Introduction
Mormon Mouthful
1. Mission
2. Caption Moroni
3. Primary
4. How Firm a Foundation
5. Joseph F. Smith
6. Brigham Young University
7. Mortal Body
8. Singles Ward
9. First Quorum of the Seventy
10. I Love to See the Temple
11. The Joseph Smith Translation
12. Charity
13. Church Basketball
14. Adam-ondi-Ahman
15. King Lamoni
16. Two Thousand Stripling Warriors
17. Tabernacle
18. Temple President
19. Hyrum Smith
20. Salt Lake City
21. Compassionate Service
Exodus 1–3
The children of Israel are made slaves by the Egyptians
Moses is born and is raised by Pharaoh’s daughter
The Lord appears to Moses at the burning bush and calls him to deliver Israel from bondage
Imagine your are the children of Israel living in Egypt. For generations you have been taught that you are God’s covenant people and that he will fulfill the promises he made to Abraham. Yet now you are slaves, living in oppression and bondage.
What can we learn from this circumstance that can help us when we experience adversity?
Sometimes God doesn't deliver us from trials immediately.
see D&C 90:24; 98:3; Mosiah 24:14–15
How have you received comfort and help from the Lord during times of adversity?
What did Moses say when the Lord called him to deliver Israel?
What assurances did the Lord give him?
Why might some feelings of inadequacy be good?
How has the Lord helped you in callings for which you felt inadequate?
Exodus 5–6
Moses approached Pharaoh many times and asked him to free Israel. Despite signs, wonders, and plagues, Pharaoh refused
After Pharaoh increased Israel’s burdens, the Lord repeated His promises to Moses.
How did the children of Israel respond when Moses reminded them of these promises? (v9)
Why do some of us stop listening to the prophets and believing God’s promises during times of trial?
Exodus 11–13
The Lord promises to send one more plague on Egypt in which the firstborn in every home will die.
The Lord instructs Moses in the preparation of the Passover, which will protect Israel from the plague.
Pharaoh tells Moses to take his people from Egypt, and the Israelites leave.
Moses tells the children of Israel to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread in the future as a memorial of their deliverance.
(Note that the titles “Feast of the Passover” and “Feast of Unleavened Bread” are often used synonymously; the Passover is the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.)
How did the Passover symbolize the Atonement?
A) see Exodus 12:5 (The children of Israel were to use a firstborn male lamb without blemish)
B) The children of Israel were to sprinkle the blood of the lamb on their doorposts to save their firstborn from death - The Savior’s blood, which he shed in Gethsemane and on the cross, cleanses the faithful and saves them from spiritual death.
C) The children of Israel were to eat unleavened bread
Leaven, or yeast, was seen anciently as a symbol of corruption because
it so easily spoiled and turned moldy
For the Israelites, eating the
unleavened bread symbolized that they were partaking of the bread which
had no corruption or impurity, namely, the Bread of Life
The removal of leaven also suggested repentance, or the removal of sin from a person’s life
D) The children of Israel were to eat the Passover meal in haste
Like the Israelites, we need to respond eagerly and immediately to the deliverance that the Savior offers us.
At the Last Supper, the Savior instituted the sacrament in place of the Passover
What similarities are there between the Passover and the sacrament?
Elder Howard W. Hunter taught that at the Passover meal that is
now known as the Last Supper, “the bread and wine, rather than the
animals and herbs, [became] emblems of the great Lamb’s body and blood,
emblems to be eaten and drunk reverently and in remembrance of him
forever.
“In this simple but impressive manner the Savior
instituted the ordinance now known as the sacrament of the Lord’s
Supper. With the suffering of Gethsemane, the sacrifice of Calvary, and
the resurrection from a garden tomb, Jesus fulfilled the ancient law and ushered in a
new dispensation based on a higher, holier understanding of the law of
sacrifice. No more would men be required to offer the firstborn lamb
from their flock, because the Firstborn of God had come to offer himself
as an ‘infinite and eternal sacrifice’”
Elder Howard W. Hunter said
that just as the Passover was a covenant of protection for ancient
Israel, the sacrament is a “new covenant of safety” for us.
How is the sacrament a covenant of safety for us?
The sacrament reminds us of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, which brings
eternal safety by freeing us from the bonds of sin and death. The
covenants we renew as we partake of the sacrament also help provide us
eternal safety
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland asked:
“Do we see [the sacrament] as our passover, remembrance of 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.
Exodus 14
Pharaoh and his army pursue the children of Israel.
The children of Israel are delivered from the army and cross the Red Sea on dry ground;
What did Moses tell the children of Israel when their faith faltered? (v.13-14)
Just as the Lord fulfilled his promise to deliver the Israelites from
bondage, he will fulfill his promises to us.
We should increase our appreciation for the Savior’s atoning sacrifice and partake of the sacrament worthily and thoughtfully, keeping the covenant
to “always remember him.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Genesis 34; 37-39 - How Can I Do This Great Wickedness
Introduction
Movie Clip - Worth Waiting for by Jenny Phillips - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR9UWj1q304#
What standards of sexual morality are presented by popoular media items currently today?
How do these standards differ from the Lord's standards as taught in the scriptures and by the Church leaders?
The standards of society can change, the Lord's standards are constant.
Genesis 37
Why were Joseph's brothers jealous of him? (v.3-4)
His brothers left and went to Schechem. Schechem was 45 miles away. Israel sent Joseph to go check on them.
How did Joseph respond to that request? (v.13-14)
He didn't find them in Schechem he found out they were in a Dothan. Dothan was at least another 12 miles away.
What can we learn about Joseph from this account?
What did Joseph’s brothers conspire to do when Joseph came to the fields where they were feeding the sheep? (v.18)
What did Reuben suggest? (v.21-22)
What did the brothers eventually do with Joseph instead of killing him? (v.28,31-33)
He was then sold into Egypt unto Potiphar (v.36)
How do you react when members of your receive better treatment than you do?
Can anyone share an experience they've had in overcoming feelings of jealousy or anger toward a family member or friend?
What Was Potiphar’s Position?
The Hebrew phrase which is translated as “captain of the guards” literally means “chief of the butchers or slaughterers.” From this meaning some scholars have thought that he was the chief cook or steward in the house of the pharaoh, but other scholars believe that butcher or slaughterer is used in the sense of executioner, and thus Potiphar was the “commanding officer of the royal body-guard, who executed the capital sentences ordered by the king”. Either way, Potiphar was an important man, but the latter position especially would give him great power and status in Egypt.
Genesis 39
How did the Lord bless Joseph after he was sold as a slave? (v.1–4)
Why did Potiphar, a wealthy officer of Pharaoh, put such trust in Joseph, a slave? (v.5–6)
How do the scriptures describe the kind of person Joseph was? (v.6)
What did Joseph do when Potiphar’s wife tried to tempt him to do wrong? (v.9).
How can we follow Joseph’s example when we are tempted?
He said How can I do this great wickedness against God.
He immediately removed himself from the situation
What excuses might Joseph have used if he had wanted to give in to the advances of Potiphar’s wife?
What excuses do people offer today to try to justify moral transgressions?
Why are these excuses not valid justifications?
Potiphar's wife was relentless at tempting Joseph (v.10)
How did Joseph become a prisoner? (v.12–20)
Because Potiphar had great power with the pharaoh and perhaps was even head of the royal executioners (see Reading 8-5), it is remarkable that Joseph was only put into prison and not executed. A slave accused of attempting to rape his master’s wife would seem to have deserved the most severe punishment, and yet Joseph was only imprisoned. Could it be that Potiphar, knowing of Joseph’s character and his wife’s character, suspected the truth and, although he felt compelled to take action, chose comparatively lenient punishment? Whatever the case, the hand of the Lord certainly preserved Joseph from what would otherwise have been almost certain death.
In the world today, how do some people treat others who are virtuous?
How does the world pressure our youth today to be immoral and can our youth resist this pressure?
The scriptures emphasize that while Joseph was in prison, the Lord was with him (v.21–23).
What does this reveal about Joseph?
He continued in faith rather than questioning or blaming God for the imprisonment that resulted from being virtuous.
What can we learn from Joseph about turning bad experiences and circumstances into good ones?
see also Romans 8:28
Elder Hartman Rector Jr. explained: "[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".
The spiritual greatness of Joseph is a remarkable thing. How many people have become bitter over some real or imagined slight, or blamed the Lord for some personal tragedy? In the very midst of being faithful and holding true to that which is right, Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison. How easy it would have been for him to give up, to say, “What’s the use of trying to serve God? All He does is punish me.” But there was not a trace of bitterness, no blaming the Lord. Joseph just continued being righteous and faithful. Unselfishly he offered to interpret the dreams of his two fellow prisoners, telling them that the knowledge came from God (see Genesis 40:8). He still trusted in the Lord, although he must have felt doomed to spend his life in prison. If any person had cause for discouragement and bitterness, it was Joseph, but he never faltered in his faith. Truly, Joseph is a model to be emulated.
Not all of Joseph’s family members and acquaintances were as valiant as Joseph was when facing temptation.
How did Shechem, Reuben, and Judah react to sexual temptation?
Church leaders have consistently taught that obedience to God’s commandments is true freedom.
How do we see this in the life of Joseph?
How did disobedience result in less freedom for Shechem, Reuben, and Judah?
How can choosing to keep the commandments make us more free than choosing to break them?
see John 8:31–36.
Movie Clip - Worth Waiting for by Jenny Phillips - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR9UWj1q304#
What standards of sexual morality are presented by popoular media items currently today?
How do these standards differ from the Lord's standards as taught in the scriptures and by the Church leaders?
The standards of society can change, the Lord's standards are constant.
Genesis 37
Why were Joseph's brothers jealous of him? (v.3-4)
His brothers left and went to Schechem. Schechem was 45 miles away. Israel sent Joseph to go check on them.
How did Joseph respond to that request? (v.13-14)
He didn't find them in Schechem he found out they were in a Dothan. Dothan was at least another 12 miles away.
What can we learn about Joseph from this account?
What did Joseph’s brothers conspire to do when Joseph came to the fields where they were feeding the sheep? (v.18)
What did Reuben suggest? (v.21-22)
What did the brothers eventually do with Joseph instead of killing him? (v.28,31-33)
He was then sold into Egypt unto Potiphar (v.36)
How do you react when members of your receive better treatment than you do?
Can anyone share an experience they've had in overcoming feelings of jealousy or anger toward a family member or friend?
What Was Potiphar’s Position?
The Hebrew phrase which is translated as “captain of the guards” literally means “chief of the butchers or slaughterers.” From this meaning some scholars have thought that he was the chief cook or steward in the house of the pharaoh, but other scholars believe that butcher or slaughterer is used in the sense of executioner, and thus Potiphar was the “commanding officer of the royal body-guard, who executed the capital sentences ordered by the king”. Either way, Potiphar was an important man, but the latter position especially would give him great power and status in Egypt.
