Jeremiah 1-2, 15, 20, 36-38 OT Lesson #41 “I Have Made Thee This Day…an Iron Pillar”

OT Lesson #41 “I Have Made Thee This Day…an Iron Pillar”

Jeremiah 1-2, 15, 20, 36-38

What was THE MAN JEREMIAH like?

Biblical historian Alex Motyer writes,

“In [Jeremiah] we meet a man beset by a sense of inadequacy, holding on with determined fidelity to a God who frequently baffled him, and acting with a courage always at odds with his personal insecurities.  We could well call him the most human of the prophets, the most unlikely prophet, too–and therefore the prophet whose example speaks most movingly to us who are cast in the same mold” (Motyer, p. 121).

The first thing the Lord revealed to Jeremiah was the truth about Jeremiah himself:

• that he was foreordained, that his nature was divine

• that, contrary to his personal belief about himself, he was prepared for his mission in life (1:4-5)

Compare Jeremiah’s opinion of himself vs  the Lord’s opinion of him.

• Go to 1:6 What did Jeremiah say, “Ah, Lord God!  I am completely incompetent” (1:6).

• How did  Lord answer in verse 7-10, “What you are or what you can do are irrelevant: all that matters is that you are with me” (1:7-10). Over and over again, Jeremiah obeyed the constant injunction of the Lord to all of us to “fear not,” when his natural inclination was terror.

By continually obeying the Lord’s frightful commands, Jeremiah learned to live according to the truth about himself as revealed by God, rather than by his own faulty and inferior “self-esteem,” thus successfully fulfilling the mighty role God intended for him.

How does this apply to us?

Each of us who has sought a patriarchal blessing has received a “call” similar to Jeremiah’s, always with a revelation from the Lord telling us the truth about ourselves and revealing the mission of our life, often including details about our pre-earth life or foreordination and the divinity of our nature.  If we can start out our adult life, chapter 1, verse 1, with this “call,” and if we can trust in the Lord’s opinion of us, rather than our own flimsy self-esteem, we can be prepared to meet the overwhelming challenges of our mission admirably, as did Jeremiah.  (If you have class members who need more information about patriarchal blessings, this may be a great place to address the topic.  Here is a link to information about patriarchal blessings on the Church’s website.)

THE BOOK JEREMIAH

Notice how the reading assignment for this lesson jumps drastically through the book in order to give a logical sequence for study?  The book of Jeremiah is confusing.  First off, the dates are all jumbled up.

• Jeremiah’s address at the temple in chapter 7 can be dated to 608 BC.
• Chapter 21 occurs in 589-588 BC.  Chapter 25 fits in 605 BC.
• Chapter 32 occurs in 587 BC.  Chapter 31 goes back to the beginning at 608 BC.
• “The book is not arranged chronologically, and this sense of an anthology rather than an orderly presentation is enhanced by the varieties of literary genre and the unpredictible way in which they occur”  (Motyer, p. 122).
• There are poetical passages, biographical passages, and prose discourses, all jumbled up every which way.
• Why?  Motyer writes, “It is not permissible to [explain the apparent disorder] by assuming that ancient editors were less than devoutly serious and seriously competent in what they did.  The books of the prophets as they have come to us give enough evidence of carefully structured composition to make it appropriate to attempt [to make sense also of Jeremiah]” (Motyer, p. 123).

Motyer has taken a great effort to make a basic outline of the book of Jeremiah, “a sort of stepping stone pathway through the book [following] the thread of thought.”  Much more detail is available in Motyer’s book than I can include here (Motyer, p. 123-125).  And, of course, all the themes intertwine among and around each other, popping up here and there, but this list identifies general themes that follow a logical sequence and order.

• Prologue: Jeremiah’s Call. 1:1-19
• Israel’s Unfaithfulness. 2:1-6:30
• Misunderstood Privileges. 7:1-13:27
• Inescapable Judgment. 14:1-20:18
• The Failure and Triumph of the Covenant. 21:1-24:10
• Conclusion: The Course and Governing Principle of History (the efficacy of the Lord’s word, and the justice of the Lord’s judgment). 25:1-38
• The Word of Consolation.  26:1-44:30
  • 1.Jeremiah Authenticated.  26:1-29:32
  • 2.The Book of Consolation. 30:1-33:26
  • 3.Hope Deferred. 34:1-44:30
• Jeremiah: A Prophet to the Nations. 45:1-51:64
• Postscript. 52:1-34

THE PROMISES TO JEREMIAH

The Lord promised Jeremiah that he would have great trials, but that he would always prevail.  “I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land…They shall fight against thee: but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee” (1:18-19, and restated in 15:20).

Jeremiah obeyed all the commands of the Lord, many of them frightful.  And what was his reward?  “He had to face continuous opposition and insult from the priests, the mob, his townsmen…, the frivolous and cruel, the king, and the army.  After the fall of Jerusalem the Jews who escaped into Egypt took Jeremiah with them as a kind of fetish and at last, according to tradition, stoned him to death.”  (Bible Dictionary, p. 711)  He was cast into a dungeon full of muck, so much that he sank into it and nearly died.  The people did not listen to his words, but to those of the false prophets who promised the Lord would save them as the covenant people no matter what they did.  Jeremiah might not be blamed if he had said, “Excuse me?  I’m a little confused here:  I thought the Lord said I would be impervious to danger.  I thought he said I would win, or at the very least, I would be saved.”  And in some ways, he did ask questions like that (see 15:18 and 20:7-8).  But each time Jeremiah recognized the fulfillment of the promise:  it was a different kind of deliverance, an eternal deliverance.

In chapter 1, Jeremiah wrote, “Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth.  And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.  See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant” (1:9-10).  The Lord revealed the frightful things that Jeremiah was to prophesy.  (In this reading assignment, 1:11-2:37, and then 15:1-14.)  As might be predicted, the prophecies did not go over well with the wicked people, and Jeremiah was persecuted severely.  Despite a great desire to save himself from the constant assault of the people, he could not stop preaching.  “Then I said, I will not make mention of [the Lord], nor speak any more in his name.  But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing [resisting], and I could not [stop prophesying]” (20:9).

And yet, while complaining of this persecution, he gloried in the revelation, and in the salvation of Jehovah:  “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts” (15:16).  This was literal:  Jeremiah’s name means “Jehovah will exalt,” (Tefan).

Jeremiah’s lamentations (as in 20:14-18, as well as in the paragraph above) are directly juxtaposed with his prayers or songs of praise (as in 20:11-13).  Everything in the scriptures is there for a reason.  What do we learn from this?  Perhaps we expect a prophet of God to submit willingly all the time, and to never despair, even for a moment.  But maybe it is a greater lesson to observe that, although Jeremiah understandably complained, he always, always carried on!  Never did he give up!  His desire to do the Lord’s will repeatedly trumped his wish for physical and social comfort.  Do we have “fire in our bones”?  Where do we find our greater drive?  For ease, or for truth?  For our will, or for God’s will?  The answer to this question will determine whether we are also “Jeremiahs”: people whom “Jehovah will exalt”.

CHAPTER 15 CLARIFICATIONS
v. 1 Even if the great prophets Moses and Samuel were to petition the Lord in behalf of the present Israelites, the Lord will still destroy them.
v. 2 If they ask Jeremiah where they should go, he can simply reply, “Those destined for disease, go to disease; those destined for war, go to war; those destined for starvation, starve; those destined for captivity, go to captivity.”  (They have given up the option of repentance.)
v. 3 The Lord will send four kinds of destroyers to do the job.  The number four refers to the temporal creations of God.

• On the fourth day, the creation of the earth was complete, with only man and beasts remaining to fill it.
• There are four elements on the earth: earth, air, fire, water.
• There are four regions of the earth: north, south, east, west.
• There are four seasons on the earth: spring, summer, autumn, winter.
• In addition, there are four types of animals on the earth, and this may match the symbolism of the four destroyers here: man (the sword), domesticated animals (the dog?), wild animals (the beasts), and birds (the fowls).  If that is the case, the message here is that the enemies will be of all types, from everywhere, and will do the job completely.  Another idea, from Harper-Collins Study Bible, is that the sword will kill, the dogs will drag away to captivity (NIV translation puts “drag” where the KJV says “tear”), and the birds and animals will devour and destroy from above and beneath.

v. 4 The reason for this fury from God is the evil that was done under Manasseh’s rule.
v. 5 When Jerusalem is gone, there won’t even be anyone left to care about it or morn for it.
v.6 “I am weary with repenting” is translated in the NIV as “I am weary of relenting.”  The Lord is tired of exercising mercy and forbearance in case the Israelites will repent, when they never do repent.
v. 7 “Winnowing is an agricultural method developed by ancient cultures for separating grain from chaff. It is also used to remove weevils or other pests from stored grain…In its simplest form it involves throwing the mixture into the air so that the wind blows away the lighter chaff, while the heavier grains fall back down for recovery. Techniques included using a winnowing fan (a shaped basket shaken to raise the chaff) or using a tool (a winnowing fork or shovel) on a pile of harvested grain” (Wikipedia entry for “winnowing.”)

(This painting of winnowing by fan, by Millet, appears in Wikipedia.)

v.8-9 “The mother of young men” would have the best position in society for a female.  The mother with seven young men would be the greatest of all, since seven symbolizes perfection and completion–when the number seven appears, it just doesn’t get any better than that.  She has died prematurely (“given up the ghost; her sun is gone down while it was yet day”).
v. 10 This is a brief complaint by Jeremiah, that although he has done nothing to hurt anyone (“I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury”), everyone despises him.
v. 11 The NIV translation says “The Lord said: Surely I have intervened in your life for good.”  Harper-Collins comments, “God assumes responsibility for the contempt and persecution of the prophet, yet intervenes in the prophet’s life for good.”
v. 12 This persecution strengthens the prophet’s character, enabling him to endure the disaster from the north (Harper-Collins).
v. 13-14 The enemies of the Israelites will get all of their treasure, and will carry them into a foreign land.
v. 15-16 Jeremiah begins his supplication to the Lord for mercy, reminding the Lord that he has done His will and suffered for it.
v. 17 He did not join the merrymakers.  Under the Lord’s direction, and with the message of the Lord burning inside him, he stood alone.
v. 18 As far as Jeremiah can see at this point, the Lord is not fulfilling his role in Jeremiah’s life as the “fountain of living waters,” but as “a deceitful brook” (NIV) or “waters that fail.”  Jeremiah feels as one who travels in the wilderness, joyfully sees a creek bed, and then is bitterly disappointed to find it dry (Harper-Collins).  Like many of us in the midst of trial, Jeremiah wonders where the promised peace is.
v. 19 The Lord gently calls upon Jeremiah to repent, and he will be able to once again “stand before” the Lord, like a messenger who stands before the king and awaits the word.  What has Jeremiah done to deserve this rebuke?  In v. 17 he stated that he had never joined the evildoers.  But the sin can be found in v. 18, one that is common to all of us: Jeremiah lost faith and despaired.  It’s understandable, but it is still a sin.  If he turns back, and chooses the “precious” word of the Lord, and leaves the “vile” feelings of hopelessness, he will once again be “as my mouth”–the prophet of the Lord.  A prophet cannot function without faith!  Jeremiah is to wait for the Israelites to change and come to him (even if it never happens); he is not to change and become faithless and lack eternal perspective like them.
v. 20-21 The original promise of his prophetic mission is reiterated:  The Lord will make him strong enough to endure, and win the eternal conflict.  Jeremiah will be delivered.

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Reflections on Christ

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Christ – Isaiah 22; 24-26; 28-30 Lesson 37: “Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things”, Old Testament,

Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual

“Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things”

Lesson 37: “Thou Hast Done Wonderful Things”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, Music from Handel’s Messiah

Play a recording of “For unto Us a Child Is Born,” the musical rendition of Isaiah 9:6 from George Frideric Handel’s Messiah.

Isaiah 22; 24–26; 28–30

Purpose

If church were a football game….

If church were a football game, attendance would always be good.

If church were a football game, parking would never be an issue; as a matter of fact, people would be happy to pay to park and walk a mile to get to the building.

If church were a football game, you could have services for three hours and no one would leave.

Now, I will attempt to compare book of Isaiah to football.

Everyone likes to be a winner.  I surely do. I believe that we came here to win [Isaiah taught] that if we stay close to the Lord [strive to become like  Him by following His game plan] we will win. It’s certain that God is not a loser.  

Don’t you just love people who can’t be beaten?  [Christ could not be beaten. Isaiah could not be beaten.] That’s the way the Lord is. Nothing can defeat him. The kingdom is not going to fail. It’s going to roll forth.

Yes, it will break down all other kingdoms and fill the whole earth and stand forever, and you’re part of it.

Isn’t it great to be part of a winning team? Don’t you love a winner? I do; I hate to lose. I think I’m the worst loser in all the world. I don’t believe in losing.

Some say, “It matters not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.” That may be all right for football or basketball, but it’s not all right for the kingdom of God. No, sir. It makes a lot of difference whether you win or not. I certainly didn’t join this Church to lose my soul.

We came here to win, and [Isaiah taught] we will win if we stick with the Lord because he’s not a loser.

[Christ is our coach.  He calls the plays.  We need to follow His game plan to win.] The kingdom will not fail. Isn’t it great to be part of it? (Let Your Light Shine, HARTMAN RECTOR, JR.  fireside address was given at Brigham Young University on 3 March 1974).

To help class members come unto Christ through recognizing some of the wonderful things he has done.

