David Anointed King

Who doesn't love the story of David and Goliath?? What amazing faith David had! I'm going to be talking a little about David post Goliath.

Some of David's Accomplishments (2 Samuel 1-10)
-Kills the Amalekite who claimed to have killed Saul (Ch 1)
-Anointed king over the house of Judah (Ch 2)
-His followers defeat Abner and those of Israel (Ch 2)
-David becomes stronger (Ch 3)
-All of Israel anoints David (Ch 5)
-Takes Jerusalem and is blessed by the Lord (Ch 5)
-Conquers the Philistines (Ch 5)
-Takes the ark to the city of David (Ch 6)
-His throne is to be established forever through Christ (Ch 7)
-Defeats and subjects many nations (Ch 8)
-Executes judgement and justice unto all his people (Ch 8)
-Finds the son of Jonathon to whom he restores all the land of Saul (Ch 9)
-Israel defeats Ammonites and Syrians (Ch 10)

In 2 Samuel 7, David offers to build a temple unto the Lord but he is denied by the Lord through Nathan. There is not really any explanation as to why the Lord denies this worthy request. We find the answer in 1 Chronicles 22: 7-8. It says,

"7And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God:

8But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight."

David was denied because he had shed too much blood.

I think it would be a hard thing for me if I were in David's situation. It would be hard to be denied when you want to build a temple unto the Lord. It would be an expression of faith for me and it would be hard to be denied that of the Lord. I also would be a little confused why I would be blessed with such great things but not be able to do it. Luckily, David had a much better reaction than I did. In the last half of chapter 7, he does nothing but praise the Lord. He accepts the Lord's decision and is willing to do what the Lord asks. What an example!

"Whither Thou Goest, I Will Go"

(I am in love with this picture)

I love the story of Ruth. Who doesn't? She went through so much and stayed strong through the whole thing and was blessed for it in the end.

What was the situation in the land of Judah when Ruth and Naomi lived?

Judah was a fairly peaceful place. There was not a whole lot of fighting going on there like there was in areas surrounding it. It was a land of agriculture but it was prone to experience drought from time to time. Such was the case at this time. There was drought and famine in the land which caused Naomi and her husband and two sons to travel to Moab.

List the trials Ruth faced in Ruth 1.

-Her husband died (verse 5)
-She leaves her family to live with Naomi (verse 16-17)
-They had nothing when they arrived in Bethlehem (verse 21)

Choose one trial that is like one you have faced and briefly describe it.

I have also had to leave my family. I was born and raised in Minnesota. I left to come to school here in Idaho, got married and have stayed in Idaho. It was harder when I got married than when I went to school because while I was still single I knew that I would be home for months at a time on my off semester. Getting married was different, I was now going to be establishing my new life with my husband and because of work would be stayed in Idaho for an undetermined amount of time, only being able to visit home for a week or two out of the year. It was very hard. I can imagine it was very hard for Ruth as well.

Explain what you think motivated Ruth to go with Naomi. In what ways would it have been hard for Ruth to go with Naomi?

I think Ruth was motivated by empathy. She knew Naomi was all alone, no husbands and no children. She would have been going back to her home land but she probably did not have anyone to take care of her in her old age. I'm sure Ruth understood how it must have felt to be alone and did not wish that for Naomi. I'm sure it was a hard decision. She was leaving her family and traveling to a land she did not know. Facing uncertainty is not easy for anyone.

Why was Boaz so impressed with Ruth?

Boaz was very impressed with all that Ruth had done for Naomi. He was impressed that she would leave her family and home to live with Naomi and take care of her. (Ruth 2:11)

Explain what you can learn about facing your challenges from the examples in this chapter.

If we face our challenges head on, relying on the Lord after all we can do, we will be blessed. Ruth did what she had to do. She stayed with her mother-in-law and she did what she needed to do to get them food and she was blessed for it. Boaz saw all that she had done and made life a little easier for her.

Ruth is truly an amazing example. She sacrificed so much, and not only did she sacrifice it but she did it willingly. I have seen the same outcome that Ruth had in my own life. In high school, I sacrificed a lot of sleep to attend early morning seminary and was blessed a hundred times over for it. I did better in my performance at school and I was blessed with the Spirit while at school to protect me from all the filth I was surrounded by. I, too, got married and left my home and family. I and my family have been blessed so much for that. My husband has a wonderful job, I am able to attend a wonderful school, we live in an awesome ward and we have been blessed with so so so much more. I know that as we sacrifice things in our life, the Lord will bless us a hundred times over.

"Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve"

I have loved reading the book of Joshua. Joshua is a prophet that I never really knew about. I have loved learning about him. He did a lot of really awesome things for the children of Israel. He helped them get to the promised land and conquer all of their enemies. One thing I thought fascinating about the true power Joshua had is found in chapter 10. The Israelites are battling the Amorites and Joshua commands the sun and the moon to stand still. As the student manual pointed out, it was actually the earth that stood still as we know that the sun doesn't move. It is easy to see that and think that it totally contradicts science so the Bible couldn't possibly be true. But it is! Heavenly Father controls the laws of nature. He can change them as He wishes. And, how would you explain all that is supposed to happen during the second coming?

The Israelites fought against a lot of different nations. By reading the chapter headings of chapters 7-22, here are the outcomes:

Failures
-Defeated by people of Ai


Successes
-They defeat Ai
-Gibeonites are made servants to Israel
-Defeat Amorites and their allies
-Conquer many cities and nations
-Conquer two kings on east of Jordan and 31 on west
-All the tribes receive their inheritances
-The Lord fulfills his promises and the Israelites are able to rest.

In the final two chapters of Joshua, Joshua gives his final address to the children of Israel before his death. He spends most of his talk encouraging the Israelites to serve the Lord. Based on the list above, I think he chose this topic to confirm to the children of Israel that they can accomplish great things with the Lord on their side. And it is true. We CAN accomplish great things with the Lord on our side. We can accomplish the impossible, for nothing is impossible for the Lord. I know that as we strive to follow the Lord, He will be on our side and fight for us every step of the way through this life.

Obedience Brings Blessings; Disobedience Brings Curses

I think everyone can say that the main thing to be learned from the children of Israel is the importance of obedience. At the beginning of Deuteronomy 10, we get a sense of just how important the commandments are to the Lord. Moses is commanded to keep the tablets with the Ten Commandments in the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was of great importance and was kept in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. The Ten Commandments were so important that they needed to be kept safe. From the JST for Deut. 10:2 and in Doctrine and Covenants 84, we see that the children of Israel denied themselves of the everlasting covenant of the priesthood, Melchezidek priesthood because of their disobedience.

There are several scriptures in Deuteronomy that talks about loving God and keeping his commandments. We also read in Matthew 22 that the first great commandment is to love God. This is very interesting if you think about it. Love is an emotion. Can we be commanded to have a certain emotion? My answer to that is yes. As we follow the commandments and draw closer to God, we learn to love Him. We see all that He has done for us and so begin to love Him. So when we are commanded to love God, we are being commanded to follow Him.

Why is there such an emphasis on obedience? Because Heavenly Father wants to bless us and for us to be happy (Mosiah 2:41, D&C 130:20-21). Heavenly Father can only bless us when we deserve it, when we follow His commandments. He is a merciful God that only wants our happiness, which can only come through obedience.

What do we receive when we are obedient? Deut 28:1-14 gives us the answer:

-We will be set high above nations
-We will be overtaken with blessings
-Our work and homes will be blessed with abundance
-Enemies will be smitten
-Everything our hands touch will be blessed
-People will see that we are called of God
-We will have plenty of goods

Pretty cool, huh?? Now, what are the consequences for disobedience? The rest of chapter 28 lists them:

-We will be overtaken with curses
-Everything we touch will be cursed
-We will have all manner of sickness
-Our enemies will smite us
-We will be cursed with famine
-Our hard work will be in vain
-We will be given things but will not be able to enjoy them
-And the list goes on....

Helaman 12:3 states that the Lord punishes disobedient people so that they will remember Him. The Lord is a very merciful Lord. In Mosiah 26, it says that as many times as we repent, He will forgive us. In Ezekiel 18, He says that He would rather the wicked repent and live than stay wicked and die. And this is evident all through the scripture. Every time He destroys a wicked nation, He allows them the chance to repent beforehand. He lives to bless us. He does not want to punish us but He has to if we do not follow the commandments. Our God is a very merciful God that loves us eternally.

The Brazen Serpent

Most know the story of the children of Israel and the fiery serpents. Fiery serpents were sent to them as punishment and they were commanded to look upon a brazen serpent and they would live. There is a lot more to this story than what appears in Numbers.