Genesis 39
How did the Lord bless Joseph after he was sold as a slave? (v.1–4)
Why did Potiphar, a wealthy officer of Pharaoh, put such trust in Joseph, a slave? (v.5–6)
How do the scriptures describe the kind of person Joseph was? (v.6)
What did Joseph do when Potiphar’s wife tried to tempt him to do wrong? (v.9).
How can we follow Joseph’s example when we are tempted?
He said How can I do this great wickedness against God.
He immediately removed himself from the situation
What excuses might Joseph have used if he had wanted to give in to the advances of Potiphar’s wife?
What excuses do people offer today to try to justify moral transgressions?
Why are these excuses not valid justifications?
Potiphar's wife was relentless at tempting Joseph (v.10)
How did Joseph become a prisoner? (v.12–20)
Because Potiphar had great power with the pharaoh and perhaps was even head of the royal executioners (see Reading 8-5), it is remarkable that Joseph was only put into prison and not executed. A slave accused of attempting to rape his master’s wife would seem to have deserved the most severe punishment, and yet Joseph was only imprisoned. Could it be that Potiphar, knowing of Joseph’s character and his wife’s character, suspected the truth and, although he felt compelled to take action, chose comparatively lenient punishment? Whatever the case, the hand of the Lord certainly preserved Joseph from what would otherwise have been almost certain death.
In the world today, how do some people treat others who are virtuous?
How does the world pressure our youth today to be immoral and can our youth resist this pressure?
The scriptures emphasize that while Joseph was in prison, the Lord was with him (v.21–23).
What does this reveal about Joseph?
He continued in faith rather than questioning or blaming God for the imprisonment that resulted from being virtuous.
What can we learn from Joseph about turning bad experiences and circumstances into good ones?
see also Romans 8:28
Elder Hartman Rector Jr. explained: "[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".
The spiritual greatness of Joseph is a remarkable thing. How many people have become bitter over some real or imagined slight, or blamed the Lord for some personal tragedy? In the very midst of being faithful and holding true to that which is right, Joseph was falsely accused and thrown into prison. How easy it would have been for him to give up, to say, “What’s the use of trying to serve God? All He does is punish me.” But there was not a trace of bitterness, no blaming the Lord. Joseph just continued being righteous and faithful. Unselfishly he offered to interpret the dreams of his two fellow prisoners, telling them that the knowledge came from God (see Genesis 40:8). He still trusted in the Lord, although he must have felt doomed to spend his life in prison. If any person had cause for discouragement and bitterness, it was Joseph, but he never faltered in his faith. Truly, Joseph is a model to be emulated.
Not all of Joseph’s family members and acquaintances were as valiant as Joseph was when facing temptation.
How did Shechem, Reuben, and Judah react to sexual temptation?
Church leaders have consistently taught that obedience to God’s commandments is true freedom.
How do we see this in the life of Joseph?
How did disobedience result in less freedom for Shechem, Reuben, and Judah?
How can choosing to keep the commandments make us more free than choosing to break them?
see John 8:31–36.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Genesis 15-17, 21-22 - God will Provide Himself a Lamb
Introduction
Think of a person you love very much or a possession you value highly.
How would you feel if God asked you to give up, or sacrifice, this person or possession?
What would you do?
God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, whom Abraham loved very much. Although Abraham was not ultimately required to make this sacrifice, his willingness to do so was “accounted unto him for righteousness.” Because of Abraham’s righteousness, he and his descendants were greatly blessed.
see D&C 132:36
Background
Why Did Abraham Call Sarah His Sister?
The idea that Abraham, the great man of righteousness, deceived Pharaoh in order to protect his own life has troubled many students of the Old Testament. That his life was in danger because of Sarah’s beauty seems quite clear. It seems peculiar, but whereas the Egyptian pharaohs had a strong aversion to committing adultery with another man’s wife, they had no qualms about murdering the man to free his spouse for remarriage.
Even though Abraham was correct in calling her his sister, he did deceive the Egyptians. How can this action be justified? The answer is very simple. His action was justified because God told him to do it.
see Abraham 2:22–25.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the following:“That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another. “God said, ‘Thou shalt not kill;’ at another time He said, ‘Thou shalt utterly destroy.’ This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted—by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire.”
Since God is perfect and does not do anything that is not right. Abraham’s act was not wrong.
Abraham 1
The family of Abraham had turned from righteousness and had become idolators. Abraham was persecuted by the false priests of Pharaoh and his own father was willing to sacrifice his son for evil purposes. Jehovah saved him.
How might Abraham’s experience on the altar of the false priests have helped prepare him for future trials?
How can our trials help us prepare for future difficulties?
Genesis 15-16
Abraham is promised a big posterity.
Sarai gives Hagar to Abram as his wife.
Hagar bears Ishmael.
Genesis 17
v1....Walk uprightly and be perfect
“Salvation does not come all at once; we are commanded to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. It will take us ages to accomplish this end, for there will be greater progress beyond the grave, and it will be there that the faithful will overcome all things, and receive all things, even the fulness of the Father’s glory.
“I believe the Lord meant just what he said: that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God.
“But here we lay the foundation. Here is where we are taught these simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this probationary state, to prepare us for that perfection. It is our duty to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today. Why? Because we are on that road, if we are keeping the commandments of the Lord, we are on that road to perfection, and that can only come through obedience and the desire in our hearts to overcome the world. - Joseph Smith
v5,15.... Abram's name changed to Abraham, Sarai's to Sarah
v10....circumcised
The word circumcision comes from the Latin words meaning “to cut around.” It was instituted by revelation as a sign or token that one was of the covenant seed of Abraham. To better understand why the Lord chose this particular sign or token, read the account in the Joseph Smith Translation:
see JST Genesis 17:3–7, 11
Much additional information is given in this account.
1. Before instituting the law of circumcision, the Lord explained why He was establishing this token of the covenant.
In many places the Lord speaks of true circumcision as being the circumcision of the heart. The heart that is “circumcised” is one that loves God and is obedient to the Spirit. The “uncircumcised in heart” are wicked, proud, and rebellious.
Though a person may have had the token of circumcision in the flesh, unless he was righteous the covenant was invalidated and the circumcision became profitless. Thus, circumcision was only a sign or token of what needed to happen to the inward man. If the inward change had not taken place, then circumcision was virtually meaningless..
With the fulfillment of the Mosaic law under Jesus, the token of circumcision was no longer required of God’s covenant people.
The Abrahamic covenant makes frequent reference to one’s seed. The organ of the body that produces seed and brings about physical birth is the organ on which the token of the covenant was made. The organ of spiritual rebirth, however, is the heart (see 3 Nephi 9:20). Thus, when a person was circumcised it signified that while he had been born into the covenant, he need not be baptized until he became accountable before the Lord. But spiritual circumcision, or the circumcision of the heart, must take place once one becomes accountable or one is not considered as true Israel. As Paul said so aptly, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:28–29).
v19...Sarah shall bear a son, Isaac...I will establish my covenant with him
Genesis 21
v2...Sarah conceives Isaac
Genesis 22
v1...God did tempt Abraham
The word translated as “tempt” in the King James Version comes from the Hebrew word nissah, which means “to test, try, or prove.” The test given to Abraham had two aspects. First, he was asked to give up something very precious to him. To kill one’s child would be horrible enough but to kill the child that had come after decades of fruitless waiting, the child promised by holy men sent from God, the child in whom the covenant was to be fulfilled, must have been a test beyond comprehension. The willingness of Abraham to give up something as dear as Isaac sharply contrasts with the reluctance of the rich young ruler who asked the Savior what he must do to be saved. When told he should sell all of his possessions and follow the Master, “he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22).
But an equally difficult, if not greater, test was what could be described as the question of the integrity of God. Abraham himself had nearly lost his life on an idolatrous altar and had been saved by the direct intervention of the Lord (see Abraham 1:12–20). Abraham knew that the law of God forbids human sacrifice or murder of any sort. Surely one would wonder at such a command, asking himself, “Can this be from God? Does God contradict himself?” And then to know that, additionally, it would mean the end of the very covenant line that God had Himself promised to establish would surely be almost overwhelming.
Elder Spencer W. Kimball commented on this aspect of the test: “Exceeding faith was shown by Abraham when the superhuman test was applied to him. His young ‘child of promise,’ destined to be the father of empires, must now be offered upon the sacrificial altar. It was God’s command, but it seemed so contradictory! How could his son, Isaac, be the father of an uncountable posterity if in his youth his mortal life was to be terminated? Why should he, Abraham, be called upon to do this revolting deed? It was irreconcilable, impossible! And yet he believed God. His undaunted faith carried him with breaking heart toward the land of Moriah with this young son who little suspected the agonies through which his father must have been passing.
v8...God will provide himself a lamb
see Jacob 4:5
Jacob clearly teaches that Abraham’s willingness to offer up Isaac is “a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son”. A similitude is an object, act, or event in physical reality which corresponds to (is similar to or is a simulation of) some greater spiritual reality.
Most readers of the Old Testament can immediately see the similarities between the test of Abraham and the sacrifice of the Father, but many miss the precise detail of this similitude that God used to teach about the future sacrifice of His only Son. The following are some of these significant details.
see D&C 101:1-5
Why is it necessary to be tried even as Abraham?
see D&C 101:5,35-38 , 122:5-7
Think of a person you love very much or a possession you value highly.
How would you feel if God asked you to give up, or sacrifice, this person or possession?
What would you do?
God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, whom Abraham loved very much. Although Abraham was not ultimately required to make this sacrifice, his willingness to do so was “accounted unto him for righteousness.” Because of Abraham’s righteousness, he and his descendants were greatly blessed.
see D&C 132:36
Background
Why Did Abraham Call Sarah His Sister?
The idea that Abraham, the great man of righteousness, deceived Pharaoh in order to protect his own life has troubled many students of the Old Testament. That his life was in danger because of Sarah’s beauty seems quite clear. It seems peculiar, but whereas the Egyptian pharaohs had a strong aversion to committing adultery with another man’s wife, they had no qualms about murdering the man to free his spouse for remarriage.
Even though Abraham was correct in calling her his sister, he did deceive the Egyptians. How can this action be justified? The answer is very simple. His action was justified because God told him to do it.
see Abraham 2:22–25.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught the following:“That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another. “God said, ‘Thou shalt not kill;’ at another time He said, ‘Thou shalt utterly destroy.’ This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted—by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire.”
Since God is perfect and does not do anything that is not right. Abraham’s act was not wrong.