Tell class members about a family member or friend who has done a wonderful thing for you. Invite class members to talk about people who have done wonderful things for them. Ask them to briefly describe their feelings toward those people. Explain that this lesson will emphasize some of the wonderful things the Savior has done

Some of Isaiah’s most beautiful and profound symbolic language is about the Savior, who is the focus of this lesson. You may want to write on the chalkboard “His name shall be called Wonderful” (Isaiah 9:6). As you discuss the following prophecies about the Savior,

Preparation

Prayerfully study the following scriptures:

a. Isaiah 22:22. The Savior opens the door to Heavenly Father’s presence.	Isaiah 22:22 says that the Messiah has “the key of the house of David.” This is a symbolic way of saying the Savior has the power to admit or exclude any person from Heavenly Father’s presence. (See also Revelation 3:7–8; 2 Nephi 9:41.) What did the Savior do to open this door for us? What must we do to be able to enter? (See 2 Nephi 9: 45.)
b. Isaiah 24:21–22. The Savior shows mercy for those in spirit prison.	Spirit prison is referred to in Isaiah 24:21–22? (Spirit prison, the place where the spirits of some deceased mortals go while awaiting the Resurrection.) Why are the spirits of some deceased mortals in spirit prison? (See D&C 138:32. Some of them did not receive the gospel on earth Others were not valiant in their testimonies. What did the Savior do for the spirits in prison? (See Isaiah 42:5–7; D&C 138:29–37. He organized righteous spirits to teach them the gospel. How did this demonstrate the Savior’s love and mercy? (See Isaiah 49:9–10.)
c. Isaiah 25:1–4; 32:1–2. The Savior is a strength and a refuge.	Isaiah wrote of the Savior strengthening us during the storms, trials. tempests, deserts, and heat of our lives. What do the following images teach about how the Savior helps us when we face such challenges? a. He is a refuge from the storm (Isaiah 25:4). b. He is a shadow (shade, protection) from the heat (Isaiah 25:4). c. He is a hiding place (protection) from the wind (Isaiah 32:2). d. He is a covert (cover) from the tempest (Isaiah 32:2). e. He is rivers of water (refuge) in a dry place (Isaiah 32:2). f. He is the shadow (refuge and protection) of a great rock in a weary (thirsty) land (Isaiah 32:2).
d. Isaiah 25:6–9. The Savior will prepare a feast and destroy the “vail.”	One interpretation of Isaiah 25:6–7 is that the mountain is a symbol for the temple (see also Isaiah 2:2; D&C 58:8–9). What is the feast mentioned in Isaiah 25:6? (A feast of the words and teachings of Christ.) How can temple attendance be like a feast? A veil is a thin covering. Symbolically it often represents the unbelief that prevents people from truly coming to Christ (Moses 7:26). How will the “vail” that is over the earth be destroyed? (See Isaiah 25:7–9.)
e. Isaiah 25:8. The Savior wipes away our tears.	• What do you do when someone you love is crying? How does the Savior “wipe away [our] tears”? (Suggest that class members picture a parent wiping tears away from a child’s face. There is a sense of intimacy in this act. It is a tender gesture that is shared only by people who love and trust each other deeply.) • What are the conditions mentioned in Revelation 21:4 that cause tears? How will the Savior wipe away the tears that are caused by these conditions?
f. Isaiah 26:19. The Savior will bring the Resurrection.	• Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah would come, he would die and be resurrected (Isaiah 25:8). Who else will be resurrected? (See Isaiah 26:19; 1 Corinthians 15:20–22; Alma 11:43–44. All the children of God who have lived on the earth will be resurrected.)What does Isaiah 26:19 suggest about how we will feel when we are resurrected? (See also D&C 138:12–16, 50.)The Prophet Joseph Smith said: “When the voice calls for the dead to arise, … what would be the first joy of my heart? To meet my father, my mother, my brother, my sister; and when they are by my side, I embrace them and they me” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 295–96).
g. Isaiah 28:16. The Savior is our sure foundation.	What does Isaiah tell us about the Savior by referring to him as a “tried stone”? (See Mosiah 3:17.)How is Jesus Christ our “sure foundation”? (See Helaman 5:12.)What can we do to build on this foundation?What does the Lord promise if we build on this foundation? (See D&C 50:44.)
h. Isaiah 29:4, 9–14, 18, 24. The Savior will restore the gospel to the earth.	Compare the following verses in Isaiah 29 with corresponding passages in the Book of Mormon, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants to see how some of Isaiah’s prophecies have been fulfilled:
a. Isaiah 29:4	Moroni 10:27
b. Isaiah 29:9–10, 13	Joseph Smith—History 1:18–19
c. Isaiah 29:11–12	Joseph Smith—History 1:63–65
d. Isaiah 29:14	Doctrine and Covenants 4:1; 6:1
i. (Isaiah 29:13).  Isaiah told of people drawing near to the Lord with their mouths while their hearts are far from Him	How can we make sure that we are close to the Lord in our thoughts and actions as well as in our words
j. (Isaiah 29:18, 24). Isaiah said that the Book of Mormon would help the spiritually deaf and blind to hear and see How has this prophecy been fulfilled? How has the Book of Mormon helped you see and hear better spiritually?
k. The Savior knows our trials and directs our paths.	What does Isaiah 30:19–21 teach about adversity? What do these verses teach about what the Savior will do for us when adversity comes? (See also Alma 37:37.)
l. Discuss Isaiah 30:19–21.

Conclusion

Bear your testimony of the Savior, expressing gratitude for the wonderful things he has done for us. Invite class members to review the list on the chalkboard and express how they feel when they think about these things. Discuss what we can do in return. (See Isaiah 35:3–4 for some suggestions.) You may also want to have class members sing “I Stand All Amazed” (Hymns,no. 193).

Additional Teaching Ideas

The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.

Next Chapter: Lesson 38: “Beside Me There Is No Saviour” »

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Christ – Lesson 33: Sharing the Gospel with the World,” Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 162

Gospel with the World,” Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 162

Membership	13,824,854	more
Missions	344	more
Missionaries	51,736	more
Missionary Training Centers	15	more
Temples (current 2010 number)	133

Jonah 1–4; Micah 2; 4–7

Purpose

To encourage class members to fulfill their responsibilities as latter-day Israel to love all the people of the world and share the blessings of the gospel with them.

Preparation

Prayerfully study the following scriptures:

• a. Jonah 1–2. The Lord calls Jonah to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Jonah tries to flee from the Lord on a ship, is swallowed by a great fish, prays, and is delivered from the belly of the fish.
• b. Jonah 3–4. Jonah prophesies the downfall of Nineveh and is angry when the people of Nineveh repent and the Lord spares the city (the Joseph Smith Translation of Jonah 3:9–10 explains that the people, not God, repented). The Lord uses a gourd and a worm to teach Jonah that he should love all people.
• c. Micah 2:12–13; 4:1–7, 11–13; 5:2–4, 7–8; 6:6–8; 7:18–20. Micah prophesies of the mission of Israel in the last days.

Suggested Lesson Development

Attention Activity

You may want to use the following activity (or one of your own) to begin the lesson.

• How many young men in the Church does the Lord want to serve full-time missions? (All worthy, able young men.) Why is it important that each of these young men respond to this call? Who else is eligible to serve full-time missions? (Worthy single sisters 21 years of age or older and senior couples when their circumstances allow.)

In 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball spoke of the need for more missionaries who could preach the gospel to people in all parts of the world. He declared:

“I believe the Lord can do anything he sets his mind to do. But I can see no good reason why the Lord would open doors that we are not prepared to enter” (“The Uttermost Parts of the Earth,” Ensign, July 1979, 9).

This lesson will discuss how the lives and writings of Jonah and Micah can help us understand our responsibility to love all people and share the blessings of the gospel with them.

Scripture Discussion and Application

As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles.

1. Jonah is called to preach to Nineveh, but he runs away.

Teach and discuss Jonah 1–2.

• Join me in the scriptures.  Please turn to Jonah chapter 1 verse 2.  Read verse 2 and tell me why did the Lord want Jonah to go to Nineveh?
• Let’s learn about Nineveh so we understand why Jonah didn’t want to go there.
• The causes of the forthcoming destruction are outlined in chapter 3. The first cause is the lies and the robbery that flourish in the bloody city (Nahum 3:1-3). The second cause is immorality (Nahum 1:4). This is more than sexual immorality, which, of course, will itself destroy a nation (Jacob 3:3, 6).
• About 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women will have an affair at some point in some marriage “Monogamy Myth”, Therapist Peggy Vaugn
• Nineveh’s immorality extends to the worship of witchcrafts or false gods (Nahum 3:4). It is estimated that there are over 200,000 practicing witches in the United States & there are literally millions of Americans who dabble in some form of the occult, psychic phenomena, spiritism, demonology & black magic. Statistics show that occult book sales have doubled in the last four years!….
• Assyria had apparently been offered the gospel through the captive Israelites, a possible Gentile graft (Jacob 5:7). This offer would symbolically represent a marriage with Jehovah, but she chose to worship the false gods of her various witchcrafts. The Lord announces that he will disclose her immoral practices to the nations and kingdoms of the world. This disclosure is probably the evidence that Nineveh’s false gods cannot save her against the only true and living God, Jehovah (Nahum 3:5-7). The Lord uses the ancient Egyptian city of No as an example of what will happen to Nineveh, thus illustrating how fruitless her efforts to prevent the destruction will be (Nahum 3:8-18
• Why might Jonah have been reluctant to accept a mission call to Nineveh? (See Nahum 3:1–5, where the great wickedness and violence of Nineveh are described. The people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, were enemies to Israel.)
• (See Jonah 1:3.) Why did Jonah go to Tarshish? In what ways do we sometimes try to escape from the presence of the Lord or from callings extended to us by his representatives? What are the results of such efforts?
• (See Jonah 1:4–2:10.) • How did the Lord show mercy and help Jonah repent? (See Jonah 2:1–9.) What did Jonah learn while he was inside the great fish?
• How does the Lord help us repent and return to his ways

In One Blinding Moment by Max Ellerbusch

I was in my instrument repair shop, working feverishly so that I could have all the Christmas holiday at home with my family.  Then the phone rang and a voice was saying that our five-year-old Craig had been hit by a car.

There was a crowd standing around him by the time I go there, but they stepped back for me.  Craig was lying in the middle of the road; his curly blond hair was not even rumpled.

He died at Children’s Hospital that afternoon.

There were many witnesses.  It had happened at the school-crossing.  They told us that Craig had waited on the curb until the safety-patrol boy signaled him to cross.  Craig, how well you remembered.  How often your mother called after you as you started off for kindergarten, “Don’t cross till you get the signal.”  You didn’t forget.

The signal came, Craig stepped into the street.  The car came so fast no one had seen it.  The patrol boy shouted, waved, had to jump for his own life.  The car never stopped.

Grace and I drove home from the hospital through the Christmas-lighted streets, not believing what had happened to us.  It wasn’t until night, passing the unused bed, that I knew.  Suddenly I was crying, not just for that empty bed but for the emptiness, the senselessness of life itself.  All night long, with Grace awake beside me,  I searched what I know of life for some hint of a loving God at work in it, and found none.

As a child I certainly had been led to expect none.  My father used to say that in all his childhood he did not experience one act of charity or Christian kindness.  Father was an orphan, growing up in 19th century Germany, a supposedly Christian land.  orphans were rented out to farmers as machines are rented today, and treated with far less consideration.  He grew into a stern, brooding man who looked upon life as an unassisted journey to the grave.

He married another orphan and, as their own children started to come, they decided to emigrate to America.  Father got a job aboard a ship; in New York harbor he went ashore and simply kept going. . He stopped in Cincinnati where so many Germans were then settling.  He took every job he could find, and in a year and a half had saved enough money to send for his family.

On the boat coming over, two of my sisters contracted scarlet fever; they died on Ellis Island.  Something in Mother died with them, for from that day on she showed no affection for any living being.  I grew up in a silent house, without laughter, without faith.

Later, in my own married life.  I was determined not to allow those grim shadows to fall on our own children.  Grace and I had four: Diane, Michael, Craig and Ruth Carol.  It was Craig, even more than the others, who seemed to lay low my childhood pessimism to tell me that the world was a wonderful and purposeful place.

As a baby he would smile so delightedly at everyone he was that there was always a little group around his carriage.  When we went visiting it was Craig, three years old, who would run to the hostess and say, “You have a lovely house.”  If the received a gift he was touched to tears, and then gave it away to the first child who envied it.  Sunday morning when Grace dressed to sing in the choir, it was Craig who never forgot to say, “You’re beautiful.”

And if such a child can die, I though as I fought my bed that Friday night, if such a life can be snuffed out in a minute, then life is meaningless and faith in God is self-delusion.  By morning my hopelessness and helplessness had found a target, a blinding hatred for the person who had done this to us.  That morning police picked him up in Tennessee: George Williams.  Fifteen years old.

He came from a broken home, police learned.  His mother worked a night shift and slept during the day.  Friday he had skipped school, taken her car keys while she was asleep, sped down a street….All my rage at a senseless universe seemed to focus on the name George Williams.  I phoned our lawyer and begged him to prosecute Williams to the limit.  “Get him tried as an adult, juvenile court is not tough enough.”

So this was my frame of mind when the thing occurred which changed my life.  I cannot explain it, I can only describe it.

It happened in the  space of time that it takes to walk two steps.  It was late Saturday night.  I was pacing the hall outside our bedroom, my head in my hands.  I felt sick and dizzy, and tired, so tired. “Oh God,”  I prayed, “Show me why.”

Right then, between that step and the next, my life was changed.  The breathe went out of me in a great sigh–and with it all the sickness.  In its place was a feeling of love and joy so strong it was almost pain.

Other men have called it “the presence of Christ.”  I’d known the phrase, of course, but I’d thought it was some abstract, theological idea.  I never dreamed it was someone, and actual Person, filling that narrow hall with love.

It was the suddenness of it that dazed me.  It was like a lightning stroke that turned out to be the dawn.  I stood blinking in an unfamiliar light.  Vengefulness, grief, hate, anger–it was not that I struggled to be ride o them–like goblins imagined in the dark, in morning’s light they simply were not there.

