Pilot Lesson: Obedience and Sacrifice

We are Piloting the New Adult Curriculum!

Last Sunday I attended a training meeting for the pilot of the new adult curriculum. The Kennewick stake was one of ten chosen from over 3000 stakes all over the world, and one of four stakes from North America (Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Greenland and the Carribean).
So, yeah, we're feelin' kinda special.
The pilot will last for about two months, during which time we'll give the Church feedback on our experiences. In fact, every adult member of the stake will be asked to log in weekly to post their comments.
It all starts this Sunday with a survey at the beginning of our Gospel Doctrine Class; a survey that will be repeated at the end of the pilot as well.
What's different?

• Teachers should focus on preparing themselves rather than preparing lessons. 
• Classes are to be more interactive, with the freedom to follow gospel conversations as guided by the Spirit. (Gone are the days when the teacher can say, "One more comment and then we need to move on.") As a result, there is more responsibility on the class members to come prepared to discuss and less responsibility on the teacher to "present a lesson." I'm not sure how PowerPoints fit in to all this less structured format. That will have to be determined. 
• The Ward Council gets involved in choosing lesson topics so the leaders can use gospel instruction to help meet the spiritual needs of their ward members. Sounds like a great idea! And definitely more in line with the way the Savior taught.
• The teacher encourages "personal and family" gospel study by asking questions about ways to teach the gospel in the home (including using the Media Library at lds.org); asking class members how they've acted on impressions they've received during scripture study; and asking class members to share or explain especially meaningful scriptures that pertain to the lesson topic.

Obedience and Sacrifice

Genesis 4; 22; Moses 5: 1-11, 16-26

The Definition of Sacrifice

Have you ever heard anyone say, "A sacrifice isn't really a sacrifice because we are so blessed as a result!" 
Let's review the definition of sacrifice: "to give up something important or valued for the sake of other considerations." In other words, even when we are blessed as a result, we should be careful not to trivialize the actual sacrifice people make to be obedient. I don't believe the Lord does.
What do we sacrifice to be obedient to God's commandments?
A better question might be: What will I sacrifice today to be obedient to God's commandments?
Right now, I guess I'm sacrificing my time. I could be cleaning my house, doing laundry, figuring out my budget, watching lame TV, or working on my PornProofKids blog. (Notice how I make a shameful plug for my very worthy cause every chance I get?) But I digress...
The point is that sacrifice often means choosing priorities for your TIME. But there's so much more to sacrifice.
You can sacrifice money, social status, pride (or how people will view you). You can sacrifice a job you love, a house you adore because the Lord prompts you to move elsewhere.
People sacrifice appetites, bad habits, even friends in order to be obedient to the Lord. The list goes on and on. Of course, the best thing to sacrifice is sin.

Animal Sacrifices

The only place we get the clear story on why Adam began to perform animal sacrifices is in the book of Moses. (By the way, the Bible Dictionary has an excellent article on Sacrifices.) It's important to understand that animal sacrifices were "instructive as well as worshipful. They were accompanied by prayer, devotion, and dedication, and represented an acknowledgment on the part of the individual of his duty toward God, and also a thankfulness to the Lord for his life and blessings upon the earth."

An angel explained to Adam the purpose and symbolism behind offering animal sacrifices. Note that Adam was obedient for "many days" before he was given an understanding of why he was being obedient, hence the true principle--if you want to know if something is true, live it. Moses 5: 5-8

5 And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord.
 6 And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.
 7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.
 8 Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore.

Comparing Three OT Stories

It's really interesting to compare these three stories from the beginning of the Old Testament and the book of Moses involving Adam & Eve, Cain and Abel and Abraham and Isaac. Here's the chart I showed in class. Note that only in the book of Moses do we get the full story of why Adam and Eve began to offer animal sacrifices.

The Sacrifice of Reason

Sometimes in order to be obedient to a commandment or a prompting (which is the same thing, right?) from God, we have to sacrifice our reason or logic (what makes sense to us). We have to take a step in the darkness; to obey without fully understanding why. (Keep reading for why this is so essential to developing faith.)