Abraham 1
The family of Abraham had turned from righteousness and had become idolators. Abraham was persecuted by the false priests of Pharaoh and his own father was willing to sacrifice his son for evil purposes. Jehovah saved him.
How might Abraham’s experience on the altar of the false priests have helped prepare him for future trials?
How can our trials help us prepare for future difficulties?
Genesis 15-16
Abraham is promised a big posterity.
Sarai gives Hagar to Abram as his wife.
Hagar bears Ishmael.
Genesis 17
v1....Walk uprightly and be perfect
“Salvation does not come all at once; we are commanded to be perfect even as our Father in heaven is perfect. It will take us ages to accomplish this end, for there will be greater progress beyond the grave, and it will be there that the faithful will overcome all things, and receive all things, even the fulness of the Father’s glory.
“I believe the Lord meant just what he said: that we should be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. That will not come all at once, but line upon line, and precept upon precept, example upon example, and even then not as long as we live in this mortal life, for we will have to go even beyond the grave before we reach that perfection and shall be like God.
“But here we lay the foundation. Here is where we are taught these simple truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, in this probationary state, to prepare us for that perfection. It is our duty to be better today than we were yesterday, and better tomorrow than we are today. Why? Because we are on that road, if we are keeping the commandments of the Lord, we are on that road to perfection, and that can only come through obedience and the desire in our hearts to overcome the world. - Joseph Smith
v5,15.... Abram's name changed to Abraham, Sarai's to Sarah
v10....circumcised
The word circumcision comes from the Latin words meaning “to cut around.” It was instituted by revelation as a sign or token that one was of the covenant seed of Abraham. To better understand why the Lord chose this particular sign or token, read the account in the Joseph Smith Translation:
see JST Genesis 17:3–7, 11
Much additional information is given in this account.
1. Before instituting the law of circumcision, the Lord explained why He was establishing this token of the covenant.
- The people had left correct principles and forsaken the true ordinances.
- Baptism was one ordinance being incorrectly observed.
- The people were washing their children and sprinkling blood in remembrance of Abel’s blood, which they taught was shed for sins.
- They misunderstood the relationship between accountability of children and the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
- It was a covenant token.
- It was for the seed of Abraham.
- It signified that children were not accountable until they were eight years old.
In many places the Lord speaks of true circumcision as being the circumcision of the heart. The heart that is “circumcised” is one that loves God and is obedient to the Spirit. The “uncircumcised in heart” are wicked, proud, and rebellious.
Though a person may have had the token of circumcision in the flesh, unless he was righteous the covenant was invalidated and the circumcision became profitless. Thus, circumcision was only a sign or token of what needed to happen to the inward man. If the inward change had not taken place, then circumcision was virtually meaningless..
With the fulfillment of the Mosaic law under Jesus, the token of circumcision was no longer required of God’s covenant people.
The Abrahamic covenant makes frequent reference to one’s seed. The organ of the body that produces seed and brings about physical birth is the organ on which the token of the covenant was made. The organ of spiritual rebirth, however, is the heart (see 3 Nephi 9:20). Thus, when a person was circumcised it signified that while he had been born into the covenant, he need not be baptized until he became accountable before the Lord. But spiritual circumcision, or the circumcision of the heart, must take place once one becomes accountable or one is not considered as true Israel. As Paul said so aptly, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
“But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2:28–29).
v19...Sarah shall bear a son, Isaac...I will establish my covenant with him
Genesis 21
v2...Sarah conceives Isaac
Genesis 22
Elder
Melvin J. Ballard wrote: “You remember the story of how Abraham’s son
came after long years of waiting and was looked upon by his worthy sire,
Abraham, as more precious than all his other possessions, yet, in the
midst of his rejoicing, Abraham was told to take this only son and offer
him as a sacrifice to the Lord. He responded. Can you feel what was in
the heart of Abraham on that occasion? You love your son just as Abraham
did, perhaps not quite so much, because of the peculiar circumstances,
but what do you think was in his heart when he started away from Mother
Sarah, and they bade her goodbye? What do you think was in his heart
when he saw Isaac bidding farewell to his mother to take that three
days’ journey to the appointed place where the sacrifice was to be made?
I imagine it was about all Father Abraham could do to keep from showing
his great grief and sorrow at that parting, but he and his son trudged
along three days toward the appointed place, Isaac carrying the fagots
that were to consume the sacrifice. The two travelers rested, finally,
at the mountainside, and the men who had accompanied them were told to
remain while Abraham and his son started up the hill.
“The
boy then said to his father: ‘Why, Father, we have the fagots; we have
the fire to burn the sacrifice; but where is the sacrifice?’
“It
must have pierced the heart of Father Abraham to hear the trusting and
confiding son say: ‘You have forgotten the sacrifice.’ Looking at the
youth, his son of promise, the poor father could only say: ‘The Lord
will provide.’
“They
ascended the mountain, gathered the stones together, and placed the
fagots upon them. Then Isaac was bound, hand and foot, kneeling upon the
altar. I presume Abraham, like a true father, must have given his son
his farewell kiss, his blessing, his love, and his soul must have been
drawn out in that hour of agony toward his son who was to die by the
hand of his own father. Every step proceeded until the cold steel was
drawn, and the hand raised that was to strike the blow to let out the
life’s blood.” (“The Sacramental Covenant,” New Era, Jan. 1976, pp. 9–10.)
Bear
in mind that Abraham was saved from a similar fate instigated in
wickedness by his own father. As with most people, Abraham must have
abhorred human sacrifice.
Why would the Lord require such a trial of his
faith?
What can be learned from the life of Abraham, who was faithful
to the end?
v1...God did tempt Abraham
The word translated as “tempt” in the King James Version comes from the Hebrew word nissah, which means “to test, try, or prove.” The test given to Abraham had two aspects. First, he was asked to give up something very precious to him. To kill one’s child would be horrible enough but to kill the child that had come after decades of fruitless waiting, the child promised by holy men sent from God, the child in whom the covenant was to be fulfilled, must have been a test beyond comprehension. The willingness of Abraham to give up something as dear as Isaac sharply contrasts with the reluctance of the rich young ruler who asked the Savior what he must do to be saved. When told he should sell all of his possessions and follow the Master, “he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22).
But an equally difficult, if not greater, test was what could be described as the question of the integrity of God. Abraham himself had nearly lost his life on an idolatrous altar and had been saved by the direct intervention of the Lord (see Abraham 1:12–20). Abraham knew that the law of God forbids human sacrifice or murder of any sort. Surely one would wonder at such a command, asking himself, “Can this be from God? Does God contradict himself?” And then to know that, additionally, it would mean the end of the very covenant line that God had Himself promised to establish would surely be almost overwhelming.
Elder Spencer W. Kimball commented on this aspect of the test: “Exceeding faith was shown by Abraham when the superhuman test was applied to him. His young ‘child of promise,’ destined to be the father of empires, must now be offered upon the sacrificial altar. It was God’s command, but it seemed so contradictory! How could his son, Isaac, be the father of an uncountable posterity if in his youth his mortal life was to be terminated? Why should he, Abraham, be called upon to do this revolting deed? It was irreconcilable, impossible! And yet he believed God. His undaunted faith carried him with breaking heart toward the land of Moriah with this young son who little suspected the agonies through which his father must have been passing.
v8...God will provide himself a lamb
see Jacob 4:5
Jacob clearly teaches that Abraham’s willingness to offer up Isaac is “a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son”. A similitude is an object, act, or event in physical reality which corresponds to (is similar to or is a simulation of) some greater spiritual reality.
Most readers of the Old Testament can immediately see the similarities between the test of Abraham and the sacrifice of the Father, but many miss the precise detail of this similitude that God used to teach about the future sacrifice of His only Son. The following are some of these significant details.
- Abraham obviously was a type or similitude of the Father. Interestingly enough, his name, Abram, means “exalted father,” and Abraham means “father of a great multitude” Both are names appropriate of Heavenly Father.
- Isaac was a type of the Son of God. One of the meanings of his name is “he shall rejoice.” Like Jesus, he was the product of a miraculous birth. Isaac’s birth certainly was not as miraculous as the birth of Jesus through Mary, but at age ninety, Sarah too was a woman for whom birth was not possible by all usual standards. Yet, through the intervention of God, she conceived and bore a son. Paul called Isaac the “only begotten son” (Hebrews 11:17) when he referred to this event.
- The Lord not only asked Abraham to perform the act of similitude of His own future actions but indicated that it had to be in a place specified by Him. This place was Moriah, “upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2). (Today Mount Moriah is a major hill of Jerusalem.) The site known traditionally as the place where Abraham offered Isaac is now the site of the Dome of the Rock, a beautiful Moslem mosque. A few hundred yards to the north on a higher point of that same hill system is another world-famous site known as Gordon’s Calvary. Its Hebrew name was Golgotha. Not only did Abraham perform the similitude, but he performed it in the same area in which the Father would make the sacrifice of His Son.
- When they arrived at Moriah, the Genesis account says, “Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son” (Genesis 22:6). The Joseph Smith Translation, however, reads, “laid it upon his back” (JST, Genesis 22:7). Some have seen in this action a similarity to Christ’s carrying of the cross upon His shoulders on the way to His Crucifixion (see Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:139; John 19:17).
- Isaac voluntarily submitted to Abraham. This important parallel is often overlooked. The Old Testament does not give enough detail to indicate exactly how old Isaac was at the time of this event, but it is possible that he was an adult. Immediately following the account of the sacrifice on Mount Moriah is recorded the statement that Sarah died at the age of 127 (see Genesis 23:1). Thus, Isaac would have been 37 at the time of her death. Even if the journey to Moriah had happened several years before Sarah’s death, Isaac could have been in his thirties, as was the Savior at the time of His Crucifixion. Nevertheless, Isaac’s exact age is not really important. What is significant is that Abraham was well over a hundred years old and Isaac was most likely a strong young man who could have put up a fierce resistance had he chosen to do so. In fact, Isaac submitted willingly to what his father intended, just as the Savior would do.
- Once the event was over and all ended happily, Abraham named the place Jehovah-jireh, which the King James Version translates as “in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (Genesis 22:14). Adam Clarke, citing other scholars, said that the proper translation should be “on this mount the Lord shall be seen.” Clarke then concluded: “From this it appears that the sacrifice offered by Abraham was understood to be a representative one, and a tradition was kept up that Jehovah should be seen in a sacrificial way on this mount. And this renders … more than probable … that Abraham offered Isaac on that very mountain on which, in the fulness of time, Jesus suffered.”Jesus was sentenced to death within the walls of the Antonia fortress, which was only about a hundred yards from the traditional site of Abraham’s sacrifice. He was put to death at Golgotha, part of the same ridge system as Moriah.
