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.