And all the while I had the extraordinary felling that I was two people.  I had another self, a self that was millions of miles from that hall, learning things men don’t y et have words to express.  I have tried so often to remember the things I knew then, but the learning seemed to take place in a mind apart from the one I ordinarily think with, as though the answer to my question was too vast for my small intellect.

But, in that mind beyond logic, that question was answered.  In that instant I knew why Craig had to leave us.  Though I had no visual sensation, I knew afterward that I had met him, and he was wiser than I, so that I was the little boy and he the man.  And he was so busy.  Craig had so much to do, unimaginable important things into which I must not inquire.  My concerns were still on earth.

In the clarity of that moment it came to me: this life is a simple thing.  I remember the very words in which the thought came.  “Life is a grade in school’ in this grade we must learn only one lesson: we must establish relationships of love.”

“Oh, Craig,” I thought.  “Little Craig, in your five short years how fast you learned, how quickly you progressed, how soon you graduated.”

I don’t know how long I stood there in the hall.  Perhaps it was no time at all as we ordinarily measure things.  Grace was sitting up in bed when I reached the door or our room…Not reading, not doing anything, just looking straight ahead of her as she had much of the time since Friday afternoon.

Even my appearance must have changed because as she turned her eyes slowly to me she gave a little gasp and sat up straighter.  I started to talk, words tumbling over each other, laughing, eager, trying to say that the world was not an accident, that life meant something, that earthly tragedy was not the end, that all around our incompleteness was a universe of purpose, that the purpose was good beyond our furthest hopes.

“Tonight,” I told her,”   “Craig is beyond needing us.  Someone else needs us; “George Williams.  It’s almost Christmas.  Maybe at the Juvenile Detention Home, there will be no Christmas gift for him unless we send it.”

Grace listened, silent, unmoving, staring at me.  Suddenly she burst into tears.  “Yes,”  she said, “That’s right, that’s right.  It’s the first thing that’s been right since Craig died.”

And it has been right.  George turned out to be an intelligent confused, desperately lonely boy, needing a father as much as I needed a son.  He got his gift, Christmas Day, and his mother got a box of Grace’s good Christmas cookies.  We asked for and got his release, a few days later, and this house became his second home.  He works with me in the shop after school, Joins for meals around the kitchen table, is a big brother for Diane and Michael and Ruth Carol.

But more was changed, in that moment when I met Christ then just my feeling about George.  That meeting has affected every phase of my life, my approach to business, to friends, to strangers.  I don’t mean I’ve been able to sustain the ecstasy of that moment; I doubt that the human body could contain such joy for every many days.

But I now now with infinite sureness that no matter what life does to us in the future, I will never again touch the rock bottom of despair.  No matter how ultimate the blow seems, I glimpsed an even more ultimate joy that blinding moment when the door swung wide.

• During his earthly ministry, the Savior spoke about the “sign of the prophet Jonas [Jonah]” (Matthew 12:39). What did this sign mean? (See Matthew 12:39–41. Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish and then was brought forth alive. The Savior would spend three days and nights buried in the earth and then would come forth resurrected.)
• • Through his prophets, the Lord has repeatedly commanded every worthy, able young man to serve a full-time mission. He has also encouraged senior couples to serve as full-time missionaries if they are able. (See the additional teaching ideas.) What are some reasons why some able young men and senior couples choose not to serve missions? (Lack of commitment and faith, unworthiness, unwillingness to leave the comforts of home and family, fear of what might be expected of them.) What can we learn from the story of Jonah that can help us be more valiant in obeying the Lord and sharing the gospel?

2. The people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s message and repent.

Teach and discuss Jonah 3–4.

• After Jonah repented, the Lord called him again to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. How did the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s message? (See Jonah 3:5–9 and footnote 9a. In ancient times, people clothed themselves in coarse cloth, called sackcloth, and sat in ashes to show that they were humble and repentant.) How did God respond to the change in the people? (See Jonah 3:10 and footnote 10c.)
• (Jonah 3:4 Jonah had prophesied the downfall of Nineveh). How did Jonah respond when the Lord forgave the people of Nineveh? (• What did the Lord teach Jonah by the growth of the gourd that gave shade and comfort and then died? (See Jonah 4:4–11. God loves all his children. Just as he showed mercy to Jonah, he desired to show mercy to the repentant people of Nineveh.) See Jonah 4:1–3. He was angry because the Lord was merciful to the people.) What can Jonah’s experience teach us about loving other people?

3. Micah prophesies of the mission of latter-day Israel.

Teach and discuss the following passages from Micah.

The prophet Micah called on the people of Israel to repent of their wickedness and return to the Lord. He prophesied of the destruction of Jacob (Israel) and Judah. He also prophesied that latter-day Israel (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) would accomplish the purposes of the Lord with great power.

• • What promises did the Lord give in Micah 2:12–13? (He promised that he would gather the remnant of Israel, that they would become a great multitude, and that he would lead them.) How are these promises being fulfilled today?
• • Some of Micah’s great prophecies about the latter days are recorded in Micah 4:1–7. What did Micah prophesy about the latter-day temple? (See verses 1–2.) What did he prophesy about the Millennium? (See verses 3–7.) Why are these prophecies important to us?
• • What can we learn from Micah 4:11–13 about the latter-day destiny of Israel? (In the ancient world, oxen were often used to thresh grain. They would walk over the grain, separating the chaff from the kernel. The chaff was blown away and the kernel saved. The nations that oppose Zion will be gathered as sheaves and then be threshed by Israel.) How might this separation of the chaff from the kernel be compared to latter-day Israel’s responsibility to do missionary work throughout the world? (See D&C 29:7; 33:5–7.)
• • Of whom did Micah prophesy in Micah 5:2–4? (Compare this prophecy to the record of its fulfillment in Matthew 2:4–6.)
• • What are the Lord’s people compared to in Micah 5:7? How can the image of dew or showers on the grass be compared to the effect of Church members on the people of the world? What do you think Micah meant by saying that these showers will not wait “for the sons of men”? (Just as mortals cannot stop dew from forming or showers from falling, nothing can stop the Lord’s work from progressing throughout the world.)
• • What are the Lord’s people compared to in Micah 5:8? What does this image suggest about the strength and power of the Lord’s work? (Just as a flock of sheep have no power to stop a young lion, no power on earth will be able to hinder the work of the Lord.)
  • In 1842 the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church, 4:540).
• • How can Micah 6:6–8 help us when we feel overwhelmed by all that is expected of us?
• • After prophesying of the Lord’s work in the latter days, what conclusion did Micah come to about God’s nature? (See Micah 7:18–20.) What phrases in these verses could be applied to the Lord’s dealings with the people of Nineveh? Which of these phrases could be applied to the Lord’s dealings with us?

Conclusion

Bear testimony that the Lord loves all his children and that we, as latter-day Israel, have the great responsibility to share his love and the truths of the gospel with all people. Ask class members to share what they have learned from Jonah and Micah.

Additional Teaching Ideas

The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.

1. Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission

Discuss the following statement from President Spencer W. Kimball:

“When I ask for more missionaries, I am not asking for more testimony-barren or unworthy missionaries. I am asking that we start earlier and train our missionaries better in every branch and every ward in the world. That is another challenge—that the young people will understand that it is a great privilege to go on a mission and that they must be physically well, mentally well, spiritually well, and that ‘the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.’ …

“The question is frequently asked: Should every young man fill a mission? And the answer has been given by the Lord. It is ‘Yes.’ Every young man should fill a mission” (“When the World Will Be Converted,” Ensign, Oct. 1974, 7–8).

2. The need for couple missionaries

Discuss the following statement from Elder David B. Haight:

“In behalf of the Brethren, this is a call for retired couples to seriously consider serving a mission. We desperately need more couples to help meet our needs. … Less than 50 percent of the requests for couple missionaries from [our] mission presidents are being filled. …

“The Brethren hope that many, many more couples will make themselves available for full-time service to the Church. The need is great! Hundreds of thousands of new members join the Church each year, and they need to hear a friendly voice of support and comfort from experienced members.

“The refrain, ‘I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord’ (Hymns, 1985, no. 270), should be more than a hymn we sing on Sunday. It should be our own prayer of faith as we serve wherever the Lord has need of us” (“Couple Missionaries: ‘A Wonderful Resource,’ ” Ensign, Feb. 1996, 7, 12).

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Jonah 1–4; Micah 2; 4–7

Purpose

To encourage class members to fulfill their responsibilities as latter-day Israel to love all the people of the world and share the blessings of the gospel with them.

Preparation

Prayerfully study the following scriptures:

• a. Jonah 1–2. The Lord calls Jonah to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Jonah tries to flee from the Lord on a ship, is swallowed by a great fish, prays, and is delivered from the belly of the fish.
• b. Jonah 3–4. Jonah prophesies the downfall of Nineveh and is angry when the people of Nineveh repent and the Lord spares the city (the Joseph Smith Translation of Jonah 3:9–10 explains that the people, not God, repented). The Lord uses a gourd and a worm to teach Jonah that he should love all people.
• c. Micah 2:12–13; 4:1–7, 11–13; 5:2–4, 7–8; 6:6–8; 7:18–20. Micah prophesies of the mission of Israel in the last days.

Suggested Lesson Development

Attention Activity

You may want to use the following activity (or one of your own) to begin the lesson.

• • How many young men in the Church does the Lord want to serve full-time missions? (All worthy, able young men.) Why is it important that each of these young men respond to this call? Who else is eligible to serve full-time missions? (Worthy single sisters 21 years of age or older and senior couples when their circumstances allow.)

In 1979, President Spencer W. Kimball spoke of the need for more missionaries who could preach the gospel to people in all parts of the world. He declared:

“I believe the Lord can do anything he sets his mind to do. But I can see no good reason why the Lord would open doors that we are not prepared to enter” (“The Uttermost Parts of the Earth,” Ensign, July 1979, 9).

This lesson will discuss how the lives and writings of Jonah and Micah can help us understand our responsibility to love all people and share the blessings of the gospel with them.

Scripture Discussion and Application

As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles.

1. Jonah is called to preach to Nineveh, but he runs away.

Teach and discuss Jonah 1–2.

• • Why did the Lord want Jonah to go to Nineveh? (See Jonah 1:2.) Why might Jonah have been reluctant to accept a mission call to Nineveh? (See Nahum 3:1–5, where the great wickedness and violence of Nineveh are described. The people of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, were enemies to Israel.)
• • Why did Jonah go to Tarshish? (See Jonah 1:3.) In what ways do we sometimes try to escape from the presence of the Lord or from callings extended to us by his representatives? What are the results of such efforts?
• • How did the Lord show mercy and help Jonah repent? (See Jonah 1:4–2:10.) What did Jonah learn while he was inside the great fish? (See Jonah 2:1–9.) How does the Lord help us repent and return to his ways?
• • During his earthly ministry, the Savior spoke about the “sign of the prophet Jonas [Jonah]” (Matthew 12:39). What did this sign mean? (See Matthew 12:39–41. Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish and then was brought forth alive. The Savior would spend three days and nights buried in the earth and then would come forth resurrected.)
• • Through his prophets, the Lord has repeatedly commanded every worthy, able young man to serve a full-time mission. He has also encouraged senior couples to serve as full-time missionaries if they are able. (See the additional teaching ideas.) What are some reasons why some able young men and senior couples choose not to serve missions? (Lack of commitment and faith, unworthiness, unwillingness to leave the comforts of home and family, fear of what might be expected of them.) What can we learn from the story of Jonah that can help us be more valiant in obeying the Lord and sharing the gospel?

2. The people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s message and repent.

Teach and discuss Jonah 3–4.

• • After Jonah repented, the Lord called him again to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. How did the people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s message? (See Jonah 3:5–9 and footnote 9a. In ancient times, people clothed themselves in coarse cloth, called sackcloth, and sat in ashes to show that they were humble and repentant.) How did God respond to the change in the people? (See Jonah 3:10 and footnote 10c.)
• • Jonah had prophesied the downfall of Nineveh (Jonah 3:4). How did Jonah respond when the Lord forgave the people of Nineveh? (See Jonah 4:1–3. He was angry because the Lord was merciful to the people.)
• • What did the Lord teach Jonah by the growth of the gourd that gave shade and comfort and then died? (See Jonah 4:4–11. God loves all his children. Just as he showed mercy to Jonah, he desired to show mercy to the repentant people of Nineveh.) What can Jonah’s experience teach us about loving other people?

3. Micah prophesies of the mission of latter-day Israel.

Teach and discuss the following passages from Micah.

The prophet Micah called on the people of Israel to repent of their wickedness and return to the Lord. He prophesied of the destruction of Jacob (Israel) and Judah. He also prophesied that latter-day Israel (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) would accomplish the purposes of the Lord with great power.

