Israel Commanded to Destroy the Wicked...

“And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, no shew mercy unto them.” (Deuteronomy 7:2) In Deuteronomy we read about the Lord commanding Israel to destroy certain nations because of their wickedness and worshiping of false idols and gods. The Lord commands Israel to go into these nations and destroy all of their false idols and also their places of worship. These are the nations that the Lord commanded Israel to destroy when he delivered them into their hands: 

·         Hitties

·         Amorites

·         Canannites

·         Perizzites

·         Hivites

·         Jebudites

 Among these nations were the Canaanites. The Lord commanded Israel to destroy the Canannites because they had become so wicked and evil “that only just reparation is the death of the guilty parties.” (Old Testament Student Manual) There was no other way for God to show mercy unto the Canannites than to destroy them. They had gotten to the point where if God had allowed them to survive their wickedness would have spread to Israel and destroyed it as well. Some of the sins that the Canannites committed were idolatry, prostitution, homosexuality, inter-marriage, etc. Some may see this destruction as God not being merciful, but He was in fact very merciful and had given the Canannites plenty of time to change their ways. “God’s patience allowed them a few centuries from Abraham’s day to Joshua’s and then His judgment was ordered executed.” (Old Testament Student Manual)

Reading these scriptures and the Old Testament Student Manual scared me a little because I see many similar sins being committed in our own society. One quote that really stuck out to me in the Old Testament Student Manual was the following: “Prostitution and homosexuality had become religious practices to the point where the people were entrenched in depravity and proud of it.” I see the sanctity of chastity and the importance of marriage between a man and a woman getting lost in our society. In our recent election, states voted to legalize gay marriage and to add to the number of states that have already made it legal. We see people standing up for this wickedness and taking pride in it. We know from the scriptures and from the example of the Canannites that the Lord looks down on this behavior. 

We are also a society (especially in the United States) that focuses a lot on material objects and puts a lot of importance on obtaining them and showing them off. How many times do we place focus on worldly things more than God? If we place anything in priority above God then are we not too guilty of worshiping false idols? This is something that I know I have struggled with and it is hard to remain focused on God when everything around you is vying for you full attention. We must look to the consequences that the Canannites and other nations have suffered because of their wickedness. We must be careful that we don’t get swept away in all the empty promises of the world and that we truly value what is important. Let us remember to love our Savior and put Him first in our lives and as we do that everything else will work itself out and we will be able to retain the promise that we will be protected in our righteousness.

What we can learn from the story of Balaam...

In Numbers 22 we are introduced to Balak and Balaam. Balak, the king of the Moabites, wanted to take down Israel. To do this, he turned to Balaam whom he had heard “had a reputation for being able to bless and curse with great effect.” (Old Testament Student Manual) Balak offered Balaam many worldly treasures if he would complete this task for him. The Lord told Balaam not to do what Balak had recommended but in the end Balaam went against the Lord’s counsel and went out with Balak’s men to curse the Israelites. The Lord was unhappy with Balaam and sought to teach him a lesson because of his disobedience. An angel appeared blocking Balaam’s path which caused his donkey to go wild. In the end, the donkey rebuked Balaam for his actions and Balaam was “troubled because of his attempt to serve both God and mammon.”  (Old Testament Student Manual)

How many times in our own lives do we try to serve both God and mammon? We learn from Matthew 6:24 that “no man can serve two masters: for he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” It is not possible for us to be fence sitters when it comes to God and the temptations of the world (Satan). There are many times when we try to do both, but in the end we succumb to one or the other. The story of Balaam shows us that even though the enticements of the world seem exciting to us they can only leads us to sorrow and retribution in the end if we abandon the Lord. 

After being rebuked by the Lord, one would think that Balaam would remove himself from being in the presence of Balak who was his ultimate source of temptation at the time. We see this is not the case as we read on further in Numbers. Balaam actually continues to spend his time with Balak and to complete the tasks that he asks of him. Why did Balaam continue to be around Balak even though the Lord told him before that what Balak had asked him to do was not in accordance with what the Lord wanted done? Balaam still wanted approval in Balak’s eyes so he continued to be around him and to do those things that were asked of him. The Old Testament student manual gives further insight into this by saying “when [Balaam] saw that he could not earn Balak’s commission by cursing Israel directly, he told Balak that God would only bless Israel when they were righteous. Thus, Balaam became a symbol of those who use their callings and gifts to get gain and pervert the Lord’s people.” 