- Scholars not only have noted the significance of the site for the sacrifice of Jesus Himself but also have pointed out that it related to the site of Solomon’s temple where the sacrifices under the Mosaic dispensation took place. “The place of sacrifice points with peculiar clearness [to] Mount Moriah, upon which under the legal economy all the typical sacrifices were offered to Jehovah; … that by this one true sacrifice the shadows of the typical sacrifices might be rendered both real and true”.
see D&C 101:1-5
Why is it necessary to be tried even as Abraham?
see D&C 101:5,35-38 , 122:5-7
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Abraham 1,2 Genesis 12,17 - The Abrahamic Covenant
What does it mean to have the patriarch declare our lineage in a patriarchal blessing?
When a patriarch declares our lineage, he reveals to us that we are descendants of the prophet Abraham through Ephraim, Manasseh, or another of Abraham’s descendants.
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: “The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph. Those who are not literal descendants of Abraham and Israel must become such, and when they are baptized and confirmed they are grafted into the tree and are entitled to all the rights and privileges as heirs.
Abraham 1:1-4
What blessings did Abraham desire?
Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: “The true disciple has an inborn questioning to know, personally, all that God is willing to teach us. Nephi could have accepted gladly the vision of his father, Lehi. But Nephi ‘desired to know the things that [his] father had seen.’ (1 Nephi 11:1.) Abraham sought, even though he had a father who had turned from the faith, ‘for greater happiness and peace’ and ‘for mine appointment unto the Priesthood.’ (Abraham 1:2, 4.) Abraham described himself as desiring ‘great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness’ (Abraham 1:2), questing for the word of Christ. Divine discontent in the form of promptings can move us to feast because we know that by feasting we can increase our knowledge, effectiveness, and joy”.
President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “The order of this priesthood which was established in the beginning was patriarchal. The authority descended from father to son, and those who held it were high priests. This order of descent from Adam to Noah is given in the Doctrine and Covenants. Noah, who stands next to Adam in authority, brought this priesthood through the flood, and it continued from generation to generation. Abraham, the 10th from Noah, received special blessings from the Lord, and the priesthood continued through him and his seed with the promise that all who received the gospel should be counted as Abraham’s seed and partake of his blessings”
Who Conferred the Priesthood upon Abraham?
see D&C 84:14–16
Bible Dictionary - Abraham, covenant of
Abraham first received the gospel by baptism (which is the covenant of salvation). Then he had conferred upon him the higher priesthood, and he entered into celestial marriage (which is the covenant of exaltation), gaining assurance thereby that he would have eternal increase. Finally he received a promise that all of these blessings would be offered to all of his mortal posterity (D&C 132:29–50; Abr. 2:6–11). Included in the divine promises to Abraham were the assurances that (1) Christ would come through his lineage, and that (2) Abraham’s posterity would receive certain lands as an eternal inheritance (Gen. 17; 22:15–18; Gal. 3; Abr. 2). These promises taken together are called the “Abrahamic covenant.” It was renewed with Isaac (Gen. 26:1–4, 24) and again with Jacob (Gen. 28; 35:9–13; 48:3–4).
The portions of the covenant that pertain to personal salvation and eternal increase are renewed with each individual who receives the ordinance of celestial marriage (see D&C 132:29–33). Those of non-Israelite lineage, commonly known as Gentiles, are adopted into the house of Israel and become heirs of the covenant and the seed of Abraham through the ordinances of the gospel (Gal. 3:26–29).
Being an heir to the Abrahamic covenant does not make one a “chosen person” per se but does signify that such are chosen to responsibly carry the gospel to all the peoples of the earth. Abraham’s seed have carried out the missionary activity in all the nations since Abraham’s day. (Matt. 3:9; Abr. 2:9–11.)
To fulfill the covenant God made with Abraham—having particular reference to the fact that the literal seed of his body would be entitled to all of the blessings of the gospel (Abr. 2:10–11)—a number of specific and particular things must take place in the last days. The gospel must be restored, the priesthood must be conferred again upon man, the keys of the sealing power must be given again to mortals, Israel must be gathered, and the Holy Ghost must be poured out upon the Gentiles. All this has already taken place or is in process of fulfillment.
Abraham 2:6-11, Genesis 12:1-8, Genesis 17:1-9
What blessings did God promise Abraham in this covenant?
GOD'S PROMISE CHART
Land - 2:6
Posterity 2:9
Priesthood 1:18
Salvation and Exaltation 2:10
What, then, is the Abrahamic covenant? It is that Abraham and his seed (including those adopted into his family) shall have all of the blessings of the gospel, of the priesthood, and of eternal life. The gate to eternal life is celestial marriage, which holy order of matrimony enables the family unit to continue in eternity, so that the participating parties may have posterity as numerous as the sands upon the seashore or the stars in heaven. The Abrahamic covenant enables men to create for themselves eternal family units that are patterned after the family of God our Heavenly Father. A lesser part of the covenant is that the seed of Abraham have the Millennial destiny of inheriting as an everlasting possession the very land of Canaan whereon the feet of the righteous have trod in days gone by.
What blessings can we receive through the Abrahamic covenant?
see D&C 132:29-33
What are our responsibilities as heirs of the Abrahamic covenant?
President Ezra Taft Benson said, “The responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to ‘bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations’
Elder Boyd K. Packer made the following analogy to emphasize our responsibility to share the gospel with others: Imagine that our bishop has appointed us to plan a picnic for ward members. It is to be the best social in the history of the ward, and we are to spare no expense. We reserve a beautiful picnic ground in the country. We are to have it all to ourselves. The day arrives and everything is perfect. The tables are set and the feast is spectacular. Then, just as the blessing is being said, an old car turns into the picnic grounds and sputters to a stop. A worried man lifts the hood, and a spout of steam comes out. Several children climb out of the car. An anxious mother takes a box to a nearby table. She puts a few leftovers on the table, trying to make them look like a meal for her hungry children. But there is not enough. Then one of the little girls sees our table. She pulls her little brother over to us and pushes her head between you and me. We move aside. The little girl says, “Look at that; I wonder what that tastes like.”What would we do? Would we ignore the people or ask them to be quiet? Would we show them back to their table and give them some of the food we don’t really need? Or would we invite them to come and join us, to sit between us and share the feast, and to let us help fix their car and give them something for their journey? “Could there be more pure enjoyment than seeing how much we could get those hungry children to eat? Could there be more satisfaction than to interrupt our festivities to help [them] fix their car? …
“… There are people across the world and about us—our neighbors, our friends, some in our own families—who, spiritually speaking, are undernourished. Some of them are starving to death! If we keep all this to ourselves, it is not unlike feasting before those who are hungry”
How is the declaration of lineage in our patriarchal blessings like a call to fulfill our responsibilities as heirs to the Abrahamic covenant?
By declaring that we are the seed of Abraham, our patriarchal blessings reemphasize our privilege to receive the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant and our obligation to fulfill its responsibilities.
When a patriarch declares our lineage, he reveals to us that we are descendants of the prophet Abraham through Ephraim, Manasseh, or another of Abraham’s descendants.
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said: “The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph. Those who are not literal descendants of Abraham and Israel must become such, and when they are baptized and confirmed they are grafted into the tree and are entitled to all the rights and privileges as heirs.
Abraham 1:1-4
What blessings did Abraham desire?
Elder Neal A. Maxwell, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, said: “The true disciple has an inborn questioning to know, personally, all that God is willing to teach us. Nephi could have accepted gladly the vision of his father, Lehi. But Nephi ‘desired to know the things that [his] father had seen.’ (1 Nephi 11:1.) Abraham sought, even though he had a father who had turned from the faith, ‘for greater happiness and peace’ and ‘for mine appointment unto the Priesthood.’ (Abraham 1:2, 4.) Abraham described himself as desiring ‘great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness’ (Abraham 1:2), questing for the word of Christ. Divine discontent in the form of promptings can move us to feast because we know that by feasting we can increase our knowledge, effectiveness, and joy”.
President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “The order of this priesthood which was established in the beginning was patriarchal. The authority descended from father to son, and those who held it were high priests. This order of descent from Adam to Noah is given in the Doctrine and Covenants. Noah, who stands next to Adam in authority, brought this priesthood through the flood, and it continued from generation to generation. Abraham, the 10th from Noah, received special blessings from the Lord, and the priesthood continued through him and his seed with the promise that all who received the gospel should be counted as Abraham’s seed and partake of his blessings”
Who Conferred the Priesthood upon Abraham?
see D&C 84:14–16
Bible Dictionary - Abraham, covenant of
Abraham first received the gospel by baptism (which is the covenant of salvation). Then he had conferred upon him the higher priesthood, and he entered into celestial marriage (which is the covenant of exaltation), gaining assurance thereby that he would have eternal increase. Finally he received a promise that all of these blessings would be offered to all of his mortal posterity (D&C 132:29–50; Abr. 2:6–11). Included in the divine promises to Abraham were the assurances that (1) Christ would come through his lineage, and that (2) Abraham’s posterity would receive certain lands as an eternal inheritance (Gen. 17; 22:15–18; Gal. 3; Abr. 2). These promises taken together are called the “Abrahamic covenant.” It was renewed with Isaac (Gen. 26:1–4, 24) and again with Jacob (Gen. 28; 35:9–13; 48:3–4).
The portions of the covenant that pertain to personal salvation and eternal increase are renewed with each individual who receives the ordinance of celestial marriage (see D&C 132:29–33). Those of non-Israelite lineage, commonly known as Gentiles, are adopted into the house of Israel and become heirs of the covenant and the seed of Abraham through the ordinances of the gospel (Gal. 3:26–29).
Being an heir to the Abrahamic covenant does not make one a “chosen person” per se but does signify that such are chosen to responsibly carry the gospel to all the peoples of the earth. Abraham’s seed have carried out the missionary activity in all the nations since Abraham’s day. (Matt. 3:9; Abr. 2:9–11.)
To fulfill the covenant God made with Abraham—having particular reference to the fact that the literal seed of his body would be entitled to all of the blessings of the gospel (Abr. 2:10–11)—a number of specific and particular things must take place in the last days. The gospel must be restored, the priesthood must be conferred again upon man, the keys of the sealing power must be given again to mortals, Israel must be gathered, and the Holy Ghost must be poured out upon the Gentiles. All this has already taken place or is in process of fulfillment.
Abraham 2:6-11, Genesis 12:1-8, Genesis 17:1-9
What blessings did God promise Abraham in this covenant?