Adam

Adam had no idea why he was sacrificing the most perfect firstling of his flock. It probably didn't make any sense to him. "Why did God ask me to take and kill a perfectly good lamb? A lamb that could go on to improve my flock with its genetic perfection. A lamb that could help to feed and cloth my family if it were allowed to grow to maturity." Adam sacrificed his reason, his "why?" in order to be obedient.

Cain

Conversely, Cain didn't understand the importance of sacrificing an unblemished, firstling lamb. His reason said, "Hey, my fruit and crops are just as good as Abel's lamb. Why should it make any difference? I'll make an offering in a way that makes sense to me." That led to pride, anger, to gross sin,  and then  to being cast out. It started, in part, because Cain would not abandon his own logic, to trust in God. For Cain, it was his way AND the highway, as he became a "fugitive and a vagabond" after he murdered Abel. (See Genesis 4: 12-14)

Abraham

And again, as a stark contrast to Cain's story, Abraham received a commandment that made absolutely no sense at all. Issac was this miracle son, born to Sarah in her old age. He was supposed to bring Abraham posterity more numerous than the sands of the sea or the stars in the heavens. So why was God asking him to sacrifice Isaac? And think about what Abraham went through as a young man—he too was about to be offered up as a human sacrifice by the wicked priests until an angel saved him. Imagine how difficult it would be for him to do the same thing to his only son? Think about Sarah—what was he going to tell her when he returned without Isaac? None of this stopped Abraham from trusting God and obeying his commandment. Amazing faith, amazing blessings that followed, too.

Living Intentionally

What does making a sacrifice cause us to do? It causes us to actively make a choice; to give up one thing in order to choose another thing we have decided is more valuable. It causes us to prioritize; to act instead of be acted upon. In short, to live intentionally. 

It's easy to talk about living the gospel. We do that all the time in our Sunday School class. And talk has its place in communicating ideas and helping to build faith. But only by action are we truly committed to living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Action which causes us to make a choice; to give up one thing to actively choose something better.

I think one of the reasons sacrifice is such an important partner to obedience is that sacrifice ratifies, validates and sanctifies our obedience. 

People can be forced to obey; but what happens when a person sacrifices to obey? It can change their character and soften their heart. It brings obedience to a higher level of discipleship. 

God's Sacrifice

Up to this point, I've been focusing on the sacrifice we make to be obedient. But the sacrifice that makes our sacrifice valid is the one made by Our Heavenly Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father sacrificed his Son for us. Jesus Christ sacrificed by suffering for every sin ever committed, every loss, and every wrong thing. And why? Because they love us and want to give us the way to come back and live with them eternally. 

When we think of becoming more like them, we must also think about learning to sacrifice like they did.

Where Does Faith Come In?

I think it all comes down to faith. If you have faith in the eventual, if not immediate, blessings of God for keeping his commandments, you'll make the required sacrifice. At some point, and probably at many points, in your life, you'll have to make a choice: my way or God's way? Reason or faith? (As a missionary, we used to teach that "you pay tithing with faith, not money.")
As my friend Claudine pointed out, in order to develop faith we have to be confronted with some situations where God's way is illogical or doesn't make sense. If every time we obeyed God, it made perfect, logical, reasonable sense--where's the test in that? If God's ways truly are higher than ours, and he can see the big picture where we can't, it makes sense that some decisions to follow him are not going to make sense to us. (Does that make sense?)
All that we have is God's, except for the one thing he gave to us: our agency: our ability to choose to be obedient and to sacrifice. But if we give that back to Him by obeying him, he blesses us with redemption and life eternal. Sounds like a good plan to me.
Here's what the Prophet Joseph Smith had to say:

 “By faith in this atonement or plan of redemption, Abel offered to God a sacrifice that was accepted, which was the firstlings of the flock. Cain offered of the fruit of the ground, and was not accepted, because he could not do it in faith; he could have no faith, or could not exercise faith contrary to the plan of heaven. It must be shedding the blood of the Only Begotten to atone for man, for this was the plan of redemption, and without the shedding of blood was no remission. And as the sacrifice was instituted for a type by which man was to discern the great Sacrifice which God had prepared, to offer a sacrifice contrary to that, no faith could be exercised, because redemption was not purchased in that way, nor the power of atonement instituted after that order; consequently Cain could have no faith; and whatsoever is not of faith, is sin. But Abel offered an acceptable sacrifice, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God Himself testifying of his gifts."