• • What promises did the Lord give in Micah 2:12–13? (He promised that he would gather the remnant of Israel, that they would become a great multitude, and that he would lead them.) How are these promises being fulfilled today?
• • Some of Micah’s great prophecies about the latter days are recorded in Micah 4:1–7. What did Micah prophesy about the latter-day temple? (See verses 1–2.) What did he prophesy about the Millennium? (See verses 3–7.) Why are these prophecies important to us?
• • What can we learn from Micah 4:11–13 about the latter-day destiny of Israel? (In the ancient world, oxen were often used to thresh grain. They would walk over the grain, separating the chaff from the kernel. The chaff was blown away and the kernel saved. The nations that oppose Zion will be gathered as sheaves and then be threshed by Israel.) How might this separation of the chaff from the kernel be compared to latter-day Israel’s responsibility to do missionary work throughout the world? (See D&C 29:7; 33:5–7.)
• • Of whom did Micah prophesy in Micah 5:2–4? (Compare this prophecy to the record of its fulfillment in Matthew 2:4–6.)
• • What are the Lord’s people compared to in Micah 5:7? How can the image of dew or showers on the grass be compared to the effect of Church members on the people of the world? What do you think Micah meant by saying that these showers will not wait “for the sons of men”? (Just as mortals cannot stop dew from forming or showers from falling, nothing can stop the Lord’s work from progressing throughout the world.)
• • What are the Lord’s people compared to in Micah 5:8? What does this image suggest about the strength and power of the Lord’s work? (Just as a flock of sheep have no power to stop a young lion, no power on earth will be able to hinder the work of the Lord.)
  • In 1842 the Prophet Joseph Smith declared, “No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done” (History of the Church, 4:540).
• • How can Micah 6:6–8 help us when we feel overwhelmed by all that is expected of us?
• • After prophesying of the Lord’s work in the latter days, what conclusion did Micah come to about God’s nature? (See Micah 7:18–20.) What phrases in these verses could be applied to the Lord’s dealings with the people of Nineveh? Which of these phrases could be applied to the Lord’s dealings with us?

Conclusion

Bear testimony that the Lord loves all his children and that we, as latter-day Israel, have the great responsibility to share his love and the truths of the gospel with all people. Ask class members to share what they have learned from Jonah and Micah.

Additional Teaching Ideas

The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.

1. Every worthy, able young man should prepare to serve a mission

Discuss the following statement from President Spencer W. Kimball:

“When I ask for more missionaries, I am not asking for more testimony-barren or unworthy missionaries. I am asking that we start earlier and train our missionaries better in every branch and every ward in the world. That is another challenge—that the young people will understand that it is a great privilege to go on a mission and that they must be physically well, mentally well, spiritually well, and that ‘the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.’ …

“The question is frequently asked: Should every young man fill a mission? And the answer has been given by the Lord. It is ‘Yes.’ Every young man should fill a mission” (“When the World Will Be Converted,” Ensign, Oct. 1974, 7–8).

2. The need for couple missionaries

Discuss the following statement from Elder David B. Haight:

“In behalf of the Brethren, this is a call for retired couples to seriously consider serving a mission. We desperately need more couples to help meet our needs. … Less than 50 percent of the requests for couple missionaries from [our] mission presidents are being filled. …

“The Brethren hope that many, many more couples will make themselves available for full-time service to the Church. The need is great! Hundreds of thousands of new members join the Church each year, and they need to hear a friendly voice of support and comfort from experienced members.

“The refrain, ‘I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord’ (Hymns, 1985, no. 270), should be more than a hymn we sing on Sunday. It should be our own prayer of faith as we serve wherever the Lord has need of us” (“Couple Missionaries: ‘A Wonderful Resource,’ ” Ensign, Feb. 1996, 7, 12).

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Christ – Table of Contents – OLD TESTAMENT

Table of Contents

Suzanne Farr Peterson, M.S.

Former B.Y.U. Instructor  and LDS Full-Time Seminary Teacher

Lesson 2: “Thou Wast Chosen Before Thou Wast Born”

Lesson 4: “Because of My Transgression My Eyes Are Opened”

Lesson 6: “Noah … Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House”

Lesson 8:  “Living Righteously in a Wicked World”

Lesson 10: Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant

Lesson 12: “Fruitful in the Land of My Affliction”

Lesson 14: “Ye Shall Be a Peculiar Treasure unto Me”

Lesson 16: “I Cannot Go Beyond the Word of the Lord”

Lesson 18: “Be Strong and of a Good Courage”

Lesson 20: “All the City … Doth Know That Thou Art a Virtuous Woman”

Lesson 24: King David “Create In Me A Clean Heart”

Lesson 28: “After the Fire a Still Small Voice”

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Christ – Lesson 28: “After the Fire a Still Small Voice”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 134 (7/18/2010)

Lesson 28: “After the Fire a Still Small Voice”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 134

Suzanne Farr Peterson, M.S.

Former B.Y.U. Instructor  and LDS Full-Time Seminary Teacher

1 Kings 17–19

Purpose

To encourage class members:

1. To put God first in their lives

2. To find guidance and comfort (a) in the words of the living prophet and (b) the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.

Preparation

1. Prayerfully study the following scriptures:

a. 1 Kings 17. Elijah seals the heavens against rain, flees from Ahab and Jezebel, and is miraculously sustained in the wilderness (17:1–6).

The Lord sends Elijah to a widow who gives him food and water (17:7–16).

In both scripture and early Christian tradition, olive oil is symbolic of the Holy Ghost. This is because the Holy Ghost provides spiritual nourishment, enlightenment, and comfort, just as olive oil in the ancient Near East was used for food, light, and anointing Elijah raises the widow’s son from the dead (17:17–24) ( Allegory of the Olive Tree: The Olive, the Bible, and Jacob 5 by John W. Welch, Stephen D. Ricks)

b. 1 Kings 18. After more than two years of famine, Elijah meets with Ahab and challenges the priests of Baal to call down fire from heaven to consume their sacrifice (18:1–2, 17–24). The priests of Baal fail in their attempts, but Elijah prays and the Lord sends down fire to consume the sacrifice he has prepared (18:25–40). Elijah prays to end the famine, and the Lord sends rain (18:41–46).

c. 1 Kings 19. Jezebel tries to kill Elijah (19:1–2). Elijah flees into the wilderness and is fed by an angel (19:3–8). Elijah goes to Horeb, where he is comforted by the Holy Ghost and instructed to continue in God’s work (19:9–19).

2. Ask a class member to prepare to give a brief report on Elijah’s confrontation with the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:17–40).
Suggested Lesson Development

Attention Activity

Share the following story told by Elder Thomas S. Monson:

“Born in poverty but nurtured in faith, [José García] prepared for a mission call. I was present the day his recommendation was received. There appeared the statement: ‘Brother García will serve at great sacrifice to his family, for he is the means of much of the family support. He has but one possession—a treasured stamp collection—which he is willing to sell, if necessary, to help finance his mission.’

“President [Spencer W.] Kimball listened attentively as this statement was read to him, and then he responded: ‘Have him sell his stamp collection. Such sacrifice will be to him a blessing.’ ”

Invite class members to think about how they would react if they were asked to give up all their possessions to serve the Lord. Then continue with the story:

“Then, with a twinkle in his eye and a smile on his face, this loving prophet said, ‘Each month at Church headquarters we receive thousands of letters from all parts of the world. See that we save these stamps and provide them to José at the conclusion of his mission. He will have, without cost, the finest stamp collection of any young man in Mexico’ ” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, 83; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 56).

Explain that when we put the things of God first in our lives, the rewards we receive are far greater than anything we may have to sacrifice along the way. This lesson tells about two people—Elijah and the widow of Zarephath—who received great blessings because they were willing to follow God even when it was difficult to do so.

Scripture Discussion and Application

As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles.

After Jeroboam led the kingdom of Israel into idolatry, he and his descendants were destroyed. They were followed by another succession of idolatrous kings. Of those rulers, Ahab was the king who “did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). He married Jezebel, adopted her practice of Baal worship, and encouraged his people to join him in the worship of this false god. The prophet Elijah delivered words of warning to Ahab and his kingdom.

1. Elijah seals up the heavens, is miraculously sustained, and raises a widow’s son from the dead.

Teach and discuss 1 Kings 17.

Ahab had forsaken the faith of his fathers and had allowed the Northern Kingdom to adopt the worship of calves instead of the God Jehovah. And Ahab, “as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam” (1 Kings 16:31), married the daughter of the king of Zidon. Jezebel—a name that in modern times is a term used to describe a domineering, wicked woman—introduced into Israel the worship of the Phoenician god Baal. Baal was worshipped in high places, that is, clearings on high mountain tops. The worship of Baal is described by scholars as being festive and gay, and it is said that there were licentious and impure rites connected with it. Baal-worship turned away from the virtues of righteousness and goodness and humility to venerate power and mere strength.

• Because of the wickedness of Ahab and his people, Elijah declared, “There shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word” (1 Kings 17:1; italics added). Why was Elijah able to make such a statement? (You may want to compare Elijah to Nephi, the son of Helaman, who was given a similar power. The Lord’s reasons for allowing all things to be done according to Nephi’s words are found in Helaman 10:4–5.)

• After Elijah declared that no rain would fall in the kingdom, the Lord commanded him to flee. How did Elijah respond to the Lord’s command? (See 1 Kings 17:2–5.) What can we learn from Elijah’s response?

Elder Gordon B. Hinckley said:

“I draw strength from a simple statement made concerning the Prophet Elijah, who warned King Ahab of drought and famine to come upon the land. But Ahab scoffed. And the Lord told Elijah to go and hide himself by the brook Cherith, that there he should drink of the brook, and that he would be fed by the ravens. And the scripture records a simple and wonderful statement: ‘So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord.’ (1 Kings 17:5.)

“There was no arguing. There was no excusing. There was no equivocating. Elijah simply ‘went and did according unto the word of the Lord.’ And he was saved from the terrible calamities that befell those who scoffed and argued and questioned” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1971, 159; or Ensign, Dec. 1971, 123–24).

Bad things happen to good people

Elijah was warned to flee from the presence of the king. He went eastward and hid by the brook Cherith, and there the ravens fed him. Eventually the brook dried up. Thus Elijah himself was not immune from the trials the Lord had caused him to call forth upon the people by sealing the heavens so there would be no rain. This too illustrates a principle that members of the Church should consider. In later years the Lord counseled his disciples to stay in the world, even though they were to be not of the world. A life of righteousness does not necessarily lift from any soul the trials and difficulties, suffering and concerns of life. But the righteous do have some protection and blessings, and there is power working in their behalf.

• How did Elijah survive in the wilderness after the drought began? (See 1 Kings 17:4, 6.) What experiences have you had when the Lord has sustained you physically or spiritually?

• Whom had the Lord prepared to help Elijah after the brook in the wilderness dried up? (See 1 Kings 17:7–13.) What can this teach us about how the Lord helps those in need? (Explain that the Lord often helps those in need through the service of other people.) How have you seen the Lord help those in need through the service of other people? What can we do to help others who are in need?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: “I know we can each do something, however small that act may seem to be. We can pay an honest tithe and give our fast and freewill offerings. … And we can watch for other ways to help. To worthy causes and needy people, we can give time if we don’t have money, and we can give love when our time runs out. We can share the loaves we have and trust God that the cruse of oil will not fail” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1996, 41; or Ensign, May 1996, 31).

• How did the widow respond to Elijah’s request for some water to drink? (See 1 Kings 17:10–11. She went without hesitation.) What did the widow say when Elijah asked her for food? (See 1 Kings 17:11–12.) What did Elijah promise her? (See 1 Kings 17:13–14.) What did the widow then do? (See 1 Kings 17:15.) What can we learn from the widow’s response?

Elder Holland said that the widow’s response when Elijah asked her for food was an “expression of faith—as great, under these circumstances, as any I know in the scriptures. … Perhaps uncertain what the cost of her faith would be … , she first took her small loaf to Elijah, obviously trusting that if there were not enough bread left over, at least she and her son would have died in an act of pure charity” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1996, 39; or Ensign, May 1996, 29).

• Why do you think God commanded the widow to feed Elijah when she had so little? What blessing did the widow receive for her obedience? (See 1 Kings 17:16.) What are some things that God asks of us that might be difficult? In what ways are we blessed when we put God first, doing what he asks even when it is difficult?

President Ezra Taft Benson taught:

“When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities. …

“May God bless us to put [him] first and, as a result, reap peace in this life and eternal life with a fulness of joy in the life to come” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1988, 3, 6; or Ensign, May 1988, 4, 6).

• What did Elijah do when the widow’s son became sick and died? (See 1 Kings 17:17–22.) By what power was Elijah able to bring the widow’s son back to life? How has your life been blessed through the power of the priesthood?
2. Elijah challenges the priests of Baal and opens the heavens for rain.

Teach and discuss 1 Kings 18.

• In the third year of the famine (The exact meaning of the phrase “in the third year” remains unclear ie. the number three and one-half in rabbinic literature is not a specific number of years and months but rather a phrase meaning “a period” or “a duration” of time, much like the phrase “after many days”  )  The Lord commanded Elijah, “Go [show] thyself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 18:1). How did Ahab react when he saw Elijah? (See 1 Kings 18:17. Point out that Ahab blamed Elijah for the famine.) What was the real cause of the famine? (See 1 Kings 18:18.)• As Elijah had requested, Ahab gathered all of Israel and 850 false priests at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19–20). When the people gathered to hear Elijah speak, he asked them, “How long halt ye between two opinions?” (1 Kings 18:21). What do you think it means to halt between two opinions? How do we sometimes halt between two opinions? (See Matthew 6:24. Point out that the word mammon refers to worldliness.)

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “The stirring words of various prophets … urge us to choose, to decide, and not to halt. … Elijah’s message has tremendous relevancy today, for all must finally choose between the gods of this world and the God of eternity” (That My Family Should Partake [1974], 22).

Have the assigned class member give a brief report on Elijah’s confrontation with the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:17–40).

• What was Elijah’s purpose in challenging the priests of Baal? (See 1 Kings 18:36–37.) How did the people react to the Lord’s display of power? (See 1 Kings 18:38–39.) How were they blessed for acknowledging the Lord and his power? (See 1 Kings 18:45.) How can we more fully acknowledge the Lord and his power? (See 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18; Alma 34:38; Moroni 7:33–39.)

The number twelve is a symbol for priesthood, including its power and right to govern. ecause the number twelve symbolizes priesthood, multiples of twelve are traditionally understood to be a symbol for the fulness of the priesthood, or making one’s calling and election sure.