GOD'S PROMISE CHART
Land - 2:6
Posterity 2:9
Priesthood 1:18
Salvation and Exaltation 2:10
What, then, is the Abrahamic covenant? It is that Abraham and his seed (including those adopted into his family) shall have all of the blessings of the gospel, of the priesthood, and of eternal life. The gate to eternal life is celestial marriage, which holy order of matrimony enables the family unit to continue in eternity, so that the participating parties may have posterity as numerous as the sands upon the seashore or the stars in heaven. The Abrahamic covenant enables men to create for themselves eternal family units that are patterned after the family of God our Heavenly Father. A lesser part of the covenant is that the seed of Abraham have the Millennial destiny of inheriting as an everlasting possession the very land of Canaan whereon the feet of the righteous have trod in days gone by.
What blessings can we receive through the Abrahamic covenant?
see D&C 132:29-33
What are our responsibilities as heirs of the Abrahamic covenant?
President Ezra Taft Benson said, “The responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to ‘bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations’
Elder Boyd K. Packer made the following analogy to emphasize our responsibility to share the gospel with others: Imagine that our bishop has appointed us to plan a picnic for ward members. It is to be the best social in the history of the ward, and we are to spare no expense. We reserve a beautiful picnic ground in the country. We are to have it all to ourselves. The day arrives and everything is perfect. The tables are set and the feast is spectacular. Then, just as the blessing is being said, an old car turns into the picnic grounds and sputters to a stop. A worried man lifts the hood, and a spout of steam comes out. Several children climb out of the car. An anxious mother takes a box to a nearby table. She puts a few leftovers on the table, trying to make them look like a meal for her hungry children. But there is not enough. Then one of the little girls sees our table. She pulls her little brother over to us and pushes her head between you and me. We move aside. The little girl says, “Look at that; I wonder what that tastes like.”What would we do? Would we ignore the people or ask them to be quiet? Would we show them back to their table and give them some of the food we don’t really need? Or would we invite them to come and join us, to sit between us and share the feast, and to let us help fix their car and give them something for their journey? “Could there be more pure enjoyment than seeing how much we could get those hungry children to eat? Could there be more satisfaction than to interrupt our festivities to help [them] fix their car? …
“… There are people across the world and about us—our neighbors, our friends, some in our own families—who, spiritually speaking, are undernourished. Some of them are starving to death! If we keep all this to ourselves, it is not unlike feasting before those who are hungry”
How is the declaration of lineage in our patriarchal blessings like a call to fulfill our responsibilities as heirs to the Abrahamic covenant?
By declaring that we are the seed of Abraham, our patriarchal blessings reemphasize our privilege to receive the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant and our obligation to fulfill its responsibilities.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Moses 5,6,7 - If Thou Doest Well, Thou Shalt Be Accepted
Background
v5...Adam was obedient unto the Lord. They were commanded to offer their firstlings of their flocks as an offering unto the Lord.
v12...Adam and Eve blessed the name of God and made all things known unto their children.
v16,17...Cain was a tiller of the ground; Abel was a keeper of sheep.
...firstling of the flock
The word ‘firstlings’ puts certain qualifications and restrictions and even determines the quality of faith that is used in offering the sacrifice. ‘Firstling’ does not necessarily denote the oldest of the flock, but the firstborn of its particular mother. A ‘firstling’ is a male, the ‘first to open the matrix’ of its mother. Each mother in her lifetime could produce only one firstling, but a flock of sheep could have several firstlings born each year. In order to know which lambs were acceptable for sacrifice, the owner would have to know his flock. Some notice would have to be made of mothers and of young. Otherwise, how could anyone know which mothers had produced offspring for the first time? There is no way that a man, Adam or anyone else, could know which males were firstlings unless a record and some identification of mothers and offspring were kept. This requirement removes the element of chance and of haphazard obedience, or sometime obedience. Not only is one’s faith shown in the willingness to offer a sacrifice but also in the care required and the preparation needed beforehand in making the selection of the proper animal.
This particular passage of scripture illustrates the concept that the commandments of God require the intelligent and deliberate attention of those who are seeking salvation. It gives a reason for Paul’s observation that ‘without faith it is impossible to please’ God. For without faith one would not have kept a record and marked (at least mentally) which animals were proper for sacrifice'
Moses 5:18-20
Who did Cain love the most?
...Cain loved Satan more than God
What did Satan command Cain to do unto the Lord?
...Satan commanded him saying: Make an offering unto the Lord
What did Cain offer unto the Lord?
...Cain brought of the fruit of the ground
What did Abel offer unto the Lord?
...Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock
Whose offering did the Lord respect?
...The Lord had respect unto Abel
Why was it important to make sacrifices in the way the Lord had commanded?
Moses 5:21,26
How did Cain react when the Lord rejected his sacrifice and called him to repentance?
...Cain was wroth, his countenance fell, he rejected the greater counsel, he listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, who walked in holiness.
Why is sometimes hard for us to be called to repentance?
How can we develop more repentant hearts?
Moses 5:32
...Cain slew Abel
How could the Lord allow something like this to happen?
In 1885 the First Presidency made the following statement, speaking about the righteous who are afflicted by the wicked: “For a wise purpose in [God’s] providence He permits the wicked, in the exercise of their agency, from time to time to afflict His followers. Since the days of our father Adam this has always been the case, and it will continue to be, so long as Satan has any power over the hearts of the children of men”.
Moses 5:33
...I Am Free
What do you think Cain believed he was free of?
How does disobedience actually decrease our freedom?
How does obedience increase our freedom?
Moses 5:34
...Am I my brother’s keeper?
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: "Are we our brothers’ keepers? In other words, are we responsible to look after the well-being of our neighbors as we seek to earn our daily bread? The Savior’s Golden Rule says we are. Satan says we are not. Tempted of Satan, some have followed the example of Cain. They covet property and then sin to obtain it. The sin may be murder, robbery, or theft. It may be fraud or deception. It may even be some clever but legal manipulation of facts or influence to take unfair advantage of another. Always the excuse is the same: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’".
Bishop Robert L. Simpson said: “The world today tells you to leave your friend alone. He has the right to come and go as he pleases. The world tells you that persuasion to attend church or priesthood meeting or to discard a bad habit might lead to frustration and undue pressures; but again I repeat the word of the Lord: You are your brother’s keeper, and when you are converted, you have an obligation to strengthen your brother.
Moses 5:36
What happened to Cain as a result of choosing to follow Satan instead of God?
...thou shalt be cursed
How did Cain's choices affect his descendants as well as himself?
How can our righteous or unrighteous choices affect our family members?
Elder Richard G. Scott counseled: "Many of you have heavy hearts because a son or daughter, husband or wife, has turned from righteousness to pursue evil. My message is for you. Your life is filled with anguish, pain, and, at times, despair. I will tell you how you can be comforted by the Lord. First, you must recognize two foundation principles:
1. While there are many things you can do to help a loved one in need, there are some things that must be done by the Lord.
2. Also, no enduring improvement can occur without righteous exercise of agency. Do not attempt to override agency. The Lord himself would not do that. Forced obedience yields no blessings (see D&C 58:26–33).
I will suggest seven ways you can help. First, love without limitations. … Second, do not condone the transgressions, but extend every hope and support to the transgressor. … Third, teach truth. … Fourth, honestly forgive as often as is required. … Fifth, pray trustingly. ‘The … fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much’ (James 5:16). …Sixth, keep perspective. … When the things you realistically can do to help are done, leave the matter in the hands of the Lord and worry no more. Do not feel guilty because you cannot do more. Do not waste your energy on useless worry. … In time, you will feel impressions and know how to give further help. You will find more peace and happiness, will not neglect others that need you, and will be able to give greater help because of that eternal perspective. …“One last suggestion—Never give up on a loved one, never!"
Moses 6:27
...thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people
Do you think the Lord is pretty much at that point the way the world is now?
Moses 6:31-32
How did Enoch react when he was called by the Lord to preach repentance to the people?
...wherefore am I thy servant
Elder James E. Faust, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught: “Most of us who are called to leadership in the Church feel that we are inadequate because of inexperience, lack of ability, or meager learning and education
What can we learn from Enoch about serving the Lord even when we do not feel capable?
Moses 6:35-36
...A seer hath the Lord raised up
Elder John A. Widtsoe stated: “A seer is one who sees with spiritual eyes. He perceives the meaning of that which seems obscure to others; therefore he is an interpreter and clarifier of eternal truth. He foresees the future from the past and the present. This he does by the power of the Lord operating through him directly, or indirectly with the aid of divine instruments such as the Urim and Thummim
Moses 6:37
Why were people offended when Enoch began to preach?
Why did they continue to listen to him even though they were offended?
Moses 7:18
...one heart, one mind
What does it mean to be of one heart and one mind?
What can we do to become of one heart and one mind with the Lord?
Moses 7:21
...Zion was taken up into heaven
Moses 7:26-28
...Satan laughed at the wickedness
...God wept
Elder Marion D. Hanks, a former member of the Seventy, explained: "God, from whom all blessings come, asked of his children only that they should love each other and choose him, their Father. But as in our day, many neither sought the Lord nor had love for each other, and when God foresaw the suffering that would inevitably follow this self-willed, rebellious course of sin, he wept. That, he told Enoch, was what he had to cry about."
Summary Points
- The commandments of God require the intelligent and deliberate attention of those who are seeking salvation. It took a lot of faith to make an offering of the firstlings of the flock.
- It is important make an offering in the way that the Lord wants
- We should be slow to anger and humble ourselves to repentance
- God permits the wicked to afflict the righteous in exercise of their agency
- Obedience increases our freedom not disobedience
- We are responsible to look after the well-being of our neighbors
- The choices we make to follow Jesus Christ will help draw us closer to him and lead us to liberty, happiness, and eternal life.
v5...Adam was obedient unto the Lord. They were commanded to offer their firstlings of their flocks as an offering unto the Lord.
v12...Adam and Eve blessed the name of God and made all things known unto their children.
v16,17...Cain was a tiller of the ground; Abel was a keeper of sheep.
...firstling of the flock
The word ‘firstlings’ puts certain qualifications and restrictions and even determines the quality of faith that is used in offering the sacrifice. ‘Firstling’ does not necessarily denote the oldest of the flock, but the firstborn of its particular mother. A ‘firstling’ is a male, the ‘first to open the matrix’ of its mother. Each mother in her lifetime could produce only one firstling, but a flock of sheep could have several firstlings born each year. In order to know which lambs were acceptable for sacrifice, the owner would have to know his flock. Some notice would have to be made of mothers and of young. Otherwise, how could anyone know which mothers had produced offspring for the first time? There is no way that a man, Adam or anyone else, could know which males were firstlings unless a record and some identification of mothers and offspring were kept. This requirement removes the element of chance and of haphazard obedience, or sometime obedience. Not only is one’s faith shown in the willingness to offer a sacrifice but also in the care required and the preparation needed beforehand in making the selection of the proper animal.