The ChallengeThink of ONE blessing you want to have or ONE character trait you want to develop. Then identify the requisite law you need to obey (and the sacrifice you need to make) in order to receive this blessing. 

Some questions to ponder:

• What sacrifices have I made to keep the Lord's commandments? How have I been blessed as a result?
• Why is it important to obey God's commandments even when we don't know all the reasons for them?
• How can we make offerings that are acceptable to the Lord?
• What can we learn from Abraham about obedience and sacrifice? (For that matter, what can we learn from Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel about obedience and sacrifice?
• Why is obedience paired with sacrifice?
• How can we better appreciate the sacrifice God and His Only Begotten Son made for us?
• How do we gain a better understanding of any particular commandment or doctrine? (John 7:17) Why do we have to live it before we fully understand it? (See D&C 130: 20-22)

Group Discussion Questions 

(We broke into 9 groups, with three groups assigned to discuss each set.)

Set A

Why is it important to obey God’s commandments even when we don’t know all of the reasons for them?

What do the scriptural accounts of Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel teach us about going forward with obedience (or not) despite not fully understanding the reasons why? What are the differences between Adam & Eve’s and Abel’s obedience and Cain’s “obedience” to the commandment to offer sacrifices?

Have you ever obeyed a commandment or a prompting without fully understanding why? What happened?

Set B

Why is obedience paired with sacrifice? How do they strengthen one another?

Can a person obey without choosing to sacrifice?

How does making a sacrifice change our hearts? What effect do you think it had on Adam, Abel and Abraham?

How is our obedience tied to the Lord’s sacrifice for us, his Atonement?

  

Set C

Why do you think the Lord asked Abraham to sacrifice his only, beloved son Isaac?

What are all the reasons why this commandment would be especially confusing and gut-wrenchingly difficult for Abraham?

What gave Abraham the strength to be obedient?

Why do you think Isaac was compliant?

How can we develop greater levels of obedience and greater ability to sacrifice? (John 7:17; D&C 130: 20-21)

Videos

Akedah (The Binding): A video of Abraham offering his son Isaac as a sacrifice unto the Lord. 12:57
Strengthened in the Lord: This is a video geared for youth, but with messages of inspiration for all of us. I was especially inspired by the final young woman's story of sacrifice. She wanted to be obedient and she paid a price. How do you think her sacrifice affected her?

Articles

A Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit by Elder Bruce D. Porter
Sacrifice by Elder Dallin H. Oaks
Obedience Brings Blessings Pres. Thomas S. Monson

OT 3: The Creation

We are back in Moses this week for the story of the Creation. Genesis includes a version of the Creation, but the one revealed to Joseph Smith is the full account of the vision God gave to Moses about the Creation.
Moses was commanded to write (and preserve, I assume) what the Lord says and shows to him. But he was also told that his book would be tampered with.

And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men—among as many as shall believe. (Moses 1:41)

Differences between Moses and Genesis

This is not to say that the account in Genesis is not extremely valuable, but there are significant differences.

• Moses' account describes an interaction with Jehovah, a conversation between two beings, "face to face." The account in Genesis is simply a pronouncement or story without a hint as to it's author.
• The account in Moses is wider in scope--we learn that God has more than just this world and, in fact, God has created "worlds without number." At least they cannot be numbered by man, but "all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them." (Moses 1:35) Why can't we number them? We certainly have a lot of computing power at our service in this day and age for counting sheer numbers, but of course, we can't number what we can't see. And we certainly, even with the Hubble telescope, cannot see all of God's creations. Although we can see lots of stars and far away galaxies, the ability to see planets is in its infancy.
• Another thing we learn from Moses' account is that earths "pass away" and other earths come into creation. God's work is eternal: "there is no end to my works, neither to my words." (verse 38)
• Moses' God weeps; the God of Genesis seems dispassionate
• In Moses we find the purpose of the Creation; it's not clearly revealed in Genesis.