So in Revelation 7 we read, “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel” (v. 4). Of these 144,000 individuals, “we are to understand that those who are sealed are high priests, ordained unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn” (D&C 77:11)

3. Elijah is comforted by the Holy Ghost and instructed to continue in God’s work.

Teach and discuss 1 Kings 19.

Angry about Elijah’s victory over the priests of Baal, Jezebel sought to kill him. Elijah fled into the wilderness and cried to the Lord, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life” (1 Kings 19:4). The Lord blessed Elijah by sending an angel with food and water. You may want to point out that even prophets can experience despair and need the comfort and guidance that only God can provide.

• Why was Elijah discouraged? (See 1 Kings 19:10, 14. Despite the people’s response to God’s spectacular display of power, Elijah felt that he was the only Israelite left who worshiped the true God.) What did he do to gain peace? (See 1 Kings 19:4, 8. He prayed and fasted.) What can we learn from Elijah’s experience to help us if we feel discouraged, depressed, or despairing?

Many prophets of God have been required to endure persecution, as explained by John Taylor:

Now, why was it that men that were aiming at an exaltation among the Gods should be so persecuted and cast out by men? For instance I might mention a few of them. I might refer to Job and the kind of trials he passed through; I might talk about Abraham and the trials he was called upon to pass through; I might mention Moses and the trials he had to endure; I might bring to your minds many other prominent men of God, but I will come to Elijah, who was a man that feared God and wrought righteousness. The people had departed from the Lord and trampled under foot His precepts, etc. So much so that Elijah was obliged to flee and hide himself in a cave away from the face of man. . . .

Well, it was a critical position to be in, but it was just as critical for many others who lived in ancient times. And this spirit of murder and persecution still exists. . . .

I merely refer to these things to show that the spirit that actuated men in former times is at work today; irrespective of times, forms of government, places or circumstances. (JD 24:197.)

• How did God comfort Elijah on Mount Horeb? (See 1 Kings 19:9–13.) What can we learn from this about how God communicates with us? Why do you think God communicates more often through the “still small voice” of the Holy Ghost than through loud and spectacular displays of power? How can we discern the whisperings of the Holy Ghost?

When a news reporter asked President Hinckley how he communicates with God, the prophet responded, “I think the best way I could describe the process is to liken it to the experience of Elijah as set forth in the book of First Kings. Elijah spoke to the Lord, and there was a wind, a great wind, and the Lord was not in the wind. And there was an earthquake, and the Lord was not in the earthquake. And there was a fire, and the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire a still, small voice, which I describe as the whisperings of the Spirit” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 71; or Ensign, Nov. 1996, 51).

We could come away from our study of Elijah with no more important lesson than to recognize how the Lord communicates with his children here upon the earth: through the still, small voice that is so difficult to describe to one who has never experienced it and is almost unnecessary to describe to one who has. That sweet, quiet voice of inspiration that comes more as a feeling than it does as a sound. That process through which pure intelligence can be spoken into the mind and we can know and understand and have witness of spiritual things. The process is not reserved for the prophets alone, but every righteous seeking soul who will qualify and make himself worthy can have that manner of communication, even as a gift.

President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “Do you take time to listen to the promptings of the Spirit? Answers to prayer come most often by a still voice and are discerned by our deepest, innermost feelings. I tell you that you can know the will of God concerning yourselves if you will take the time to pray and to listen” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, 46; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, 32).

• Besides being the Comforter, the Holy Ghost is also a teacher (John 14:26; 2 Nephi 32:5). What did the Lord—through the Holy Ghost—instruct Elijah to do? (See 1 Kings 19:15–16.) How can serving the Lord help us when we are discouraged?

• One way the Lord comforted Elijah was by telling him that there were still many Israelites who had not adopted the worship of Baal (1 Kings 19:18). How can fellowship with other faithful Latter-day Saints comfort us? What influences do you have around you that help you know you are not alone? What can you do to help others when they feel alone?

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. (HC, 4:210.)

The recorded event requiring the later appearance of Elijah and Moses in the flesh as translated beings was the Savior’s transfiguration on the mount. From President Joseph Fielding Smith we have this explanation.

When Moses and Elijah came to the Savior and to Peter, James and John upon the Mount, what was their coming for? Was it just some spiritual manifestation to strengthen these three apostles? Or did they come merely to give comfort unto the Son of God in his ministry and to prepare him for his crucifixion? No! That was not the purpose. I will read it to you. The Prophet Joseph Smith has explained it in the Church History, Vol. 3, 387, as follows:

“The priesthood is everlasting. The Savior, Moses, and Elias [Elijah, in other words], gave the keys to Peter, James and John, on the Mount when they were transfigured before him. The Priesthood is everlasting—without beginning of days or end of years; without father, mother, etc.

Conclusion

Testify that we will be comforted and guided as we put God first and heed the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.

Additional Teaching Idea

The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use it as part of the lesson.

The Spirit of Elijah

Latter-day Saints often talk about the Spirit of Elijah. This phrase refers to the work we do “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers” (D&C 110:15). This work includes family history research and temple work for the living and the dead. We call it the Spirit of Elijah because Elijah restored the keys of the sealing power of the priesthood to Joseph Smith (D&C 110:13–16). Through this power, sealing ordinances can be performed that unite families for eternity.

Joseph Smith said:

“The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven. …

“I wish you to understand this subject, for it is important; and if you receive it, this is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first resurrection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 337–38)

Elijah the Last to Hold the Keys. Elijah was the last prophet who held the keys of the Priesthood, and who will, before the last dispensation, restore the authority and deliver the keys of the Priesthood, in order that all the ordinances may be attended to in righteousness. It is true that the Savior had authority and power to bestow this blessing; but the sons of Levi were too prejudiced. And I will send Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord, etc., etc. Why send Elijah? Because he holds the keys of the authority to administer in all the ordinances of the Priesthood; and without the authority is given, the ordinances could not be administered in righteousness. 11—T 172.

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Christ – Lesson 24: “Create in Me a Clean Heart”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine

Lesson 24: “Create in Me a Clean Heart”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 111

2 Samuel 11–12; Psalm 51

Purpose

To encourage class members to be chaste in thought and action and to repent of their sins.

Prreparation

1. Prayerfully study the following scriptures:

• • a. 2 Samuel 11. David commits adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (11:1–5). David fails in his attempt to hide his sin (2 Samuel 11:6–13). He arranges for Uriah to die in battle (11:14–17). David marries Bathsheba, and they have a son (11:26–27).
  • b. 2 Samuel 12:1–23. The prophet Nathan teaches of the severity of David’s sins by telling David a parable (12:1–6). David is told that he will be punished because of his sins (12:7–14; note that in the Joseph Smith Translation of verse 13, Nathan states, “The Lord hath not put away thy sin that thou shalt not die”). The first son of David and Bathsheba dies in infancy (12:15–23).
  • c. Psalm 51. A repentant David seeks forgiveness.
• 2. Additional reading: 2 Samuel 2–10.
• 3. If you use the attention activity, bring a spool of thread and a pair of scissors.

Suggested Lesson Development

Attention Activity

You may want to use the following activity (or one of your own) to begin the lesson.

Have a volunteer stand at the front of the class with his or her hands held forward. Tie a strand of thread loosely around both of the class member’s wrists. Explain that this one thread represents an unclean thought. Then have the class member break the thread by pulling his or her hands sharply outward.

• • What should we do when an unclean thought enters our mind? (We should dismiss it immediately.)

ACTIVITY:

Ask the class member to hold out his or her hands again. Wrap the class member’s wrists with a few strands of thread—enough to make it more difficult to break them. Then ask the class member to try to break the strands of thread. Repeat this process using enough strands of thread to make it impossible to break free.

• • What happens when we allow unclean thoughts to stay in our minds?

Free the class member’s hands by cutting the thread with the scissors. Explain that part of this lesson deals with the consequences of dwelling on unclean thoughts. The lesson also discusses ways to free ourselves from unclean thoughts.

Scripture Discussion and Application

As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles. Because it would be difficult to ask every question or cover every point in the lesson, prayerfully select those that will best meet class members’ needs. You may need to adapt some questions to fit class members’ circumstances.

1 Samuel 25 through 2 Samuel 10 provide important information about the historical setting for this lesson. Since these chapters are not covered in this manual, you may want to summarize them as follows:

Soon after David spared Saul’s life, Saul sought David’s life one more time. Again David had the opportunity to kill the king, but he refused to do so. Battles continued between the people of Judah and the surrounding nations, and Saul and Jonathan were killed in one of those battles. David succeeded Saul as king and became one of the greatest kings in the history of Israel. He united the tribes into one nation, secured possession of the land that had been promised to his people, and set up a government based on God’s law. However, the last 20 years of his life were marred by the sinful decisions that are discussed in this lesson.

1. David commits adultery with Bathsheba and arranges the death of Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband.

Teach and discuss 2 Samuel 11.

• • David was walking on his roof when he saw Bathsheba and was tempted to commit adultery with her (2 Samuel 11:2). What should David have done when he saw Bathsheba? What did David do that led him to sin with her? (See 2 Samuel 11:2–4.) What might lead people to be tempted to commit sexual sins? What can we do to avoid being tempted to commit sexual sins?
  • You may want to list class members’ answers on the chalkboard using a chart like the one below. Answers may include the following:
     

     

  • List on chalkboard
  • Things to avoid  

     

  President Howard W. Hunter advised: “Be faithful in your marriage covenants in thought, word, and deed. Pornography, flirtations, and unwholesome fantasies erode one’s character and strike at the foundation of a happy marriage. Unity and trust within a marriage are thereby destroyed” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 67; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50)

• Many acknowledge the vice of physical adultery but still rationalize that anything short of that heinous sin may not be condemned too harshly. 

  There are those who look with longing eyes, who want and desire and crave these romantic associations. To so desire to possess, to inordinately want and yearn for such, is to covet, and the Lord in powerful terms condemns it: 

  Many women  often invite men to sensual desire by their immodest clothes, (tight clothes  or low cut tops) loose actions and mannerisms, their coy glances, their extreme make-up, and by their flattery.

  Preparation

  • How to avoid tHEM 
  • You may want to use the first additional teaching idea to discuss ways to dismiss unclean thoughts.

 What did David attempt to do when he learned that Bathsheba was with child? (See 2 Samuel 11:6–13. He tried to get Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband, to return home to her. Then it would appear that the unborn child was Uriah’s.) Why did David’s plan fail? (See 2 Samuel 11:11. Uriah would not return home at that time because he was true to his battlefield companions and felt that he should stay with them.)

• • What more serious sin did David commit in an attempt to hide his immorality? (See 2 Samuel 11:14–17.) From whom do you think David thought he could hide his sin? How do people try to cover up sins today? What happens when we try to cover our sins?
  • Elder Richard G. Scott said:
  • “Do not take comfort in the fact that your transgressions are not known by others. That is like an ostrich with his head buried in the sand. He sees only darkness and feels comfortably hidden. In reality he is ridiculously conspicuous. Likewise our every act is seen by our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son. They know everything about us. …  
  • “If you have seriously transgressed, you will not find any lasting satisfaction or comfort in what you have done. Excusing transgression with a cover-up may appear to fix the problem, but it does not. The tempter is intent on making public your most embarrassing acts at the most harmful time. Lies weave a pattern that is ever more confining and becomes a trap that Satan will spring to your detriment” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1995, 103; or Ensign, May 1995, 77).
  • You may want to use the second additional teaching idea to illustrate the danger of trying to cover our sins.

2. David is told that he will be punished because of his sins.

Teach and discuss 2 Samuel 12:1–23.

• • What parable did the prophet Nathan tell to illustrate how displeased the Lord was with David? (See 2 Samuel 12:1–4.) What did David think about the rich man’s actions against the poor man in the parable? (See 2 Samuel 12:5–6.) How had David’s actions been like the rich man’s? (See 2 Samuel 12:7–9.) How did David react to the Lord’s rebuke? (See 2 Samuel 12:13.)
• • Why do you think David failed to recognize that he was represented by the rich man in the parable? Why are we sometimes unable to recognize our own sinfulness?
• • What were the consequences of David’s sins? (See 2 Samuel 12:10–14. The fulfillment of these prophecies can be found in 2 Samuel 12:15–23 and subsequent chapters of 2 Samuel and 1 Kings; see also D&C 132:39. Note that adultery is a serious sin, but David forfeited his exaltation because the Lord held him accountable for the murder of Uriah.)
  • President Marion G. Romney said: “David, … though highly favored of the Lord (he was, in fact, referred to as a man after God’s own heart), yielded to temptation. His unchastity led to murder, and as a consequence, he lost his families and his exaltation” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1979, 60; or Ensign, May 1979, 42).
• • What are some of the immediate consequences of immorality today? What are some long-term effects for the unrepentant?

3. A repentant David seeks forgiveness.

Teach and discuss Psalm 51.

In a psalm to the Lord, David expressed a desire to help others repent, saying, “I [will] teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Psalm 51:13). Even though David forfeited his exaltation because he arranged the death of Uriah, we can learn from his repentant attitude as he sought forgiveness for the sin of adultery. His words in Psalm 51 teach many aspects of true repentance. As you study the psalm with class members, discuss how we can apply David’s repentant example to our lives.

• • In Psalm 51, David first acknowledged God and His mercy (Psalm 51:1). David also acknowledged his own sinfulness (Psalm 51:1–3). Why is it important that we recognize God’s greatness and our own sinfulness when we repent of our sins?
• • What must we sacrifice in order to receive forgiveness of our sins? (See Psalm 51:16–17.) What do you think it means to have “a broken and a contrite heart”?
• • How are our sins “ever before [us]” before we are forgiven? (Psalm 51:3). How does that change after we have been forgiven? (See Psalm 51:10; Alma 36:17–19.) How does God look upon our past sins after he has forgiven us? (See Psalm 51:9; Isaiah 43:25; D&C 58:42.)
• • David described forgiveness as a cleansing (Psalm 51:1–2, 7, 9–10), a restoration (Psalm 51:12), and a deliverance (Psalm 51:14). Why are these appropriate descriptions of the blessing of God’s forgiveness?