What did they do to receive this punishment? They murmured, or complained. They spoke out against God and Moses (Numbers 21: 4-9). They were sick and tired of wandering around in the desert with nothing but manna to eat. For most of us looking back on this, it is hard to believe that the children of Israel could forget all that the Lord had done for them. The Lord miraculously gave them manna to eat and then it wasn't enough. He brought them out of bondage in Egypt and then they wanted to go back. These, along with many other things had the Lord done for them only to have the Israelites turn their backs on Him. People of today (including myself) are often like this. We turn to the Lord during good times and then complain when things get bad. We think, "Why me?" forgetting all that the Lord has done for us in times past. We do this not realizing that He can make those hard times better if we will just turn to Him.

There is some very interesting symbolism found in this story. Throughout this class, I have found that so many stories represent Christ in ways that I had not realized before. This is one of those stories. The Book of Mormon gives us better insight into this story. In Alma 33:18-22 and Helaman 8:13-16, it states that the brazen serpent that Moses lifted up is in similitude to the Savior. In Helaman, it states that just as the serpent was lifted up, so shall Jesus Christ be lifted up on the cross. And just as the Israelites were saved as they looked upon the serpent, so shall we be saved as we look to the Savior with faith that we will be healed.

How does one "look" to Christ for healing? By having faith in His Atonement. By going to Him in reverence and prayer. By reading His word and living it to the best of our ability. How can we be healed? The pains of sins can be washed away. We can be made clean again through the Atonement. I we can receive comfort and healing in times of trial.

There are simple things we can do in the Gospel to heal us. My number one thing would be to read the scriptures. This brings us closer to the Savior and provides great healing during hard times. Prayer, sincere prayer, is also at the top. As we sincerely converse with our Savior and Heavenly Father, we will receive great healing as well. Other things we can do is take the sacrament every week, attend the temple, serve others, and so on.

I would like to end by testifying that I have seen and felt the healing effects of the Atonement in my life. At a time of great trial, when my family was falling apart, I turned to and "looked" to the Savior for comfort and support. And I received it. The wounds that I received through that time have been healed through the Atonement. I know that the Savior loves me and all of us. I know that His Atonement is real and that He can heal us as we look to Him.

Clean vs. Unclean

So our reading this week came from Leviticus. There are several chapters that lists lots of dos and don'ts. One of those lists being a list of meats they can and cannot eat. So here it is:

Clean Meats
-Anything with a parted hoof, clovenfooted and cheweth cud
-All kinds of Fish (those with fins and sales)
-Locust
-Beetle
-Grasshopper

Unclean Meats
-Camel
-Coney
-Hare
-Swine
-Things living in the water without scales and fins
-Eagle
-Ossifrage
-Ospray
-Vulture
-Kite
-Raven
-Owl
-Night Hawk-Cuckow
-Hawk
-Cormorant
-Great Owl
-Swan
-Pelican
-Gier Eagle
-Stork
-Heron
-Lapwing
-Bat
-Weasel
-Mouse
-Tortoise
-Ferret
-Chameleon
-Lizard
-Snail
-Mole

Pretty interesting list. Why such a detailed list? There are two general reasons, health and sanitation and obedience. A lot of the unclean animals listed, like swine, more easily contract diseases. Living in a time where their sanitation abilities were limited, Heavenly Father wanted to keep them safe. (Interesting fact: there were certain things that missionaries in my husband's mission could not eat, pig being one of them. It was meant to protect the missionaries from diseases that their bodies were not built to fend off. I thought it interesting that this still goes on in certain forms today) There other reason was to test the children of Israel. The Lord wanted to see how obedient they would be. The Institute Manual put it perfectly, "By voluntarily abstaining from certain foods or by cooking them in a special way, one made a daily, personal commitment to act in one's faith."

Although it is not so strict, the Lord has provided His children today with a list of good and bad things for us to eat. We call it the Word of Wisdom. Here's a list (found in Doctrine and Covenants 89: 5-17):

Good
-Herbs
-Fruit and vegetables
-Meat, used sparingly
-All grains

Bad
-Alcohol
-Tobacco
-Hot Drinks (meaning coffee and tea. Most members believe that herbal tea and hot chocolate are fine but some stay away from hot drinks all together)