This particular passage of scripture illustrates the concept that the commandments of God require the intelligent and deliberate attention of those who are seeking salvation. It gives a reason for Paul’s observation that ‘without faith it is impossible to please’ God. For without faith one would not have kept a record and marked (at least mentally) which animals were proper for sacrifice'
Moses 5:18-20
Who did Cain love the most?
...Cain loved Satan more than God
What did Satan command Cain to do unto the Lord?
...Satan commanded him saying: Make an offering unto the Lord
What did Cain offer unto the Lord?
...Cain brought of the fruit of the ground
What did Abel offer unto the Lord?
...Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock
Whose offering did the Lord respect?
...The Lord had respect unto Abel
Why was it important to make sacrifices in the way the Lord had commanded?
Moses 5:21,26
How did Cain react when the Lord rejected his sacrifice and called him to repentance?
...Cain was wroth, his countenance fell, he rejected the greater counsel, he listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, who walked in holiness.
Why is sometimes hard for us to be called to repentance?
How can we develop more repentant hearts?
Moses 5:32
...Cain slew Abel
How could the Lord allow something like this to happen?
In 1885 the First Presidency made the following statement, speaking about the righteous who are afflicted by the wicked: “For a wise purpose in [God’s] providence He permits the wicked, in the exercise of their agency, from time to time to afflict His followers. Since the days of our father Adam this has always been the case, and it will continue to be, so long as Satan has any power over the hearts of the children of men”.
Moses 5:33
...I Am Free
What do you think Cain believed he was free of?
How does disobedience actually decrease our freedom?
How does obedience increase our freedom?
Moses 5:34
...Am I my brother’s keeper?
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said: "Are we our brothers’ keepers? In other words, are we responsible to look after the well-being of our neighbors as we seek to earn our daily bread? The Savior’s Golden Rule says we are. Satan says we are not. Tempted of Satan, some have followed the example of Cain. They covet property and then sin to obtain it. The sin may be murder, robbery, or theft. It may be fraud or deception. It may even be some clever but legal manipulation of facts or influence to take unfair advantage of another. Always the excuse is the same: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’".
Bishop Robert L. Simpson said: “The world today tells you to leave your friend alone. He has the right to come and go as he pleases. The world tells you that persuasion to attend church or priesthood meeting or to discard a bad habit might lead to frustration and undue pressures; but again I repeat the word of the Lord: You are your brother’s keeper, and when you are converted, you have an obligation to strengthen your brother.
Moses 5:36
What happened to Cain as a result of choosing to follow Satan instead of God?
...thou shalt be cursed
How did Cain's choices affect his descendants as well as himself?
How can our righteous or unrighteous choices affect our family members?
Elder Richard G. Scott counseled: "Many of you have heavy hearts because a son or daughter, husband or wife, has turned from righteousness to pursue evil. My message is for you. Your life is filled with anguish, pain, and, at times, despair. I will tell you how you can be comforted by the Lord. First, you must recognize two foundation principles:
1. While there are many things you can do to help a loved one in need, there are some things that must be done by the Lord.
2. Also, no enduring improvement can occur without righteous exercise of agency. Do not attempt to override agency. The Lord himself would not do that. Forced obedience yields no blessings (see D&C 58:26–33).
I will suggest seven ways you can help. First, love without limitations. … Second, do not condone the transgressions, but extend every hope and support to the transgressor. … Third, teach truth. … Fourth, honestly forgive as often as is required. … Fifth, pray trustingly. ‘The … fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much’ (James 5:16). …Sixth, keep perspective. … When the things you realistically can do to help are done, leave the matter in the hands of the Lord and worry no more. Do not feel guilty because you cannot do more. Do not waste your energy on useless worry. … In time, you will feel impressions and know how to give further help. You will find more peace and happiness, will not neglect others that need you, and will be able to give greater help because of that eternal perspective. …“One last suggestion—Never give up on a loved one, never!"
Moses 6:27
...thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people
Do you think the Lord is pretty much at that point the way the world is now?
Moses 6:31-32
How did Enoch react when he was called by the Lord to preach repentance to the people?
...wherefore am I thy servant
Elder James E. Faust, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught: “Most of us who are called to leadership in the Church feel that we are inadequate because of inexperience, lack of ability, or meager learning and education
What can we learn from Enoch about serving the Lord even when we do not feel capable?
Moses 6:35-36
...A seer hath the Lord raised up
Elder John A. Widtsoe stated: “A seer is one who sees with spiritual eyes. He perceives the meaning of that which seems obscure to others; therefore he is an interpreter and clarifier of eternal truth. He foresees the future from the past and the present. This he does by the power of the Lord operating through him directly, or indirectly with the aid of divine instruments such as the Urim and Thummim
Moses 6:37
Why were people offended when Enoch began to preach?
Why did they continue to listen to him even though they were offended?
Moses 7:18
...one heart, one mind
What does it mean to be of one heart and one mind?
What can we do to become of one heart and one mind with the Lord?
Moses 7:21
...Zion was taken up into heaven
Moses 7:26-28
...Satan laughed at the wickedness
...God wept
Elder Marion D. Hanks, a former member of the Seventy, explained: "God, from whom all blessings come, asked of his children only that they should love each other and choose him, their Father. But as in our day, many neither sought the Lord nor had love for each other, and when God foresaw the suffering that would inevitably follow this self-willed, rebellious course of sin, he wept. That, he told Enoch, was what he had to cry about."
Summary Points
- The commandments of God require the intelligent and deliberate attention of those who are seeking salvation. It took a lot of faith to make an offering of the firstlings of the flock.
- It is important make an offering in the way that the Lord wants
- We should be slow to anger and humble ourselves to repentance
- God permits the wicked to afflict the righteous in exercise of their agency
- Obedience increases our freedom not disobedience
- We are responsible to look after the well-being of our neighbors
- The choices we make to follow Jesus Christ will help draw us closer to him and lead us to liberty, happiness, and eternal life.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Moses 4,5 - Because of My Transgression, My Eyes Are Opened
INTRODUCTION
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said that our salvation is made possible because of “three divine events—the three pillars of eternity.
HOW LUCIFER BECAME THE DEVIL - Moses 4:1-6
...here am I send me
What question was posed in the premortal council?
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said that it is “extremely important to get straight what happened in that premortal council. It was not an unstructured meeting, nor was it a discussion between plans, nor an idea-producing session, as to how to formulate the plan for salvation and carry it out. Our Father’s plan was known, and the actual question put was whom the Father should send to carry out the plan.
What was Satan attempting to do?
What made His plan wrong?
How did he make it seem like a good plan?
What can we take away from this knowledge?
President Joseph F. Smith taught: “Let it not be forgotten that the evil one has great power in the earth, and that by every possible means he seeks to darken the minds of men and then offers them falsehood and deception in the guise of truth. Satan is a skillful imitator, and as genuine gospel truth is given the world in ever-increasing abundance, so he spreads the counterfeit coin of false doctrine. Beware of his spurious currency, it will purchase for you nothing but disappointment, misery and spiritual death”.
President Brigham Young said: “Every person who desires and strives to be a Saint is closely watched by fallen spirits that came here when Lucifur fell, and by the spirits of wicked persons who have been here in tabernacles and departed from them. … Those spirits are never idle; they are watching every person who wishes to do right, and are continually prompting them to do wrong
...he became Satan
see also Isaiah 14:12 and D&C 76:25–27
In the premortal existence, Satan was called “Lucifer,” which means “the Shining One” or “Lightbringer.” He was a “son of the morning” and had potential to do much good. But Lucifer sought to obtain the throne, honor, power, and glory of Heavenly Father.
Why did the heavens weep?
Have you known anyone that has left the church?
How did it affect you?
How do we ensure that this doesn't happen to us?
...he sought to beguile Eve
...he knew not the mind of God
What does the account of the Fall teach us about Satan’s ability to frustrate the purposes of God?
Satan's plan was to thwart the Lord's plan by getting Eve to partake of the fruit, yet it furthered the purposes of the Creator and contributed to man's eternal progression. Even the transgressions of men may be turned to the accomplishment of high purposes.
THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE - Moses 4:7-19
...ye shall not sure die
...you shall be as Gods
Satan attempted to show God as a liar. But God is a God of truth and cannot lie.
Soon after Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, they were forced to leave the garden and the presence of the Lord, thus suffering a spiritual death. Additionally, when they fell, their bodies changed from a non-mortal state to a mortal state and thus became subject to physical death.
Satan implied that God’s forbidding them to partake of the fruit was because God did not want them to become as the Gods, trying to make it appear that God’s motives were selfish
...he did eat
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said that the “contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression’. It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.
Another meaning of the word transgress is “to go beyond established limits or conditions.” Adam and Eve went beyond the limits that would have kept them in the Garden of Eden forever, and in so doing helped provide the opportunity of mortality for all of us
Adam chose to obey the more important commandment to fall to a state of mortality and be with Eve.
Moses 4:15-19
...where goest thou? ...who told thee thou was naked?
Why did the Lord ask these questions if he already knows the answer?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught, “personal accountability for all of one’s acts underlies the whole gospel plan and is the natural outgrowth of the law of free agency”
What were the results of the Fall for Adam and Eve—and for us?
-Adam and Eve were able to have children, which allowed us to come to earth and receive mortal bodies (Moses 5:11; 6:48; 2 Nephi 2:23, 25).
-We experience physical death, or separation of the physical body from the spirit (Moses 4:25; 6:48; 2 Nephi 9:6).
-We experience spiritual death, or separation from God’s presence (Moses 4:29; 6:49; 2 Nephi 9:6).
-We are partakers of misery and woe (Moses 6:48; Genesis 3:16–17).
-We are capable of sinning (Moses 6:49, 55; 2 Nephi 2:22–23).
-The ground is cursed, causing us to need to work (Moses 4:23–25; Genesis 3:17–19).
-We can learn to recognize good and evil (Moses 4:28; 6:55–56; 2 Nephi 2:23; Genesis 3:22).
-We can have joy in mortality (Moses 5:10; 2 Nephi 2:23, 25).
-We can know the joy of our redemption (Moses 5:11).
-We can obtain eternal life (Moses 5:11).
How can a correct understanding of the Fall help us during mortality?
President Ezra Taft Benson said: “The plan of redemption must start with the account of the fall of Adam. In the words of Moroni, ‘By Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, … and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man’. Just as a man does not really desire food until he is hungry, so he does not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ. No one adequately and properly knows why he needs Christ until he understands and accepts the doctrine of the Fall and its effect upon all mankind.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL - Moses 4:20-32
...cursed above all cattle
Being cursed is the very opposite of being blessed; God’s blessing graciously invokes good, whereas his curse justly invokes evil upon one deserving it. Thus Satan was informed through symbolic terms that he would not have the privilege of earth life that even cattle and beasts have
...enmity
President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition
Summary Points
- Three pillars of eternity are Creation, Fall, Atonement
- Satan doesn't know the mind of God
- Satan tried to thwart the plan but it furthered the plan of salvation
- Understanding the fall is critical to understanding the Atonement and why we need Christ
Elder Bruce R. McConkie said that our salvation is made possible because of “three divine events—the three pillars of eternity.
