Beautiful thoughts in Solomon's dedicatory prayer

1 Kings 8:13 - I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever.

1 Kings 8:27-29 - But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day: That thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place of which thou hast said, My name shall be there: that thou mayest hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall make toward this place.

This verse comes after Solomon lists the possible physical plagues that might come and prays for deliverance but then mentions a potent plague:

1 Kings 8:38-40 - What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men;) That they may fear thee all the days that they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.

Solomon's gifts: an understanding heart and riches?

King Solomon built the temple that David wanted to build. David has the plans and the material, but was commanded not to build the temple. When his son Solomon became king, building the temple was a singular focus. Well, really it wasn't too singular on the temple, he just decided that he needed to build a house for himself that needed to be bigger than the temple and furnished richly. Because of course you would need a large home to house 1,000 wives and concubines, it's just reality. More on that later.

Something I find interesting about Solomon is that when the Lord asked him what gift he wanted, Solomon told Him "an understanding heart." What a great thing to ask for! He received this gift which was helpful in determining the mother of a poor baby and probably many, many more issues. But, what is interesting is that along with the gift of an understanding heart, the Lord blessed him with great riches. Riches would eventually be the means of his spiritual downfall. So, the Lord gave him a spiritual gift and the Lord gave him a temporal gift. I suppose the spiritual gift could've become a downfall - pride, but it didn't.

I just think it's interesting that we are told over and over in the scriptures that if we keep the commandments we will be blessed with all sorts of things that the Lord sees fit to bless us with. Is the spiritual gift a reward for our faithfulness and are the temporal gifts and challenge to become better, to receive more spiritual gifts? Perhaps that the perspective we should have: Our spiritual gifts are gifts to use with the guidance of the spirit. Our temporal gifts are not to be seen as rewards, but gifts for us to be shepherds over, also to be used with the guidance of the spirit. Temporal gifts are tools to help us help others. Solomon seemed to use his temporal gifts, riches, to make a name for himself, in the name of the Lord. The temple was dedicated for and to the Lord, but the way it was decorated and furnished was more than the Lord needed, it was what Solomon needed.

I couldn't help thinking of how simply beautiful our temples are. They are really not something that other's seem to want to pilfer. But they are simple and beautiful and peaceful. Just what we need.

Amazing Messianic Psalms

I think these Messianic Psalms are amazing! They are fulfilled word for word at times and at least use the same words in getting the point across. How amazing it is that the Spirit revealed to the Psalmists (sometimes David, sometimes not) exact phrases and detailed events of the life and crucifixion of Christ. When Christ utters these words, it's like he's quoting himself! Enjoy!

Prophecy	Fulfillment
Psalm 107:23–30	Matthew 8:23–27. Jesus calmed the winds and the waves.
Psalm 69:8	John 1:11; 7:5. Jesus was not received by his own people.
Psalm 41:9; 55:12–14	John 13:18, 21. Jesus was betrayed by a friend.
Psalm 69:20	Mark 14:32–41. Jesus suffered alone in Gethsemane.
Psalm 22:7–8	Matthew 27:39–43. Jesus was mocked.
Psalm 22:16	Mark 15:25. Jesus was crucified.
Psalm 22:18	Matthew 27:35. The soldiers cast lots for Christ’s clothes.
Psalm 22:1	Matthew 27:46. Jesus asked the Father why he had forsaken him.
Psalm 69:21	John 19:28–30. Jesus was given vinegar for his thirst.
Psalm 34:20	John 19:33–36. None of Jesus’ bones was broken.
Psalm 31:5	Luke 23:46. Jesus commended his spirit to the Father and died.
Psalm 16:10	Acts 2:31–32; 13:34–35. The Savior’s flesh did not see corruption, being raised up in the Resurrection.

David is all royalty and loyalty

I mentioned a few weeks ago in class that David was a good example of enduring to the end, but I was wrong. I had read three or four conference talks regarding enduring to the end and studied in the scriptures about it and was making my case and looking forward to a good discussion and them I read in the Old Testament study guide these exact words: David is not a good example of enduring to the end. My balloon popped and I’m grateful the Spirit popped it because it was my balloon (Lisa's doctrine) and not the Lord’s.

The definition of one who endures to the end is one who merits (with the overwhelming aid of Christ) eternal life. David was responsible for taking Uriah’s life, which does not merit eternal life.

However, I have been overwhelmed at David’s persistence in praising the Lord for mercy and justice. How often have we seen in out study of the Old Testament the people leave gospel teaching and worship, they turn to idolatry, to other Gods who they made to rationalize and justify their wickedness. David does not do this. David repents and implores the aid of the Lord of the earth. He commits two horrible sins affecting many other lives, but he continues to worship the one true Lord.

Is this hypocrisy?

