Moses 5-8 Moses 5:5 - PowerPoint Presentation

Moses 5-8 Moses 5:5 “ The Firstlings of Their Flocks ” “The word ‘firstlings’ puts certain qualifications and restrictions and even determines the quality of faith that is used in offering the sacrifice. ‘ Firstling’ does not necessarily denote the oldest of the flock, but the firstborn of its particular mother . A ‘firstling’ is a male , the ‘first to open the matrix’ of its mother (Ex. 13:2; 34:19). Each mother in her lifetime could produce only one firstling, but a flock of sheep could have several firstlings born each year. The owner would have to know his flock . There would have to be records kept and identification of mothers and their offspring (Robert J. Matthews, “The Doctrine of the Atonement,” in studies in Scripture, Volume 2: The Pearl of Great Price, ed. Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (1985), 118-19).

Because spiritual events can be discerned only by spiritual senses. Fortunately, there were some who understood the spiritual significance of sacrifices. For four thousand years every believer who raised a knife to slay the firstborn of his flock might momentarily identify with the Father of us all. Which of these pastors could thrust his blade with glacial emotion into the warm flesh of a lamb he had lovingly nurtured --- and perhaps on occasion defended from both element and enemy --- and not wince when the pulsating blood stained his cold steel?

On such occasion the hearts of both sheep and shepherd were pierced. As significant as was the symbolism of this moment, however, the lasting lesson was not of the mind, but of the heart. We can never understand the passionate symbolism of this event by cold logic alone; it must be felt. Every herdsman who looked forward to a Redeemer would undergo his own spiritual catharsis, his own broken heart. By such experience, he would begin to feel, however small those swellings might be, the depth of sacrifice yet to be made in the meridian of time (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement , 281).

Fortunately, there were some who understood the spiritual significance of sacrifices. For four thousand years every believer who raised his knife to slay the firstborn of his flock might momentarily identify with the Father of us all. Which of these pastors could thrust his blade with glacial emotion into the warm flesh of a lamb he had lovingly nurtured --- and perhaps on occasion defended from both element and enemy --- and not wince when the pulsating blood stained his cold steel? On such an occasion the hearts of both sheep and shepherd were pierced. As significant as was the symbolism of this moment, however, the lasting lesson was not of the mind, but of the heart. We can never understand the passionate symbolism of this event by cold logic alone; it must be felt. Every herdsman who looked forward to a Redeemer would undergo his own spiritual catharsis, his own broken heart. By such experience, he would begin to feel, however small those swellings might be, the depth of sacrifice yet to be made in the meridian of time (Tad R. Callister, The Infinite Atonement , 281).

Moses 5:5-6 Adam and Eve were Obedient ! Obedience is heaven’s first law ( Gospel Ideals (1953), 484). President Ezra Taft Benson taught, “ The great test of life is obedience to God ” (Conference Report, Apr. 1988, 3; or Ensign, May 1988, 6). Obey small things, obey all things!

Even though Adam and Eve taught their children the gospel (Moses 5:12), Cain and others chose to live unrighteous. What can we do to help ourselves bear the pain when loved ones go astray? What can we do to help these loved ones?

Elder Richard G. Scott Counseled : “Many of you have heavy hearts because a son or daughter, husband or wife, has turned from righteousness to pursue evil. My message is for you. “Your life is filled with anguish, pain, and, at times, despair. I will tell you how you can be comforted by the Lord. “ First, you must recognize two foundation principles : “1. While there are many things you can do to help a loved one in need, there are some things that must be done by the Lord . “2. Also, no enduring improvement can occur without righteous exercise of agency. Do not attempt to override agency. The Lord himself would not do that. Forced obedience yields no blessings (Doctrine & Covenants 58:26-33).

“ I will suggest seven ways you can help .” “ First , love without limitations…. Second , do not condone the transgressions, but extend every hope and support to the transgressor… Third , teach truth…. Fourth , honestly forgive as often as is required…. Fifth , pray trustingly. ‘The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much’ (James 5:16)…. Sixth , keep perspective….When the things you realistically can do to help are done, leave the matter in the hands of the Lord and worry no more. Do not feel guilty because you cannot do more. Do not waste your energy on useless worry….In time, you will feel impressions and know how to give further help. You will find more peace and happiness, will not neglect others that need you, and will be able to give greater help because of that eternal perspective…. “ One last suggestion --- Never give up on a loved one, never !” (Conference Report, Apr. 1988, 69-71).

