1st and 2nd Samuel

Make sure to have scriptures, pen, and paper tonight. The post will be updated with the information after the class. =)

GeT eXcItEd!!

ponderings for Joshua and Judges . . .

• does the Lord ask us to do "weird" things?
• like what?
• when?
• why?

• what are the hard things He asked the children of Israel to do?
• why hard?
• what's hard for us? really hard, not just the sunday school answers.
  
• what is similar about joshua's "last lecture" and moses'?

• which characters would you like to most be like from these chapters?
  
• what characteristics would you like to steal?

thoughts for pondering from Deuteronomy:

NO GOSPEL ANSWERS! NO APPLYING TO YOUR LIFE!!

• protection: what do we protect from? why? how?
• passion, conviction, lifestyle: of what? why? how?
• rules: a mother's rules for her child -  can her child follow another's mother's rules and still be following her won mother's? how? when?
• ideal/great marriage: what are words that show this relationship? who, how, when, where do we seek ones to create this type of relationship with? what does life look like when we have this relationship? what does life look like when we don't? what in the world tells us it's okay to find it anywhere, anytime? what in our "culture" tells us it's okay to find it anywhere, anytime, etc?
• love: what is love? how is it shown? to whom is it shown? can it be demanded? how is it felt? how is it received?
• obey: when have you expected someone to obey you? why was it important for them to obey? what would happen if they hadn't - besides your personal frustrations?
• hurt: when has someone hurt you? have they been "out-to-get-you"? when have you hurt - or messed up and your boss or friend has let it go? how does that feel? how do you feel about them? why have they let it go?
• separate: when is it wise to separate good things or people? how are they separated? why and when and how is it good to bring them back together?
• struggle: how do you feel towards those who work, and strive, and struggle, and become more with your help or guidance? where do you want them?

 NOW you  can apply and think about your answers in relationship with the Lord. 

This week - June 24th - we wrote talks.
I have been thinking a lot about how we take personal responsibility for our spiritual learning and growth. I have also been thinking lots about the power of the scriptures as key to our personal accountability and responsibility. Thus, the following assignment:

Conference Talk

Sunday, October 5, 2008 * Morning Session

Topic: The Scriptures in Our Lives

Audience: Your audience is new or young members of the Church.

Goal: Inspire them to study, know, love, mark, and treasure the Scriptures.

Warnings: No TYPICAL MORMON WORDS. No phrases or words without defining them and showing what they really look like in your or other’s lives.

Ideas:

· Life Lessons you have learned from the Scriptures.

· A pattern of discipleship gained from the disciples of the Scriptures.

Quotes:

· “Do we truly know the scriptures and, therefore, the power of God?”

o Joseph B. Wirthlin, “Guided by His Exemplary Life,” Liahona, Feb 1999, 34

· “[The Book of Mormon] is also the best example of the connection between history and doctrine. I’ve come to understand and appreciate the power of scripture and history working together.”

o Marlin K. Jensen, “There Shall Be a Record Kept among You,” Liahona, Dec 2007, 26–31

· Scripture Power

o 1. Because I want to be like the Savior, and I can,
I’m reading His instructions, I’m following His plan.
Because I want the power His word will give to me,
I’m changing how I live, I’m changing what I’ll be.

Chorus

Scripture power keeps me safe from sin.
Scripture power is the power to win.
Scripture power! Ev’ry day I need
The power that I get each time I read

2. I’ll find the sword of truth in each scripture that I learn.
I’ll take the shield of faith from these pages that I turn.
I’ll wear each vital part of the armor of the Lord,
And fight my daily battles, and win a great reward.

o Scripture Power With conviction Words and music by Clive Romney

· “Do we look to the scriptures as a source of great spiritual power?”

o L. Tom Perry, “‘Give Heed unto the Word of the Lord’,” Ensign, Jun 2000, 22

· President Romney recalled; “I remember reading it with one of my lads when he was very young. … I lay in the lower bunk and he in the upper bunk. We were each reading aloud alternate paragraphs of those last three marvelous chapters of Second Nephi. I heard his voice breaking and thought he had a cold. … As we finished he said … , ‘Daddy, do you ever cry when you read the Book of Mormon?’

“‘Yes, Son, … sometimes the Spirit of the Lord so witnesses to my soul that the Book of Mormon is true that I do cry.’

“ ‘Well,’ he said, ‘that is what happened to me tonight.’ ” 8

o Richard G. Scott, “The Powerof a Strong Testimony,” Liahona, Jan 2002, 100–103

NO CLASS Tonight!!

I announced last week in class that we should have a temple night tonight since we didn't have class. I, however, think I am going to collapse and fall asleep right now. I think I need to work on getting more than 5 hours of sleep at night . . . I'm getting too old to do that!! :(

Please feel free to go and if you go and don't see me and get mad, I am sooo sorry!! I think I would crash if I drive down!!

SORRY!
--em

The Tabernacle and the Temple.

Planning of the Tabernacle. 

Bible Dictionary: Temple

A temple is literally a house of the Lord, a holy sanctuary in which sacred ceremonies and ordinances of the gospel are performed by and for the living and also in behalf of the dead. A place where the Lord may come, it is the most holy of any place of worship on the earth. Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.