Why Is the Creation Story So Important?

For many years I've pondered on the importance of the Creation story. Why is it so important that it's included in the temple endowment ceremony? That's a lot of time spent recounting the Creation, so the Lord must want us to think about it and gain strength from it.
I definitely have not plumbed the depths of this question, but I believe the Creation story teaches us the importance of:

• Understanding the nature, work and purposes of God 
• Planning: God created everything spiritually before he created them physically. Maybe the mortal equivalent is called planning or envisioning.
• Order: God created the earth in the proper order, building the foundation first, with higher levels of complexity afterwards.
• Work and of Rest: The Lord worked for six creative periods, and then he rested on the seventh day and hallowed it. The example of taking time to rest and renew on the Sabbath is a basic, foundational teaching. Even God did it and set the example. Must be pretty important.
• Creativity and Beauty: The Lord beautifies the earth and makes everything so interesting. These are divine qualities and President Uchtdorf spoke in General Conference about this and the Church made an awesome Mormon Message of out it, too.
• Acknowledgment of Good Work: Eight times in Moses 2, the Lord declares his work to be good: "and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good." Maybe it's alright to declare our good works good, too. And those of our children.
• How important we are. Heavenly Father and Jesus put a lot of work into this earth to be our home.
• Who we are. We are created in His image, male and female. We are the culmination of creation and even grander than the most exquisite, beautiful and amazing plant or animal.

All Things Bear Record of Christ

We also learn that God created the Earth by the power of His Only Begotten. And that everything has been created to bear record of Jehovah.(Moses 6:63)

"And behold, 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."

I could definitely ponder this more. I once heard a talk on BYU TV about this very subject, but haven't been able to locate it again. If anyone can give me a clue, let me know!

We are Created in the Image of God

Moses (and Enoch, as recorded in Moses 6,7) learn that we are created in God's image. We Mormons take that literally. In Moses 2 we read:

26 And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

 27 And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.

God Loves Us and Weeps for Us

Moses 7 contains one of the most tender accounts of how much our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us. In this account, it is Enoch who is having the grand vision. As he views all of the inhabitants of the earth, and the residue who will not be taken up with ZION, he is shown how Satan's power is bringing darkness and spiritual bondage to God's children. Then Enoch sees God weeping and he's amazed.
 
28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?
29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?

And then the Lord explains what we all need to know and feel in our hearts:

32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
37 But behold, their sins shall be upon the heads of their fathers; Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?

I had the distinct honor to be set apart as a missionary in the MTC by the president of the MTC. In that blessing, I was told that Heavenly Father had rejoiced with me in my times of happiness and success, and wept with me during my times of sorrow and loss. That is the only part of the blessing I remember because it amazed me and showed me just how much tender loving care the Lord has for each of his children. I'm no Enoch or Moses. I'm just an ordinary, rank and file person. But even still, the Lord is walking with me. Good to know!

An Epiphany about Laughter

I've always wondered why we're commanded to keep our laughter in check. I've come to wonder if maybe it's because so many of us laugh at the distress of others. (So many reality shows exploit people for laughs by setting them up with hidden cameras and distressful situations. Although I don't watch these shows, I know I've been guilty of laughing at another's painful experience.)

Satan laughs, too! Check this out:
"And he beheld Satan; and he had a great chain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with darkness; and he [Satan] looked up and laughed, and his angels rejoiced."
Satan laughs and the Lord weeps.
What do you laugh at? And what effect does that have on your spirit? It's something to think about.