“ Hope for Parents of Wayward Children, Also Called “A Precious Promise ” “The Prophet Joseph Smith declared --- and he never taught a more comforting doctrine --- that the eternal sealing of faithful parents and the divine promises made to them for valiant service in the Cause of Truth, would save not only themselves, but likewise their posterity. Though some of the sheep may wander, they eye of the Shepherd is upon them, and sooner or later they will feel the tentacles of Divine Providence reaching out after them and drawing them back to the fold. Either in this life or the life to come, they will return . They will have to pay their debt to justice; they will suffer for their sins; and may tread a thorny path; but if it leads them at last, like the penitent Prodigal, to a loving and forgiving father’s heart and home, the painful experience will not have been in vain. Pray for your careless and disobedient children; hold on to them with your faith. Hope on, trust on, till you see the salvation of God” (Orson F. Whitney, Conference Report, Apr. 1929, 110).

Brigham Young taught, “Let the Father and mother, who are members of this Church and Kingdom, take a righteous course, and strive with all of their might never to do a wrong, but to do good all their lives; if they have one child or one hundred children, if they conduct themselves towards them as they should, binding them to the Lord by their faith and prayers, I care not where those children go, they are bound up to their parents by an everlasting tie, and no power of earth or hell can separate them from their parents in eternity; they will return again to the fountain from whence they sprang ” (quoted by Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation , Bruce R. McConkie, 3 volumes, 2:90-91).

Lorenzo Snow said, “If you succeed in passing through these trials and afflictions and receive a resurrection, you will, by the power of the Priesthood, work and labor, as the Son of God has, until you get all your sons and daughters in the path of exaltation and glory. This is just as sure as that the sun rose this morning over yonder mountains. Therefore, mourn not because all your sons and daughters do not follow in the path that you have marked out to them, or give heed to your counsels . Inasmuch as we succeed in securing eternal glory, and stand as saviors, and as kings and priests to our God, we will save our posterity” ( in Collected Discourses , comp. Brian H. Stuy, 5 volumes, 3:364).

Elder Packer taught, “The measure of our success as parents…will not rest solely on how our children turn out. That judgment would be just only if we could raise our families in a perfectly moral environment, and that now is not possible. “It is not uncommon for responsible parents to lose one of their children, for a time, to influences over which they have no control. They agonize over rebellious sons or daughters. They are puzzled over why they are so helpless when they have tried so hard to do what they should. “ It is my conviction that those wicked influences one day will be overruled …. “We cannot overemphasize the value of temple marriage, the binding ties of the sealing ordinance, and the standards of worthiness required of them. When parents keep the covenants they have made at the altar of the temple, their children will be forever bound to them ” (“Our Moral Environment,” Ensign , May 1992, 68).

Moses 5:23 “ Rule over him ” “ All beings who have bodies,” taught Joseph Smith have power over those who have not ( Teachings , 169). Cain, as well as all others that become perdition will have power over Lucifer. Cain abused both the priesthood and the knowledge that was his.

Moses 5:24 “ Called Perdition ” Referring to Cain’s choice to keep his first estate, Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: “That son of Adam, though a friend of Lucifer in pre-existence, did manage to gain mortal birth. He could have hearkened to his Father Adam and walked in the strait and narrow path. But instead he chose to follow a course which he had already charted, in a very real sense, in his first estate, an estate where he had been known as perdition . Coming from this background, Cain elected to use his agency to fight the truth in this life, and in his case he became a son of perdition ” ( Doctrinal New Testament Commentary , 1:715).

There were, of course, no neutral spirits in the war in heaven, any more than there are or can be neutrals in this life where choices between righteousness and unrighteousness are involved. “He that is not with me is against me,” saith the Lord, “and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine , 828). Lorenzo Young said that Joseph Smith told him that there were no neutral spirits in heaven at the time of the rebellion. All took sides. All spirits that came to this earth were pure and from the presence of God ( Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal , 6:511, journal entry dated 25 December 1869).

