David Anointed King

King David was able to accomplish much in his reign over Israel. The Lord had blessed him abundantly and he was able to defeat the Philistines, the Syrians, Ammonites and any others that came up against him. He also showed great compassion and ruled wisely. He avenged the murder of Ish-bosheth, obtained the ark of God, and showed mercy to Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son. He returned to him the lands of Saul. Throughout chapters 1-10 he did many great things and gave thanks to Lord continually.

David even offered to build a house to the Lord. His heart was in the right place but the Lord wouldn't let him build it. The Lord loved David and continued to bless him.  He was denied permission to build a temple because of the bloodshed he wrought for the Lord and his people.

If we look at 2 Sam. 7:12-17 the Lord promises David, through Nathan, that the house of David will forever be blessed and be shown mercy by the Lord. If I were to receive these promises I would react a lot liked David did in verses 18-29. David was astounded by this blessing from the Lord. He didn't feel as though he was worthy to receive such a great blessing. He thanked the Lord profusely and told him that He would continue to serve the Lord.

An important verse is also held in chapter 7. Verse 16 reads, "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."
This is considered a Messianic prophecy. David ruled over the Israel and as we know, Christ was a descendant of David's. This was a prophecy of the coming Messiah and his rule over Israel forever.

Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go

I love Ruth! I think she is an incredible woman and her story always makes me feel good. As I studied Ruth chapters 1 and 2 I was able to make connections with my own life. During the story of Ruth, she went through many trails. There was a famine in the land and she lost her husband. Unlike Orpah, Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and left her family behind. She loved her husband and Naomi so much that she was willing to sacrifice all that she knew to follow Naomi where ever she went. 

This reminds me of leaving for college. It was really hard for me to leave my family and try to live on my own and take care of myself. Luckily, my sister was also attending school here so I had someone to lean on while I got settled. I couldn't imagine not being able to talk to my family on a regular basis. 

Ruth and Naomi traveled to Bethlehem and there Ruth met Boaz, a wealthy kinsman. Boaz was impressed by Ruth for leaving all that she knew to stay with and serve Naomi. 

Ruth was brave and kind through the challenges she faced. She turned to the Lord and thanked Him for helping her through troubling times. This is something that I can certainly apply to my life. I think a sacrifice that I've made in my life is paying my tithing. I see blessing all the time financially when I keep up with paying it. I remember when I was about to get married we wanted to go to Ohio to visit my family but we didn't have enough money to do that and pay tithing. So, we paid our tithing and a week later my mom found two scholarship bonds from my graduation. It was a wonderful blessing to be able to visit! 

Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve

In chapter 10 of Joshua it talks about how the sun stood still. There are some who would say that the Bible can't be true because it contradict science but with the help of the Book of Mormon we know ways that it is possible for this to occur. In Helaman, Mormon explained that it isn't the sun that stayed still but the Earth.
The Lord is able to work miracles and he was able to slow, or stop the rotation of the earth.

In Chapters 7-22 we see many successes and very few failures of Israel. Some of their successes were defeating the Amorites, and others in the land, the people hear the law, the Gibeonites are servants to Israel, some are rewarded for their righteousness, and the people receive inheritances. During this time the people were righteous and were blessed for their faith in the Lord. Some people were punished and destroyed like Achan and his household and others, are banished to certain cities for manslaughter. They were also defeated by the people of Ai but were able to overcome that obstacle by following the prophet. Overall, the people were following the law and being blessed for their good deeds.

The people were asked by Joshua to choose before hardships came who they would serve. I think it had a lot to do with the commitment of the people to the Lord and his servants. When they had in their hearts the path they would go they were able to follow the right path. It is always easier to know before the hard decision comes what your answer will be.

No False Gods

In Deuteronomy 4 The Lord asks the people to hearken unto the statutes and judgments of the Lord. This means to follow the commandments they have been given by the Lord. The Lord promises that if we keep these statutes as a people our nation will be great. We will be considered a wise and understanding people because we have the Lord with us in all of our doings. This example is what will bring others to the gospel. When we keep the statutes and judgments of the Lord people will want to be more like us due to our countenances. As parents we need to teach our children to live by the laws set forth by the Lord. it is our responsibility to raise them in the gospel.