Conclusion

Explain that no matter how successful or strong we may be, we are not above temptation. Encourage class members to make any necessary changes in their lives that will help them be chaste in thought and action. Express your love for Jesus Christ and your gratitude for his Atonement. Testify that because of the Atonement, we can be forgiven of our sins.

Additional Teaching Ideas

The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.

1. Dismissing unclean thoughts from our minds

In your own words, share the following statement by Elder Boyd K. Packer about how to dismiss unclean thoughts that have entered our minds uninvited:

“The mind is like a stage. Except when we are asleep, the curtain is always up. There is always some act being performed on that stage. It may be a comedy, a tragedy, interesting or dull, good or bad; but always there is some act playing on the stage of the mind.

“Have you noticed that without any real intent on your part, in the middle of almost any performance, a shady little thought may creep in from the wings and attract your attention? These delinquent thoughts will try to upstage everybody. If you permit them to go on, all thoughts of any virtue will leave the stage. You will be left, because you consented to it, to the influence of unrighteous thoughts.

“If you yield to them, they will enact for you on the stage of your mind anything to the limits of your toleration. They may enact a theme of bitterness, jealousy, or hatred. It may be vulgar, immoral, even depraved. When they have the stage, if you let them, they will devise the most clever persuasions to hold your attention. They can make it interesting all right, even convince you that it is innocent—for they are but thoughts.

“What do you do at a time like that, when the stage of your mind is commandeered by the imps of unclean thinking, whether they be the gray ones that seem almost clean or the filthy ones which leave no room for doubt? If you can control your thoughts, you can overcome habits, even degrading personal habits. If you can learn to master them, you will have a happy life.

“This is what I would teach you. Choose from among the sacred music of the Church a favorite hymn, one with words that are uplifting and music that is reverent, one that makes you feel something akin to inspiration. Go over it in your mind carefully. Memorize it. Even though you [may] have had no musical training, you can think through a hymn.

“Now, use this hymn as the place for your thoughts to go. Make it your emergency channel. Whenever you find these shady actors have slipped from the sidelines of your thinking onto the stage of your mind, put on this record, as it were. As the music begins and as the words form in your thoughts, the unworthy ones will slip shamefully away. It will change the whole mood on the stage of your mind. Because it is uplifting and clean, the baser thoughts will disappear. For while virtue, by choice, will not associate with filth, evil cannot tolerate the presence of light.

“In due time you will find yourself, on occasion, humming the music inwardly. As you retrace your thoughts, you discover some influence from the world about you encouraged an unworthy thought to move on stage in your mind, and the music almost automatically began.

“Once you learn to clear the stage of your mind of unworthy thoughts, keep it busy with learning worthwhile things. Change your environment so that you have things about you that will inspire good and uplifting thoughts. Keep busy with things that are righteous” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1976, 99–100).

2. The danger of trying to cover our sins

In trying to hide his sin of adultery, David committed an even greater sin. To discuss the danger of trying to hide our sins, compare sin to a mound of dirt. Illustrate this concept on the chalkboard as shown in the first drawing on page 116.

• • What will happen if we try to cover a small mound of dirt? (The mound will become larger and more visible. Illustrate this concept as shown in the second drawing above.)
• • How is covering our sins like covering a mound of dirt? (Our sinfulness becomes greater and more serious when we try to cover our sins.)
• • If we do not want people to see a mound of dirt, what should we do? (We should remove the mound rather than cover it.) How can we remove sin from our lives?

3. “Then Amnon hated her exceedingly” (2 Samuel 13:15)

2 Samuel 13 contains the story of David’s son Amnon and David’s daughter Tamar. Amnon was attracted to Tamar and forced her to commit fornication with him.

• • 2 Samuel 13:1 says that Amnon loved Tamar. How did Amnon’s feelings for Tamar change after he had sinned against her? (See 2 Samuel 13:15.) Why does hatred, rather than love, often result between people who violate the principles of morality?
  • President Gordon B. Hinckley said: “I heard Elder John A. Widtsoe … say, ‘It is my observation that a young man and a young woman who violate the principles of morality soon end up hating one another.’ I have observed the same thing. There may be words of love to begin with, but there will be words of anger and bitterness later” (“True to the Faith,” Ensign, June 1996, 5).

4. Hope for the repentant

If you emphasize that it is never too late to repent, you may want to share the following statement by Elder Boyd K. Packer:

“The discouraging idea that a mistake (or even a series of them) makes it everlastingly too late, does not come from the Lord. He has said that if we will repent, not only will He forgive us our transgressions, but He will forget them and remember our sins no more. … Repentance is like soap; it can wash sin away. Ground-in dirt may take the strong detergent of discipline to get the stains out, but out they will come” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 72; or Ensign, May 1989, 59).

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David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife [Bathsheba]; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them [his wives] out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.” (D&C 132:37-39; italics added.)

Jacob 2 252125. Thus saith the Lord] What follows (through verse 33) appears to be a direct quote from the word of the Lord. A portion of that which is quoted may also be taken from a written scriptural source had by Jacob, perhaps containing an earlier revelation to Lehi on the matter. Jacob observed in the next chapter that the Lamanites “have not forgotten the commandment of the Lord, which was given unto our father [presumably Lehi]-that they should have save it were one wife, and concubines they should have none” (Jacob 3:5; italics added see also Jacob 2:34).

Jacob 2 252125. A righteous branch from . . . Joseph] See Genesis 49:22-26; 2 Nephi 3; Alma 26:36.

Jacob 2 262126. Do like unto them of old] Because God has led the Lehites away from the gross wickedness found in the eastern hemisphere, he is pained at the thought that this New World remnant should become ensnared by the immoralities, specifically adultery, practiced among their Old World kinsmen of the past.

Jacob 2 272127. The command given to Lehi and his colony is not unlike the command first given in our own dispensation: “And again, verily I say unto you, that whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man. Wherefore, it is lawful that he should have one wife, and they twain shall be one flesh, and all this that the earth might answer the end of its creation; and that it might be filled with the measure of man, according to his creation before the world was made. ” (D&C 49:15-17.)

Jacob 2 282128. I, the Lord, delight in the chastity of women] “A beautiful, modest, gracious woman,” taught President David O. McKay, “is creation’s masterpiece” (Gospel Ideals, p, 449). “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Indeed, “her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” (Proverbs 31:10,28.)

Jacob 2 282228. Whoredoms are an abomination] The irrevocable moral standard of the Lord and his Church is and has been forever the same: total and complete chastity before marriage and unconditional fidelity after marriage. President Joseph F. Smith said: “No more loathsome cancer disfigures the body and soul of society today than the frightful affliction of sexual sin. It vitiates the very fountains of life and bequeaths its foul effects to the yet unborn as a legacy of death.” (Cited in Gospel Ideals, p. 399.) Likewise, President Spencer W. Kimball taught: “There is no compatibility between light and darkness. Unchastity is darkness. It is ugly, bitter, destructive, and consuming. It neutralizes good. It darkens minds. It produces spiritual amnesia. It comes in many ugly forms and has many distasteful names. It is born in the mind and is given expression with directed body members. It is a tyrant, demanding and uncompromising and unreasonable, tending toward monopoly. It is like creeping paralysis, slipping up in the darkness, getting hold with its tentacles, and clings on so tenaciously that it takes a prince with a sharp sword to cut it loose.” (The Teachings of Spencer W Kimball, p. 271.)

Jacob 2 2822″No one man,” wrote Will and Ariel Durant, “however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society, for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history.” And then, in discussing the need for moral constraints, the writers observe: “A youth [or an adult, for that matter] boiling with hormones will wonder why he should not give full freedom to his sexual desires and if he is unchecked by custom, morals, or laws, he may ruin his life before he matures sufficiently to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred restraints if it is not to consume in chaos both the individual and the group.” (The Lessons of History, pp. 35-36.)

Jacob 2 292229. Cursed be the land] Moroni will explain almost a millennium after Jacob: “And now, we can behold the decrees of God concerning this land, that it is a land of promise; and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall serve God, or they shall be swept off when the fulness of his wrath shall come upon them. And the fulness of his wrath cometh upon them when they are ripened in iniquity.” (Ether 2:9.)

Jacob 2 302330. If I will . . . raise up seed . . . I will command] This verse is the key to gaining an insight into what the Nephites understood in regard to the practice of plural marriage. They knew, as do we, that monogamy was the rule, plural marriage the exception. They knew that unless God commanded otherwise, a man was to have but one wife. But they also knew from the accounts of the Old Testament prophets and peoples, that God occasionally called upon his people to do otherwise, to “raise up seed unto” him through plural marriage. The directive so to do, however, has never been independent of that order and discipline common to the Lord’s Church and kingdom-it has come through holy men of God, men holding the keys of such power (see D&C 132:39). To the Saints in 1843 Joseph Smith said: “I hold the keys of this power in the last days; for there is never but one on earth at a time on whom the power and its keys are conferred; and I have constantly said no man shall have but one wife at a time, unless the Lord directs otherwise. ” (Teachings, p. 324; italics in original.)

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Christ – King David Chronology

Here is one suggested chronology of David’s life. It is rough, and by no means definitive. Few of the commentators agree on dating, but there is substantial agreement on the sequence. Bishop Ussher, who lived c. 1650, adds roughly 50 years to the dates you see below (David would be born 1085 BC instead of 1035 BC). The discrepancy is caused by the differences between Hebrew and Assyrian dating, as well as discrepancies between the Masoretic text, Samaritan Pentateuch, and Septuagint. Ussher used the Masoretic text. Modern historians (Faulstich, Klassen, et al) tend to use the Assyrian system and the critical text.

For an exhaustive treatment of all the systems, and an interesting resolution, see The Chronology of the Old Testament by Dr. Floyd Nathan Jones (Master Books, New Leaf Press Ed., 2005).

This chronology is my own, and is offered simply as a tool to identify and organize the major events of King David’s life, which are spread across several books of the OT. Some of the psalms corresponding to
these events are also noted here in boldface.

Of all the lives in Scripture, David’s is the only one that is exhaustively examined from the time of his childhod to his death. It is an open book like no other. Even his state of mind is revealed in the Psalms, like a diary open to our review. How would our own lives look if subjected to this type of scrutiny? I am humiliated to consider that the day is coming when all the hidden things of my life will be revealed. For that reason alone, we should be kind to the memory of David, recognizing in him many of our own failings and weaknesses, but also admiring his strengths.

