Gospel Doctrine OT c7: Abrahamic Covenant

Gospel Doctrine – Old Testament

C7 Abrahamic Covenant

What is a Patriarchal blessing?  What does this blessing tell us generally? 
It tells us our lineage and blessings for our future.

The First Presidency said: “Patriarchal blessings [are] an inspired declaration of the lineage of the recipient, and also, where so moved upon by the Spirit, an inspired and prophetic statement of the life mission of the recipient, together with such blessings, cautions, and admonitions as the patriarch may be prompted to give. … The realization of all promised blessings is conditioned upon faithfulness to the gospel of our Lord.” (letter to stake presidents, 28 June 1957; quoted in Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2^nd ed. [1966], 558).

I kind of see the Abrahamic Covenant as a patriarchal blessing for an entire group of people. A covenant and blessing for all of us.

What does it mean to have the patriarch declare our lineage?

Joseph Fielding Smith: “The great majority of those who become members of the Church are literal descendants of Abraham through Ephraim, son of Joseph. Those who are not literal descendants of Abraham and Israel must become such, and when they are baptized and confirmed they are grafted into the tree and are entitled to all the rights and privileges as heirs.” (“How One May Become of the House of Israel,” Improvement Era, Oct 1923, 1149).

Who is Abraham? 

            

Terah  (father to these sons)

(Lived in Ur of the Chaldees, then due to famine, moved to Haran, part of Canaan where Terah died)

                _________________________________________________________

                l                                               l                                                               l

     Abram (Sarai)                       Nahor (Milcah)                               Haran (died)

(After Haran, went to Egypt then back to Canaan)                                                    Lot (son)

Read Abraham 1:1  Why a new place to live? Abr 1:5 (6-7, 12, 15-17, 20)

Read Abr 1:2-4
What do we learn about Abraham?

Pres. Spencer W. Kimball: “Remember that Abraham sought for his appointment to the priesthood. He did not wait for God to come to him; he sought diligently through prayer and obedient living to learn the will of God…  As we follow Abraham’s example, we will grow from grace to grace, we will find greater happiness and peace and rest, we will find favor with God and with man.  As we follow his example, we will confirm upon ourselves and our families joy and fulfillment in this life and for all eternity.” (“The Example of Abraham” Ensign, June 1975)

First mention of the covenant is in v2-4, clearly restated again in Abr 1:18-19.

(Famine is bad, brother Haran dies, Father repents, they travel to land of Canaan to a place called Haran)

In Haran, Abraham is given a vision and God covenants to bless him and his posterity. Abr 2:9-11, Gen 12:2-3, Gen 17:1-9

Read Abrahamic covenant, first 2 paragraphs)

Abraham first received the gospel by baptism (which is the covenant of salvation). Then he had conferred upon him the higher priesthood, and he entered into celestial marriage (which is the covenant of exaltation), gaining assurance thereby that he would have eternal increase. Finally he received a promise that all of these blessings would be offered to all of his mortal posterity (D&C 132:29–50; Abr. 2:6–11). Included in the divine promises to Abraham were the assurances that (1) Christ would come through his lineage, and that (2) Abraham’s posterity would receive certain lands as an eternal inheritance (Gen. 17; 22:15–18; Gal. 3; Abr. 2). These promises taken together are called the “Abrahamic covenant.” It was renewed with Isaac (Gen. 26:1–4, 24) and again with Jacob (Gen. 28; 35:9–13; 48:3–4).

The portions of the covenant that pertain to personal salvation and eternal increase are renewed with each individual who receives the ordinance of celestial marriage (see D&C 132:29–33). Those of non-Israelite lineage, commonly known as Gentiles, are adopted into the house of Israel and become heirs of the covenant and the seed of Abraham through the ordinances of the gospel (Gal. 3:26–29).

From reading those verses, what is the Abrahamic Covenant?

            -promised land Abr 2:6, 19; Gen 12:7; 17:8  (Salvation)

            -great posterity Abr 2:9-10; Gen 12:2-3; 17:2,4-6  (Eternal marriage/increase)

            -gospel and priesthood Abr 1:18; Abr 2:9-11; Gen 17:7   (Exaltation)

S. Michael Wilcox: “Other blessings were promised to Abraham’s descendants including promised lands, but the blessings of the truths of the gospel and the ordinances of the priesthood that bring exaltation were the most critical because these blessings alone result in seed as numerous as the sands of the sea or the stars of heaven…”

Temple Temple Temple covenants!!!