Dominion Over the Earth

After God created man, He gave us "dominion over all the earth."
"And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Moses 2:26)
Dominion means "ruling power, authority or control." So what does God expect us to do with this dominion? This stewardship? He creates an amazing planet for us and obviously puts the stamp of divinity on everything He makes. We're told that everything in creation bears witness of Jesus Christ in some way. So how does this knowledge impact our behavior?
We live in a culture that is fairly wicked (I think most of us would agree with me on that point.) And I don't think our prevailing culture teaches us to be good stewards of the earth. I'm no great example, but I am taking baby steps to do my bit.
(WARNING: Sister Jenson is about to express a viewpoint which is counter-culture, but one she feels is supported by scripture, so don't freak out.) For one, I eat much less meat. Call me crazy, but I feel better and younger as a result. And I feel a level of peace that I never had before. I believe the current scale of meat production around the world exacerbates poverty (grain is fed to cattle etc, grain prices go up and the poor suffer the most). If you're interested in where I began to think about this issue, you may want to ponder D&C 49:19-21 and the footnotes to see where they lead you.
For all of you carnivores out there, I don't judge you. I was a serious carnivore for the first 4 decades of my life. But now that we've dealt with cancer in our family, we all feel we're better off without it. Pass the lentils!!! :-)

Creativity & Beauty

Part of what makes life enjoyable is using our creativity and appreciating the beauty around us. President Uchtdorf gave a talk on this (see Happiness, Your Heritage below as well as the video Create). Creating something that didn't exist before is using our divine power. Hopefully, we find ways to use that power to serve and uplift others. For the past 2 1/2 years I've been writing a book for kids entitled Good Pictures, Bad Pictures: Porn-proofing Today's Young Kids. My hope is that this work of creativity will help parents protect their kids from people who are misusing their own powers of creativity. Thankfully, I have an artist friend who worked with me to bring artistry to my words. My next door neighbors served as our models, so a lot of people got involved in this creative endeavor!

Pausing to cultivate and appreciate the beauty of nature really renews me and helps me deal with the mess of mortality (like dealing with insurance claims, getting dental work done...you get the pictures). I suppose God could have set us up in a boring world, but he didn't. The beauty of this world testifies of its Divine Creator. Our family loves to watch the Planet Earth and the Life series both produced by the BBC and I highly recommend them.
How do the beauties of nature strengthen you? How does knowing more about the Creation story help you to live a happier and more Christ-like life? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Videos
The Creation: Elder Nelson explains the various stages of the Creation of this earth
Discussions of the Old Testament: The Creation: Genesis 1. A roundtable discussion with BYU Professors of Ancient Scripture.
Create Mormon Message: Elder Uchtdorf
God's Greatest Creation Mormon Message
The Great Visions of the Pearl of Great Price: A must-see Education Week talk by gospel author and scholar S. Michael Wilcox
Some "I'm a Mormon" videos from creative saints
Robot Fanatic, Illustrator, Mormon
Artist, Mother of 3, Mormon

Articles

In All Things: An article in BYU's Life Science magazine on the amazing and intricate balances maintained by life on earth as a witness of the Creator's skills.
Happiness, Your Heritage: Elder Uchtdorf discusses how the Spirit can help you enjoy your divine attributes of creativity.

OT 2: "Thou Wast Chosen Before Thou Wast Born"

Where Did We Come From?

Jehovah has revealed to several prophets the truths regarding our pre-mortal life. This week we'll focus on Abraham, Moses and Joseph F. Smith, with John the Revelator and Isaiah thrown in to spice things up (although there are several others).

Premortal versus Pre-existance

{TERMINOLOGY CORRECTION: The correct term for our lives before we were born is "pre-mortal." The Church has abandoned the term "pre-existence" that many of us grew up with because we actually existed before we came to earth, so "pre-existence" is not doctrinal. Besides, trying to think about what was happening before any of us existed makes steam start coming out of my ears.}

As we consider these revelations and scriptures, we should be asking ourselves the very profound question:

  So what? 

Why does knowing about our premortal life change the way we behave or believe?