Those of jewish heritage take the teaching of Deuteronomy quite literally by constructing a phylactery and a mezuzah. A phylactery was worn on the arm or the forehead with several scriptures inside. They were meant as reminders to those that wore them to keep the Lord at the heart of all they do. A mezuzah is another reminder with the scriptures that was put on the door frame of ones home. The people would touch the box when they left or came into their homes. Deuteronomy 6:5 was usually one of the verses included. It reads, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

The Lord warned the Israelite people not to worship false gods and that the Lord was a jealous God and would not put up with their worship of any other worldly gods. The Lord told them to destroy those alters that were made in order to worship false gods. Today we might not have gods like back then but if we fear men more than we fear God we are worshiping their will, not the Lord's. If we care for money more than we can for our families we are again worshiping things of the world.

The Lord also commanded his people to not marry outside of the covenant. He warned them that if they did, they would be draw away from the Lord and start to worship false gods. He told them that if they did they would be destroyed suddenly. Marriage within the covenant brings baout so many earthly and eternal blessings. When we marry in the temple we are able to spend eternity with one another and to continue to build the kingdom of God. We will be able to become priests and priestesses if we remain faithful and worthy. If we forget that we have three degrees of heaven and the only way to achieve the highest degree is to marry in the temple then we can miss out on so many blessings! We are unable to live with our Heavenly Father forever. If that way, Satan wins because he doesn't want us to return to our Father in Heaven.

The Brazen Serpent

The story of the Brazen serpent is an interesting one and one that shows the love and anger of the Lord. The Israelites were wandering in the wilderness with Moses and began to murmur against him and the Lord. The Lord heard their murmurings and cast fiery serpents upon them. Many of the people died but when the people repented the Lord made a way for them to be cleansed. It was quite simple, all they had to do was look upon the serpent on Moses' staff and they would be healed.

This story has quite a bit of symbolism.  When we have sinned or are unclean we can look to the Lord for forgiveness and repent of our sins and we can be made whole once again because of the atonement. The Lord has set up things that we can draw on for healing our physical ailments and spiritual ones. When we are sick we are able to receive priesthood blessings from a worthy priesthood holder. When we are spiritually burdened we can turn to the scriptures, our patriarchal blessing, or even the Bishop for guidance and redemption.

The most recent experience I've had of the healing power of the Atonement is when I had my daughter. Due to complications during my labor I had to have an emergency c-section and it was very hard on my body and my mind. During my recovery I was able to receive a blessing from my husband and father-in-law. I wasn't healed right away of course but I was comforted and I knew that the pain would pass. I felt as though the reminder that my Savior loved me and would bless me for bringing one of His children into the world. I knew that I had been given strength and confidence through that blessing. I have a strong testimony of the healing power of the Atonement and I try to take advantage of the Lord's love for me when ever I can.

The Day of Atonement

This is going to be a rocky post because it is a hard one to understand and put into words but I’ll try my best.  In Leviticus 16 the Lord instructs Aaron to atone for himself and the Israelites. The Day of Atonement is for all the Israelites. The priest, Aaron, is supposed to have sin offerings and burnt offerings to offer up to the Lord. There is a goat which they set free to signify the sins leaving the people. It happens in the seventh month on the tenth day and no one is to do any work on that day, it is a day of fasting for all.
Before Aaron could atone for the people he had to be worthy himself and therefore had to bring his own burnt and sin offerings to offer to the Lord. They two goats that Aaron had to bring were both symbolic of the Lord. The first gave its life for the people and the second took upon itself the sins of the Israelites. 

Elder James  E. Talmage added more to the institute manual. He said,

“The sacred writings of ancient times, the inspired utterances of latter-day prophets, the traditions of mankind, the rites of sacrifice, and even the sacrileges of heathen idolatries, all involve the idea of vicarious atonement."