It is not to be thought that every word spoken by the General Authorities is inspired, or that they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost in everything they speak and write. Now you keep that in mind. I don’t care what his position is, if he writes something or speaks something that goes beyond anything that you can find in the standard church works, unless that one be the prophet, seer and revelator --- please note that one exception (when he is speaking as the prophet, taught from earlier in the paragraph) --- you may immediately say, “Well, that is his own idea.” And if he says something that contradicts what is found in the standard works (I think that is why we call them “standard” --- it is the standard measure of all that men teach), you may know by that same token that it is false, regardless of the position of the man who says it (President Harold B. Lee, “ The Place of the Living Prophet, Seer, and Revelator,” The Charge to Religious Educators , 141; BYU, 8 July 1964).

Moses 5:25 He rejected the greater counsel which was had from God. Cain’s status was such that he enjoyed personal conversation with the Lord. No one in earth’s history has received a more direct call to repentance than that which was given to Cain, for it had been his privilege to walk and talk with God. The Lord revealed that “he who sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation” (Doctrine & Covenants 82:3). Thus, in consequence of Cain’s love for Satan and rejection of the counsel give him by God, his punishment was meted out of equal nature.

Moses 5:31 “ Master Mahan ” Mahan means mind. How long did Cain hate his brother? Moses 5:49 Lamech also had the title of “Master Mahan.”

Moses 5:33 “ I am free” Cain, who had know no bondage, will now never be without it. Moses 5:34 “ Am I my Brother’s Keeper?” Bishop Robert L. Simpson said: “The world today tells you to leave your friend alone. He has the right to come and go as he pleases. The world tells you that persuasion to attend church or priesthood meetings or to discard a bad habit might lead to frustration and undue pressures: but again I repeat the word of the Lord: You are your brother’s keeper, and when you are converted, you have an obligation to strengthen your brother” (Conference Report, Oct. 1971, 114).

Moses 5:59 “ All Things Were Confirmed unto Adam , by an Holy Ordinance ” In Webster’s 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language (which reflects usage in the Prophet Joseph Smith’s day) the word confirmed is defined as “ made more firm ; strengthened; or established.” Elder Boyd K. Packer said: “Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into (God’s) presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality ” (Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 27; Ensign , May 1987, 24).

Moses 6 Moses 6:2 Who was Seth ? Abel had been chosen to carry the responsibilities of the priesthood to succeeding generations. But after he was murdered, Seth, who was born 130 years after the Fall of Adam and Eve, was selected as the chosen son to carry this sacred priesthood responsibility (Doctrine & Covenants 107:40-42). He was ordained when he was 69 years old and lived a total of 912 years. The scriptures refer to him as a “perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father” (Doctrine & Covenants 107:43). Joseph Smith said that Alvin was the most handsome man he had ever seen, save Father Adam and his son Seth.

Moses 6:5-6 The Origin of Language and Writing : “ This first language spoken by mortals was either the celestial tongue of the Gods or such adaptation of it as was necessary to meet the limitations of mortality; and Adam and his posterity had power to speak, read, and write it” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine , 19).

Moses 6:8-25 The Patriarchal Organization of the Priesthood There were twenty generations of the priesthood from Adam to Abraham, being passed from father to son. Eight generations are listed in Moses 6:8-25 (from Adam to Methuselah): in Moses 8:5-12, three more generations (Lamech, Noah, and Shem) are given, and Genesis 11:10-26 records the nine generations from Shem to Abram (Abraham). (Doctrine & Covenants 107:40-52.)

Moses 6:31-32 Feelings of Inadequacy Enoch was not the only prophet who felt inadequate when the Lord called him. Moses --- Exodus 4:10-12 Jeremiah --- Jeremiah 1:4-9 James E. Faust, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught: “Most of us who are called to leadership in the Church feel that we are inadequate because of inexperience, lack of ability, or meager learning and education” (Conference Report, Oct. 1980, 52).

“I feel extremely humble,” “I did have a brief premonition that this call was coming,… but I quickly brushed it from my mind because it seemed so unworthy, so presumptuous.” “I saw immediately my inabilities and limitations,” “I cried back, ‘Not me, Brother Clark, you can’t mean this.’” “In those long days and weeks I’ve done a great deal of thinking and praying and fasting and praying….I’ve gone through that experience, wrestling for a blessing…Eighty- five dawns have come and found me on my knees praying to the Lord to strengthen me and make me equal to the great call ” ( Call to the Twelve by J. Reuben Clark to Spencer W. Kimball).