We are Co-Eternal with God

As we discussed last week, we know that we are spirit children of God and not just his creations, as other Trinitarian Christians believe. In other words, part of our nature is co-eternal with God and therefore different from all other creation.
See the online (and searchable!) Encyclopedia of Mormonism under Intelligences for and expanded explanation.

Foreordination

God makes it abundantly clear in scripture that we existed and were prepared for this life before we were born. Abraham 3:22-23, Moses 4, Isaiah 14: 12-15, Jeremiah 5, Revelation 12 and Alma 13:3-5 all talk about various aspects of our premortal existence and the fact that many of Heavenly Father's valiant spirit children were foreordained to complete missions here on earth, while Satan and others rejected God's plan of salvation.
Here's a nice definition and explanation from True to the Faith. Here's a more extensive one from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
I used to be uncomfortable with the doctrine of foreordination. It put an added responsibility on me to try and figure out what God wanted me to do, other than just to try and survive each day. It made me anxious to think that on any given day, I might have messed up and missed my one opportunity to fulfill some specific mission I'd been given. (Like a secret agent who forgets her passport one day and blows the entire mission.)
I've also been tempted with the worry that I've already made so many mistakes that I've probably missed the chance to fulfill my missions here on earth. In fact, for a long time, I avoided reading my Patriarchal Blessing because I was sure I'd already made too many mistakes on too many days for it to still be valid.
But I've come to know that the Lord is a lot smarter and His amazing grace and can make up for my deficiencies on any day of the week, if I have a willing heart.
As long as we are still breathing and conscious and have a desire to help build the kingdom, God can put us to work if we ask Him for an assignment. 

An Epiphany: Foreordination to Missions Inside and Outside of the Church

So how can we find out what God has in store for us, what we've been foreordained to do? Did he simply foreordain us to certain Church callings or roles? I don't think so. Of course, we can and should also be anxiously engaged in temple work, family history, gospel study and in fulfilling our Church callings. But there is much work to be done for our beloved brothers and sisters outside the Church. God commands us to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of [our] own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness." (D&C 58:27-28) As we pray, open our minds and hearts, I know God will lead us to fulfill many missions of righteousness, "for the power is in [us]." 
Here are a few videos that highlight Mormons getting involved in their communities to be "anxiously engaged."

I'm a Mormon, a Leader of a Non-Profit and a Texan

I'm a Mormon, Addict Caretaker, and Voice for the Homeless (I love how she says that she knows God can work through her even though she is not perfect!)

I'm a Mormon, Musician in Training, and Homeless Advocate (this is the husband of our realtor back in Seattle. My kids have gone out with his bus to help feed the homeless and encourage them to call home on donated cell phones.)
Pepe's Garden: Pepe had a large empty field that she could no longer care for. The ward came in and turned the field into a community garden where neighbors— members and nonmembers alike—work together to plant, tend, and harvest crops. (4:19)

I personally have felt called to write a book and a blog to help parents inoculate kids against pornography. We can all do something to make the world a better place. 

Christ was chosen in the Council of Heaven to be our Savior. Satan rebelled and was cast out.

The Scriptures teach us that in our premortal life, we attended a "Council in Heaven" where God, our Father, proposed a plan that required a Savior. (Abraham 3:24-28) Jesus offered to align his will with Heavenly Father's and give the glory to his Father. But Satan wanted the Savior's job. He also wanted a different plan and all the glory. His plan was to take away our agency and force our compliance to God's laws so we'd all return back to God. Problem is, this plan just won't work. Why? We can't become like Heavenly Father without a real test of our obedience. Satan's plan was a sham. 
I think this "war in heaven" was somewhat like a presidential election--a war of words, arguments, and deceptions (on the part of Satan, who is the father of all lies). As a result, Satan and the "third part" of Heavenly Father's children that he led away, were cast out to the earth. They are still here, tempting us, and trying to ruin Heavenly Father's plan. They did not keep their "first estate." They didn't pass their first test. And now they're trying to get us to fail our second test or "estate."