Whenever the Lord has had a people on the earth who will obey his word, they have been commanded to build temples in which the ordinances of the gospel and other spiritual manifestations that pertain to exaltation and eternal life may be administered. In cases of extreme poverty or emergency, these ordinances may sometimes be done on a mountaintop (see D&C 124: 37-55). This may be the case with Mount Sinai and the Mount of Transfiguration. The tabernacle erected by Moses was a type of portable temple, since the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness.

From Adam to the time of Jesus, ordinances were performed in temples for the living only. After Jesus opened the way for the gospel to be preached in the world of spirits, ceremonial work for the dead, as well as for the living, has been done in temples on the earth by faithful members of the Church. Building and properly using a temple is one of the marks of the true Church in any dispensation, and is especially so in the present day.

Willing Heart

2 Nephi 31:13

                  

       

       

        

Lyrics to: This Is Home

I've got my memories 

Always inside of me

But I can't go back

Back to how it was 

I believe you now

I’ve come too far

No, I can’t go back

Back to how it was

 

Created for a place I’ve never known

 

Chorus:

This is home

Now I’m finally back to where I belong

Where I belong

Yeah, this is home

I’ve been searching for a place of my own

Now I’ve found it

Maybe this is home

This is home

 

Belief over misery

I’ve seen the enemy

And I won’t go back

Back to how it was

And I got my heart set on what happens next

I got my eyes wide it’s not over yet

We are miracles and we’re not alone

Chorus.

 

And now after all my searching

After all my questions

I’m gonna call it home

I’ve got a brand new mindset

I can finally see the sunset

I’m gonna call it home

 

Chorus.

 

Now I know

Yeah, this is home

 

I’ve come too far

And I won’t go back,

Yeah, this is home

The Law of Sacrifice.

• How do we continue to live the Law of Sacrifice today without offering blood sacrifices?

Alma 5: stripe of pride, envy, born again, cleanse garments, repent always.
matt 22:39 love thyself, love they neighbor as we love ourselves.
D&C 121:45 virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.
mosiah 18 bear burdens, comfort, stand as witness ALWAYS.
3 Nephi 15:16 conversations are eternally minded.
proverbs 31:9 open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
D&C 136:31 Tried in all things.

the Ten Commandments and Covenanting

Moses Goes Up

• What are the conditions of the people when Moses is commanded to go to the Mountain?

• "If man will not be ruled by God, he will certainly be ruled by tyrants - and there is no tyranny more imperious or more devastating than man's own selfishness, without the law. We cannot break the Ten Commandments. We can only break ourselves against them - or else by keeping them, rise through them to the fullness of freedom under God. God means us to be free. With divine daring, He gave us the power of choice" (Commencement Address, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, Provo, 31 May 1657).

• "By His own finger, the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. They represent the basic law of the Almighty and have formed the underlying elements of civil and religious law ever since. They are fundamental to our relationships with God. They are an integral part of the restored gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and are essential to our becoming perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect. Variations of these laws are given in the rules laid down in Leviticus and Deuteronomy as they are applies to specific matters, but generally they form the foundation for all proper human conduct" (Old Testament Student Institute Manual, 127; Petersen, Moses, p.101).

The Ten Commandments

No God's before Him:

• "God will not favor us if we put Him in second place in our lives" (Petersen, Moses, p.111).

God' Name in Vain:

• "There is an additional implication in the commandment to avoid taking the name of God in vain. An integral part of living the gospel is the making of oaths and covenants with God. When a person is baptized he covenants to take the name of Christ upon himself. It he forget that solemn oath made at baptism, he has taken the name of the Lord in vain (Manual, p.129).

Sabbath Day Holy:

• "The death penalties attached to the violation of the sabbath in the Old Testament era convey two very obvious assumptions. First, the sabbath law involves a principle so important and basic that violation thereof is a capital offense. Second, the law conveys also the fact that violation f the sabbath laws involves a kind of death in and of itself, i.e., that violation brings on death. The prophets clearly made this assumption. Obedience, by implication, mean life" (Rushdoony, Institutes of Biblical Lay, p.137).
• The measuring stick of a righteous life is how we keep the Sabbath day holy.
  
• "The concept of sanctification and the idea of rest as used in the scriptures seem closely related. The rest of the Lord is defined as "the fulness of [God's] glory". Alma taught that certain early Saints entered the "rest of the Lord" after being made pure through a process of sanctification (Alma 13:12). In other word, God's work is the sanctification of His children to the point where they can enter into the ultimate rest, which is the fulness of His glory. Once each week man is commanded to cease hi own labors and allow God to perform His work of sanctification on him. Resting on the Sabbath, then, implies far more than taking a nap or stopping normal activities. Mankind must enter into the Lord's work on that day. This work involves making themselves and other more godlike, another way to speak of sanctification. Doing the work of the Lord (sanctification) often involves great activity on the Sabbath day, and the day may not be restful in the usual sense. One can assume that if doing good to an animal on the Sabbath is approve by the Lord (see Matthew 12:11; Luke 13:15), then doing good to men is an even higher good. The two commandments for the Sabbath are rest and worship. The Hebrew verb la-avodh, "to worship", means also "to work" and "to serve." This holy work then creates a new and holy man; so the Sabbath is tied into the work of creation.
  
• "The Sabbath is a day on which to take inventory - to analyze our weaknesses, to confess our sins to our associates and our Lord" (In "The Fourth Commandment," Part 2, The Ten Commandments Today, pp. 66-68).