Moses 6:59 “ Water, Blood, Spirit ” Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained: “Two births are essential to salvation. Man cannot be saved without birth into mortality, nor can he return to his heavenly home without a birth into the realm of the Spirit…. The elements present in a mortal birth and in a spiritual birth are the same. They are water, blood, and spirit. Thus every mortal birth is a heaven-given reminder to prepare for the second birth… “In every mortal birth the child is immersed in water in the mother’s womb. At the appointed time the spirit enters the body, and blood always flows in the veins of the new person. Otherwise, without each of these, there is no life, no birth, no mortality.

“In every birth into the kingdom of heaven, the newborn babe in Christ is immersed in water, he receives the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, and the blood of Christ cleanses him from all sin. Otherwise, without each of these, there is no Spirit-birth, no newness of life, no hope of eternal life…. “…These elements were again present in (Christ’s) death. He sweat great drops of blood in Gethsemane as he took upon himself the sins of all men on conditions of repentance. This same agony and suffering recurred on the cross. It was then that he permitted his spirit to leave his body, and it was then that blood and water gushed from his riven side” ( A New Witness for the Articles of Faith , 288-89).

Moses 7 Moses 7:3-4 “ Enoch Saw God Face-to-Face ” President Brigham Young added detail to this point: “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 Heavenly Father in heaven” ( Journal of Discourses , 13:146).

Moses 7:13 “ Great Was the Faith of Enoch ” Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Faith is power, by faith the worlds were made; nothing is impossible to those who have faith. If the earth itself came rolling into existence by faith, surely a mere mountain can be removed by that same power” ( The Mortal Messiah : From Bethlehem to Calvary, 4 vols. (1979-81).

Moses 7:21 “ Translation ” President Joseph Fielding Smith explained: “Translated beings are still mortal and will have to pass through the experience of death, or the separation of the spirit and the body, although this will be instantaneous, for the people of the City of Enoch, Elijah, and others who received this great blessing in ancient times, before the coming of our Lord, could not have received the resurrection, or the change from mortality to immortality, because our Lord had not (yet) paid the debt which frees us from mortality and grants to us the resurrection ” (Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:165).

Joseph Smith said : “ Many have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God, and into an eternal fullness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial order , and a place prepared for such characters He held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets, and who as yet have not entered into so great a fullness as those who are resurrected from the dead” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 170).

Joseph Smith said : “ Many have supposed that the doctrine of translation was a doctrine whereby men were taken immediately into the presence of God, and into an eternal fullness, but this is a mistaken idea. Their place of habitation is that of the terrestrial order , and a place prepared for such characters He held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets , and who as yet have not entered into so great a fullness as those who are resurrected from the dead” ( Teachings , 170).

Moses 7:27 “ Many were Caught Up to Heaven ” From the days of Enoch to the flood, new converts and true believers, except those needed to carry out the Lord’s purposes among mortals, were translated” (Bruce R. McConkie, The Millennial Messiah , 284).

Moses 7:30 Why this earth as the redemptive planet ? Three possible reasons : 1. Christ may have come to this earth to counterbalance its great wickedness. “ I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made; and mine eye can pierce the also, and among all the workmanship of mine hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren (Moses 7:36).

Evidently this earth knew greater depths of wickedness than could be found on any other of God’s creations. What a tragic commentary! Elder Joseph Fielding Smith testified, “His presence was needed here because of the extreme wickedness of the inhabitants of this earth” (Smith, Signs of the Times , 10). It may be that the Savior’s mortal life, and thus his Atonement, was reserved for this earth as a leveling influence, a counterbalancing measure to offset its great wickedness.

A second possible reason Christ came to our world may be that no other world was wicked enough to crucify their God. Nephi commented, “and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God” (2 Nephi 10:3). Elder Joseph Fielding Smith contemplated this proposition: “Perhaps this is the reason Jesus Christ was sent here instead of to some other world, for in some other world they would not have crucified him” (Smith, Signs of the Times , 10).