HOW LUCIFER BECAME THE DEVIL - Moses 4:1-6
...here am I send me
What question was posed in the premortal council?
Elder Neal A. Maxwell said that it is “extremely important to get straight what happened in that premortal council. It was not an unstructured meeting, nor was it a discussion between plans, nor an idea-producing session, as to how to formulate the plan for salvation and carry it out. Our Father’s plan was known, and the actual question put was whom the Father should send to carry out the plan.
What was Satan attempting to do?
What made His plan wrong?
How did he make it seem like a good plan?
What can we take away from this knowledge?
President Joseph F. Smith taught: “Let it not be forgotten that the evil one has great power in the earth, and that by every possible means he seeks to darken the minds of men and then offers them falsehood and deception in the guise of truth. Satan is a skillful imitator, and as genuine gospel truth is given the world in ever-increasing abundance, so he spreads the counterfeit coin of false doctrine. Beware of his spurious currency, it will purchase for you nothing but disappointment, misery and spiritual death”.
President Brigham Young said: “Every person who desires and strives to be a Saint is closely watched by fallen spirits that came here when Lucifur fell, and by the spirits of wicked persons who have been here in tabernacles and departed from them. … Those spirits are never idle; they are watching every person who wishes to do right, and are continually prompting them to do wrong
...he became Satan
see also Isaiah 14:12 and D&C 76:25–27
In the premortal existence, Satan was called “Lucifer,” which means “the Shining One” or “Lightbringer.” He was a “son of the morning” and had potential to do much good. But Lucifer sought to obtain the throne, honor, power, and glory of Heavenly Father.
Why did the heavens weep?
Have you known anyone that has left the church?
How did it affect you?
How do we ensure that this doesn't happen to us?
...he sought to beguile Eve
...he knew not the mind of God
What does the account of the Fall teach us about Satan’s ability to frustrate the purposes of God?
Satan's plan was to thwart the Lord's plan by getting Eve to partake of the fruit, yet it furthered the purposes of the Creator and contributed to man's eternal progression. Even the transgressions of men may be turned to the accomplishment of high purposes.
THE FALL OF ADAM AND EVE - Moses 4:7-19
...ye shall not sure die
...you shall be as Gods
Satan attempted to show God as a liar. But God is a God of truth and cannot lie.
Soon after Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, they were forced to leave the garden and the presence of the Lord, thus suffering a spiritual death. Additionally, when they fell, their bodies changed from a non-mortal state to a mortal state and thus became subject to physical death.
Satan implied that God’s forbidding them to partake of the fruit was because God did not want them to become as the Gods, trying to make it appear that God’s motives were selfish
...he did eat
Elder Dallin H. Oaks said that the “contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression’. It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall.
Another meaning of the word transgress is “to go beyond established limits or conditions.” Adam and Eve went beyond the limits that would have kept them in the Garden of Eden forever, and in so doing helped provide the opportunity of mortality for all of us
Adam chose to obey the more important commandment to fall to a state of mortality and be with Eve.
Moses 4:15-19
...where goest thou? ...who told thee thou was naked?
Why did the Lord ask these questions if he already knows the answer?
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught, “personal accountability for all of one’s acts underlies the whole gospel plan and is the natural outgrowth of the law of free agency”
What were the results of the Fall for Adam and Eve—and for us?
-Adam and Eve were able to have children, which allowed us to come to earth and receive mortal bodies (Moses 5:11; 6:48; 2 Nephi 2:23, 25).
-We experience physical death, or separation of the physical body from the spirit (Moses 4:25; 6:48; 2 Nephi 9:6).
-We experience spiritual death, or separation from God’s presence (Moses 4:29; 6:49; 2 Nephi 9:6).
-We are partakers of misery and woe (Moses 6:48; Genesis 3:16–17).
-We are capable of sinning (Moses 6:49, 55; 2 Nephi 2:22–23).
-The ground is cursed, causing us to need to work (Moses 4:23–25; Genesis 3:17–19).
-We can learn to recognize good and evil (Moses 4:28; 6:55–56; 2 Nephi 2:23; Genesis 3:22).
-We can have joy in mortality (Moses 5:10; 2 Nephi 2:23, 25).
-We can know the joy of our redemption (Moses 5:11).
-We can obtain eternal life (Moses 5:11).
How can a correct understanding of the Fall help us during mortality?
President Ezra Taft Benson said: “The plan of redemption must start with the account of the fall of Adam. In the words of Moroni, ‘By Adam came the fall of man. And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, … and because of Jesus Christ came the redemption of man’. Just as a man does not really desire food until he is hungry, so he does not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ. No one adequately and properly knows why he needs Christ until he understands and accepts the doctrine of the Fall and its effect upon all mankind.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL - Moses 4:20-32
...cursed above all cattle
Being cursed is the very opposite of being blessed; God’s blessing graciously invokes good, whereas his curse justly invokes evil upon one deserving it. Thus Satan was informed through symbolic terms that he would not have the privilege of earth life that even cattle and beasts have
...enmity
President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition
Summary Points
- Three pillars of eternity are Creation, Fall, Atonement
- Satan doesn't know the mind of God
- Satan tried to thwart the plan but it furthered the plan of salvation
- Understanding the fall is critical to understanding the Atonement and why we need Christ
Saturday, January 18, 2014
Moses 2,3 - The Creation
Introduction
Telephone Charades - Jump out of a ski lift, ski down a mountain, narrowly escaping an avalance, go into a lodge and drink hot chocolate
How are these examples like the Lord’s revelations about the Creation?
The Lord has revealed only that portion of eternal truth that our mortal minds can understand and that we need to know to gain salvation. We don't know all the intricate details.
Demonstrate Faith
Background (Moses 2:1)
...God spoke to Moses
...concerning this heaven, and this earth
We learned in the previous lessons that there are multiple heavens and earths.
What has God revealed about the purpose of the Creation?
1st Day (Moses 2:2-5) - Light, Darkness, Day, Night
How long was each day?
One of the details that we don't know.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that a day, in the Creation accounts, “is a specified time period; it is an age, an eon, a division of eternity; it is the time between two identifiable events. And each day, of whatever length, has the duration needed for its purposes. … There is no revealed recitation specifying that each of the ‘six days’ involved in the Creation was of the same duration”
...let there be light and there was light
...it was done as I spake
By what means were the Lord's words fulfilled?
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “When a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of physical force. It is by words, instead of exerting his physical powers, with which every being works when he works by faith. God said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’ … And the Saviour says: ‘If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, say to this mountain, “Remove,” and it will remove; or say to that sycamore tree, “Be ye plucked up, and planted in the midst of the sea,” and it shall obey you.’ Faith, then, works by words; and with these its mightiest works have been, and will be, performed. The whole visible creation, as it now exists, is the effect of faith. It was faith by which it was framed, and it is by the power of faith that it continues in its organized form, and by which the planets move round their orbits and sparkle forth their glory.
Sister Porter talked about this faith in her talk last week.
What other examples do we have that are similar to this concept?
I've found it fascinating that when sealing a couple/family together, there are no hands laid upon them. The words by the power of the Priesthood are powerful enough to bind families together for eternity.
2nd Day (Moses 2:6-8) - Heaven
3rd Day (Moses 2:9-13) - Dry Land, Earth, Grass, Herbs, Fruit Tree
..after it's kind
What is the significance of the phrase after it's kind?
Elder Boyd K. Packer taught: “No lesson is more manifest in nature than that all living things do as the Lord commanded in the Creation. They reproduce ‘after their own kind.’ They follow the pattern of their parentage. … A bird will not become an animal nor a fish. A mammal will not beget reptiles, nor ‘do men gather … figs of thistles’
4th Day (Moses 2:14-19) - Light in firmamanet, Sun, Moon, Stars
Elder John Taylor, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained that God “caused light to shine upon [the earth] before the sun appeared in the firmament; for God is light, and in him there is no darkness. He is the light of the sun and the power thereof by which it was made; he is also the light of the moon and the power by which it was made; he is the light of the stars and the power by which they are made.
5th Day (Moses 2:20-23) - Every living creature that moveth
6th Day (Moses 2:24-31) - Man, Woman
...Multiply and replenish the earth
In 1942 the First Presidency taught: “The Lord has told us that it is the duty of every husband and wife to obey the command given to Adam to multiply and replenish the earth, so that the legions of choice spirits waiting for their tabernacles of flesh may come here and move forward under God’s great design to become perfect souls, for without these fleshly tabernacles they cannot progress to their God-planned destiny. Thus, every husband and wife should become a father and mother in Israel to children born under the holy, eternal covenant.
We are fulfilling our duties become God-like when we have children and we are allowing them to fulfill their progression towards that same goal.
...have dominion
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, wrote that to have “dominion” means to have responsibility. To have dominion over all living things is a sacred responsibility and should not be misused.
How can we better fulfill our responsibility to have dominion over the creations?
Elder Sterling W. Sill taught: “One of the most inspiring messages in all sacred scripture is the story of the sixth day of creation when God made man in his own image. He also endowed him with a set of his own attributes. Then, as the very climax of creation, God gave man dominion over everything upon the earth, including himself. The dictionary says that ‘dominion’ means control or the power to govern. The most important part of the dominion given to man was self-dominion.
7th Day (Moses 3:2-3)
...I rested on the seventh day
Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught: “The Sabbath was blessed and sanctified as a holy day, a day of rest. But this sanctification and commandment of rest was for a purpose—not that man should refrain from work in order to pursue his own pleasure, but that man should serve God and worship him.
Moses 3:5
...For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.
Some of the significant events that occurred in the premortal existence were:
1. All mankind were born as spirit sons and daughters of God the Father (see D&C 93:29, 38; Moses 6:51).
2. Heavenly Father’s children participated in a council and chose to follow His plan or to rebel with Lucifer (see D&C 29:36; Moses 4:1–3).
3. Those who chose to follow Heavenly Father’s plan chose to follow Christ and continued to grow and progress; some of them participated in the Creation of the earth (see D&C 138:55–56; Abraham 3:22–24; 4:1).
4. A paradisical earth was created and immortal, paradisical bodies were prepared for Adam and Eve, the first of all of God’s spirit sons and daughters to come to this earth.
Moses 3:18,22,24
...it is not good for man to be alone
see D&C 49:15-16
God joined Adam and Eve together in marriage before the Fall.