Honor our Father and Mother:

• "Proper family relationships constitute on of the ten fundamental principles of law, both in this world and in the world to come" (Manual, p.131).

Justice and Mercy; Works and Grace

Covenants

Moses 1:39 "To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man".

• Eternal life is gained as we make, keep, and renew covenants.
  
• What ARE the covenants we have made?
  
• What are the blessings we will have poured upon our heads and we make and keep these covenants?

Second Tablets

1. What was so wrong about Aaron making the golden calf?
2. What more could the Lord give me if I prove ready and worthy?

Moses - wow, i have no idea what we really did. i have looked through my notes a number of times and we didn't use the things i had prepared. so sorry! i always prepare things that we don't use...thanks for letting the class be completely directed by the Spirit!

God Revealing Himself

Moses is Prepared
Father, Mother; Sister; Pharaoh's Daughter; Zippaorah

Moses is Called

Leadership and Delegation

Preparation for His Presence

Genesis 24 - 50

Issac and Rebekah
Jacob and Esau
Joseph in Egypt

ISAAC'S WIFE SEARCH

THE PLAN
Verses 12–14. These verses show that the servant, like Abraham, was a man of great faith. Abraham had told him that his errand was a commandment of the Lord (v. 7). So when faced with a tremendously challenging task, the servant turned to the Lord for help. Instead of just asking the Lord to solve his problem, he presented a plan for the Lord to confirm.Abraham sent his trusted and worthy servant to find a wife for Isaac. "Holy men need holy women to stand by their sides . . . Rebekah was worth a long and dangerous journey, just as Rachel and Leah were worth that same same journey in the next generation" (Daughters of God 39).

"As the servant approached the well at Haran, he presented he Lord with his plan for finding the right woman for Isaac " (40).


SHE WAS FAIR
Verse 16. The King James Version suggests that Rebekah was very beautiful, but the Joseph Smith Translation says that she was the most beautiful woman the servant had ever seen. The Joseph Smith Translation reads, “And the damsel being a virgin, very fair to look upon, such as the servant of Abraham had not seen, neither had any man known the like unto her . . .” (JST, Genesis 24:16).

THE WELL
Verse 19. Considering the capacity of a thirsty camel, one can well imagine how much effort it took for Rebekah to draw water by hand for ten camels. Not only was she beautiful but she was a willing worker and was quick to serve.
"We admire Rebekah and lover her immediately not only for her kindness but the the eagerness with which it was given . . . We have all seen modern Rebekahs run to draw living water for a Primary or Young Women class . . . Every time we see these modern Rebekahs coming up from the well with their pitchers dripping, we, like Abraham;s servant, wonder at seeing such unrehearsed demonstrations of character" (41).


GO AND DO
"Abraham's servant placed earrings and bracelets on Rebekah and asked her if there was space in her father's house" (42). I love to think that Rebekah was able to feel the great peace and presence of this servant - the one with who Abraham trusted completely to know and follow the Lord in guiding him to the future matriarch of the covenant people. Are we in tune with the Spirit to truly recognize with whom we come into contact?

Verse 58. This verse gives a great insight into the faith of Rebekah. For a young woman to leave her home, travel to a new country completely foreign to her, and marry a man she had never met would present a tremendous challenge. One would expect that she would have wanted to stay with her family as long as possible, but when given her choice, she said simply, “I will go.”

Are we really willing to leave our worlds in a moment for the Lord? Are we willing to walk away from what we know and feel safe in to leave it all and never return? wow. she's my hero.


ISAAC LOVING REBEKAH
Verse 67. When one contemplates the faith and beauty of Rebekah and how the servant of Abraham was led to her by the hand of the Lord, the comment “and he loved her” is not surprising.
"When Isaac went out to meet the returning caravan, Rebekah, 'lighted off the camel . . . took a vail, and covered herself' This was proper modesty. 'And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent . . . and her loved her (Genesis 24:64-65,67). When I read this, my thought was, of course he loved her. She was willing and did give up everything she knew and loved and was safe to her in order to marry him. She gave up her world for his man. She trusted completely in the Lord and followed. Wouldn't marriages be amazing and powerful and influencial for greatness if we were willing and did give up all the world we knew and trusted - holding tightly the Lord's hand - and gave ourselves and our worlds to our spouses? wow.

THE BIRTHRIGHT

This rationalization seems to reflect more scorn than hunger. Jacob would almost certainly have succored Esau freely if his life were in jeopardy. The point of this account seems to be primarily to show how little value Esau placed on the birthright. His immediate bodily needs were more important to him than the rights of the covenant. Additional evidence of this attitude is Esau’s marriages to Canaanite women, which broke the covenant line (see Genesis 26:34–35). The birthright itself should have been a treasured thing. The highly desirable birthright blessing is the right to the presidency, or keys, of the priesthood. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “It appears that anciently under the Patriarchal Order certain special blessings, rights, powers, and privileges—collectively called the birthright—passed from the father to his firstborn son. (Gen. 43:33.) In later ages special blessings and prerogatives have been poured out upon all the worthy descendants of some who gained special blessings and birthrights anciently. (3Ne. 20:25–27.) Justification for this system, in large part, lies in the pre-existent preparation and training of those born in the lines destined to inherit preferential endowments.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 87.) In the patriarchal order this birthright was passed from father to son, who was often, but not always, the eldest son. Righteousness was a more important factor than being the firstborn.