The reason we have the Word of Wisdom today is to keep our bodies clean. As it says in 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20, our bodies are temples. They are used to house our spirits. Both our spirits and our bodies are gifts from our Heavenly Father. And we must be holy to return to our Heavenly Father. I am grateful for the Word of Wisdom. I am grateful that I have never taken a sip of alcohol or coffee or taken any type of mind altering drug. I have seen the addictions that have come from these things and I have seen the devastation that has come from that. My own family has been greatly affected by these things and I am grateful for the protection I have received from not partaking. There are always ways I can be better. The Word of Wisdom encompasses the health of our bodies in general, including working out and eating healthy. This is a goal that I have had that I have put off for too long. I am 21 years, overweight and I have high blood pressure. It is time for me to get my butt in gear! I am striving to be more careful about the foods that I eat and have been trying to muster up the motivation to work out more so that I can have a clean, healthy body for my spirit to reside. I know that as I do that, I will be blessed.

Planning and Building the Tabernacle

This week I have chosen to do my post on the Tabernacle of Moses. I chose this topic because there are a lot of connections between the Tabernacle and our modern day temples. I wanted to help expand understanding on our temples to those that do not know much. I hope you enjoy this.

So, what things were a part of the Tabernacle of Moses? Well, here's a list:

-The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:10)

-The Table of Shewbread (Exodus 25: 23, 29)

-The Sacred Lampstand or Golden Candlestick (Exodus 25: 31)

-The walls and covering for the Tabernacle (Exodus 26: 1, 15, 26)

-The entrance to the Tabernacle (Exodus 26: 31, 36)

-The outer courtyard (Exodus 27: 1, 9, 16)

-The Altar of Sacrifice (Exodus 27:1)

-The laver basen (Exodus 30:18)

-The Altar of Incense (Exodus 30:1)

Below is a diagram of the Tabernacle that I have drawn outlining the set up of the Tabernacle. If you reference with the picture above, the rectangle drawn here is the Tabernacle itself. I did not draw the boundaries of the courtyard.

I found it very interesting that there are nine chapters in Exodus dedicated to the planning and preparation of the Tabernacle but only 4 chapters on the building of it. This is much like the process we should go through when making important decisions. We need to take plenty of time planning and going over every option, but once we reach a decision, we need to act. And when we act we should not drag our feet about it. When you know what you should do, do it.

The chapters in Exodus outlining the planning and building of the Tabernacle of Moses is very significant to Latter-Day Saints, probably more so than other Christians. And why is that? Because the Tabernacle of Moses is very similar to our modern day temples. We are washed and anointed before we go through the endowment session just as the priests washed in the laver before entering the Tabernacle. There are 3 sections to the Tabernacle; the courtyard, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. Our temples are divided much this same way. During the endowment session, there is a progression through these rooms ending with entering the Celestial Room, which is equivalent to the Holy of Holies. Our time in the temple is a time of reflection and prayer, just as the incense represents prayers reaching heaven. And just as the Tabernacle was built with high quality material just as our temples are built with high quality materials. These are just some of the examples. The differences between the Tabernacle and temples today are do to the fact that we do not live the Law of Moses anymore. Since we live a higher law, things have changed, like the sacrifice of animals. Instead of physical sacrifice, we sacrifice things like time, worldly wants, etc.

Why do we have temples today? To receive blessings and to perform important saving ordinances for ourselves and for those that have passed on so that we can make it back to live with our Heavenly Father for eternity. In the Old Testament Student Manual and Doctrine and Covenants 97, there is a clear picture of what blessings we receive and who receives them. In the temple we have the blessing of dwelling in the Lord's presence. The words "The House of the Lord" are engraved on every temple. The temple is the Lord's house and His Spirit dwells there. It is such a blessing to have a place to go where we can leave the cares of the world at the door and focus on nothing but the Lord and His plan for us. Another great blessing we receive from the temple is learning the mysteries of God. Things are taught in the temple that are too sacred to be talked about anywhere else. These are things that are crucial to know upon our return to our Father's presence. What a blessing it is to have that knowledge!

Who can receive these blessings? EVERYONE....as long as they are clean. Everyone is interviewed about their worthiness before they enter the temple. Those who are not members of the Church have a hard time with the fact that not just anyone can enter. They feel they are being excluded. I completely understand that feeling, but I am here to say that is not true! We wish that everyone could enter the temple! And we hope that everyone will take the opportunity to. But you have to attain they level of worthiness before you can enter.

