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!