We are all hypocrites at one time or another, so let’s not condemn each other of such a judgment for that would be hypocritical, right? It is the life of a human and it is the life we are asked to take part in. Whether our circumstances come because of other’s choices or because of our own short-sighted choices, we are asked to repent. It’s part of the plan: we can repent and allow others their repentance as well and not condemn them.

In Psalms 51:12-14, David tells the Lord that after he is forgiven he will teach the people about the one true Lord and about Salvation. This is the same sentiment we see in The Book of Mormon when the people of Alma are converted and when Alma the younger is converted and many others. David does quite a good job with this for the people of his time (he ruled and judged Israel according to gospel principles) as well as recording the Psalm to help convert us.

Despite the demands of justice, of which David is aware, he still sees his life as his time to prepare to meet God and HE DOES NOT GIVE UP ON THIS even though he has broken covenants. He maintains hope that the only God of the people who has power to save him is the Lord. Not only does he maintain hope in the Savoir for his own life, but he promises to teach others about it. Us, namely.

I see David either authoring or agreeing with this statement in Psalms 84:10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand [ftnt:anywhere else]. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. What wonderful eternal perspective and an example of hope and faith.

So, while David did not technically endure to the end, his loyalty remained with the Lord, and as we see in Psalms 86 (David’s soul redeemed from hell) he is blessed for it.

Psalms, not so intimidating

The reading for this lesson is all 150 Psalms. I tried, but only got through 100 then the highlights after that. I learned a lot from what I read and feel that I need to rejoice more than I do. After this post I am going to post about David.

The Savior testified of the importance of the Psalms, specifically because of the Messianic prophecies contained within the book of songs and poetry. When he met the two apostles on the road to Emmaus and joined them for the sacrament this is what he tells them

Luke 24:44-48

The Lord specifically names the book of Psalms and something the apostles should be familiar with. Therefore, so should we.

It is interesting that even his apostles didn’t grasp the meaning of the prophecies or their fulfillment, which is not to say that they were dense, but they were just not ready. How blessed are we to have the two accounts, the prophecies and the fulfillment thereof, so that if we choose to be ready, the information is there.

It has been a blessing fro me to read through all of these Psalms, though they are not the easiest to read, one after another because there is not much of a storyline or context. But here is what I learned.

· Principle doctrines regarding personal salvation are in Psalms. For instance: faith, repentance, priesthood, scriptures, prayer, personal relationship with the Lord, sins to avoid, judgment, mercy

· Praising the Lord needs to happen more often, this is not just a recitation of blessings, though that is a powerful and gracious reminder, it is what the Lord has done for your salvation

· Hebrew words like “selah” or “neginoth” are not meant to be intimidating words to stop us from understanding. They indicate what to do in the song concerning voices and instruments

· New Testament quotes the Psalm over 115 times, often to indicate fulfillment of the prophecies given in Psalms

Where does jealousy come from?

The story of Saul, David and Jonathan is one in the Old Testament that is not hard to figure out how to apply. There are many lessons within this soap opera situation, but the general themes seem to be jealousy, friendship and loyalty.

It is so interesting to think about where Saul's jealousy comes from. If we take the account sequentially, Saul is not aware (that we know of) of David anointing to be King after Saul, until after David slays Goliath at least. So, our first indication that Saul is jealous of David comes after Saul appoint David to lead his armies and there is another Philistine battle, where David slays more than Saul. Saul jealousy begins with David slaying more than Saul and didn't have much to do with succession of the throne at this point. (1 Sam 18:5-9).

Saul was chosen by the Lord to be the first King in Israel. He was admired by the people and had many talents and was very tall. He was anointed to be captain over Israel, though he was later called King. The anointing was a symbol of the endowment of the spirit from God and the monarchy became a Divine Institution to help fulfill the purposes of God.

It did not take long for Saul’s power to go to his head. And while he tried to do the right things, he did them without proper authority. He offered sacrifices without holding the proper priesthood, he did not wait for Samuel to come and preside over the sacrifices. This was inexcusable in the Lord’s eyes and from this point lost the endowment of the spirit and was rejected by the Lord. When Saul was confronted by the prophet Samuel, Saul said that he "feared the people and obeyed their voice" (1 Sam 15: 24). Saul asked for forgiveness, but sacrificing without proper authority was unforgivable. He was rejected of the Lord and the gift of the spirit was withdrawn.

This is where I believe Saul's jealousy began. It began with shame and guilt for doing something against the Lord's will. The jealousy of David became the manifestation for this. Jealousy tends to turn focus from changing and improving oneself to blaming others. Saul could never overcome this. He tried, he even swore not to kill David. But he could only focus on things that he didn't have instead of things that he did have (which is how Heavenly Father sees us according to Joseph Smith).