From Esau The story of how Jacob obtained the birthright blessing from Isaac with the help of his mother is a troubling one in many respects. Typically, commentators who do not have access to latter-day scriptures come to one of two conclusions: either they emphasize Esau’s unworthiness for the birthright and therefore justify the deception, or else they criticize Jacob’s shrewd and crafty nature. Amore complete knowledge of gospel principles, however, may pose some additional problems. Can a person deceive a patriarch and get a blessing that belongs to someone else? Was Jacob a deceitful and crafty man? Was Isaac blindly favorable to certain children? Can one be dishonest and still get a valid patriarchal blessing? The following points should be carefully considered:

1. As the record in Genesis now reads, there is little option but to conclude that Rebekah and Jacob deliberately deceived Isaac and that Jacob explicitly lied to his father (see v. 24). Rebekah and Jacob believed the deception was necessary because Isaac obviously favored Esau. Joseph Smith, however, taught that certain errors had crept into the Bible through “ignorant translators, careless transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests” (Teachings, p. 327). For example, a comparison of the early chapters of Genesis with the fuller accounts revealed to the Prophet (now found in the books of Moses and Abraham) shows how much has been lost. It is possible hat the story of Jacob’s obtaining the birthright has also lost much or been changed by unbelievers. These changes could then explain the contradictions.

2. Rebekah knew by personal revelation that Jacob was to be the son of the covenant (see Genesis 25:22–23). Jacob reluctantly gave in to his mother’s wishes after she told him that she would take the responsibility for what they were about to do.

3. Although the early patriarchs and their wives were great and righteous men and women who eventually were exalted and perfected (see D&C 132:37), this fact does not mean that they were perfect in every respect while in mortality. If the story is correct as found in Genesis, Isaac may have been temporarily shortsighted in favoring Esau. Or Rebekah may have had insufficient faith in the Lord to let Him work His will and therefore undertook a plan of her own to ensure that the promised blessings would come to pass. These shortcomings do not lessen their later greatness and their eventual perfection.

4. Whatever the explanation for the circumstances surrounding the reception of the blessing, one thing is perfectly clear. Priesthood holders are given the keys to bind and loose on earth and have that action validated in heaven (see Matthew 16:19). Once Isaac learned of the deception, he could have revoked the blessing and given it to Esau. Instead, he told Esau, “Yea, and he shall be blessed” (Genesis 27:33). Later, when Jacob was preparing to leave for Padan-aram to escape Esau’s wrath, Isaac clearly gave him the blessing of Abraham (see Genesis 28:3–4), an additional proof that Jacob received the blessing meant for him and that Isaac confirmed it upon him. Thus, if the Genesis record is correct as it now is, Jacob, like others, received a call and a promise of eventual blessings because of his potential and in spite of his weaknesses. Like anyone, he had then to live worthily in order to obtain the promised blessings.

NAME CHANGED

Love the idea of our names. I love what we can become when we understand who the Lord knows us to be. The book of Revelation talks about new names . . . i can't help but think that these names will tell us more of who we really are . . . much like our patriarchal blessings.

JOSEPH REUNITED WITH BROTHERS

"The exclamation of Joseph after his reunion with his family teaches an invaluable lesson about the Lords' planning and ability to use seemingly tragic circumstances to work for the ultimate and eternal good of his children. 'And Joseph said unto the , Fear no: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive' (Genesis 50:19-20). This powerful principle serves to highlight the doctrine taught by the Lord through Isaiah: 'For my thoughts are not your house, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than you ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts' (Isaiah 55:8-9). Man's feeble logic pales in comparison to God's perfect knowledge" (Prophets, Priests, and Kings 48).

team institute! i'm soo sorry that it is Sunday night and i am just now posting! thought i'd show ya a few pics so that you'd believe that i actually went and risked and had sooo much fun trying knew things - i may have screamed like a girl on the rapids!! :)

no laughing at how cute my hair is!!

Okay, now for the real and serious stuff!!

Genesis 12-23. Abraham. Sarah. Isaac. Melchizedek. wow.

we know the stories here about Abraham. we know that he was asked to sacrifice Isaac. we know that this is a symbol of Christ. we know that Abraham, of any man, knew truly what he was asking of his only begotten son because Abraham had been on the altar as his father tried to sacrifice Abraham's life to the idol gods. we know that Sarah was not laughing as the angel told them of her long awaited blessing of having a son. and we know that this picture is probably wrong and that Isaac was probably a man in his thirties who willing went upon the altar because of his faith and devotion.

thus, we need to learn more about who these people truly were. we need to determine how our lives need to be altered to be worthy of being their heirs to all the blessings and responsibilities they enjoyed.

make sure you have a pen and journal/notebook

MELCHIZEDEK

one morning i woke up at 4:30ish - against my will - and grabbed my scriptures to read some of the Book of Mormon. i randomly opened to Alma and was reading in chapter 13 about the Melchizedek priesthood and this man. i was in the half awake/half asleep mode and pondered a lot...here are some of the musings:

the Melchizedek priesthood was named after Melchizedek, a righteous, and obviously amazing high priest during the time of Abraham. It was named after him, only because the true name of this priesthood may not have been said with the respect it needed; the priesthood of the Son of God.