“When we are baptized into the church, the Abrahamic covenant’s promise of salvation is renewed with us. When we are sealed in the temple, the Abrahamic covenant’s promise of exaltation is renewed with us. To receive the blessings of the covenant, we must fulfill the associated responsibilities and live worthily.” (Gospel Doctrine manual)

Any more thoughts on the Abrahamic covenant?

Wilcox: “The Lord granted unto Abraham’s seed the great blessings of truth, priesthood and the ordinances of exaltation, but he expected the recipients of these blessings to covenant to do something in return. ‘For of him unto whom much is given much is required’ (D&C 82:3)”

What is required of us?

Abraham - Abr 1:18-19; 2:9; Gen 18:19

Isaac - Gen 26:4-5

Jacob - Gen 28:14

We are required to minister and bless the lives of others

Video clip: “The Abrahamic Covenant” 7:16

Fast forward 30 years –

What does this look like in our lives today?

How have you seen the responsibility of the Abrahamic covenant active in your life?

Pres. Packer: “We, as members of the Church, have the fullness of the gospel. Every conceivable manner of spiritual nourishment is ours. Every part of the spiritual menu is included. It provides an unending supply of spiritual strength. Like the widow’s cruse of oil, it is replenished as we use it and shall never fail.

“And yet, there are people across the world and about us – our neighbors, our friends, some in our own families 0 who, spiritually speaking, are undernourished. Some of them are starving to death! If we keep all this to ourselves, it is not unlike feasting before those who are hungry. We are to go out to them, and to invite them to join us. We are to be missionaries.” (“Feed My Sheep” Ensign May 1984)

I'm reading "Les Mis" and its really long

Have you seen the movie "Les Miserable"? The new one with all the raw emotion, requiring women to bring tissues in their purse, next to the Junior Mints they are sneaking into the theater? I've heard it's amazing, thrilling, evocative, fantastic, moving, etc. And I want to see it. I really do. The obstacle is this....I promised myself I'd read the book first. Wa Wa.

I started the abridged version the first week of January and I'm still plugging away. 90% finished as we speak. I was so excited to read this book. The preface blew me away. I love it so much I'll share it with you here:

"So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation prounounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century-the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light-are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world; -in other words, and with a still wider significance, so long as ignorance and pverty exist on earth, books of the nature of Les Miserables cannot fail to be of use."

Well said.

However...

the further I read, the more disheartened I became. Oh, the words. The number of words used to describe useless information! Not to talk trash about good old Victor Hugo, but goodness gracious can that man ramble! Granted, he tells a beautiful story of forgiveness, redemption, love and the nobleness distilled in all men and women as creations of God,as well, but it is mingled with ramblings and history lessons and lectures on convents and sewer systems. It quickly became apparent to me that I was going to have to skim. And by skim, I mean skip entire chapters. 

This passage from the renowned wikipedia helped me not feel so alone in my discouragement and utter lack of understanding of so much of what I was reading. 

"More than a fourth of the novel—by one count 955 of 2,783 pages—is devoted to essays that argue a moral point or display Hugo's encyclopedic knowledge, that do not advance the plot, nor even a subplot. ... The topics Hugo addresses include cloistered religious orders, the construction of the Paris sewers, argot, and the street urchins of Paris. The one about convents he titles "Parenthesis" to alert the reader to its irrelevance to the story line.^[11] He devotes another 19 chapters to the Waterloo,"

I wish I would have understood the subtle clue of the title "Parenthesis" before plowing through that chapter. But I could not stop reading. Stopping was out of the question. You see, I don't know how the story ends.

It's true.

I remember watching an older film version of "Les Mis" in French class...and I fell asleep.
I remember watching the stage version in New York. NEW YORK CITY for heaven sake...and I fell asleep.
I have listened to much of the music and even owned a condensed soundtrack that I listened to regularly, but I have no idea where the songs fit within the story or even which character sings which song.
I thought the entire story revolved around Jean Valjean and Fantine and her pretty little daughter, Cosette. Imagine my surprise when Fantine dies and I'm not even a quarter of the way through the book!