President Ezra Taft Benson gave a life-changing talk "Beware of Pride" he said that with prideful people, the praise of men rings more loudly than the praise of God. I have thought a lot about this. It is obvious what the praise of men is, but how do we recognize the praise of God for us and what do we do with that recognition. It almost seems incorrect to say that God has praise for me, but I really believe that he does. Not only does he have praise for us, but recognizing that praise is essential in our well-being, image and peace. It is not something that we have to report to anyone, in fact we should probably be like Mary and ponder it in our hearts, just letting that confirmation rest between me and the Lord. But if we can figure out how to recognize praise from the Lord, I think we can avoid the jealousy trap that Saul was in.

Samson, Samson, Samson

I thought I had posted on Samson the week I taught that lesson, but apparently I didn't. Here are belated thoughts on Samson:

I will be honest, the story of Samson frustrated me. I had such a hard time figuring out what to teach in this lesson. It seems pretty straight forward, but it really didn't make spiritual sense to me. Here's why: The Lord blessed Samson with great physical strength and was foretold to deliver Israel from their oppressors. His mother dedicated him to the Lord as a Nazarite, with specific covenants and laws to keep to show his dedication (cannot cut hair, cannot drink strong drinks, and cannot be around dead bodies). Samson grew with great strength, spiritually and physically. But then Samson made a choice to break a covenant with the Lord. He married outside of his tribe/faith.

But even though he did this, the scriptures tell us that the Lord was still with Samson and he was able to perform great feats of strength. In fact, every time Samson showed physical strength, it says "and the Lord was with him." In between each strength, Samson did something else that violated covenants or law, yet the Lord was still with him. This does not make any sense to me. The only way this makes sense is that Samson had a purpose to fulfill and the Lord allowed him to maintain his strength until His will was fulfilled. After pondering this and feeling pressure to figure out how to present a lesson that just didn't make sense, here's what makes sense to me:

Samson is an antithetical type of Christ:

Both births were announced by angel

Both given a purpose of deliverance – both spiritual and physical

Both grew up dedicated to God

But when given the chance to keep his covenants and covenants of Israel, Samson chose differently:

Samson killed, Christ helped live

Samson focused on self, Chirst focues outward

Samson gave in the temptation, Christ did not

Samson set aside covenants, Christ live the covenant even though he was to fulfill it

Samson’s motives were revenge, branching from pride (shouldn’t be treated this way)

Christ’s motive were love, even for those who did wrong to him.

It seems to me that Samson's purpose is: To show the world that you can’t deliver a people only physically (Samson), it must be spiritually as well (Christ).

What I Love aAout Ruth

My comment this week isn't a very long one. The book of Ruth is an exception to much of the Old Testament in that it is pretty straight forward. I love this story of integrity, compassion, love, hope, living within the law, charity and trust. But, here is what I love the most this time:

Ruth is from Moab. Isn't that great? At the end of the book of Ruth we find out that she has a son named Obed who is the father of Jesse, who is the father of David. King David. The line in which Christ comes through. The great thing about Ruth being from Moab is that the Moabites worshipped a variety of Gods. When Ruth told Naomi that Naomi's God would be her God, Ruth converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She did not belong to the tribes of Israel - the Lord's "chosen people." I find this incredibly significant!! In the New Testament, the Pharisees and Saducees and it seems the general Jewish population regarded highly only those who were from true lines descending from the tribes of Israel. Christ comes from a line a Moabite becomes part of the tribe of Israel only through conversion/adoption. So, technically he does not come from a pure line. Isn't this great?!? How wonderfully symbolic is it that the Savior of ALL mankind comes from a women of high integrity outside of the tribes of Israel. How truly wonderful that his own ancestry includes those who are open enough to accept Him, who are not as we say these days "born in the covenant." I think it gives hope to all and teaches us to be careful to not create our own expectations or putting limits on the Lord, but to follow the spirit and will of the Lord as it comes. Which means we need to live in a way so we can do that. We need to practice feeling the spirit, create our own opportunities to do that, so that when we are called by the Lord, we will know it. Like Ruth, like the original (and modern) twelve apostles, like a Primary teacher. Whenever and where ever.

Readings for May 31-June 4

"All the city doth know that thou art a virtuous woman."

Mon, May 31: Ruth 1

Tues, June 1: Ruth 2

Wed, June 2: Ruth 3

Thurs, June 3: Ruth 4

Fri, June 4: 1 Sam 1

What happens when there is no prophet

The reign of the Judges is just that - leadership given by God, but not under the Melchizedek Priesthood. Even after the Children of Israel turn to worshipping idols - again - and the Lord's anger turned hot against them and let their enemies do what they want, the Lord still offers help in the form of Judges. Even though Israel forgets the Lord, he still has reason to preserve Israel and maintain some political power.