President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “Marriage as established in the beginning was an eternal covenant. The first man and the first woman were not married until death should part them, for at that time death had not come into the world. The ceremony on that occasion was performed by the Eternal Father himself whose work endures forever. It is the will of the Lord that all marriages should be of like character, and in becoming ‘one flesh’ the man and the woman are to continue in the married status, according to the Lord’s plan, throughout all eternity as well as in this mortal life.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that Eve was not literally created from Adam’s rib. He said: “The story of the rib, of course, is figurative
Moses 3:24
...cleave unto his wife
The word cleave means to be closely united. Adam and Eve were commanded to be “one flesh,” meaning to be one mentally, socially, sexually, and spiritually. This oneness was a command with which they could not fully comply until after the Fall.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained: “Human intimacy is reserved for a married couple because it is the ultimate symbol of total union, a totality and a union ordained and defined by God. From the Garden of Eden onward, marriage was intended to mean the complete merger of a man and a woman—their hearts, hopes, lives, love, family, future, everything. Adam said of Eve that she was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, and that they were to be ‘one flesh’ in their life together. This is a union of such completeness that we use the word seal to convey its eternal promise. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said we perhaps could render such a sacred bond as being ‘welded’ one to another. “But such a total union, such an unyielding commitment between a man and a woman, can only come with the proximity and permanence afforded in a marriage covenant, with solemn promises and the pledge of all they possess—their very hearts and minds, all their days and all their dreams.
Referring to the charge for a man to leave his parents and cleave to his wife, President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Do you note that? She, the woman, occupies the first place. She is preeminent, even above the parents who are so dear to all of us. Even the children must take their proper but significant place.
Moses 3:25
Adam and Eve were innocent in the Garden of Eden, not knowing good and evil and not feeling any shame or embarrassment over their nakedness. These are emotions that came after the Fall. Adam and Eve were much like little children who are naturally naive and trusting and lacking self-consciousness and knowledge of good and evil because they are innocent.
Thought Questions
Which of God’s creations are especially beautiful to you?
Why would we be benefited by noticing the beauties of creation more carefully each day?
How does the account of the Creation affect your feelings toward Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
In what ways does earth life prepare us for eternal life?
Summary Points
-The Lord has revealed only that portion of eternal truth that our mortal minds can understand and that we need to know to gain salvation. We don't know all of the intricate details.
-The purpose of the Creation is to provide a place where Heavenly Father’s spirit children can come to obtain a physical body and be tested or proven to see if they will obey him when they are away from his presence. Those who are faithful will receive eternal life.
-God works by the Power of Faith
-All living things do as the Lord commands
-Men and women are created in the image of God.
-The 7th day was blessed and sanctified.
-All living things were first created spiritually.
-We are to cleave unto our spouses and multiple and replenish the earth.
Telephone Charades - Jump out of a ski lift, ski down a mountain, narrowly escaping an avalance, go into a lodge and drink hot chocolate
How are these examples like the Lord’s revelations about the Creation?
The Lord has revealed only that portion of eternal truth that our mortal minds can understand and that we need to know to gain salvation. We don't know all the intricate details.
Demonstrate Faith
Background (Moses 2:1)
...God spoke to Moses
...concerning this heaven, and this earth
We learned in the previous lessons that there are multiple heavens and earths.
What has God revealed about the purpose of the Creation?
1st Day (Moses 2:2-5) - Light, Darkness, Day, Night
How long was each day?
One of the details that we don't know.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that a day, in the Creation accounts, “is a specified time period; it is an age, an eon, a division of eternity; it is the time between two identifiable events. And each day, of whatever length, has the duration needed for its purposes. … There is no revealed recitation specifying that each of the ‘six days’ involved in the Creation was of the same duration”
...let there be light and there was light
...it was done as I spake
By what means were the Lord's words fulfilled?
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “When a man works by faith he works by mental exertion instead of physical force. It is by words, instead of exerting his physical powers, with which every being works when he works by faith. God said, ‘Let there be light: and there was light.’ … And the Saviour says: ‘If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, say to this mountain, “Remove,” and it will remove; or say to that sycamore tree, “Be ye plucked up, and planted in the midst of the sea,” and it shall obey you.’ Faith, then, works by words; and with these its mightiest works have been, and will be, performed. The whole visible creation, as it now exists, is the effect of faith. It was faith by which it was framed, and it is by the power of faith that it continues in its organized form, and by which the planets move round their orbits and sparkle forth their glory.
Sister Porter talked about this faith in her talk last week.
What other examples do we have that are similar to this concept?
I've found it fascinating that when sealing a couple/family together, there are no hands laid upon them. The words by the power of the Priesthood are powerful enough to bind families together for eternity.
2nd Day (Moses 2:6-8) - Heaven
3rd Day (Moses 2:9-13) - Dry Land, Earth, Grass, Herbs, Fruit Tree
..after it's kind
What is the significance of the phrase after it's kind?
Elder Boyd K. Packer taught: “No lesson is more manifest in nature than that all living things do as the Lord commanded in the Creation. They reproduce ‘after their own kind.’ They follow the pattern of their parentage. … A bird will not become an animal nor a fish. A mammal will not beget reptiles, nor ‘do men gather … figs of thistles’
4th Day (Moses 2:14-19) - Light in firmamanet, Sun, Moon, Stars
Elder John Taylor, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained that God “caused light to shine upon [the earth] before the sun appeared in the firmament; for God is light, and in him there is no darkness. He is the light of the sun and the power thereof by which it was made; he is also the light of the moon and the power by which it was made; he is the light of the stars and the power by which they are made.
5th Day (Moses 2:20-23) - Every living creature that moveth
6th Day (Moses 2:24-31) - Man, Woman
...Multiply and replenish the earth
In 1942 the First Presidency taught: “The Lord has told us that it is the duty of every husband and wife to obey the command given to Adam to multiply and replenish the earth, so that the legions of choice spirits waiting for their tabernacles of flesh may come here and move forward under God’s great design to become perfect souls, for without these fleshly tabernacles they cannot progress to their God-planned destiny. Thus, every husband and wife should become a father and mother in Israel to children born under the holy, eternal covenant.
We are fulfilling our duties become God-like when we have children and we are allowing them to fulfill their progression towards that same goal.
...have dominion
Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, wrote that to have “dominion” means to have responsibility. To have dominion over all living things is a sacred responsibility and should not be misused.
How can we better fulfill our responsibility to have dominion over the creations?
Elder Sterling W. Sill taught: “One of the most inspiring messages in all sacred scripture is the story of the sixth day of creation when God made man in his own image. He also endowed him with a set of his own attributes. Then, as the very climax of creation, God gave man dominion over everything upon the earth, including himself. The dictionary says that ‘dominion’ means control or the power to govern. The most important part of the dominion given to man was self-dominion.
7th Day (Moses 3:2-3)
...I rested on the seventh day
Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught: “The Sabbath was blessed and sanctified as a holy day, a day of rest. But this sanctification and commandment of rest was for a purpose—not that man should refrain from work in order to pursue his own pleasure, but that man should serve God and worship him.
Moses 3:5
...For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth.
Some of the significant events that occurred in the premortal existence were:
1. All mankind were born as spirit sons and daughters of God the Father (see D&C 93:29, 38; Moses 6:51).
2. Heavenly Father’s children participated in a council and chose to follow His plan or to rebel with Lucifer (see D&C 29:36; Moses 4:1–3).
3. Those who chose to follow Heavenly Father’s plan chose to follow Christ and continued to grow and progress; some of them participated in the Creation of the earth (see D&C 138:55–56; Abraham 3:22–24; 4:1).
4. A paradisical earth was created and immortal, paradisical bodies were prepared for Adam and Eve, the first of all of God’s spirit sons and daughters to come to this earth.
Moses 3:18,22,24
...it is not good for man to be alone
see D&C 49:15-16
God joined Adam and Eve together in marriage before the Fall.
President Joseph Fielding Smith taught: “Marriage as established in the beginning was an eternal covenant. The first man and the first woman were not married until death should part them, for at that time death had not come into the world. The ceremony on that occasion was performed by the Eternal Father himself whose work endures forever. It is the will of the Lord that all marriages should be of like character, and in becoming ‘one flesh’ the man and the woman are to continue in the married status, according to the Lord’s plan, throughout all eternity as well as in this mortal life.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that Eve was not literally created from Adam’s rib. He said: “The story of the rib, of course, is figurative
Moses 3:24
...cleave unto his wife
The word cleave means to be closely united. Adam and Eve were commanded to be “one flesh,” meaning to be one mentally, socially, sexually, and spiritually. This oneness was a command with which they could not fully comply until after the Fall.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, explained: “Human intimacy is reserved for a married couple because it is the ultimate symbol of total union, a totality and a union ordained and defined by God. From the Garden of Eden onward, marriage was intended to mean the complete merger of a man and a woman—their hearts, hopes, lives, love, family, future, everything. Adam said of Eve that she was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, and that they were to be ‘one flesh’ in their life together. This is a union of such completeness that we use the word seal to convey its eternal promise. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said we perhaps could render such a sacred bond as being ‘welded’ one to another. “But such a total union, such an unyielding commitment between a man and a woman, can only come with the proximity and permanence afforded in a marriage covenant, with solemn promises and the pledge of all they possess—their very hearts and minds, all their days and all their dreams.
Referring to the charge for a man to leave his parents and cleave to his wife, President Spencer W. Kimball said: “Do you note that? She, the woman, occupies the first place. She is preeminent, even above the parents who are so dear to all of us. Even the children must take their proper but significant place.
Moses 3:25
Adam and Eve were innocent in the Garden of Eden, not knowing good and evil and not feeling any shame or embarrassment over their nakedness. These are emotions that came after the Fall. Adam and Eve were much like little children who are naturally naive and trusting and lacking self-consciousness and knowledge of good and evil because they are innocent.
Thought Questions
Which of God’s creations are especially beautiful to you?
Why would we be benefited by noticing the beauties of creation more carefully each day?
How does the account of the Creation affect your feelings toward Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ?
In what ways does earth life prepare us for eternal life?
Summary Points
-The Lord has revealed only that portion of eternal truth that our mortal minds can understand and that we need to know to gain salvation. We don't know all of the intricate details.
-The purpose of the Creation is to provide a place where Heavenly Father’s spirit children can come to obtain a physical body and be tested or proven to see if they will obey him when they are away from his presence. Those who are faithful will receive eternal life.
-God works by the Power of Faith
-All living things do as the Lord commands
-Men and women are created in the image of God.
-The 7th day was blessed and sanctified.
-All living things were first created spiritually.
-We are to cleave unto our spouses and multiple and replenish the earth.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)