And so, I'm on a mission and I'm nearing the end. I'm 90% of the way finished and I'm loving it. The story that is...not the digressions. How else would I know that Gavroche is Thenardier's son and that he has 2 brothers who were also discarded and their paths cross in a heartbreaking moment and Eponine is his sister. And that's just to name a few of the more relevant backstories and details. I love the depth of reading a novel as opposed to the movie. So don't tell me how it ends. I'll read it for myself. Wish me luck! And then I'll go see the movie. Hopefully while it's still in the theaters. 

Gospel Doctrine OT C5: Cain and Enoch

Gospel Doctrine Old Testament C5

“If thou Doest Well, Thou Shalt Be Accepted”

We are discussing two different men from the early beginnings of time, Cain and Enoch.

CAIN

READ Moses 5:24-25 – “For from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be called Perdition; for thou wast also before the world. And it shall be said in time to come—That these abominations were had from Cain; for he rejected the greater counsel which was had from God; and this is a cursing which I will put upon thee, except thou repent.”

???When did the Lord say this to Cain? Was it before or after he killed Abel?

???What could have happened BEFORE the murder to have the Lord say that?

Review Cain’s sacrifice: (v16 ‘Who is the Lord that I should know him?’)

 **Background - READ 5:5-8 God gave them commandments.

1-worship the Lord.

2-offer firstlings of flocks.

Adam & Eve are teaching their children about God and Jesus. Then Satan comes and says 5:13 “I am also a son of God.” Half truth-not THE son of God, just A son of God.           

5:17 ‘Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground’

READ 5:18-21

5:22- note the way God handles the situation. Not “Look at what you did. I can’t believe you did that. Stop doing that. I told you not to.” He says, “Why are you upset? You look like you’re having a bad day. What’s going on?” This allows for accountability, just like with Adam and Eve.

Then follows the verses we read earlier.

???What did Cain do that caused such a firm warning and chastisement from the Lord?

18-loved Satan more than God,

18-followed Satan’s commandment to offer sacrifice (v8says to do it in remembrance of the Son)

19-used fruit, not firstling of flock

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “Abel offered to God a sacrifice that was accepted, which was the firstlings of the flock. Cain offered of the fruit of the ground, and was not accepted, because he could not do it in faith. … Shedding the blood of the Only Begotten to atone for man … was the plan of redemption; … and as the sacrifice was instituted for a type, by which man was to discern the great Sacrifice which God had prepared; to offer a sacrifice contrary to that, no faith could be exercised … ; consequently Cain could have no faith; and whatsoever is not of faith, is sin” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 58).

What else do you learn from Cain’s story? I learn that Satan is good at helping us justify our actions that are inconsistent with the Gospel, then we get offended when we are corrected. I don’t know why Cain was fixated on offering a fruit salad for his offering but I’m guessing there must have been some sort of rationalizing and justifying in the process.

“What is happening with Cain is rather like what would happen if a high councilman decided to worship each Sunday in the canyons rather than in church, and to roast hot dogs rather than take the sacrament. He might feel good about what he did but the Lord would not give such activity his approval nor the blessings promised to those who partake worthily of the sacrament. Moses 5:20-21” (Ted L. Gibbons,  LDS Living, Jan 14, 2014)

The story continues…

5:26- “And Cain was wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, his brother, who walked in holiness before the Lord.”

Cain marries and has children and loves Satan more than God. He makes a secret covenant with Satan to murder Abel. He murders Abel.

READ 5:33-36 Cain is cast out and cursed

5:55 “And thus the works of darkness began to prevail among all the sons of men.”

5:58 “And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost.”

???What damage is done when we refuse to listen to the voices that call us to repentance? What happened to Cain? (5:31) What happened to Adam and Eve? (5:27).

GENEOLOGY

Adam – Seth 6:15 – Enos 6:17 – Cainan – Mahalaleel – Jared – ENOCH

ENOCH

READ 6:27 Enoch is called to prophesy to the people. Why is the Lord’s anger kindled?

-hearts have waxed hard

-ears are dull of hearing

-eyes cannot see afar off

???How do we NOT do that.

6:31-34 – Enoch feels inadequate. God promises to change him.

6:33 – God tells him to tell the people something, but it is always instruction for him personally – to choose to serve the Lord.

(6:39 & 47 – God’s promises to Enoch are fulfilled.)

ENOCH’S MISSION

Enoch leaves Cainan and teaches the people.

6:37 men were offended, :38 and curious,

??? How do we respond to prophets and leaders?