Judges are mainly military leaders, but also act as civic leaders filling the judiciary, executive and legislative duties. The Judges that were most successful were those that turned to the Lord for help and were humble. The tribes of Israel were not a cohesive unit during these 200 years, though sometimes they helped each other. A judge was over a region, and therefore might be a few judges at a time. It is interesting to me that although we see the cycle of peace and apostasy many times during the reign of Judges, there were extended periods of time with peace. The Children of Israel have a bad reputation for being disobedient, but the consecutive years for peace ranged from 20-80 years, and the consecutive years for unrest ranged from 3-40 years. The total years of peace outnumber the total years of unrest. So, Israel knew how to be peaceful and how to keep covenants, it's just unfortunate they had to go through the cycle many times.

I had a hard time with this lesson. There are parts of the Bible that i wish we knew exactly what is a correct translation or not. This is one of those parts. How lucky we are to have Mormon rehearse a story and then say "And thus we see. . " and he tells us the meaning of the story. So many stories in the Old Testament just do not make sense with how we know the gospel today. The story of Samson is one of those stories. I think I must have brooded too much over this, but in chapter 4 of Judges we are told that marrying outside of the covenant was "of the Lord" and I just couldn't figure out why, in addition to "the Spirit of the Lord" coming upon him when performing a physical feat, when he obviously broke his covenants. After thinking about why the Lord would help Samson even though he is doing unrighteous things, here's what I think. I think Samson is an antithetical type of Christ. They have things in common in the beginning, but not toward the end.

Both the birth of the Savior and the birth of Samson were announced by an angel.

Both Samson and the Savior were given calls to deliver Israel.

Both Samson grew up dedicated to God.

But when Samson came of age and considered marrying, he chose a different way than the Savior.

Samson killed, Christ helped people live.

Samson focused on himself, Christ focused outward.

Samson gave into temptation, Christ did not.

Samson set aside covenants, Christ lived within the covenant even though he knew he would be the one to fulfill the covenant.

Samson's motives were revenge, branching from pride, Christ's motives were love even to those who did wrong to him.

The bottom line is, Samson was sent to do a job and was blessed with great physical strength to do it. He was also blessed with spiritual strength, but he chose to use physical strength to accomplish the goal himself. His strength actually became his weakness. In addition to many other possible lessons, I think we are to learn that deliverance doesn't come with physical strength or by anything we think of on our own. Deliverance comes physically and spiritually and the only one who can help us with that is the Savior. I think it is a point to the later Jews who were looking for a Savior to save them politically. They assumed that they didn't need a spiritual Savior because they were living the life of sacrifices and laws. But the Savior came to save us spiritually and physically as well.

There is so much more that I learned from this lesson. It was impossible to discuss all the connection that were given to me. But I am so thankful for those connections and for the source.

Idols, idols, idols

Being loyal to the Lord seems to be a prevalent theme throughout the Old Testament, which is understandable considering human nature. For us, we at least have history to support our belief. But for the Israelites and other people during that time, their belief was based on prophecy. I can see how hard it would be to forget their God, without having anything but prophecy to support. Not that we don't have that problem today. In fact Moses said we would. In Deut 4:29-30, we are told that we will have these problems in the latter-days:

But if from thence thou shalt ^aseek the Lord thy God, thou shalt ^bfind him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

30 When thou art in ^atribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the ^blatter days, if thou ^cturn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

Here is a list I came up with as motivations behind idolatry:

1. PRIDE: Deut 8:13-18

2. ENTITILEMENT –

3. UNGRATEFULLNESS Deut 8:14

4. LIVE IN THE NOW /FORGET THE MIRACLES OF THE LORD – Deut 8:15-16

5. Seeing is believing – FAITHLESSNESS Deut 4:15-16

6. All this leads to DISOBEDIENCE Deut 8:20

7. LACK OF WORK – Deut 6:10-12 physical and spiritual

8. FEAR as we know it. Deut 32:15-17 Fear because of sin. Men trying to avoid the discomfort of the fear of consequences. Let’s make idols that do not make us feel uncomfortable.

Here is a list of ways to avoid idolatry:

1. LOVE the Lord thy God Deut 6:4-6

2. TEACH the words of the Lord. Especially to your children. Deut 6:7 Family Home evening quote. Plug FHE on church website.

3. Keep the word of the Lord with you, in your heart and with you always. Deut 6:8-9. READ THE SCRIPTURES. A work about phylacteries. What is the difference between a symbol and an idol? While we do not know if the Lord intended for the children of Israel to make these small boxes for their heads and hands, I think they did so with good intent. Though through the years, they evolved from a symbol and reminder of faith, to a showing artifact indicating supposed faith. The Savior accuses the Pharisees in Matthew 23:1-5. We need to be careful of this as well. Be mindful of why you come to church. Do you come because what would people say if you didn’t, or do you come to learn. Do you have pictures of Christ or the temple in your house because all good Latter-day Saints have such pictures in their homes or do you do it for reminders and respect.

4. KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS (the words keep the commandments or statutes are mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy at least 25 times). Deut 6: 17-19

5. This implies WORK Deut 11: 13-15. The Lord will uphold his promise to bring them into the Promised land, but then in 16-17 makes sure they know that if they do not continue to love the Lord and serve him, He will not bless the land and in the end will scatter the tribes of Israel for their lack of loyalty.

6. “REMEMBER all the way which the Lord thy God led thee” Deut 8:2 Multiple times throughout Deuteronomy the Lord rehearses what he did for the Children of Israel. Not only should you remember them, but you should teach your children about them. What better place can children learn from than a trusted parent. Duet 6:20-25 BE OBEDIENT. Prophets of all time have taken this to heart. Nephi, The Lord himself in 3 Ne and the D&C, Jacob, Abinadi, Nephi the son of Helaman, Alma, even King Limhi, Paul, and Luke.

7. GIVE THANKS Deut 8:10

8. FOLLOW THE RIGHT PROPHET DEUT 13:1-3 Also, KNOW THERE IS A PURPOSE AND A PROVING

9. Know that REPETITION IS GOOD. Brigham Young quote.

10. Pray for an ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. Deut 32:29 “O that they were wise that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!”

Make up post: Bondage, Exodus and Passover

I am fascinated with the Children of Israel. I think I am fascinated with them because they always seems to miss the obvious. But that's not really being fair to them because I can read about their experiences and predicament in one day, whereas they had to live through every moment. Another reason they are a fascinating people is they are whiners like we are. Yup, we are whiners.

• The Egyptians hold the Israelites in bondage. We are held in bondage (whether by our own actions or the actions of others).
• The Israelites accept their bondage, get comfortable, but still look forward to being released from bondage as per prophecy. We sometimes get comfortable with our bondage/lot in life, but have a great hope that someday we will be free or that there will be a change.
• They are told that they will be freed so they stop fulfilling their responsibilities. We assume things will happen that fast too and do not continue with our responsibilities.
• They are punished with more and harder work. So are we, which may make us want to give up even more.
• They are obedient to what Moses tells them to do in order to escape. Their hearts are in it at the time, but not for the long haul. Ditto for us at times.
• They are given the Passover, the great symbol of the Savior's sacrifice and help for the obedient, which will happen in the future, are asked to believe and act. We are given the doctrine of the Savior's sacrifice which happened in the past and are asked to believe and act.
• They are told to teach their children about the Passover - in word and deed. We are told to teach our children about the Savior - in word and deed.
• Israelites are the recipient of many miracles and are made aware of the author of such miracles. We too are the recipient of many miracles, and are made aware through some channels, if we listen, but since many of our miracles are more individualized (at least that we know of, in comparison) we have a great responsibility to acknowledge where the miracles come from. I suppose they did too.
• The Israelites had these momentous experiences to teach them and give them hope and inspire them. We have these experiences too. But like the Israelites, sometimes we live in that momentous moment but we do not let them change us. We deny the very purpose of that experience by marking it in our journals, telling other people about it, but then go back to our habits and comforts of knowing where we were yesterday. We whine that we either have to change (requiring work) or that we must do something (work) or that it's not what we want, it's not how we pictured life to be.

Well, quit whining and change! Here's my favorite quote from Elder Holland about whining: "No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won't make it worse." Ensign, May 2007

Readings for May 10-14

"Beware Lest Thou Forget"

Mon, May 10: Deut 6

Tues, May 11: Deut 8

Wed, May 12: Deut 11

Thurs, May 13: Deut 32

No, seriously

It's been nearly a month since I've posted anything. We've just had another Stake conference, which means that I will be two weeks behind some people, but I am re-commiting myself to at least one weekly post. I will be doing some make-up posts since I am recording my ramblings as journal entries, then will catch up to this week, which for me in Numbers 22-24. It's a good thing I believe (and I hope you do too) in mercy!

New Deal

I apologize for my lack of posting if any out there are even following. We've had a death in the family and viruses on my computer. Also, my new calling is Gospel Doctrine teacher and I haven't figured out how to keep this blog on schedule with my own schedule. Our ward had a Stake Conference in January, so the blog was ahead of my ward's lessons, which was fine when I wasn't teaching them. I've tried to figure out how to keep up with the blog while being a week behind with real time lessons, but I just can't make it work without stressing myself out. So, I am going to put the blog behind a week, so I don't go crazy. Sometime, we will all be on the same week, and I trust you will comment on lessons you've already had. Perhaps you can help me with insights for my lesson prep!

So the current week is still the Exodus, Bondage and Passover.

Reading Mar 22-26

"Bondage, Passover and Exodus"

Mon, Mar 22: Exodus 1-3
Tues, Mar 23: Exodus 5-6
Wed, Mar 24: Exodus 11-12
Thurs, Mar 25: Exodus 13-14

My computer is down

My computer has a virus or two or many. I will not be able to post this week. The readings are Genesis 40-45, about Joseph's dream interpretations. Hopefully I will be able to post later this week. I must go before the computer tells me it's sick again!