The word vicarious means "taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute."

The Lord served as our substitute, he took our place. He was willing to go through all that pain and take on our sins in order for us to be able to return to the Celestial Kingdom.  Without the Atonement we wouldn't be able to be made whole. Through Christ we are able to be perfected and return to our Heavenly father. When we repent we are shown mercy from the Lord because he was able to experience those things that we have been through. Jesus Christ suffered so much for us and we need to be willing to take advantage of the sacrifice and repent of our sins. Better yet, not sin! :) We will get there one day and we can become as our Father in Heaven through Jesus Christ.

Choice 5:Murmuring in the Wilderness

Is it possible for anyone to see the face of God and live?

Yes, yes it is. Studying the Joseph Smith Translation and other scriptures in the Bible tells us that the Lord spoke with his servants face to face. In Exodus there are verses that contradict each other. In Exodus 33:11 it says, "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." Then if we go down to verse 20 it says, "And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." Not both of these verses can be correct but because the servants of the Lord in this dispensation have been divinely inspired with have the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 20 which says, “And he said unto Moses, Thou canst not see my face at this time, lest mine anger be kindled against thee also, and I destroy thee, and thy people; for there shall no man among them see me at this time, and live, for they are exceeding sinful. And no sinful man hath at any time, neither shall there be any sinful man at any time, that shall see my face and live.”

This shows us that we have to be in a certain state in order to see the Lord. If we look at D&C 66:11-12 it reads, For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God. Neither can any natural man abide the presence of God, neither after the carnal mind."

When one has faith in the Lord and isn't sinful he is able to converse with the Lord in the flesh. Many ancient prophets were able to converse with the Lord face to face and the scriptures tell us as much. 

At the time of Exodus 33:20 the people were murmuring against the Lord and full of sin, therefore, the Lord's anger was kindled against them and Moses was unable to stand in the Lord's countenance. When the people are faithful and the Lord's servants are filled with the Spirit of the Lord they are able to speak to Him "as a man speaketh unto his friend."

Murmuring in the Wilderness

After the Israelites were freed from Egypt they were to travel to the promised land but they began to murmur against Moses and the Lord.

In Exodus 15:23-27 and into chapter 16 and 17 the people murmur continuously against Moses. They begin murmuring about the bitter waters of Marah, to which Moses called upon the Lord and sweetened the water so the people could drink it. There Moses promised the people that if they listened to the Lord no afflictions would come upon them. Sadly, the people continued to murmur on their journey. They complained about being hungry and the Lord made it rain bread to feed them and they were unable to keep the simple commandment to only gather as much as they needed that day. When they saw that the extras rotted they followed the Lord's commandment and they were fed for 40 years. In chapter 17 they started to murmur about their lack of water in Rephidim. Again, Moses went to the Lord and Lord made a way for the people to obtain water.

Murmuring usually leads to apostasy, people fall away from the church or they are punished by the Lord. The people who murmur against God are usually those who found the truth to be hard and they are the wicked people. In 1 Nephi 16:2 it says, "Wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."

I think we need to be wary of those around us and help those who are having a hard time and are murmuring against the Lord. I think we should remind them that the Lord wants what is best for us and that is why we are commanded to do certain things. The Lord loves us and we should show our love for him by following the commandments.

Marriage in the Covenant

     During Abraham’s life he had high concerns for his son Isaac. In chapter 24 of Genesis he expressed his concern for his son to marry a woman in the covenant. While looking at Deuteronomy 7:1-4, 1 Corinthians 11:11, and 2 Corinthians 6:14 the Lord explains why we should not marry someone “outside the covenant.” Not only was Abraham worried about it, but we should also be worried. One verse that is really liked was 2 Corinthians 6:14 and it says “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” This scripture is a great one to remember. Without someone who shares your own values there is no way to rely on them to strengthen your testimony and share in your spiritual desires. The likelihood of apostasy is much greater when we don't have a companion in the Lord. 

