We are nothing without Him. We are
dependent upon Him for every breath we take. Only He can save us from death and destruction. He is the way, the truth, and the life. He is our perfect example. If we follow Him, we will be saved through obedience to the laws and ordinances of His Gospel.” (Meridian Magazine, March 4, 2010)
All 171 proselyting missionaries are safe and only one member of the Church died in the earthquake. Again from Joseph Smith: “All your hope of deliverance from danger and death, will rest upon your faithfulness to God.”
President Monson tells us that if we are to pass the tests in life, we must not fear.
Quote #10, President Thomas S. Monson: “Such knowledge will dispel that hidden and insidious enemy who lurks within and limits our capacity, destroys our initiative, and strangles our effectiveness. This enemy of whom I speak is fear: a fear to wholeheartedly accept a calling; a fear to provide direction to others; a fear to lead, to motivate, to inspire. In His wisdom, the Lord provided a formula whereby we might overcome the archvillain of fear. He instructed: ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30).” (Be Your Best Self, pp. 195-96)
CONCLUSION
“[One lesson we can] gain from the story of Abraham is that we need to learn to sacrifice at whatever level of spirituality we are at. To sacrifice one’s son is near the ultimate sacrifice, yet daily there are opportunities to sacrifice and, like Abraham, we need to be willing to do what we know we should. It may be as simple as a kind word to a family member…this is what living by the Spirit means. We will be prompted when opportunities arise and we need to be willing to respond as did Abraham.” (Bob Beardall, Gospel Doctrine Lesson 9, p. 5)
I am grateful for Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice all.
I have a testimony that it is through the sacrifices we make, that we learn about ourselves and our relationship to the Savior.
References:
Gospel Doctrine Class, Old Testament Lesson 9, Bob Beardall,
Maren Hardy Hale, personal experiences
Meridian Magazine, Chile Earthquake, Sister Lisa Laycock, March 4, 2010
Mormon Times, Deseret News, Elder Buck Bailey’s experience, March 4, 2010, p. M4
Scripture References: Abraham 1; Genesis 15-17; 21-22; Doctrine and Covenants 132; 101
Teachings and Commentary on the Old Testament, Ed J. Pinegar and Richard J. Allen, pp. 315-24
Ten Quote references as noted in body of lesson
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