"How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?"

The theme for this week is: “How can I do this Great Wickedness?” This quote is from Joseph when Potiphar’s wife tempted him to lie with her. I’ll get to that later.

I am constantly amazed at how different my children are, the first two especially. I’m sure that Jacob and his wives were even more amazed since they had twelve! Joseph, Jacob’s second to the youngest, was of such a character that he was the favorite of his father. We do not know exactly the individual characters of his brothers, but they were angry enough to conspire against him when Joseph told them that they would someday bow down to him as was shown in his dreams.

Here is what happens to Joseph: he it thrown in a pit by his brothers (after being persuaded not to kill him), sold into Egyptian slavery, was supposed dead by his father, was a profitable slave to Potiphar, but because of his goodness Potiphar’s was attracted to him and wanted him to lie with her. He refused and Potiphar’s wife exacted revenge by framing him and he is jailed.

Here are the good things: Joseph’s progress toward dream fulfillment begins because his brothers hate him and sell him into slavery. Because Joseph lives with the Lord in his life, he is protected and blessed in his circumstances: he becomes trusted by Potiphar, he is responsible for more that he could have been at home, he is respected by all around him. While in jail, the Lord remained with him (meaning Joseph continued to live as he should in rotten circumstances), and was looked upon kindly by the jail keeper.

So, here is what I thought of through this week’s reading: all good doesn’t come from only living a virtuous life. Good comes from making what you can of your life and the influence others have on you. Did the Lord WANT Joseph to be hated by his brothers? Did the Lord want Potiphar’s wife to frame him? The Lord is not the author of sin, so He wouldn’t create those circumstances, but those circumstances don’t need a creator, they just happen because we are a fallen people, subject to the symptoms of humanity. Hard and hurtful things happen because of other people’s choices and those things may change our lives. But if we live so that the Lord is with us, we will prosper in one way or another. So, the key is not asking, “Why does the Lord allow this to happen? Or Why did the Lord do this to me?” (though there is some value in asking those questions, focusing on the questions only will stunt growth, living to find answers will bring understanding). But asking like Joseph, “How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” or “How can I remain in faithfulness with God?” and then act according to promptings.

Readings Mar 8-12

"How Can I Do This Great Wickedness?"

Mon, Mar 8: Genesis 34

Tues, Mar 9: Genesis 37

Wed, Mar 10: Genesis 38

Thurs, Mar 11: Genesis 39

What is a marriage covenant?

What is a marriage covenant? It’s a covenant with God. Yes, you covenant with each other, but it is a covenant with God. I need to think of marriage more like that. Thinking of my marriage as a covenant with God, and then to my husband makes my marriage more spiritual and more meaningful. It makes my marriage more heavenly and less earthly, which makes me less selfish and snotty. Notice that the title for this lesson is “Marriage IN the covenant” not “marriage IS the covenant.” Marriage IN the covenant tells us that we are to live in a manner that would lead us to the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant. One of those things is marriage by the proper legal and spiritual authority.

Why is it important that we know about Abraham and his covenant marriage, Isaac and his covenant marriage and Jacob and his covenant marriage? Because covenant marriage is established with them. Because their marriages give my marriage hope and life and a better way to live and perceive.

I love the story of Abraham’s servant finding Rebekah for Jacob. It just seems that every thing works out for everybody and not because it just works out, but because everyone involved is living how they should, that Abraham teaches his servants and sons correct principles and they choose to live them.

My thoughts are short this week. It’s been a nutty week. Thanks for your comments Kaye!

Reading Mar 1-5

I'm late! Sorry!

"Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant"

Tues, March 2: Genesis 24

Wed, March 3: Genesis 25 - 26

Thurs, March 4: Genesis 27

Fri, March 5: Genesis 28 - 29

Sarah, Abraham and Isaac

Sarah is a very interesting character to me. She is a faithful women. She had to be to be the wife of Abraham. There’s always the adage that, behind every great man is an even greater woman. Though we don’t have a lot of information about Sarah, though more than most scriptural women, we don’t know exactly what she was like. I think it’s interesting that some of the passages about her portray her as faithless and pushy. She may have been, at least in the situation with Hagar, Ishmael and Isaac. In Gen. 21:9-13 Sarah is bothered by the possibility of Ishmael receiving all of his father’s inheritance so she tells Abraham “cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.” While her method of delivery might not have been socially pleasing, the Lord agreed with the result. Abraham was worried about casting them out, but the Lord said,

“Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”

This situation is a good example of the necessity of different, very human, personalities to bring forth gospel purposes. There are many examples in the scriptures of people who don’t exactly conform to gospel standards, yet propel learning and growth. I think that it is common to have a “spiritual persona” expectation. For example, a spiritual persona might be someone who is humble, quiet, but wise, helpful, understands their purpose and is obedient. But someone else might think a “spiritual persona” is someone who speaks their mind, valiantly fights for peace, is obedient but not quiet. Maybe it’s the difference between Captain Moroni and the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s. They are obedient and valiant, but in different ways. So, Sarah, just because she “laughs” or was pushy, doesn’t mean she’s not fulfilling her purpose or helping others fulfill theirs. It takes all kinds, right?

