Elijah and Solomon

Elijah and Solomon

In 1 Kings this week two separate characters keep coming to mind to ponder.

Elijah who was angry at the Children of Israel for not keeping their covenants- again. For destroying the alters and killing the prophets. That was the order he listed them in. Elijah who fled into the wilderness and was fed by angels and when God asked Elijah, what are you doing?  Answered upfront and honest. Lord I am mad for you. A righteous anger. Elijah was then taught about the Holy Spirit and how to find it and guess what? He was still mad, but he still obeyed and returned.

When we have truly righteous anger, not petty anger, not selfish anger the Lord does not chastise us for that, but neither does he excuse us from our duties.

Solomon has quite a duty to perform as well, as King over the Israel he had to rule and in addition was in charge of building the temple. It took Solomon 7 years to build the Temple and it was beautiful. Yet he spent 13 years building his “house” that can only be described as a mansion. While building this mansion did not stop his work on the temple the elaborate mansion that took nearly twice as long to complete as the temple and was larger than the temple makes you wonder what was going through Soloman’s mind.

When we look back at our life we can often see the roots of our decisions both good and bad crystalized as moments of time. By listening to the Holy Ghost we can recognize those times and make the better or best decisions and not regret later.

What doest thou here, Elijah?

Answering the Lord and Finding the Spirit

In 1 Kings Chapter 19 Jezebel finds out about Elijah facing down the prophets of Baal and killing them. Her response to the deaths of the false prophets is that she wants Elijah to be killed also.

When Elijah hears of this, he disappears into the wilderness, first stopping to sleep under a juniper tree a day’s journey in (v 4) and asked the Lord to die.  His request was not granted and an angel appeared to him and brought him food and water. After eating, he slept again. The angel returned with more food and bid him to eat warning him that the journey would be too great for him. The food the angel feed him sustained him for a 40 day and night journey to Horeb where he stayed in a cave and the Lord found him and asked him a question “What doest thou here, Elijah?”

The modern interpretation of this would be “What are you doing here Elijah?”

Elijah doesn’t get sulky or petulant. He is very self-aware

v 10 “And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

It is worth noting that jealous in this case means resentful or angry.  

Elijah who is the prophet who is to be speaking with the Children of Israel is angry with them for forsaking the covenants, destroying the alters, slaying the prophets until he is the only one left. I personally, don’t blame him a bit. I faced similar feelings just reading about it last semester over 3000 years later. The Lord tells Elijah to go stand on the mountain and sends the wind and earthquake against the mountain and then a fire. He shows Elijah how to find Him. That He is not in the wind, the earthquake or fire, He show Elijah the Holy Spirit –the still small voice.  What an amazing gift. And the Lord asks him again what he is doing here- it is remarkable the answer does not change. He is still angry with the Children of Israel, and the Lord sends Him back with instructions.

There are some great lessons in this interaction between Elijah and the Lord. Elijah fled in part because his life was in danger but mostly because he was angry. The people he was trying to teach who were supposed to be following the covenants were forsaking their oaths, destroying the alters and killing the prophets. When asked by the Lord he owned up to his anger and was rewarded with a great gift, learning of the Holy Spirit.

Many people today mistake the Spirit, and 1 Kings 19:11-12 show us without a doubt that the Holy Spirit is not in the wind, it is not in any natural disaster that befalls the earth be it fire, flood, or earthquake. The Holy Spirit is a still small voice. D&C 8:2-3 explains further that the spirit of revelation is the Holy Spirit, which will come upon you and dwell in your heart. The Spirit is in your heart. Some people feel it as a burning in the heart (Luke 24:31-32) others may feel it as a prickling (Acts 2:37) I personally have also felt goosebumps when in the presence of truth.  The Holy Spirit communicates with you, but you have to listen but without a doubt, He is within you not in the wind and fire.

The Walls of Jericho

The Walls of Jericho

I keep thinking about the soldiers who went to take Jericho. We understand that there are certain methods to warfare. In the Promised Land the Lord had added restrictions, the soldiers were not to cut down food bearing trees, they were not to loot and destroy places of residence. It was very civilized warfare. The Lord knew His people would be living here. When they got to Jericho then all normal rules of warfare went even further out the window. This was a siege situation. Did they scale the walls? No. Build a siege engine? No.The Lord told them to march around the city in full uniform with the Ark once a day for 6 days in total silence. Then on the 7th day to march 7 times blow trumpets and shout and the city 'would be theres'. This takes trust and faith because to a soldier this is not a battle plan. To a man of God it is leaving it all in His hands.

I believe this was  huge test for these men. I don't believe those walls were empty. I believe the men of Jericho were looking on and I don't believe they were silent.  I believe they taunted the Children of Israel, I think the admonition to be silent was the truest part of the test.To not respond to the words of your enemy would have been difficult.  

Joshua 6:10 "And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, "Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout."

They were not just quiet around the walls and blowing off steam in camp. They were silent for 6 entire days. That is a amazing test and one they passed. One the 7th day they marched around the walls 7 times, sounded the trumpets and shouted and the walls came down.

The obedience and faith of these men gained them a city entirely unharmed. The Lord has made promises to us of what obedience and faith can bring us also.