The example of Balaam shows us the true power that being in the presence of temptations has over us. We may feel like we are strong and can handle being around temptations, but eventually it will wear us down and we will succumb to that temptation in a matter of time. We need to make sure in our own lives that we avoid the appearance of evil and keep ourselves far away from those things that are temptations to us. The Lord cannot protect us if we continue to allow ourselves to be in situations where He disapproves of and His Spirit cannot dwell. 

We learn from this story that in the end righteousness always wins over wickedness. In Number’s 31:7-8, Israel destroys the wicked Midianites including Balaam. Balaam was a man of God in the very beginning and if he had lived according to God’s will he probably would have had another ending. But because he choose to follow the enticings of the world and took part in leading many people astray, he ended up being destroyed. This story should be an eye opener to all of us as it has many applications to our lives today. We need to be diligent in following the ways of the Lord and make sure that we do not get distracted by what the world has to offer us. Remember that the Lord has so much more to offer than the world!

Clean vs. Unclean

Clean vs. Unclean

I choose to do my assignment on Choice 1: Clean vs. Unclean. I completed the assignment by doing it as a blog post because I think it would be a good missionary tool to upload my thought and beliefs about the church and hopefully peak the interest of my non-member friends and family. I really liked writing this blogpost because for the last couple years I have been really interested in health and the Word of Wisdom. It would have been better if I had put in some scientific statistics. That may have gotten the attention of some of my non-member friends. I wasn’t sure though if that would take away from the spiritual side of the post. If you want to go to my blogpost it is at or I also pasted it down below:

In Leviticus 11:1-30 we read about the dietary laws the Lord puts in place for the children of Israel.  The law basically breaks down animals into two distinct classes, clean animals and unclean animals.  The unclean animals are what Israel was warned not to eat, whereas the clean animals were approved for Israel to consume. Here is a breakdown of the clean and unclean animals:

Clean Animals

Animals that have parted hoof, clovenfooted, and chews cud

Animals of the water with fins and scales

Locust, beetle, grasshopper

Unclean Animals

Camels, coney, hare (all chew cud but do not have a parted hoof)

Swine (divided hoof but does not chew cud)

Sea animals without fins or scales

Fowl of the air

Fowls that creep on all fours

Flying creeping things

Weasel, mouse, tortoise, ferret, chameleon, lizard, snail, and mole

 “God was using the diet as a teaching tool. People may forget or neglect prayer, play, work, or worship, but they seldom forget a meal.” (Old Testament Study Guide) The Lord put in place strict dietary laws to help remind His followers of their dedication and devotion to Him. There were of course practical reasons for the dietary laws, but they served a more important reason than this. The Lord’s followers had to make a conscious decision each time they ate to either follow the Lord’s directions or not. This thought process helped bring the people to remembrance of their Lord and their commitment to follow Him. 

The scriptures in Leviticus are an ancient dietary law that the Lord put in place for Israel. We too have dietary restrictions put in place for us to remind us of our commitment to the Lord and to keep us healthy. If we read in D&C 89, we will find our own dietary laws which are combined into what is now called the Word of Wisdom. Here is a breakdown of what is considered okay and what is not:

Okay for consumption

Wholesome Herbs (in season)

Fruit (in season)

Flesh of beasts and fowl of the air (eaten sparingly)

Grain

Not okay for consumption

Wine or strong drink (including coffee and tea)

Tobacco

Some may question why it is so important that we follow the Lords direction on what we should and should not consume. I know in my own life I have questioned it before. We have to realize that these laws have more to do with the spiritual end of things then the physical. Yes, there are physical benefits from following the Word of Wisdom and we are seeing scientific proof of that more and more each day. The greater part of the Word of Wisdom has to do with spiritual preparation and control over the natural man. In our day there are so many temptations around us. By refusing to consume certain foods/substances, we are showing the Lord the respect we have for the body He has given to us and our remembrance of Him and His commandments. We are also promised a great blessing if we follow the Lord’s Word of Wisdom. We “shall receive health in their navel and marrow in their bones…find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge…run and not be weary…walk and not faint…I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that the destroying angel shall pass by them.”