Enough cannot be said of the sacrifice Abraham is asked to make. After being a near victim of unrighteous and unnecessary sacrifice to nonexistent gods, years later Abraham is asked to sacrifice Isaac. I will refer again to the scripture that says: (Gen 18:17-18) the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and might nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.” The Lord knows Abraham, as well as Isaac. Asking both Abraham and Isaac to take part in human sacrifice was definitely a mortal test and surely was full of emotion and grief. But I also wonder if Abraham had so much spiritual wisdom (since the Lord did not “hide from Abraham that thing which I do”) that the emotion and grief were a bit muted or at least counter balanced (compared to how I would react anyway). This really speaks much of what kind of father Abraham must have been to Isaac, for Isaac to comply to the command as well.

Come to think of it, what are the current commands for sacrifice for Abraham’s time? It must be of the first born (which technically was Ishmael), it must be animal (never has the Lord asked a human life except for himself) among other details. I can’t image that asking to sacrifice Isaac made much sense to Abraham, emotionally or doctrinally. I wonder when Abraham said, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb,” if he knew exactly which Lamb he was talking about. Did he know he needed to do this as a type? When he was at that point with the knife in his hand, was he thinking of the now or the future. Was this more of a test for Isaac, to mold him into the prophet he would become? Probably all of the above. What a blessing it is to have these men as examples of obedience and being one with the will of the Lord.

Integrity and "After all you can do"

I find it interesting that this reading begins with Abraham 1 which describes the method and victims (children and virgins) of sacrifice from the Pharaohs and Egyptian, Abraham included as one of the sacrifices. The last two chapters are about Abraham receiving Isaac as a son and then being asked to sacrifice Isaac in the very same method (though different motive) the Egyptians were sacrificing children to their idols.

In the beginning of Genesis 17, Abraham is commanded to be perfect. The footnote for perfect refers us to “integrity” in the Topical Guide. Yes, Abraham needed integrity for the experiences that were coming his way. But, before I get to that, I want to say a little bit about Sarah and Hagar.

These two women must have been very good women. Both of them very full of faith. Abraham and Sarah were told that they would bear children and have a great posterity, but it just wasn’t happening. So I believe that Sarah, in effort to help the Lord fulfill his promise, offered Hagar, her handmaid, to bear a child with Abraham. Previous to this read through I thought that Sarah might have given up, but it struck me this time around as an “after all you can do” (2 Ne 25:23) situation. Sarah was doing all that she could do to fulfill the Lord’s command, so was Hagar and so was Abraham. As we come to find out the Hagar (and Abraham and Sarah) did receive the grace of the Lord for their efforts for Ishmael also was blessed with a great posterity.

I think I’ll write about Abraham and Isaac’s sacrifice in a different post.

A great phrase

I began the reading this week and really liked this phrase in Abraham 1:15 "the angel of his presence stood by me." You usually don't hear the add-on "of his presence" when somebody says angel, but that is what they are (or the Spirit), the angel of his presence. What a lovely phrase.

Readings Feb 22-26

"God Will Provide Himself a Lamb"

Mon, Feb 22: Abraham 1

Tues, Feb 23: Genesis 15, Genesis 16

Wed, Feb 24: Genesis 17

Thurs, Feb 25: Genesis 21

Fri, Feb 26: Genesis 22

One more thing: Lot

I'm actually typing this a week after I posted about this lesson. We just had this lesson today and it bothered me a little that Lot gets such a bad rap sometimes. Yes, he faced the door of his tent toward Sodom – does that mean he liked the things going on in Sodom? I don’t think so. We were (and often are) asked “What are the things we do to face our tents toward unrighteousness?” Answers like, listening to bad music, being unkind, financial irresponsibility and such come forth. The thing is, Lot lived in Sodom, but he was the one told to get out of the city before it’s destruction, which means the Lord communicated with him. He was the one that received the three ‘men’, he was the one who would not let his daughters be ravaged by the men outside his door. In fact, 2 Peter 2:6-7 says this:

“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And deliver just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked; (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing a hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.

The footnote to the first “vexed” states: “oppressed by the outrageous behavior of the lawless”. So, just for the record, well, my record at least, Lot was a righteous man. Perhaps his door faced Sodom because he prayed over them as soon as he walked out. Maybe he didn’t. But knowing where his door faces, to me, is not enough evidence to judge him.