Here's my big epiphany on this topic: The same sins that got Satan cast out of heaven are the same sins that will keep us from returning to live with Heavenly Father:

• Not seeking God’s will
• Wanted the glory for himself
• Wanted to take away man’s agency
• Rebelled against God

How many times do I seek my own will instead of God's? How many times am I tempted to want glory for myself instead of keeping my eye single to the glory of God? How many times do I wish to control others (my kids!) instead of feeling comfortable with allowing them their agency? How many times have I rebelled or wished I didn't have to go to church at 2:30 in the afternoon. ;-) 
President Ezra Taft Benson called pride "enmity with God" and his great sermon Beware of Pride helps us learn how to follow Jesus Christ instead of giving in to the temptation of pride. 

Links to Church Articles and Lessons

Old Testament: Gospel Doctrine Lesson 2 "Thou Was Chosen Before Thou Wast Born"

Videos

Before the Old Testament: A simplified re-telling of our premortal life
Our Eternal Life: A more modern, hip version of The Plan of  Salvation for a general audience.
The Church is Governed through Councils Elder Ballard teaches us an eternal pattern

Other Resources You Might Find Interesting

The Lost Language of Symbolism by Alonzo L. Gaskill, published by Deseret Book.

OT 1: This is my work and my glory

The $64,000 Question
Why are we starting the study of the Old Testament with a section from The Pearl of Great Price? Simple...that's the way the lesson manual is set up. ;-)
OK, I think the better answer is that Moses is believed to be the author of the first five books of the Old Testament (OT). The book of Moses was given in a revelation to Joseph Smith as he was working on a re-translation of the Old Testament. As Latter-day Saints, we believe that this book was originally included in the OT, but lost at some point.
The book of Moses includes an amazing account of Moses' interview with Jehovah. (Again, as LDS we know that Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, was the God of the OT and represents Heavenly Father or Elohim with full authority. See this entry in the Bible Dictionary for more information and scripture references--3 Nephi 15:1-5 being the most clear in my opinion.)
In today's lesson we learn about three foundational truths:

• We are literally the spirit sons and daughters of God
• Satan is real and has power to tempt us; we also have power to resist
• God's work and glory is to bring about our Eternal Life

More Resources

• Here's a link to a video we watched in class narrated by Elder Holland about Moses' experience entitled I Am a Son of God (runs 6:30 min).
• Here's the video we watched as Elder Packer talked about the importance of the OT.
• The Great Visions of the Pearl of Great Price is a talk by gospel scholar S. Michael Wilcox which you can watch online at BYU-TV. Brother Wilcox has so many insights, this is a must-watch.
• Elder Ronald A. Rasband wrote an excellent 2010 Ensign article, "Moses, My Son," which sheds light on the foundational and profound truths taught in the book of Moses.
• In this lesson, we also learn more about The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. You can watch a video about it's importance entitled Many Plain and Precious Things here.
• The copyright to Joseph Smith's full translation of the Bible is currently owned by The Community of Christ (used to be The Re-organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), but the LDS Church has licensed certain parts to include in our LDS versions. You can purchase other books with side to side comparisons and commentaries.

Introduction to the Old Testament

 

I'm excited to begin our study of the Old Testament! I've collected several resources that will be helpful.

But first, here's a quote from Elder Richard G. Scott's 2011 General Conference talk, The Power of Scripture, about his love for the Old Testament:

How do you personally use the scriptures?...Do you use all of the standard works, including the Old Testament? I have found precious truths in the pages of the Old Testament that are key ingredients to the platform of truth that guides my life and acts as a resource when I try to share a gospel message with others. For that reason, I love the Old Testament. I find precious jewels of truth spread throughout its pages. For example:

• “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22).
• “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
• “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
• “Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. …
• “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction:
• “For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 

• "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (Proverbs 3:5–7, 11–13).

Introduction to the Old Testament

To get started, let's consult with some experts. President Boyd K. Packer gives this brief introduction on the foundational truths taught in the OT and you can watch a video of it here.

President Oaks gave seminary students this video introduction to their year of Old Testament Study.