Thoughts on the Word of Wisdom

This week we talked about how the Lord restricted the Children of Israel from certain foods and if they came in contact with thoses food even the vessals that touched them could not be used. Those restrictions ended with Christs sacrifice  for us although some people still choose to follow them. In todays world Joseph Smith was given revelation about a new set of restrictions  which are over all easier to follow and understand. No alcohol, no tobacco, no hot drinks which is understood to mean no coffee or tea. Why does this end up in debate? Why do we end up in the spirit of the law vs the letter of the law? If we are to obey the Lord and his meaning is no coffee, then that means no hot coffee, no cold coffee, no coffee ice cream, no coffee candy, no coffee extract. We are capable of following Him in obedience. We can do this.

Leviticus and the Word of Wisdom

Leviticus and the Word of Wisdom

I apologize now this is going to be a bit long. 

I the book of Leviticus chapter 11 to be specific the Lord set forth to the Children of Israel what foods were "clean and unclean". This is the start of what most of us today understand to be the Kosher law for food if you are Jewish. I sorted it out into a table here to attempt to make sense of it and unlike what I normally prefer to do with the Scriptures this time I also took it out of King James English as I sorted out the meanings.

Leviticus Dietary Restrictions Leviticus 11:1-30
Clean	Unclean
Any beast with a divided (parted) hoof, and is cloven foot, and chews the cud is okay to eat.	The camel is unclean to eat because he chews the cud, but doesn’t have a divided hoof.
Whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers are ok to eat.	The coney (hyrax), because he chews the cud, but doesn’t have a divided hoof; he is unclean unto you.
You may eat of every flying creeping thing that goes upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap upon the earth; Even these you may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.	The hare, because he chews the cud, but doesn’t  have a divided hoof; he is unclean unto you.
.	The swine is unclean, though he  has a divided the hoof, and is cloven footed, yet he doesn’t chew the cud
	Anything in the waters, seas or rivers that have not fins and scales they shall be an abomination unto you:
	Among the fowls; these shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, And the vulture, and the kite after his kind; Every raven after his kind; And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind, And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl, And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle, And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.  All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you
	The carcasses of every beast which divides the hoof, and is not cloven footed, nor chews the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that touches them shall be unclean. And whatever goes upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso touches their carcasses shall be unclean until the evening These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind, And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
	Any of them, when they are dead it shall be unclean if they fall into any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening And every earthen vessel, where into any of them falls, whatever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.  Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water comes shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean. And every thing whereupon any part of their carcasses falls shall be unclean; whether it be oven, or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean, and shall be unclean unto you.  Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which touches their carcasses shall be unclean.  If any part of their carcasses fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.  But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcasses fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.  If any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that touches the carcasses thereof shall be unclean until the evening. He that eats of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the evening: he also that bears the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
	Every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.  Whatever goes upon the belly, and whatever goes upon all four, or whatever has more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination

 

Looking at this list we can see immediately that the dietary code served two purposes. Many of the restrictions were for the health and well being of the Israelites, however some of them simply served as lessons in obedience and to set them apart as Gods faithful children. When you have to think about what you are eating and why everyday it serves as a reminder. Today we call rabbits coneys, but according to Google in Moses's time it was an animal called a hyrax which had paws. 

It is understood by most Christians that these particular restrictions ended when Christ sacrificed himself. Some choose to continue them voluntarily. When Joseph Smith restored the church he was given a revelation about a new set of restriction that are found in the Doctrine and Covenants. 

Word of Wisdom Doctrine and Covenants 89:5-17
For Use	Not For Use
Wholesome herbs	Wine or Strong Drink
Every herb and fruit in season	Tobacco
Flesh of beast, fowls of the air, sparingly	Hot Drinks (tea/coffee)
Grain

 I have to say that our list is much easier to follow.  Just as with the list given to the Children of Israel, we can make guesses about why some things are restricted but others may simply to teach obedience.

1 Cor 19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body,and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Exodus 3:11-12 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

The take away, I believe from this is that it doesn’t matter who we are, it matters who God is and that we are doing as He commands

  

A Preacher once told me that to understand the Bible better (and it certainly applies to all the Scriptures) that we need to remember we are reading about the lives of real people and try to put ourselves in their shoes and understand what their lives are like and what is happening.

I think this is the closest I have ever felt to Moses who has always been an imposing figure. Thinking of Moses at this point in his life. He knew he was adopted, he knew his entire life he was different. Moses who committed a murder to defend the Hebrew slaves. He is now commanded to go back and face the Pharaoh and demand the freedom of all the Hebrew slaves. I can certainly understand his question to the Lord “Who am I to do this?” Remembering that when we lean up on the Lord it doesn’t matter who we are as long as we are in His service and obeying Him, it is His power, His words, His greatness not ours.  

Thoughts on Finding Answers

Because we believe that scripture reading can help us receive revelation, we are encouraged to read the scriptures again and again. By this means, we obtain access to what our Heavenly Father would have us know and do in our personal lives today. That is one reason Latter-day Saints believe indaily scripture study. -Elder Oaks, January 1995 Scripture Reading and Revelation

When we read of the account of the Tower of Babel we find a people who were scared and proud and most of all failed to come before God and ask of Him what to do. Can you imagine the difference in the story if the people instead of deciding to build a tower to heaven had come before God and said "Lord we are scared. We are fearful that we are to be scattered. Please help us." 

We have to remember that we are not the architects of our solutions, He is. He knows more that we do and is willing to share knowledge and to teach us. We need to quit racking our brains for solutions and remember to bend our knee. 

However once we bend our knee we must go where He sends us and do what He says. In my personal experience once we are listening He is quick to give the solution, its just a matter of us following it.