Living Righteously in a Wicked World- with a hint of soap opera

Abraham is a great example of that. As I mentioned in last week’s post, he was perfect – or whole. He followed the commandments and used the atonement so far as he was commanded to do. He rescues his brother (brother’s son, Lot), he partakes of the sacrament with Melchizedek, he pays tithes to Melchizedek. Abraham even refused to take goods which he reclaimed for Sodom because he didn’t want to be beholden to the king (smart man). He is ready for heavenly visitors and treats them with honor and respect and actually listens to them. He feeds them with the best they have, with no thought of recourse. Then ultimately in Gen 18:17-18 the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and might nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” The answer essentially is no, because Abraham is so obedient and teaches his children the right way, that there is no need to keep anything from him. I would say that this is living righteously in a wicked world.

Sarah is an interesting example of living righteously in a wicked world. She is told by the three angels that she will have a son. The scriptures say she laughed within herself because she had passed the time of having children. The scriptures make it seem as if she is rebuked for laughing, but I think she is just getting an education. She is of the world (how can my old body, that obviously is not equipped anymore with necessities for childbirth, have a child?), but not of the world (she realized that there really is nothing too hard for the Lord v14). I wonder that the word fear used in v 15 is not being afraid, but knowing truth.

Negotiations between the Lord and Abraham in Ch 18 are interesting. I am so intrigued with this. When I read through it this time, it occurred to me that there are other instances in the scriptures where the Lord does let the righteous die and there are instances where the Lord destroys wicked cities. Mostly I thought of Alma and Amulek, when they had to witness the death of righteous people. Amulek asked Alma why they could not use their power to save the people and Alma said that the “Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand. . and he doth suffer that they may do this thing. . . that the judgements which he shall exercise upon [the persecuters] in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them,” Alma14:11. Why is it in that instance, the righteous were allowed to die, but in the instance of Sodom and Gomorrah (the city all evil is compared to), the whole wicked city might be saved for the sake of ten righteous people? Then as it turns out, most of the people saved from Sodom were not that righteous. Many lessons I have listened to on this subject teach about the mercy of the Lord in saving a whole city for the purpose of a few righteous. But comparing it with the story of Alma and Amulek (and others in The Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants) I wonder if it’s another example of mercy and wisdom and the will of the Lord. I have to think about this more.

Pillar of Salt I have to say a bit about this because it is just so curious. I read a bit in the student manual about how the area of Sodom and Gomorrah is under part of the Dead Sea somewhere and since it is a very salty sea, perhaps Lot’s wife turning to salt was a foreshadowing. Maybe. Though I don’t think that’s important. Lot and his family were specifically commanded “look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed” 19:17. Lot then tells the messengers that he cannot escape to the mountains, he should go to a small town (missed the point). Lot’s wife then turns around to look at Sodom and Gomorrah so she was turned to a pillar of salt. Whether her demise is literal or figurative, it doesn’t matter. She did perish, and it was because she disobeyed an express commandment. If you are going to live righteously in a wicked world, and especially if the Lord provides an escape for you (he does for all of us), live righteously and don’t look back!

Readings Feb 15-19

Living Righteously in a Wicked World

Mon, Feb 15: Genesis 13

Tues, Feb 16: Genesis 14

Wed, Feb 17: Genesis 18

Thurs, Feb 18: Genesis 19

Additional reading: Genesis 12; Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 14:25–40; 19:9–15.

Answers

I’ve looked for the answer to my questions, and here’s what I came up with:

Why did we need, or why did the Lord need, someone to be the father of all nations? A few reasons. Abraham was told that Christ would come through his lineage. That needed to be established. Not only did this important declaration/prophecy need to be written, but that other tribes with other purposes needed to be defined. There’s more to this answer, but I have to think on it more.

Why did he need to appoint someone to be the father of the literal seed, when many are adopted into the family? The literal seed is both literal and adopted. When we make covenants, particularly in celestial marriage, we are renewing the covenant of Abraham and the blessings thereof for ourselves. When we are baptized, we are adopted into the descendants of Abraham as if we are literal.

Why was Abraham the one to covenant with and not Adam?

I don’t really know the answer to this except that it was Abraham’s calling. Adam made covenants with the Father, but Abraham had the promise that his descendants would have the promises too.

Why is a covenant necessary, in this instance and in all others?

Covenants give us direction, which Heavenly Father wants us to have. Some people look upon them as a burden, or repressive, but they are really there for guidance. In the instance of Abraham, it seems to me that the covenant is a guidance for a people in general and also for individuals guidance. Also, we need to have something that holds us accountable.

What is special about the land of Canaan?

Abraham never inhabited the land of Canaan, or Palestine, so what did the Lord mean? The answer comes straight from the Old Testament Student Study Guide (which reference comes from Doctrines of Salvation): “The time would eventually come, after the resurrection from the dead, when Abraham and his children who have been faithful in the keeping of the commandments of the Lord, should possess that land, and they shall also spread forth as far as it is necessary for them to receive an inheritance.”

Good stuff. Covenants.