Continuing thoughts on Balaam and Balak

Pondering Balaam and Balak

Earlier this week we talked about Balaam and Balak. What a tragic end Balaam comes to. He starts out appearing to be a man trying to follow the Lord and ends as a warning reminder of the Prophet of a man who not only fell away but led others astray.  What do we need to do in our own lives to prevent this? The Prophets give us the answer every time they speak, the answers are in the scriptures when we read. There is no great revelation here except to us when when realize what we have been putting above the Lord. Pray, study the scriptures, Keep the commandments and above all put the Lord first in your life. The answers don't change, what we do with them does. 

Walking the Fine Line ... and Falling off: Balak and Balaam

Walking away from Temptation

When we meet Balaam in the book of 22^nd Chapter of Numbers he is a man who knows the Lord and appears to be trying to follow Him. Balak, the King of the Mooabites, has seen the Children of Israel enter his lands and was afraid. There were a lot of them and he wanted Balaam to smite and curse them with the power of the Lord. When Balaam came before the Lord he had his answer, the Children are blessed and the Lord will not curse them. He gave this answer to Balak’s people who told him and sent higher ranking princes to ask the same. However, what Balaam didn’t do at that point was leave or refuse to take this any further.  The book of Numbers doesn’t say so in exact words but it appears that Balaam may have been enticed by the lifestyle or by what Balak could do for him.  At this point he was not a complete loss because he was still trying to walk the line between the Lord and Balak, telling them he could only do what the Lord said, the Lord said if they asked he could go with them, he went with them without them asking. The Lord sent an Angel to block him.

Many of us walk this same line today. We want both the Lord and the world. We want to serve him and have the good things that the world can offer. We must remember two things, we cannot serve two masters and the admonition to care not for what we will eat or wear. That last part is so hard for me. I like to plan everything out.

A few chapters later we find that Balaam is still with Balak who was able to provide alters and rams (the best sacrifices that a rich man could offer) in three different locations, yet none of this swayed the word of the Lord, Balaam knew this and still stayed with Balak. Balaam had been taken out of his world and was being shown the world of the King and it tempted him yet he did not want to disobey the Lord. He was still trying to walk the line between the two.

The last we hear of Balaam in the book of Number is Chapter 31 and it is that he was slain, he was guilty of causing the children of Israel to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor and Eleazar the priest was living with the Children of Israel. Balaam is remembered in by Peter in 2 Peter and John in Revelations as a man who led the Children of Israel astray by teaching them to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication.

It is obvious from this that Balaam lost his balancing act and fell away from the Lord and led others astray when he did so. Temptation gained the upper hand with him and led him to disaster.

Who Is Actually Blocking Our Way?

Who Is Blocking Our Way?

We are into the book of Numbers. I have never read this book before.

Numbers 22:23 

" And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way."

Many of us, myself included, immediately assume when we find our way is blocked that we are being blocked by the adversary. While this is undoubtedly true at times, we also need to consider that at times our way may be blocked by the Lord and His angels keeping us safe and on the right path.

When we find our way blocked we must pray, however often we pray to have the path unblocked, we must remember to pray to find out if we are on the right path.  

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.

Pondering What is Important In Life

Pondering What Is Important In Life

This week we have discussed the 10 Commandments and how Jesus was able to refine those down to 2 guiding commandments.  We have discussed the Golden Calf and the Children of Israel. I confess I still don't understand the choices they made. The Children of Israel lived in a time when they didn't have to listen for a still small voice, the Lord would speak aloud to them.  Of course they didn't have the Atonement yet, and they didn't have the benefit of the the written word of the Lord being compiled into the Bible and Book of Mormon yet either. However I have gotten onto a tangent. 

I still find my mind and heart occupied with the "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and the golden calf.  One of my classmates did a topic on how we cannot serve two masters. That's what Aaron was trying to do with the children, please both them and the Lord. He called it a day of the Lord yet the calf was right there, two masters.

We must examine our life and make sure the Lord, Our Heavenly Father is first and foremost. He must be leading our lives - He isn't a follower.

Do You Have a Golden Calf?

Thoughts on the Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-4 

1.And when the people saw that Moses ^adelayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us ^bgods, which shall ^cgo before us; for as forthis Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we^dwot not what is become of him.

 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the ^agolden earrings, which arein the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bringthem unto me.

 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a ^amolten calf: and they said, ^bThese be thy^cgods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord.

 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought ^apeace offerings; and the ^bpeople sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

It appears to me that Aaron thought he was directing them toward the Lord. They did the appropriate sacrifices, he named the day a day of Sacrifice to the Lord. However the words and actions did not match. The Golden Calf was still there.  We need to be careful that we don't have a golden calf in our life. The Old Testament Student Manuel discussion on the 10 Commandments warned of this also in that a worshiped graven image can take many forms. Cars, computers, education, tvs, phones, games ...is there an object in our life that we are putting before the Lord. Beware of the Golden Calf in your life. I know I will in mine.