• do i treat the men who hold this level of priesthood power with the respect and regard and honor that i do the Son of God?
• do i expect them to carry and act equal to the holy priesthood power that they hold?
• do i live so that i will be equally yoked with a man who knows and treasures and keeps sacred this power?
• do i live in a way that inspires and influences the men in my life and sphere to recognize and remember what a gift and honor it is to holy this sacred power?
• what can i do to be better at excepting more from this power in my life?
• what more can i do to be aware that this is a daily blessing i get to have influence me?
• as a woman, created to give birth and nurture children and thus hold a portion of this power, do i live worthy to it?
• do i live knowing and acting in accordance with what i have and what i am?

He also created a society that had been the wicked of wicked and through Melchizedek's influence and powerful teaching, these people became worthy to be translated. WOW!!

CES Old Testament Manual p. 67-68

"Possessing both the kingship of Salem (which Josephus and many other ancient and modern authorities have identified as Jerusalem) and the keys of the high priesthood, Melchizedek was able to effect might changes among his people. Thus, he modeled the roles fulfilled by Jesus Christ as prophet, priest, and king. Melchizedek preached repentance to a group who had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination, who had all gone astray, and who were full of all manner of wickedness (Alma 13:7). The people did repent, and Melchizedek established peace in the land (Alma 13:18). Like the Savior, Melchizedek was an instrument in God's hands to redeem his people from spiritual death and destruction" (Prophets, Priests, and Kings, Andrew Skinner).

ABRAHAM

"Some of the ancient rabbinic sages . . . coined expressions like 'as if an altar was erected in his heart' to portray those individuals who were willing to do all the God required. Some of them well understood that sacrifice was first made in the mind and heart of the offerer. Their exemplar was Abraham. He had erected an altar in his heart long before he reached Moriah . . . Long before any of us were sent to this earth, Christ understood the principle of true and total sacrifice" ( Prophets, Priests, and Kings p 38).

Circumcision of Heart

"Perhaps our trials increase though our obedience becomes more exact and our performance more exemplary. Sometimes life becomes grossly unfair" (p. 41).

"The Lord said that those who profess discipleship 'must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son. For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified (D&D 101:4-5)' ' (p. 42).

"Besides the Savior, Abraham is the standard for mortal so live by. He mirrored the behavior of the Father on the one hand and the Son on the other. He faced contradiction and maintained his absolute loyalty to Deity and eternal principles. Such tests are given to mortals and are calculated to allow us the opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty just as Abraham demonstrated his. God doesn't want much - he wants everything. And he desires with all his soul to give us back everything he possess. We are asked to give up all in order to receive in infinitely greater all" (42).

" 'Why did the Lord ask such things of Abraham? Because, knowing what his future would be and that he would be the father of an innumerable posterity, he was determined to test him. God did not do this for His own sake for He know by His foreknowledge what Abraham would do; but th purpose was to impress upon Abraham a lesson and to enable him to attain unto knowledge that he could not obtain in any other way. That is why God tried all of us. It is not for His own knowledge, for He knows all things beforehand. He know all your lives and everything you will do. But he tries us for our own good that we may know ourselves; for it is most important that a man should know himself' " (p. 43).

SARAH

"Josephus tells us that Sarah 'loved Ishmael, who was born of her own handmaid Hagar, with an affection not inferior to that of her own son' (Antiquities of the Jews, 36). When Isaac was born, Sarah 'saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking' (Genesis 21:9). What a dilema for Sarah. She loved the boy Ishmael, and she knew that Abraham loved both Hagar and Ishmael, his son. But she feared for the well-being of Isaac. Isaac's life and Ishmael's eternal salvation would have been in danger. The promises of the birthright could have been lost. Sarah pondered the dilemma and made a difficult decision" (Daughters of God, S. Michael Wilcox ).

Compared to Emma: My Story and how Emma Smith took and and loved the of her second husband's affair. How do we nurture this character within ourselves and those around us?

ISAAC

Bible Dictionary: Isaac

He laugheth. The son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, the child of promise, and the heir of the promises (Gen. 15: 1-6; Gen. 17: 15-19; Gen. 18: 9-15; Gen. 21: 1-8). The main interest of his life gathers around his birth, the sacrifice on Mount Moriah (Gen. 22), his marriage (Gen. 24; 25), and his dealings with his sons (Gen. 27; 28). There are numerous references to him in various parts of the Bible (see especially Gal. 4: 28; Heb. 11: 9, 17, 20). In character he appears to have been a peace-loving shepherd, of great personal piety, full of affection for the members of his own family. In D&C 132: 37 we are told that Isaac is now exalted and sits upon a throne with Abraham and Jacob. Cf. Matt. 8: 11.

Genesis 4 - 11

places to study with the chapters in Genesis:

BD: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Offerings, Noah, Enoch

thoughts for pondering:
this week we are covering Cain and Able, the prophet and city of Enoch, and Noah.

as i have thought about these events and people, i have pondered things like:

1. personal definitions of what an offering is?
2. what are we currently offering?
3. what do we need to be offering, how do we offer?
4. why has the Father through His Son commanded all people at all times to make offering to Them?
5. why and how are some offerings accepted and others not?
6. are ours accepted?
7. can we make offerings that don't change us, that don't sanctify us?