A third possibility could be that he would find a comprehensive cross-section of is children, from the best to the worst – representatives of whom would be witnesses of his Atonement. Peter, James, and John were among the best blood this earth had ever known. They were spiritual giants in a nation of spiritual infants. The law of opposites was in full force and effect: good and evil were at their extremes. Perhaps for this reason, it became the chosen testing ground. “All things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things” (2 Nephi 2:24).

Moses 7:44 At First Enoch Refused to Be Comforted! Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained: “At first, Enoch refused ‘to be comforted,’ finally, he saw God’s plan, the later coming of the Messiah in the meridian of time, and the eventual triumph of God’s purposes” ( Conference Report, Oct. 1987, 36).

Moses 7:48 “ The Earth Spoke ” Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wrote: “The Lord here (in Doctrine & Covenants 88) informs us that the earth on which we dwell is a living thing, and that the time must come when it will be sanctified from all unrighteousness. In the Pearl of Great Price, when Enoch is conversing with the Lord, he hears the earth crying for deliverance from the iniquity upon her face… It is not the fault of the earth that wickedness prevails upon her face, for she has been true to the law which she received and that law is the celestial law. Therefore the Lord says that the earth shall be sanctified from all unrighteousness” ( Church History and Modern Revelation , 2 volumes (1953), 1:366-67).

Moses 7:55-56 The Earth Groaned at Christ’s Death : Elder Spencer W. Kimball, the a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught: “These earth spasms (were) a revolt by the created earth against the crucifixion of its Creator” (Conference Report, Apr. 1963, 65).

Moses 8 Moses 8:1-11 “ Noah ” Noah was ordained to the higher priesthood when ten years old by his grandfather Methuselah (Doctrine & Covenants 107:52). He became a preacher of righteousness, even as Enoch. He, and his wife, and his sons --- Japeth, Shem, and Ham --- and their wives were the only people to survive the Flood . Noah holds the keys of his dispensation and stands next to Adam in authority ( History of the Church , 3:386).

Noah is the angel Gabriel ( History of the Church , 3:386), who appeared to Zacharias to announce that he would be the father of John the Baptist and to Mary to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ. Noah also functions in the calling of Elias (Doctrine & Covenants 27:6-7), meaning one who prepares or restores. Through his various appearances, Noah has performed both of these functions.

Moses 8:14-15 “ The Daughters of The Sons of God ” President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “ Because the daughters of Noah married the sons of men contrary to the teachings of the Lord, his anger was kindled, and this offense was one cause that brought to pass the universal flood… The daughters who had been born, evidently under the covenant, and were the daughters of the sons of God, that is to say of those who held the priesthood, were transgressing the commandment of the Lord and were marrying out of the Church.

“ Today there are foolish daughters of those who hold this same priesthood who are violating this commandment and marrying the sons of men; there are also some of the sons of those who hold the priesthood who are marrying the daughters of men. All of this is contrary to the will of God just as much as it was in the days of Noah” ( Answers to Gospel Questions , 1:136-37).

Moses 8:27 “Noah Was a Just Man, and Perfect in His Generation” Elder Mark E. Petersen, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wrote: “Noah, who built the ark, was one of God’s greatest servants, chosen before he was born as were others of the prophets. He was no eccentric, as many have supposed. Neither was he a mythical figure created only in legend. Noah was real…

“ Let no one downgrade the life and mission of this great prophet. Noah was so near perfect in his day that he literally walked and talked with God…. “Few men in any age were as great as Noah. In many respects he was like Adam, the first man. Both had served as ministering angels in the presence of God even after their mortal experience” ( Noah and the Flood ( 1982), 1-2 ).

Moses 8:26-30 “ The Flood ” President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “So the Lord commanded Noah to build an ark into which he was to take his family and the animals of the earth to preserve seed after the flood, and all the flesh that was not in the ark perished according to the Lord’s decree. Of course this story is not believed by the wise and the great among the children of men, any more than was Noah’s story in his day ” ( Doctrines of Salvation , 3:39). President John Taylor taught: “God destroyed the wicked of that generation with a flood. Why did He destroy them? He destroyed them for their benefit, if you can comprehend it” ( Journal of Discourses , 24:291; 19:158-59 for President Taylor’s view of the Flood as an act of love).