And speaking of Seminary, you can find all kinds of OT study helps including scripture mastery, timelines and scripture reading charts here. Great resources!

This year the Ensign magazine has an "Old Testament Prophets" department and begins with Adam. I like how the prophet is introduced using first person:

 

Most people know me as the first man to live on the earth, but many don’t know that I had a special responsibility before I came to the earth. In the premortal existence, I led God’s armies against Satan’s armies in the War in Heaven, and I helped Jesus Christ create the earth. I was known as Michael then, which means one “who is like God.”

God chose me to be the first man on the earth and placed me in the Garden of Eden, a paradise with many types of plants and animals. He breathed into me “the breath of life” and gave me a new name: Adam.

A MUST SEE! S. Michael Wilcox, an amazing religion professor and gospel scholar (seriously, I've read all his books, and try never to miss an opportunity to hear him speak) gave this talk on The Great Visions of the Pearl of Great Price. This is worth your time to listen to or watch!

Here's a link on BYU TV's website to an introduction and overview of the Old Testament by BYU's religion faculty.

Here are some highlights from their introduction:

• Sometimes the Old Testament is a bit neglected by Latter-day Saints, but it shouldn't be. 
• The OT is foundational and we need to understand it to understand all other scripture. The Savior often quoted from the OT writings and encouraged us to search these scriptures. 
• Why is the Old Testament called "old"? Because it's a collection of books by ancient prophets and their experience with the "old covenant" versus the "new covenant" of the New Testament.
• One of the purposes of the OT is to tell us who Israel is. 
• The OT also fulfills the law of witnesses; we have more than one witness of Jesus Christ and his Atonement.
• The OT contains many types (symbols) of Jesus Christ.
• Initially written in Hebrew, the Bible was translated into various versions. The King James Version was published in 1611. 

The Making of the Bible
If you want to better understand how the Bible came together, here are two sources I can highly recommend:
1. How the Bible Came to Be, an excellent eight-part series printed in the Ensign in 1982 (which I rediscovered when I was homeschooling my daughters 20 years later).

Part 1: A Testament is Established 
Part 2: The Word is Preserved
Part 3: A New Word is Added to the Old
Part 4: The Canon Becomes an Unread Relic
Part 5: Glimmers of Light in the Darkness
Part 6: No Price Too Great
Part 7: The Sweet and Ripened Fruit
Part 8: The Power of the Word

2. In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture by Alister McGrath. Excellent layman's history of the forces that brought this version to print. Gives you a much greater understanding for the potential of errors in translation.

Rich Scripture Study
What is "rich scripture study" or "close reading"? It's a type of scripture study that "unpacks" scriptural passages word by word, looking for additional meaning, asking questions and seeing patterns. To better understand and practice this type of study, I highly recommend a book entitled Scripture Study: Tools and Suggestions by James E. Faulconer (BYU professor) published by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS).
I was very impressed by this book and amazed at how deep my understanding of the scriptures became after applying just a few of  the study techniques.
I have never forgotten a story that Brother Faulconer tells in his book about studying with one of his graduate professors, a devout Jew, at Pennsylvania State University. Brother Faulconer proposed they take an 8 week quarter and study the book of Genesis. His professor was amazed to think of covering so much material in such a short time. He counter-proposed studying just the first chapter. As they began their study, Brother Faulconer was humbled by his professors depth of knowledge and questions about the details (words, and patterns of words) that he had never considered. As their discussions continued, Brother Faulconer had a profound shift in his thinking:

"I realized that I was visiting with a man who understood many aspects of the gospel that I thought only Latter-day Saints knew, things I had learned from latter-day prophets and the temple but had neer seen in Genesis...I am embarrassed to say that I was surprised. This man was teaching me things that, in my naive arrogance, I thought I would have to teach him...For me, that was a turning point in my scripture study. Though I thought I knew the importance of the scriptures, and though I had found them comforting and delightful and enlightening before, I had never experienced them like this."

The Lord can speak to us through the scriptures of the Old Testament if we are willing to pay the price for that inspiration and understanding.