1. what was the city and the people of Enoch offering?
2. how do our offerings sanctify us?
3. can the members of the Church in our day become like the members in Enoch's day?
4. how, why?
5. what needs to be different with the Saints today in order to become as the Saints in Enoch's day?
6. how will that change come about?

http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=21bc9fbee98db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=6c2e81313e1ab010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Noah was preaching and teaching and prophesying for many years. Enoch testified and prophesied about the Flood.

1. how did things get so bad amongst the members in Noah's day that the Lord would flood them?
2. what are the things you are doing in your life that are "not a big deal" when the prophet asked you to do something - we find the energy and motivation to do big, hard things. but when it is small things to do things more obedient, we struggle.
3. so where do you need to tighten things up to be more trustworthy for the Lord?
4. are we okay with the details of the things the Lord asks of us?
5. Noah had to gather and live with and care for 2 of every animal in that ark. stinky, loud, crowded, dirty....are we okay to deal with the hard realities of following? what's the other option if we're not?

1. why was flooding the earth a necessity?
2. are we like Hem who has miracles upon miracles happen in their lives, but who never lets these experiences change WHO and WHAT he is?
3. do we go through the motions but never let the moments shape us?

Earth's Baptism

Orson Pratt declared:
“The first ordinance instituted for the cleansing of the earth, was that of immersion in water; it was buried in the liquid element, and all things sinful upon the face of the earth were washed away. As it came forth from the ocean floor, like the newborn child, it was innocent; it rose to newness of life. It was its second birth from the womb of mighty waters—a new world issuing from the ruins of the old, clothed with all the innocence of this first creation.” (In Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:20.)

“The earth, in its present condition and situation, is not a fit habitation for the sanctified; but it abides the law of its creation, has been baptized with water, will be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost, and by-and-by will be prepared for the faithful to dwell upon” (Brigham Young, in Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 4:20).

Your Path Today

This chronology of the patriarchs teaches several things. For example, Shem In these eleven chapters of Genesis, which cover the lives of the ancient patriarchs, almost one-third of the total history of mankind is summarized in a brief manner. Obviously, such a limited treatment must omit many details that would be of great benefit to us. When Moses wrote this history, however, he shared with us one of the most remarkable contrasts in the history of the world. From the time of the Fall the people of the world began moving in two opposite directions.

One group followed the teachings of Adam and Eve and continually strived for increasing righteousness and perfection. The other group yielded to the deceitful enticings of Satan and his servants and moved deeper and deeper into depravity and wickedness.

Both these divergent paths were followed to their ultimate ends. Under Enoch’s direction, a whole society became so perfect that God took it to Himself, and for the next seven hundred years those who qualified themselves were likewise translated into that remarkable city of Enoch. The other group moved downward as surely as Enoch’s city moved upward. Finally they reached such depths of wickedness that it was a blessing for them to be destroyed.

Why is this pattern of significance to you? Because we are in a period of history when the same dramatic contrast and division is taking place, ponder these questions:

1. Jesus taught that the situation in the days of Noah was going to be repeated once more in history. When is that repetition to take place, and what are the implications of that repetition? How does Nephi’s vision relate to this teaching?
2. Zion provided the escape for those who were righteous before the Flood. How will the Saints of the latter days be saved from the coming judgments?
3. What are the conditions for bringing the promise of delivery upon ourselves?

HOLY AMAZING THOUGHTS!!!!

“I prophesy to you, in the name of the Lord, that when the Latter-day Saints have prepared themselves through righteousness to redeem Zion, they will accomplish that work, and God will go with them. No power will then be able to prevent them from accomplishing that work; for the Lord has said it shall be done, and it will be done in the due time of the Lord, when the people are prepared for it. But when shall I be prepared to go there? Not while I have in my heart the love of this world more than the love of God. Not while I am possessed of that selfishness and greed that would induce me to cling to the world or my possessions in it, at the sacrifice of principle or truth. But when I am ready to say, ‘Father, all that I have, myself included, is Thine; my time, my substance, everything that I possess is on the altar, to be used freely, agreeable to Thy holy will, and not my will, but Thine, be done,’ then perhaps I will be prepared to go and help to redeem Zion.” (Joseph F. Smith, in Millennial Star, 18 June 1894, pp. 385–86.)

“When we conclude to make a Zion we will make it, and this work commences in the heart of each person. When the father of a family wishes to make a Zion in his own house, he must take the lead in this good work, which it is impossible for him to do unless he himself possesses the spirit of Zion. Before he can produce the work of sanctification in his family, he must sanctify himself, and by this means God can help him to sanctify his family. . . . My spiritual enjoyment must be obtained by my own life, but it would add much to the comfort of the community, and to my happiness, as one with them, if every man and woman would live their religion, and enjoy the light and glory of the Gospel for themselves, be passive, humble and faithful; rejoice continually before the Lord, attend to the business they are called to do, and be sure never to do anything wrong.

“All would then be peace, joy, and tranquility, in our streets and in our houses. Litigation would cease, there would be no difficulties before the High Council and Bishops’ Courts, and courts, turmoil, and strife would not be known. “Then we would have Zion, for all would be pure in heart.” (Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 118–19.)