6:43 the purpose for Enoch’s mission- he is my God, and your God, ye are my brethren

6:48-51 basic history of how they got where they are

6:56 ye are agents unto yourselves

Talks about sin, baptism, repentance, Jesus Christ

6:59-60 – 60“For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified;”

6:63 all things bear record of God

7:13- Enoch is a might man, “powerful was the word of Enoch”

CITY OF ZION

7:16-19, 21 The Lord’s people and the establishment of Zion 7:69 Zion is taken up to heaven

7: 28-45 God weeps over the condition of his people, Enoch asks why and God answers that he loves them. Enoch weeps over the condition of the people, God comforts him. read 7:29-30 and 7:32-33

COMPARE THE PATH OF CAIN AND ENOCH

Open comments

Video “Righteous Desires” Elder Maxwell :47

“Like it or not, therefore, reality requires that we acknowledge our responsibility for our desires. Brothers and sisters, which do we really desire, God’s plans for us or Satan’s? Righteous desires need to be relentless, therefore, because said President Brigham Young, “The men and women who desire to obtain seats in the celestial kingdom, will find that they must battle every day.” Therefore, true Christian soldiers are more than weekend warriors.”

( Neal A. Maxwell, “According to the Desire of [Our] Hearts”, General Conference, Oct, 1996)

Witcherella: c1 In My Room v1.0

C1 in my room

It always gets messy when I blow something up. If I could just learn to control my magic, I might have a fighting chance. Like my stepsisters, for example. They are Faerie Folk and seem to control their simple magic of charms just fine. They make flowers blossom, increase vibrancy in color and work wonders of nature. Their magic always seems to beautify whatever they touch. Mine always seems to destroy.

When I was young, my stepsisters teased me and said that I might be a witch. They said it in hushed tones because witches were undesirable. Actually, more than undesirable, they were banished. No one wanted witch magic around when Faerie magic was an option. Witches just weren’t cut out for community living, they said. They were mean and destructive, seeking revenge and power. But I knew I couldn’t be a witch. My father wasn’t a witch and my mother, well, no one knew much about my mother. No one ever talked about her except to say she was different, which made sense because she was from a different part of the land. Both of my parents were outsiders who somehow found a home here. So I guess it wasn’t so hard to believe that I always felt like an outsider. But I wasn’t a witch. I just knew it somehow, deep inside my gut. I wasn’t the same as everyone else and by the way I blew things up, I figured I wasn’t a Faerie, but I couldn’t be a witch.

My father’s birthday cake baked perfectly in the oven, tended by my best friend, Josie, the scullery maid. She is my one and only friend, which is one too many, according to my stepmother and stepsisters. If you asked them, I don’t deserve much of anything except extra chores and cruelly charmed tricks. But in the kitchen, I had found a friend, deserved or not.

Josie had grown up in the kitchen. Her mother had been the cook in another home and as soon as she turned 16, she had found work with my father. She should have a family now, with her own young children running around between her feet but instead, she helped raise me. She was considered an old maid now by the village standards, past 30 years old. But I thought she was beautiful and still very capable of love should it ever come along.

The cake cooled quite nicely on the working table in the middle of the servants’ kitchen. Three round cakes, almost an arm’s length each, stacked on top of each other with a thick, smooth layer of sweet cream filling between each. All that was left was the frosting.

“But isn’t it sort of morbid?” Josie asked, while pounding spices and flavors into the meat for the dinner feast. “A birthday cake and feast for your dead father? He’s been dead for 10 years now.”

I was searching the kitchen for frosting for the cake and noticed Josie flapping her elbow toward a bowl on a counter against the wall.

“I just don’t want to forget him,” I said. I knew that I would never forget him. I could never forget him. But I worried that he was just a means to a wealthy end for my stepmother and a passing stranger to my stepsisters. I didn’t want them to forget that he was the reason they had a home and any wealth that was left. And he was the reason they couldn’t get rid of me, the unwanted step-daughter who never quite fit in.

“And this cake needs to be perfect,” I said, carefully spreading white frosting around the layers. “It needs to be simple and elegant. Strong and quiet, just like he is…was.” I tried to steady my hand but the emotions of loss and loneliness hit hard, as they always did when I missed my father, which seemed like all the time. Time never seemed to bury the feelings deeper than the surface. The stronger the feelings came, the more horrible the frosting seemed to spread. The worse the cake looked, the more frustrated I became and soon enough, the familiar tingle began to stretch from my chest, down my arms and into my fingers.