Using Rebekah as an example we can see character traits that as a wife, I hope to have

1.      She was chaste! (v. 16)

2.      Served others (v. 18-19)

3.      Honest (v. 30-31)

4.      Trust in the Lord (v. 51)

     She was willing to put her trust in the Lord and leave her home and family to be with a worthy man, Isaac.

In chapters 27 and 28 of Genesis, Rebekah and Isaac are worried about Jacob marrying out of the covenant as well. They tell him to go to Padan-aram to find a worthy wife. When Jacob finds Rachel he is willing to serve Laban for seven years in order to marry her! He loved her so much that he was willing to happily give his life to her father.

     I think this is a great example of what we should be willing to do in order to marry in the temple. I was lucky enough to find my husband here and to be able to be sealed in the temple. I knew that in order to find a worthy priesthood holder I would have to leave Ohio and go to a place where I could meet single members that were my age and doing the things I was doing. Being sealed in the covenant has brought so many blessings to my life and I am grateful that I was able to find a man that had the same values as I had. I love this gospel and because my husband does too we are able to grow in the gospel and to encourage one another to become more like Christ each day. 

Who is Melchizedek?

While studying the scriptures this week we were to look into Melchizedek, the high priest.  It was interesting to study.  He was the king over the land of Salem, once a wicked place until Melchizedek called for his people to repent. Once they had repented they called him the Prince of Peace, his reign bringing peace and prosperity to their land. Melchizedek was so righteous that he was a type of Christ. He was said to be able to stop the mouths of lions and quench fires.  As the high priest, he gave Abraham the priesthood.  Melchizedek was so respected as a high priest that they used his name to replace the full sacred name of this priesthood, the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God. His name was used in order to “avoid the too frequent repetition” of the Lord’s name.

Melchizedek was a descendant of Noah and there is some possibility that he and Noah’s son, Shem, is the same person. There were a few similarities between the two such as; both rulers of Salem, Abraham was to receive the priesthood from Shem, Joseph F. Smith named Shem as the great high priest, not mentioning Melchizedek, among other things. This is incredibly fascinating to me and something that I encourage other to look at as well.

Melchizedek truly was a servant of the Lord and a great man. He served his people and the Lord every day. He had such great faith, even as a boy and for that he was blessed greatly by the Lord. He was able to build a righteous city and to continually bring peace to his people. He truly deserves his title as one of the greatest high priests. 

A Tower to Reach Heaven

Choice 3: Genesis 11:1-9. A Tower to Reach Heaven

1. Read Genesis 11:1-9, Helaman 6:28, and Ether 1:3-4, and write your answers to the following questions:

• What was the stated purpose of building a tower?

The Tower was built to reach up to Heaven. The people came together to build it. 

• Why do you think this angered the Lord?

The people were defiant of the Lord and tried to "cheat" their way to heaven. 

• What did God do to scatter the people?

He changed the languages that the people spoke. He made it so they could not communicate. 

• Read Ether 1:33-43 and summarize in writing how the Jaredites from the Book of Mormon fit into this story.

These are the Jaredites from the tower. They were the ones that traveled to the promised land. 

2. As is typical with Satan’s tactics, he will take a truth and twist it into a counterfeit. Note that the people building the tower of Babel tried to make a name for themselves, while the followers of the Lord willingly take His name upon them. Read Acts 4:12; Mosiah 3:17, 5:7-15; and Doctrine and Covenants 18:21-25, and write two to three paragraphs about how we can receive “a name” (Genesis 11:4) that will truly help us reach heaven.

In Acts 4:12 we find that we have to have a name in Heaven in order to be able to return to our Heavenly Father. Without a name in Heaven we have to place and we cannot enter. Through Christ we are able to receive our place in Heaven and only through him can we make it. We are imperfect beings but through Him we are made whole. 

When we make covenants with the Lord we are promised that if we keep those covenants we will be provided a place with God. If we do not repent of our sins then we can be "blotted" out and will lose our place. We must be strong in the gospel and hold firm to our beliefs so we may have that place.