“The only limitation on you and me is within ourselves.”
(Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1966, pp. 100–101.)

Genesis 1-3; The Creation and the Fall

A Study of: The Old Testament

IT'S FOR US, RIGHT NOW!

“The Bible presents a total picture of the life of its characters. We can thus expect human frailties to appear. However, many of these human elements reveal genuine religious purposes when they are understood in terms of the social standards of their own day.

“The student who truly seeks to appreciate the Bible will study it always for the contribution of its message to our religious life today. It is not enough to be entertained by its stories unless these stories can reach deep into our souls to make better persons. The accounts in the Bible were preserved for the help which they can give to man in developing his faith in God and in following His teachings. The reader who misses the significance of Bible stories in present life is not a true student of the Bible.” (Larsen, in Jacob, The Message of the Old Testament, pp. xxxv–xxxvi.)

IT'S ALL ABOUT CHRIST

“Properly understood, the Scripture is all full of Christ, and all intended to point to Christ as our only Saviour. It is not only the law, which is a schoolmaster unto Christ, nor the types, which are shadows of Christ, nor yet the prophecies, which are predictions of Christ; but the whole Old Testament history is full of Christ. Even where persons are not, events may be types. If any one failed to see in Isaac or in Joseph a personal type of Christ, he could not deny that the offering up of Isaac, or the selling of Joseph, and his making provision for the sustenance of his brethren, are typical of events in the history of our Lord. And so indeed every event points to Christ, even as He is alike the beginning, the centre, and the end of all history—‘the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.’ One thing follows from this: only that reading or study of the Scriptures can be sufficient or profitable through which we learn to know Christ—and that as ‘the Way, the Truth, and the Life’ to us. And for this purpose we ought constantly to ask the aid and teaching of the Holy Spirit.” (Edersheim, Old Testament Bible History, pp. 2–3.)"

APPLYING TO LIFE

“Do you read the Scriptures, my brethren and sisters, as though you were writing them a thousand, two thousand, or five thousand years ago? Do you read them as though you stood in the place of the men who wrote them? If you do not feel thus, it is your privilege to do so, that you may be as familiar with the spirit and meaning of the written word of God as you are with your daily walk and conversation, or as you are with your workmen or with your households. You may understand what the Prophets understood and thought—what they designed and planned to bring forth to their brethren for their good.

“When you can thus feel, then you may begin to think that you can find out something about God, and begin to learn who he is.” (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 7:333.)"

1. A frequently quoted scripture is Isaiah 55:8–9. Many times, however, we stop at those two verses and do not read them in their full context. Read now verses 10 and 11. What does the Lord mean when He says His way of doing things is not like man’s? (Note especially v. 11.) What does He mean when He says that His word “shall accomplish that which I please,” and how does that relate to the Old Testament? How would you now answer someone who says, “The Old Testament is too difficult; it needs to be simplified and made more plain”?
2. Read again the second paragraph of Reading 1-3 and all of Reading 1-13. Ponder for a moment how we put ourselves in the place of the ancients and let the scriptures “reach deep into our souls” (Larsen, in Jacob, The Message of the Old Testament, p. xxxvi). List some practical things you can do to apply this concept in your own life as you study the Old Testament. Is this application what Nephi meant by “liken[ing] all scriptures unto us” (1 Nephi 19:23)?
3. Moroni requested those who want to know for themselves the truthfulness of the gospel to “remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam” (Moroni 10:3). Why did he make this request? What is there in the Old Testament message that is important for a person striving for a personal testimony? List four or five major practical concepts you could take from the Old Testament to learn to be a better Christian.
4. President Spencer W. Kimball admonished:

   “I urge all of the people of this church to give serious attention to their family histories, to encourage their parents and grandparents to write their journals, and let no family go into eternity without having left their memoirs for their children, their grandchildren, and their posterity. This is a duty and a responsibility, and I urge every person to start the children out writing a personal history and journal.” (“The True Way of Life and Salvation,” Ensign, May 1978, p. 4.)

   If you have not already begun to keep your personal journal, now is an excellent time to do so. Make your study of the Old Testament a part of your journal. Record special insights, things that impress you, or just the feelings you may have as you study. You will find your study of the Old Testament greatly enhanced by your journal keeping and your journal keeping greatly enhanced by your study of the Old Testament.

The Creation is a model of how we create a new person...

WE ARE LIKE HIM

President Brigham Young said:

“Man is made in the image of his maker, . . . he is His exact image, having eye for eye, forehead for forehead, eyebrows for eyebrows, nose for nose, cheekbones for cheekbones, mouth for mouth, chin for chin, ears for ears, precisely like our Father in heaven.” (In Ludlow, Latter-day Prophets Speak, p. 278.)

Though President Young spoke of man, this word applies to both male and female. Latter-day prophets have commented on the existence of a mother in heaven. The First Presidency (Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund) stated this doctrine in 1909 in the following words: “All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity.” (In Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 4:203.)

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, after quoting Genesis 1:26–27, also said, “Is it not feasible to believe that female spirits were created in the image of a ‘Mother in Heaven’?” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:144).