The only good th

 

ing that happened when I felt the tingle was, well, nothing. Nothing good ever happened when my power started to charge up. I had no control over it. I tried to get out of the kitchen but I turned my stool over in my haste and bumped into the counter, each fumble costing precious time.

“Dru, come this way,” Josie called, noticing my distress. She motioned me toward the door, knowing what was coming. “Come on Dru. You’ve got to get out of here. I’ve worked too hard on this feast. Out you go.”

Then it happened. The power flew right out of my fingers as I was flailing around and hit a jar of syrup that was cooling on the counter opposite the cake. I moved my body in front of the cake just in time to take the brunt of the explosion. The cake was saved but I was a sticky mess. I began to fade just as quickly as the syrup hit me. That is my other power, fading. Destroying things gets me into trouble and fading is how I try to avoid being punished for it.

“Get out of here,” said Josie, exasperation laced in her words. “I’m not sure where you are now, but just get on. You clean yourself up for the feast and,” she looked back at the broken jar of syrup and smirked, “I’ll clean this mess.”

Hauling two buckets of hot water up to my attic room, I couldn’t wait to wash the syrup out of my hair. The syrup dripped from the long, dark unruly curls, which never seemed to stay put. I could feel my eyelashes sticking together every time I blinked. And heaven knows my old skirt and blouse needed a washing. I only had two pair, so I wore my worn out outfit as long as I could before changing. I was anxious to undress and wash the rest of my sticky body.

Near the top of the stairs, I heard a noise coming from my room. Quieting my footsteps and thinking it might be a mouse, I readied my bucket in my fist to drop on the rodent if it scurried under the door. I wondered if I should risk using the power I had very little control over to take care of the mouse or just use the weight of the bucket. As I got closer I heard a voice. By the prickles on my arms and the urge to strangle someone, I knew it was my stepmother. “What is she doing in my room?” I wondered. Quietly I laid the buckets on the landing at the top of the stairs and peeked through the slightly open door.

Estell, my stepmother was rummaging through the chest drawers directly across from the door. “Where is it? It must be here somewhere. It should be mine. Well, it really shouldn’t be mine but I can’t let it be hers,” she mumbled to herself, turning over the contents of the drawers, which wasn’t much. “This is disgusting,” she said, holding up some underclothing. “So many holes. Which one is for the arm or the leg? Ugly clothes for an ugly girl. I just need to find to find that brooch.” She closed the drawer and looked under the bed, still mumbling. “Stupid husband, to give it to her. Stupid, stupid witch wife. I won’t let it ruin me.”

I began to get mad and felt my face tense and spread along my shoulders. I didn’t have much of my own. When my father died, my stepmother redistributed most of the things in the house, moving valuables and collectibles to her room and her daughters’ rooms. She had taken most of the nice things I had, including dresses and furniture and given them to her daughters and moved my room to the empty attic. But these were my private things; my private, wear-under-my-clothing things. I just couldn’t tolerate the thought of my stepmother looking through my things any longer.

When I heard Estell mention the brooch, my body flushed with heat and syrup began to drip from my hands and dark hair. The brooch was the only thing I had left of my mother. It was my mother’s brooch, given to me by my father on his deathbed. I would never forget the words he uttered as he pressed it into my hand. “This will be a protection to you and a comfort. It contains the secret of your heritage and may one day save your life.” Caught up in the memory, I didn’t notice my hands beginning to shake.

My stepmother pulled a box from under the bed and opened it. “Hmm, well this is interesting,” she said. I knew she had found the box of dried flowers, from both her parents’ funerals. White flowers my father had saved from my mother’s casket when I was just a baby and red flowers I had saved from my father’s casket. They were old and withered but beyond value to me. My stepmother dumped the flowers onto the bedroom floor. “What a waste,” she said.

I felt a sharp sting as the magic flew from my fingers into the buckets of water I had set on the floor on either side of me. Just as the buckets shattered into a million splintered pieces, covering the stairs with water, there was a rush of action and loud noise from downstairs. Estell stood abruptly and listened. I was silent and fading as the chaos grew loud and urgent from downstairs. Josie was trying to yell over the stepsisters, who were all three yelling for my stepmother. Without a word, Estell walked right across the flowers, crushing them into dust and walked out of the room, not noticing me, faded, in the corner.