I don't think I could ever explain how much I love the temple. I have received so many blessings as I have covenanted with my Father in Heaven and kept those covenants. I have received direction from Him that I would not have received in any other place. There is a spirit in my home that I would not have if it weren't for my temple attendance. And the greatest blessing I have ever received from the temple is the sealing of my family for time and all eternity. How grateful I am to have the peace of mind that this life is not the end and that I will not part with my family at death. The temple is the greatest place on earth!

Receiving the Call to Serve

I have loved reading the story of Moses this week. What a great man he was.

I was particularly intrigued by the story of Moses being called by the Lord to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Almost everyone knows the story of the burning bush. Moses finds a burning bush that is not being consumed by the flames. He hears the voice of the Lord telling him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses responds with doubt. He does not feel that he is the kind of speaker the Lord needs (reading through it reminded me of Fiddler on the Roof. "For someone slow of speech he sure has a lot to say!" Makes me laugh every time :) ).

I love how the Lord responds through the whole exchange. Every time Moses brings up his inadequacy, the Lord is quick to respond with love and support. He tells Moses over and over again that He will provide the words He wants Moses to say. Although the Lord did get angry at Moses for his doubt, the Lord still provided an alternative mouthpiece for Moses, his brother Aaron.

There are great things we can learn from this story. In our church, we are given callings. We are asked to do the Lord's work within our wards in various areas, like Young Women's and Young Men's (teaching kids ages 12-18), Primary and nursery (teaching kids ages 18months to 12 years), Sunday School, Relief Society, Priesthood, etc. And we all do it voluntarily. There are a lot of teaching and leadership positions that can seem very daunting to undertake. Right after Chad and I moved into this ward as newlyweds, I was called to be the 2nd counselor in the Young Women's presidency. I was terrified! I was 20 years old, barely out of Young Women's myself. What experience did I have to teach these young women? When I found out that I was going to be serving with women ten years older than me who had gone on missions, I felt even more unqualified.

As I have served in this position the last year and a half, I have felt the presence of the Lord with me. I have found that the one thing keeping me from being a great leader, my age, actually has been a great asset, helping me to relate to the girls and the situations they are facing. And I have also seen that my life experience level doesn't make any difference, they just need a stable, temple worthy example to look up to. I know now that the Lord knew exactly what He was doing when He called me into the position. He knew that the girls needed me and that I needed them. He has helped me every step of the way to fulfill my leadership role. He has done the exact same thing for me as He did for Moses.

One more thing to add about callings. I read in Moses 1: 17, 25-26 a new piece of information about Moses's calling. He was actually commanded to call upon the Lord. And when he did so, he was about to behold the glory of the Lord. Prayer is key in holding a calling. As we kneel before the Lord and ask for direction, He will direct us.

Who was Melchizedek?

(Picture found here of Melchizedek blessing Abraham)

This has been a really fun assignment for me. I remember hearing about Melchizedek and who he was in Sunday school and seminary lessons here and there, but none of the information stuck with me. This assignment gave me a chance to dig a little deeper on my own and find out a lot of cool things about Melchizedek.

We know from Genesis 14 that Melchizedek is the king of Salem and a "priest of the most high God" (verse 18). We also know that he blessed Abraham and that Abraham paid tithes of all his possessions to Melchizedek. This tells us that he is a righteous man and a man of authority but, as I found out, this account does not do him justice.

As I studied other scriptures and resources, I found out a lot of interesting things about Melchizedek. He actually was called by a few different titles; Prince of Peace, King of Peace, and King of Heaven (Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 14: 25-40). These titles come from the fact that Melchizedek was able to establish peace in Salem after a time of great iniquity (Alma 13: 14-19). And along with holding the priesthood, he had a job much like the bishops of LDS wards do today. He ran a storehouse and collected tithes and offerings from people to distribute to the poor and needy (JST Genesis 14: 37-38). This is one of the main responsibilities those who are serving as bishop have today. It's so fun to see the similarities from the Old Testament to today!

The most fun part of reading up on Melchizedek was learning just how great of a man he was. JST Genesis 14:26 reads, "Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire." Wow! Even as a child he was very mighty! And in Alma, chapter 13 verse 19, it reads, "Now, there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater." He was so great of a priest that the scriptures even say that there was no one greater than him. And he was so great that the greater priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was named after him.

What an incredible man Melchizedek was. And what an example he is to me. I am very grateful for the chance I have had to find out more about him.

If you, too, would like to find out more about him (for example, about the Jewish belief that Shem, the son of Noah, and Melchizedek are the same man), check out the LDS Old Testament Institute Manuel here.