• 1040 BC: Saul reigns from roughly 1040-1000 BC
• 1035 BC: David is likely born in Bethlehem between 1040 and 1030 BC.
• 1030 BC: Jonathan is a mighty warrior of whom his own father is jealous (1Sam 13-14). He is fiercelyand loyally defended by his men against Saul’s intent to kill him.
• 1025 BC: David is anointed by Samuel (1Sam 16) at age 10-13 – which Saul undoubtedly hears about, later choosing to keep David nearby for observation and ready dispatch.
• 1023 BC: David, bar-mizvah’d, serves Saul in an ad hoc musical capacity (1Sam 16:17, “provide me a man”). He returns to his father’s house to tend sheep, but comes to Saul when needed – (1Sam 17:15).
  1020 BC: David defeats Goliath probably at 15-17 years of age (1Sam 17)
• 1020 BC: Jonathan, who is much older than David, becomes one in spirit with him (1Sam 18:1).
• 1015 BC: Because of his reputation he was appointed armor-bearer to Saul (1Sam 16:21 – it may be mentioned in chap. 16, but the actual event is probably later – i.e. “he [later] became…”).
• 1010 BC: Saul banishes David from his court, yet he makes him commander of a thousand (1Sam 18:13). Maybe he hopes David will die in battle. David is perhaps 25 years old.
• 1008 BC: His success as a warrior has made Saul offer him the hand of his daughter Michal “as a snare.” (1Sam 18:21). Michal marries him, and she loves him (1Sam 18:27-28).
• 1007 BC: At Jonathan’s warning (and Michal’s), David flees from Saul to Samuel at Ramah (1Sam 19). Michal remains behind with Saul. An evil spirit caused Saul to pursue David, but he is stopped by the
  Spirit of God at Ramah. Ps 59
• 1006 BC: David and Jonathan covenant together at Ramah (1Sam 20)
  .
  1006 BC: David flees to Nob and is helped by Ahimelech the priest (1Sam 21). He gives David the
  consecrated bread, and the sword of Goliath. Doeg the Edomite is present. Ps 56.
• 1006 BC: David flees to Achish, king of the Philistine city of Gath, the first time (1Sam 21:10). He feigns madness to protect himself and his men, and he is expelled. Ps 34.
• 1005 BC: David hides at the Cave at Adullam (1Sam 22:1-5) where he is joined by 30 chiefs. Three enter the camp of the Philistines to get David an off-handed request for a drink of water (1Chr. 11:15). His
  father’s household joins him there. Ps 142.
• 1005 BC: David takes his parents to Mizpah of Moab leaving them with the king (1Sam 22:3-4)
• 1005 BC: Doeg the Edomite, at Saul’s command, kills Ahimelech the priest who helped David and his men. He also kills 85 priests and everyone at Nob for helping David. Abiathar, the son of the priest flees to David with the ephod (1Sam 22:6-23). Ps 52.
• 1005 BC: David liberates Keilah from the Philistines (1Sam 23:6). Saul hears of it and gathers his forces against David at Keilah. Using the ephod, David learns that the people of Keilah will betray him to Saul,
  and so he flees again. Jonathan visits him at Ziph and covenants with him again (23:16). Ziphites betray David, but God hides him from Saul in the Desert of Ziph. Ps 63.
• 1005 BC: Saul pursues David at en-Gedi. Ps 54. David cuts of a corner of his robe in the cave near the Crags of the Wild goats. When Saul leaves the cave, David pleads his cause and his intent not to harm
  Saul (1Sam 24). He returns to his stronghold (Masada?). Ps 57. This is just before Samuel dies (1Sam 25:1).
• 1005 BC: David is living “off the land” as he encounters Nabal and Abigail at Carmel (1Sam 25). His men kindly provide protection for Nabal’s flocks expecting to be paid, but Nabal rebuffs them. David
  threatens to kill Nabal for his affront until Abigail diplomatically intercedes with food and praise. David has married Ahinoam of Jezreel (1Sam 25:43). When Nabal dies shortly after this incident, David marries Abigail as well. In David’s absence, Saul gives Michal to Paltiel in Gallim, which is probably on the border near Jerusalem.
• 1004 BC: David encounters Saul and his 3000 men in his camp at Hakilah, having been betrayed by the Ziphites a second time. He spares Saul’s life again (1Sam 26). Saul “repents” of his pursuit of David, but David doesn’t trust him.
• 1004 BC: David flees to Gath a second time with 600 men and their families. Saul stops his pursuit of David (1Sam 27:4).
• 1003 BC: After living with Achish at Gath probably for a month or two, David asks to move to Ziklag with his men (1Sam 27:6). David “serves” the Philistines for over a year (see 1Sam 29:3). Achish defends David against his officers ((1Sam 29:1-11).
• 1000 BC: Samuel dies (1Sam 28:3). Saul solicits the witch of Endor to call up Samuel (1Sam 28:4-7). He
  prophesies Saul will die the next day. In a battle with the Philistines on Mt. Gilboa, three of Saul’s sons
  die; Saul is wounded and falls on his sword (1Sam 31). David’s Lament (2Sam 1:17-27). David’s service
  is “dismissed” by the Philistines. The Amalekites raze Ziklag and take the wives of David’s men (1Sam
  28-2Sam 1). David and 400 men recapture the women, but 200 men cannot go. David shares the plunder
  equally with them, and with the elders of Judah.
  1000 BC: David with the help of his allies assumes control of Judah, and is anointed its king with Hebron
  as his capital (2Sam 2:7). He reigns for 7 years and 6 months (2Sam 2:11). While there, he marries
  Maacah, daughter of the king of Geshur. He also marries Haggith, Abital, and Eglah (2Sam 3:1-5) and
  has sons and daughter by all but Michal (2Sam 6:23).
  Chronology of King David’s Life
  Compiled by William H. Gross – Colorado Springs 2005 3
  David’s Sons:
  Amnon by Ahinoam of Jezreel
  Kileab by Abigail (Nabal’s widow)
  Absalom by Maacah the Caananite
  Adonijah by Haggith
  Shephatiah by Abital
  Ithream by Eglah
  998 BC: Ishbosheth, with Abner as his general, has liberated the remainder of the Western territory from
  the Philistines over a two-year period. He is declared king over Israel, the northern kingdom (2Sam 2:9-
  10). Abner slays Asahel at Gibeon (where the sun stopped for Joshua) which begins five and a half years
  of war with David (2Sam 2:12-32; 3:1). After Ishbosheth accuses Abner of infidelity with Saul’s
  concubine, Abner threatens his life and covenants with David, who wants Michal back (3:9-13). Michal is
  returned to David by Ishbosheth (3:14). Joab, David’s general, murders Abner at Hebron (3:22,27).
  997 BC: David conquers Jerusalem (2Sam 5:6). He rebuilds it, and moves there from Hebron.
  993 BC: Ishbosheth is murdered by two cut-throats. David is publicly anointed king over all of Israel,
  north and south (2Sam 5:17). Battle of Baal Perazim (2Sam 5:17-25; 1Chr 14:8-17; Ps 18). David’s 33-
  year reign at Jerusalem begins (1Chr 3:4). His total kingship lasts 40 years (1Kgs. 2:11)).
  992 BC: Ark returned to Jerusalem to a tent (2Sam 6). The tabernacle remains in Gibeon (1Chr 16).
  David desires to build a temple to house the ark (2Sam 7; 1Chr 17). God sends Nathan to David with the
  Davidic Covenant instead, promising a perpetual throne to his offspring (2Sam 7:12-29). Ps 105, 96.
  982 BC: After 7-10 years of war, David has solidified his empire (2Sam 8). David’s sons become royal
  advisers 2Sam 8:18 (though too young – probably 14-18 years old; it distorts their sense of selfimportance).
  Mephibosheth is found and David honors his pledge to Jonathan (2Sam 9).
  981 BC: Ammon and Syria conquered by Joab and Abishai after David’s ambassadors are humiliated by
  the young king of Ammon (2Sam 10).Ps 60.
  980 BC: While indulging his children, and allowing his generals to run their own war, David falls prey to
  the temptations of the flesh, of peace, and of plenty: he sleeps with Bathsheba (2Sam 11). Uriah is slain in
  April. In December, Nathan confronts David and he repents. The child dies (2Sam 11-12; Ps 51).
  979 BC: Solomon is born, youngest of David’s sons, and future heir to the throne. Compare 1Chr 3:5
  with 2Sam 12:24 – if Solomon is Bathsheba’s 4th born, then this may be 975 BC. She may have been
  “comforted” with previous children by David, and then Solomon was born. Perhaps the others were
  unnamed in 12:24, thus giving honor to Solomon over them.
  979 BC: David returns to his duties, conquering Rabbah-Ammon (2Sam 12:26-31; 1Chr 20:1-3;).
  978 BC: Amnon rapes his half-sister Tamar, who is Absalom’s sister (2Sam 13:1-22).
  976 BC: Absalom murders Amnon (2Sam 13:23-38). He is banished from the king’s presence to Geshur
  for 3 years.
  974 BC: Absalom pleads for and is returned to Jerusalem via Joab’s intercession and conniving use of the
  woman of Tekoa (2Sam 14); but he is banished from the king’s presence for 2 more years.
  Chronology of King David’s Life
  Compiled by William H. Gross – Colorado Springs 2005 4
  972 BC: Absalom begs and coerces Joab into interceding yet again that Absalom might see the king’s
  face. He begins his 4-year plot against David. (2Sam 14:28-33; 15:1-7).
  969 BC: Absalom’s revolt steals the hearts of the people from David (2Sam 15-19). David weeps on the
  Mount of Olives ((15:30). Shimei, a relative of Saul, curses David on his way out of the city, but Hushai
  offers to be David’s ally in the palace. Ps 3. Absalom lies with his father’s concubines as Abner had done
  with Saul’s (16:22). Hushai, against Ahithophel, advises Absalom not to pursue David immediately. As a
  result, David is able to conquer Absalom’s army. Ahithophel hangs himself. While riding a mule,
  Absalom’s hair (symbol of his pride) is caught in a tree where he hangs helplessly (18:14) until slain by
  Joab, against David’s wishes. David mourns his son’s death, “Absalom, Absalom!” (19:1).
  969 BC: No sooner has one rebellion been quashed than another arises by Sheba (2Sam 20). Amasa who
  was appointed over the army by Absalom in place of Joab, is considered by David to be a threat in this
  conflict. Amasa is sent on an errand by David, but David also gives orders to Abishai to have Amasa
  killed. Joab kills Amasa at Gibeon and Sheba flees to Abel Beth Maacah. A wise woman of the city has
  his head delivered to Joab to preserve the city (2Sam 20:4:-22).
  968 BC: A three-year famine occurs as a result of Saul’s attack on the Gibeonites (2Sam 21:1). The
  attack violated a covenant made with them by Joshua (Josh 9:16).
  966 BC: David makes amends with the Gibeonites by having seven sons of Saul executed except
  Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, whom he vowed to protect (2Sam 21:2-14).
  965 BC: Battles with the Philistines. David is almost killed by a giant, and he is asked to stay home for
  his own safety. Four giants are killed in these battles (2Sam 21:15-22). They no longer terrorize Israel or
  mock God as they had in David’s youth under Saul. David’s Eulogy (2Sam 23:1-7).
  964 BC: David takes 9 months to number the people as if to quantify his security (2Sam 24:10). Joab,
  curiously, is the voice of reason here, asking David not to do it. David repents of it, but God demands a
  price: pestilence takes 70,000 (24:15). God then instructs David to buy the threshing floor of Araunah
  (Ornan) for an altar (24:18-25; 1Chr 21:1-17). David offers sacrifices on the threshing floor which God
  accepts with an angel’s fiery sword. David fears approaching God in the tabernacle, because it now sits
  on the high place at Gibeon (1Chr 21:26-30). He begins the preparations to construct the temple around
  the altar, gathering all the materials according to the pattern God shows him (1Chr 22; 28). Ps 30.
  963 BC: David charges Solomon and the princes with the task of construction (1Chr 22:6-19).
  962 BC: David’s health begins to fail him (1Kgs 1:1-4). A beautiful young woman is sought to serve him
  and keep him warm in his old age (Abishag). Adonijah, 4th born son of David, attempts a coup with Joab.
  At Nathan’s insistence, Bathsheba convinces David to declare Solomon king-in-waiting (per the promise
  in 2Sam 11:24-25; 1Chr 22:9), and have him assume the throne (1Kgs 1:5-53; 1Chr 23:1; 26:31). David
  agrees (Solomon becomes pro-rex).
  961 BC: David calls for a National Assembly, and passes to Solomon his pattern for the temple (1Chr
  28). He exhorts the people to give willingly, in joyful worship (1Chr 29:10-20). Solomon is anointed a 2nd
  time, publicly, and is now co-rex (1Chr 29:1-25). In private, David instructs Solomon to walk with God,
  and after his death, to deal with Joab and Shimei son of Gera, the traitors (1Kgs 2:1-98).
  961 BC: David dies a natural death at 70-75. Although David begins to rule at age 30 for 40 years, he
  may be older than 70 if we add Solomon’s over-lapping time of rule. (2Sam 5:4-5; 1Kgs 2:10-11; 1Chr
  29:26-30; see Ps 90:10). David is buried in Jerusalem (2Sam 5:4-5; 1Kgs 2:10-12; 1Chr 29:26-30),
  having served God’s purposes in his own generation

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Christ, Lesson 8 Be Strong and of Good Courage – Moses Translated

THE DEATH OF MOSES

Did Moses die, or was he translated?

After Moses had completed his work and had brought the Twelve Tribes to the borders of the Promised Land, he climbed “the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah” and the Lord “shewed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan.” And the Lord said: “This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed.” But then the Lord added: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day. And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. (Deut. 34:1-8.)

In the first chapter of Joshua, who was appointed as Moses’ successor, we read: Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. (Josh. 1:1-2.)

A puzzling scripture occurs in Jude, where we read: “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses.” (Jude 9.) And then we have this from the Book of Mormon: And when Alma had done this he departed out of the land of Zarahemla, as if to go into the land of Melek. And it came to pass that he was never heard of more; as to his death or burial we know not of. Behold, this we know, that he was a righteous man; and the saying went abroad in the church that he was taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord, even as Moses.

But behold, the scriptures saith the Lord took Moses unto himself; and we suppose that he has also received Alma in the spirit, unto himself; therefore, for this cause we know nothing concerning his death and burial. (Alma 45: 18-19. Italics added.) President Joseph Fielding Smith discussed this matter and said: Now, there was a reason for the translation of Elijah. Men are not preserved in that manner unless there is a reason for it. Moses was likewise taken up, though the scriptures say that the Lord buried him upon the mountain. Of course, the writer of that wrote according to his understanding; but Moses, like Elijah, was taken up without tasting death, because he had a mission to perform. . . . When Moses and Elijah came to the Savior and to Peter, James, and John upon the Mount, what was their coming for?

Was it just some spiritual manifestation to strengthen these three apostles? Or did they come merely to give comfort unto the Son of God in his ministry and to prepare him for his crucifixion? No! That was not the purpose. I will read it to you. The Prophet Joseph Smith has explained it as follows: “The priesthood is everlasting. The Savior, Moses, and Elias (Elijah, in other words) gave the keys to Peter, James, and John, on the Mount when they were transfigured before him.

The priesthood is everlasting—without beginning of days or end of years; without father, mother, etc. If there is no change of ordinances, there is no change of priesthood. Wherever the ordinances of the gospel are administered, there is the priesthood. . . .” From that we understand why Elijah and Moses were preserved from death: because they had a mission to perform, and it had to be performed before the crucifixion of the Son of God, and it could not be done in the spirit.

They had to have tangible bodies. Christ is the first fruits of the resurrection; therefore if any former prophets had a work to perform preparatory to the mission of the Son of God, or to the dispensation of the meridian of times, it was essential that they be preserved to fulfill that mission in the flesh. For that reason Moses disappeared from among the people and was taken up into the mountain, and the people thought he was buried by the Lord.

The Lord preserved him, so that he could come at the proper time and restore his keys, on the heads of Peter, James, and John, who stood at the head of the dispensation of the meridian of time. He reserved Elijah from death that he might also come and bestow his keys upon the heads of Peter, James, and John and prepare them for their ministry.

But, one says, the Lord could have waited until after his resurrection, and then they could have done it. It is quite evident, due to the fact that it did so occur, that it had to be done before; and there was a reason.

There may have been other reasons, but that is one reason why Moses and Elijah did not suffer death in the flesh, like other men do. (Doctrines of Salvation, Bookcraft, 1955, 1:107-11. Italics in original.) return to top

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Christ, LESSON 18 – Be Strong and of Good Courage ….OLD TESTAMENT

Lesson 18: “Be Strong and of a Good Courage”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 82

Joshua 1–6; 23–24
Purpose

To encourage each class member to be strong and courageous in living the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Preparation

You may want to use the following activity (or one of your own) to begin the lesson.