I know that the Word of Wisdom will benefit our life if we follow its guidelines. I know I need to do better at following it more closely. I am quick to remember not to drink or smoke, but many times I eat meat too often or eat things not in season. The more I study health related issues, I am seeing the benefits of eating food in their seasons and eating meat sparingly. I have made it a goal in my life to make sure I focus more on those two things so that I can show the Lord my devotion to Him and His commandments. I may not understand why all of these items are necessary, but I know in the end that they will bless my life and eventually I will gain knowledge and testimony of their importance.

The Ten Commandments...

Here are the Ten commandments that the Lord gives unto Moses and the Israelites:

•          Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
•          Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.
•          Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord they God in vain.
•          Remember the Sabbath day, to keep is holy.
•          Honour thy father and thy mother.
•          Thou shalt not kill.
•          Thou shalt not commit adultery.
•          Thou shalt not steal.
•          Thou shalt not bear false witness.
•          Thou shalt not covet.

In Matthew 22: 36-40 Jesus is asked by one of the Pharisees “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” This question was posed more to trick the Savior, but His response brought more insight to all the commandments of the Lord. Jesus said “thou shalt love the Lord thy God…this is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  Jesus’ last sentence shows us the simplicity of all God’s commandments. If we truly love the Lord and our neighbor, we would never break any of these commandments because they would ultimately hurt the Lord or our neighbor or both. If we truly love our Lord, we will have a desire to do whatever He asks and love all of His children as He loves us.  If we were to break up the Ten Commandments, we see that the first five have to do with loving the Lord and the last five have to do with loving our neighbor. 

Our world today struggles with every one of these commandments and I think that is why we have so many problems in our world. If I were to pick which three the world struggles with the most I would choose these:

•          Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image
•          Thou shalt not commit adultery
•          Thou shalt not bear false witness

“Modern idols or false gods can take such forms as clothes, homes, businesses, machines, automobiles, pleasure boats, and numerous other mater deflectors from the path to godhood.” (Elder Spencer W. Kimball) Today many of us base our whole life around acquiring these goods for our happiness. If we focus too much on our desire to obtain these worldly things, they ultimately replace God as the forefront of our worship and deter us off our track to worshiping the Lord. 

“The covenant of marriage, this sacred thing which was to go on eternally, was the heavenly institution which God provided under which his mortal children on earth were to reproduce themselves. There should be no human sex relationship outside of marriage.” (Mark E. Petersen) This is such a problem in today’s world. The family unit is being degraded by the choice not to follow God’s commandment to have no sex relationship outside of marriage. Think of how many children today are born in a home with only a single mother or are aborted before they even have a chance of life because bad choices were made. The divorce rate is at a staggering 50% in this country. Much of it is attributed to spouse’s infidelity and non-commitment to a marriage. This can have very negative effects on the family and the whole world. 

“Whereas murder involves the taking of human life, bearing false witness centers in the destruction of character or its defamation. It reaches to the ruin of reputation.” (Adam S. Bennion) I feel like everywhere I turn there are lies being posted on the internet, TV., news articles, etc. It is becoming more and more acceptable to lie and tell half untruths in our society and because of it no one wants to believe anyone anymore. There is so much dishonesty around that people question a lot of what people say and their motives behind what they say. This is so sad because it degrades people and their reputation. 

Our world would be a completely different place if people were to keep even just the Ten Commandments. All the thoughtless impulsive murders would stop. People would be able trust each other’s words and be able to leave their doors unlocked and not worry about someone breaking in.  People would have more love and understanding for their neighbors and the people around them. The world would be such a peaceful and loving place if everyone loved the Lord and their neighbor.