Have a great weekend!

Whom God Calls, He Qualifies: The Story of Enoch

For those of you who do not know about the Pearl of Great Price, please read my previous post. I will be talking about Enoch in this post and a majority of my insights will come from Moses. Enoch is only touched upon in Genesis. We gain a lot more information about Enoch in the book of Moses.

The story of Enoch is wrapped up in about 5 verses in Genesis. From Genesis 5:22-24, we learn that Enoch walked with God, that he lived 365 years, and that "he was not; for God took him" (Genesis 5:24). That doesn't explain much and that last part is left open to interpretation. That could simply mean that he died. If you read Moses, though, you'll find out that that's not the case.

In Moses 6-7, we find out a lot of things about Enoch and the people of his day. The people of that day were very wicked and the Lord called Enoch to cry repentance to them. Enoch's words were so powerful that people trembled and could not stand in his presence. Enoch's faith was so great that he moved mountains. He literally talked and walked with God and was shown many things. Enoch also formed a city called Zion because "they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them" (Moses 7:18). He established a perfect city. And lastly, we find that Enoch did not die. He and his whole city of Zion were taken up to live in the presence of the Lord.

I grew up hearing and reading about how righteous Enoch was. But I never really knew about how extraordinary he was. One thing that really stood out to me was Enoch's response to God's calling for him. Moses 6:26-31 talks about the wickedness of the people of his day. God then calls Enoch to cry repentance unto them. Enoch had a response much like Moses, "Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?" (Moses 6:31). He was so humble and did not think he could make a difference.

But, he had no need to fear! The Lord was ever with him. The Lord promised him, "Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled" (Moses 6:32). The Lord caused the wicked to tremble before Enoch so that they would stay away and would not bother him and his people. He opened Enoch's eyes and revealed so many things to him. The Lord was there will him every step of the way.

I have seen the Lord do the same things for me. He was ever present during the most difficult time of my life. As my heart was breaking, the Lord was there to put the pieces back together. As I have tried to do hard things, He has been there for me to fill in the gaps that I could not complete. As I have born my testimony to others, the Lord has been there to put the words I needed to say into my mouth. The Lord has been with me in all that I do to strengthen and sustain me.

I want you all to know that I know that Enoch was a prophet of God. I know that he and the city Zion were taken up to live with our Heavenly Father. And I know that our Father in Heaven loves each and every one of us and wants all of us to live in His presence once again.

The Pearl of Great Price

Before I get into the thick of my Old Testament class and my readings, I wanted to give a little background info, especially for those that are not members.

My class is the first in a series of 2. This class covers Genesis through 2nd Samuel. It also covers a book called the Pearl of Great Price. It contains the books of Moses and Abraham. These books were both translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The book of Moses comes from Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible. We know that there are many different versions of the Bible due to so many translations of it. While members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints believe that the King James version is the most correct, we know that it still is missing a lot of things. Joseph Smith began a re-translation of it in 1830 using translating devices called the Urim and the Thummim, the same devices he used to translate the Book of Mormon (for more information about the Urim and Thummim, go here). As Joseph Smith was translating Genesis, he received revelation that is now the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price. Genesis and Moses go hand in hand.

The book of Abraham comes from Joseph Smith's translation of some Egyptian papyri that he received in 1835.

I hope that makes more sense. If you have any questions, please ask. And if any of you have noticed that I have gotten any information incorrect, please correct me!

I just want to end by saying that I know that the Pearl of Great Price is the word of God. As I have studied this book throughout the years, I have been strengthened in my identity as a child of God. I do know that Moses and Abraham were prophets of God and that these are truly their writings. I have gained so much strength from them and I hope you will, too.

Welcome!

Welcome, everyone! This is a blog I have created for my Old Testament class for school. Each week, we are supposed to a student choice assignment to be able to share with others what we have learned in class. I have chosen to do a blog! Each week I will do a post or two about different principles I have learned in my assigned reading. I am really excited for this outlet to be able to share with all of you, but please do not judge on my findings too harshly! I'm sure everyone can relate to how difficult it can be to interpret the teachings of the Old Testament.

I want to especially welcome all of those who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I hope that you all can learn something for this. Don't be too shy to post insights and opinions, especially if they are different from my own. I hope to be able to learn new things from all of you as well.

Hope you enjoy following this blog as much as I will have writing it!