COMMAND TO REPLENISH

“It is true that the original meaning of the word replenish connotes something is being filled again that was once filled before: Re—again, plenus—full. Why the translators of the King James Version of the Bible used the word replenish may not be clearly known, but it is not the word used in other translations and is not the correct meaning of the Hebrew word from which the translation was originally taken. It is true that the Prophet Joseph Smith followed the King James Version in the use of this word, perhaps because it had obtained common usage among the English-speaking peoples. Replenish, however, is incorrectly used in the King James translation. The Hebrew verb is Mole [pronounced Mah-lay] . . . meaning fill, to fill, or make full. This word Mole is the same word which is translated fill in Genesis 1:22, in the King James Bible, wherein reference is made to the fish, fowl, and beasts of the earth.” (Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:208–9.)

President Spencer W. Kimball spoke of the importance of having children:

“The first commandment recorded seems to have been ‘Multiply and replenish the earth.’ Let no one ever think that the command came to have children without marriage. No such suggestion could ever have foundation. . . .

“I have told many groups of young people that they should not postpone their marriage until they have acquired all of their education ambitions. I have told tens of thousands of young folks that when they marry they should not wait for children until they have finished their schooling and financial desires. Marriage is basically for the family, and when people have found their proper companions there should be no long delay. They should live together normally and let the children come.

“There seems to be a growing feeling that marriage is for legal sex, for sex’s sake. Marriage is basically for the family; that is why we marry—not for the satisfaction of the sex, as the world around us would have us believe. When people have found their companions, there should be no long delay. Young wives should be occupied in bearing and rearing their children. I know of no scriptures where an authorization is given to young wives to withhold their families and to go to work to put their husbands through school. There are thousands of husbands who have worked their own way through school and have reared families at the same time. Though it is more difficult, young people can make their way through their educational programs.” (“Marriage is Honorable,” in Speeches of the Year, 1973, pp. 262–63.)

THE FALL

The purpose of the events discussed in Genesis 3 was summed up by Lehi when he taught, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25).

President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “Let’s thank the Lord, when we pray, for Adam. If it hadn’t been for Adam, I wouldn’t be here; you wouldn’t be here; we would be waiting in the heavens as spirits. . . .

“We are in the mortal life to get an experience, a training, that we couldn’t get any other way. And in order to become gods, it is necessary for us to know something about pain, about sickness, and about the other things that we partake of in this school of mortality"(In Conference Report, Oct. 1967, p. 122.).

“By partaking of the forbidden fruit, and thus violating the law under which he was placed, his nature was changed, and he became subject to (1) spiritual death, which is banishment from the presence of God; (2) temporal death, which is separation of spirit and body. This death also came to Eve his wife.

“Had Adam and Eve not transgressed the law given in Eden, they would have had no children.

“Because of this transgression bringing mortality, the children of Adam and Eve inherited mortal bodies and became subject to the mortal death" (Man, His Origin and Destiny, pp. 50–51.).

SATAN IS TRULY A LIAR

“The devil in tempting Eve told a truth when he said unto her that when she should eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they should become as Gods. He told the truth in telling that, but he accompanied it with a lie as he always does. He never tells the complete truth. He said that they should not die. The Father had said that they should die. The devil had to tell a lie in order to accomplish his purposes; but there was some truth in his statement. Their eyes were opened. They had a knowledge of good and evil just as the Gods have. They became as Gods; for that is one of the features, one of the peculiar attributes of those who attain unto that glory—they understand the difference between good and evil.” (Cannon, Gospel Truth, 1:16.)

"Knew not the will of God" (John Milton, Paradise Lost

“Scant knowledge is available to us of Eve (the wife of Adam) and her achievements in pre-existence and in mortality. Without question she was like unto her mighty husband, Adam, in intelligence and in devotion to righteousness, during both her first and second estates of existence. She was placed on earth in the same manner as was Adam, the Mosaic account of the Lord creating her from Adam’s rib being merely figurative. (Moses 3:20–25.)

“Eve was the first woman; she became the mother of the whole human race, her very name signifying ‘mother of all living.’ (Moses 4:26; 1 Ne. 5:11.) . . ."

BLOOD

“Adam had a spiritual body until mortality came upon him through the violation of the law under which he was living, but he also had a physical body of flesh and bones.

“. . . Now what is a spiritual body? It is one that is quickened by spirit and not by blood. . . .

“. . . When Adam was in the Garden of Eden, he was not subject to death. There was no blood in his body and he could have remained there forever. This is true of all the other creations” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:76–77).

JOY and SORROW

“He [Adam] had knowledge, of course. He could speak. He could converse. There were many things he could be taught and was taught; but under the conditions in which he was living at that time it was impossible for him to visualize or understand the power of good and evil. He did not know what pain was. He did not know what sorrow was; and a thousand other things that have come to us in this life that Adam did not know in the Garden of Eden and could not understand and would not have known had he remained there” (Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:107–8).

"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears . . . The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain . . . Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? . . . Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced. When the treasure-keeper lifts you to weigh his gold and his silver, needs must your joy or your sorrow rise or fall" (Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet Alfred A. Knopf 2001 29).

TRANSGRESSION

“Now this is the way I interpret that: The Lord said to Adam, here is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you want to stay here, then you cannot eat of that fruit. If you want to stay here, then I forbid you to eat it. But you may act for yourself, and you may eat of it if you want to. And if you eat it, you will die.

“I see a great difference between transgressing the law and committing a sin” (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Fall—Atonement—Resurrection— Sacrament,” in Charge to Religious Educators, 124).