Explain that this lesson is about Joshua, the prophet who led the children of Israel in their conquest of the promised land. When calling Joshua to be a prophet, the Lord counseled him to “be strong and of a good courage” (Joshua 1:6).

Write this phrase on the chalkboard. Display a sheet of paper and a book. Ask a class member to stand the paper on its edge and try to balance the book on top of it.

After the class member has tried this, explain that there is a way to make the paper strong enough to support the book. Roll the paper into a tube and secure it with a rubber band or tape. Stand the tube on end on a flat surface. Carefully place the book on top. (You may want to practice this before class.)

Explain that Joshua became strong as he allowed God to shape his character. Similarly, as we allow God to shape our character, we can become strong and accomplish the things the Lord wants us to do.

Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation,  Gerald N. Lund,  © 1991 Deseret Book Company

Scripture Discussion and Application

As you teach the following scripture passages, discuss how they apply to daily life. Encourage class members to share experiences that relate to the scriptural principles.

Entry into the Promised Land. The period when the children of Israel crossed over Jordan and entered the promised land is also full of typology. Obviously, the ultimate promise is the celestial kingdom, but one also enters a new land (or life) when he is born again through baptism. (See Alma 37:45.) With that in mind, notice the following interesting items associated with that event:

1. Joshua 3:17. The person who led Israel into the promised land was Joshua, whose Hebrew name is Yehoshua or Yeshua. When Greek became the dominant language of the Middle East, the name Yehoshua was transliterated into Hee-ay-sous, which in English became Jesus. But Jesus’ Hebrew name was Yehoshua or Joshua, which interestingly enough means “God is help” or “Jehovah saves.” Notice that twice in the New Testament the name Jesus is used when the speaker obviously means Joshua. (See Acts 7:45; Heb. 4:8.) So “Jesus” led Israel into the promised land.

2. Put to death. Anyone who rebelled against the leadership of Joshua and refused to cross over Jordan was to “be put to death.” (Josh. 1:18.) Anyone who refuses to follow Jesus into the celestial kingdom will suffer some degree of spiritual death. That is, he will be separated from the presence of God.

3. Sanctifying oneself. Joshua called upon the people to sanctify themselves so they would be worthy to go into the promised land. (See Josh. 3:5.) One must be sanctified, or cleansed from sin, in order to enter a new life with God.

4. The ark of the covenant entering the promised land. The ark of the covenant, which symbolized the presence of Jehovah, went before the camp of Israel and led the way into the new land. (See Josh. 3:11.) Like passing through the Red Sea, Israel again passed through the midst of the waters to enter the promised land. (See Josh. 3:15-17.) The Lord specifically connected the two events by asking that a memorial be built. (See Josh. 4:20-24.) The crossing of Israel into the new land was also done on the first day of passover (see Josh. 4:19; Ex. 12:2-3), again invoking the typology of deliverance from bondage and death.

5. Circumcision reinstituted. Once they entered into the promised land, Joshua was commanded to perform the ordinance of circumcision among the Israelites. (See Josh. 5:2-7.) While wandering in the wilderness, this token of the Abrahamic covenant had not been performed. Now that they had sanctified themselves and followed Jesus (seen in the types of Joshua and the ark of the covenant) into the promised land, they were once again the true covenant people, so therefore the token was reinstituted.

Thus we see that both the Exodus, including the Passover, and the entry into Canaan have great typological significance. In actuality the whole exodus from slavery to entry into the promised land provides a type or similitude of what must happen to each individual if he is to “[put] off the natural man and [become] a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.” (Mosiah 3:19.)

One does not go to a great museum like the Smithsonian in Washington, D. C., and fully explore its treasures in an hour or two. Similarly, one does not exhaust the typology of the Old Testament in so brief a presentation as this. Seeing how the Old Testament points to and anticipates Jesus Christ requires a lifetime of exploration and pondering. The Lord revealed to what extent he has filled the treasure house when he said, “All things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.” (Moses 6:63; italics added.)

Footnotes

During the Israelites’ 40-year sojourn in the wilderness, Moses had given them God’s law, acted as God’s spokesman, and served as their guide. He was the only leader an entire generation of Israelites had known. But the Lord took him at the end of their sojourn—just when they faced a great test. Remembering his promises to Israel, the Lord raised up a new leader, Joshua, who ably directed the conquest and settlement of the promised land.

1. The Lord calls Joshua.

Teach and discuss Joshua 1.

• Suppose Moses was the Bishop of our ward and he was released and you were called to take his place. What challenges do you think you would face when the Lord called you to succeed Moses? What challenges did Joshua face  in leading the Israelites? (He was to lead Israel in the conquest and settlement of Canaan, which was a mighty undertaking. He was also taking the place of a great leader.)

• Look in Joshua 1:5 and tell me what assurance did the Lord give Joshua as Joshua prepared to enter the promised land?  How can this assurance help us in new callings or challenges? How has the Lord helped you in such circumstances?

• Go to Joshua 1:6–9 and find what the Lord commanded and repeated three times?

• Join me in Joshua 1:7 tell me what did the Lord say Joshua would need courage and strength to do? (Point out that although Joshua would need courage to fight many military battles, he would also need moral courage—the courage to do what is right.) What challenges do we face today that require strength and moral courage? What examples of moral courage have you observed?
• Carefully read Joshua 1:8 and discover what the Lord told Joshua to do to “have good success”? (Explain that the book of the law is the scriptures.) Why do you think scripture study would have been important for Joshua to succeed in his calling? How does regular scripture study help us?
• The Israelites cross the Jordan River on dry ground; through their faith, Jericho is destroyed.

Teach and discuss Joshua 3–4 and 6.

• When the Israelites needed to cross the Jordan River, its banks were overflowing. How did the Lord show the children of Israel that he was with Joshua just as he had been with Moses? (See Joshua 3:7–8, 14–17; 4:14. If necessary, explain that the ark of the covenant was a portable altar that contained sacred writings, including Moses’ writings and the tablets containing the Ten Commandments.) How does the Lord show us that he directs and inspires the living prophet as he did past prophets?

As Moses was magnified by the Lord in the eyes of Israel when God parted the Red Sea, so Joshua was magnified in the same way through the parting of the Jordan River. In both instances Israel passed through the water into a newness of life. This passage may have been what Paul had in mind when he spoke of Israel’s baptism “in the cloud and in the sea” ( 1 Corinthians 10:2 ; see also vv. 1, 3–4 ). In each instance the passage represented a new covenant agreement. Israel passed over the River Jordan on the first day of the Passover (see Joshua 3:17 ; 4:19 ; co

• What did the priests who carried the ark have to do before the waters of the Jordan River stopped? (See Joshua 3:13–17. They had to step into the overflowing river while carrying the ark.) How does the Lord sometimes ask similar things of us?

Elder Boyd K. Packer said:

“Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.

“I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you’ ” (“The Edge of the Light,” BYU Today, Mar. 1991, 22–23).

Biblical Israel was roughly 150 miles from Dan to Beersheba, and at its greatest width it was about 75 miles across. The Lord promised Joshua that the original extent of the land promised to Abraham was to be given to Israel (see Genesis 15:18 ; Joshua 1:4 ). Although the Israelites who went into the promised land with Joshua were generally faithful and obedient, as a nation Israel soon returned to their old ways and lost the blessings promised to them of winning the whole land.

• Why did Israel set up a memorial of 12 stones after crossing the Jordan River? (See Joshua 4:1–9. It was to be a testimony of the Lord’s power to future generations, reminding them that the Lord would bless them just as he had their fathers.) What personal memorials remind you of God’s power in your life? (Answers could include the sacrament; pictures of Christ, temples, and prophets; the scriptures; and spiritual experiences recorded in journals.) How can these memorials bless the lives of others? (See Joshua 4:21–24.)

Testify that the Lord will answer prayers, give blessings, give revelation, and perform wonderful works for each new generation. Ask the previously assigned class members to share experiences that remind them of God’s power and love.

• Ask the previously assigned class member to describe the fall of Jericho as if he or she were an eyewitness (Joshua 6). What caused the walls of Jericho to fall? (See Hebrews 11:30.) Why was the Israelites’ behavior an act of faith?

• Who were the only inhabitants of Jericho who were saved? (See Joshua 6:17, 22–25; see also Joshua 2:1–15.) What can we learn from the saving of Rahab and her family?

3. Joshua and his people covenant to serve the Lord.

Teach and discuss Joshua 23 and 24:14–31.

• Toward the end of his life, Joshua reminded the Israelites what God had done for them. Joshua also counseled them about avoiding traps and snares. If you brought a small trap, demonstrate how it works. If you did not bring a trap, describe how one works. What are some things we must do to avoid being caught in a trap? (We must first recognize that it is a trap and then stay away from it.)

• In his final counsel, Joshua exhorted Israel to “cleave unto the Lord” rather than “cleave unto the remnant of [the Canaanite] nations” (Joshua 23:8, 12. Note that in this instance, the word cleave means to glue or join together). How can we “cleave unto the Lord” rather than cleave to the world? How would cleaving to the Canaanite nations be a snare and a trap to the Israelites? What are some of the snares and traps of the world that we face today?

• What important counsel did Joshua give at the end of his life? (See Joshua 24:14–15.) Whom did Joshua and Israel covenant to serve? (See Joshua 24:15–18, 21–25, 31.) Why can’t a person serve the true God and worldly gods at the same time?

• Why is it important to choose today to serve the Lord? How can we show that we have chosen to serve him?

Elder Marvin J. Ashton said: “Joshua reminds us of the importance of making decisions promptly: ‘Choose you this day whom ye will serve; … but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ (Joshua 24:15). Not tomorrow, not when we get ready, not when it is convenient—but ‘this day,’ straightway, choose whom you will serve. He who invites us to follow will always be out in front of us with His Spirit and influence setting the pace. He has charted and marked the course, opened the gates, and shown the way. He has invited us to come unto Him, and the best time to enjoy His companionship is straightway. We can best get on the course and stay on the course by doing as Jesus did—make a total commitment to do the will of His Father” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1983, 41; or Ensign, May 1983, 30–31).
Conclusion

Joshua’s final counsel to the Israelites included the same charge that the Lord had given when calling him to be a prophet—to be strong and to have courage (Joshua 23:1–6). The charge applies as much today as it did then because we are all engaged in the important spiritual battle between good and evil.

Elder Ezra Taft Benson said that two principles are essential for security and peace: “First, trust in God; and second, a determination to keep the commandments, to serve the Lord, to do that which is right. … The Lord has made it very clear in the revelations that even though times become perilous, even though we be surrounded by temptation and sin, even though there be a feeling of insecurity, even though men’s hearts may fail them and anxiety fill their souls, if we only trust in God and keep his commandments we need have no fear” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1950, 146).
Additional Teaching Ideas

The following material supplements the suggested lesson outline. You may want to use one or more of these ideas as part of the lesson.
1. Taking the place of a successful leader

• Many people, such as Joshua and Brigham Young, have been called to take the place of great leaders. What might have been some of their challenges? What do you think helped them be successful? What can we do to help us be successful when we come after someone who has excelled, whether at work, church, school, or home?
2. The consequences of an individual’s sins on other people

• Teach the account of Achan in Joshua 7. Because of Achan’s disobedience, the Israelites were defeated by the people of Ai (Joshua 7:1–5). What had Achan done to cause this? (See Joshua 7:20–21. He had brought the Lord’s disapproval on Israel by disobeying him in taking clothing and money from Jericho.)

• What do the effects of Achan’s sin suggest about how our individual sins can affect other people? What is the fallacy in thinking that what we do is our own business and will not hurt anyone else? (You may want to use examples of how one person’s actions can affect others: An accident caused by a drunken driver can affect the lives of the innocent people who are injured. A person who disrupts a Sunday School class makes it difficult for others to concentrate and feel the Spirit. A person who commits sexual sins or does not live the Word of Wisdom brings pain and suffering to others. A spouse who is unfaithful can break up a family and cause great pain to innocent family members. Individual Church members who do not follow the Lord may hold back the Church as a whole from receiving the Lord’s blessings.)

Elder James E. Faust said: “Private choices are not private; they all have public consequences. … Our society is the sum total of what millions of individuals do in their private lives. That sum total of private behavior has worldwide public consequences of enormous magnitude. There are no completely private choices” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1987, 101; or Ensign, May 1987, 80).
3. Caleb receives the land of Hebron

• Joshua 14 recounts how Caleb received the land of Hebron from Joshua. Why did Caleb receive the land of Hebron? (See Joshua 14:6–14. Note that the phrase “wholly followed the Lord” is repeated in verses 8, 9, and 14.)

President Spencer W. Kimball stated his admiration for Caleb and suggested some lessons we can learn from him:

“From Caleb’s example we learn very important lessons. Just as Caleb had to struggle and remain true and faithful to gain his inheritance, so we must remember that, while the Lord has promised us a place in his kingdom, we must ever strive constantly and faithfully so as to be worthy to receive the reward.

“Caleb concluded his moving declaration with a request and a challenge with which my heart finds full sympathy. The Anakims, the giants, were still inhabiting the promised land, and they had to be overcome. Said Caleb, now at 85 years, ‘Give me this mountain’ (Joshua 14:12).

“This is my feeling for the work at this moment. There are great challenges ahead of us, giant opportunities to be met. I welcome that exciting prospect and feel to say to the Lord, humbly, ‘Give me this mountain,’ give me these challenges” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1979, 115; or Ensign, Nov. 1979, 79).
4. “Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve”

If Old Testament Video Presentations (53224) is available, you may want to show “Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve,” a six-minute segment about the testing of an Arabian stallion’s obedience in a time of hunger and thirst.

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