Watch the video presentation on YouTube at: Intro to OT, Moses 1, Abraham 3
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INTRO TO THE OT-GETTING EXCITED
The first thing I like to do at the beginning of any new year of scripture study is to help my students get excited about studying that particular standard work. So this year, what do we have to look forward to in studying the Old Testament? In short? A lot. I LOVE teaching the Old Testament. In fact, if you pressed me to narrow down which of the four years of scripture study that I enjoy teaching the most, as difficult a decision as that is, I would probably have to say the Old Testament. Now, I enjoy teaching every year of scripture. As my dad always says, “God never wrote a bad book.” But for some reason, the Old Testament holds a special place in my heart. And maybe that’s because the majority of members of the church don’t know as much about it. The Old Testament is probably the most neglected book of scripture in the church. And why is that? Well, it’s kind of intimidating. First of all, it’s so big! People take one look at the sheer bulk of that volume and already they’re put off. Second, the language is a bit tougher to comprehend. It’s the most archaic in its syntax. Third, the history is confusing and the culture foreign. You have all these kings and prophets, and tribes, and civilizations. Assyria, Babylon, Samaria, Egypt, Persia, Canaanites, Philistines, Edomites, Moabites. It’s all a little overwhelming. Plus, I will admit that some of the books we find in the Old Testament are a bit more tedious to get through. Numbers, Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Chronicles. Although I will say that each of those books have powerful and worthwhile lessons in them. But they’re definitely a tougher read than say 1st Nephi, or Alma, or Matthew, or the Doctrine and Covenants. Plus you’ve got Isaiah in there, which we know a lot of people struggle with. On top of that, we have all those minor prophets that some have never even heard of, and they think you’re making them up. Who the heck is Habakkuk, or Nahum, or Zephaniah? Well we’re going to get to know these people this year, because they all have incredibly relevant and significant things to teach us. So, in terms of length, language, culture, and complexity, the Old Testament can be an intimidating study prospect. And maybe that’s part of the reason I enjoy teaching it so much. Students are expecting it to be hard or boring or obsolete, and then they’re surprised to see, though difficult, how relevant, and exciting it is. It’s fun to introduce people to something new. Now I love teaching the Book of Mormon and the New Testament and Church History, but most members are fairly familiar with those stories. They have been since primary. When I teach seminary, almost all my students already know that Nephi is going to make it to the promised land on their boat. They already know that Ammon is going to defend the kings flocks by cutting of the arms of the robbers. They know that the stripling warriors are all going to survive. They know that Jesus is going to walk on the water and rescue his apostles from the storm and that Lazarus is going to be raised from the dead. But when you start to teach them the story of Gideon and his 300 men, or Jonathan and his armorbearer, or Elijah and the priests of Baal, or Hezekiah, or Naaman, or Nehemiah, they’re on the edges of their seat wondering, what’s going to happen next? And you get to experience that with them. Even the stories they think they know; most have never actually read from the Old Testament itself. They’re surprised to see how things actually play out. They’ve seen the movie, but they haven’t read the book. They think they know the story of Noah and the ark, or David and Goliath, or Jonah and the whale, but are surprised to see how the scriptures actually portray those accounts. Many are surprised to find out that Esau is not as bad a character as they expected him to be, and that Samson is not as good a character as they thought he was. On top of all that, a lot of the stories in the Old Testament are just really kind of fun. I mean, who can’t help but smile at the story of Balaam and his talking donkey, Elijah, and his showdown with the priests of Baal, Micaiah and is sarcastic confrontation with King Ahab, or Daniel playing with ferocious lions as if they were kittens. Fantastic, miraculous, and fascinating stories. I can’t wait to experience them with you. And women, the Old Testament is your book! No other standard work has more female role models than the Old Testament. I mean, this book of the Patriarchs is actually the least patriarchal. You have the wisdom of Eve in the Garden of Eden. The faith of Sarah as she bears a child at age 90. Deborah, who inspires an army to fight for God. Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, who is the only one citizen of Jericho that repents, and then later became an Israelite princess. You’ve got the loyalty and charity of Ruth, and the courage of Esther. The widow of Zaraphath, Hannah, the daughters of Onitah and the daughters of Zelophehad, Rebekah, Rachel, Abigail, Miriam. As a daughter of Zion, Old Testament year may be your most inspiring as far as female heroes go.
So whether you’re teaching or studying the Old Testament this year, I hope you’re excited. I know I am. Plus, with the scheduling changes in the seminary curriculum over the past few years, it’s actually been six years since I’ve been able to teach the Old Testament and I’ve been longing to have this experience again for quite some time now.
ICEBREAKER
So, an activity that I do with my students at the beginning of the year is this trivia activity that will hopefully help pique their curiosity and whet their appetite for their study of the Old Testament. And I’ll have to admit, that this focuses more on some of the more entertaining and amusing aspects and stories of the Old Testament. At least with teenagers, it seems to get them interested and excited to study it. It has a few different sections to it, and you could do it either as a handout, and have them go through all the questions on their own on paper and then correct it together and see who gets the highest score. Or you could do it with them with the questions up on the screen it just has them guess what they think the answers are. Or you could make it a game and divide them up into teams and see which team gets them most correct. Either way, I think they’ll have fun with it.
So the first section of questions we’ll call “Who Said it?”
• Which great law giver gave us all great health advice by specifically instructing that we should not eat bats, pelicans, weasels, chameleons, eagles, camels, ferrets, storks, or tortoises. However, if you ever get the craving for a nice beetle, roebuck, or grasshopper, bon appetit, it’s all right with God.
• Moses
• Who is quoted as saying the following to his mother, “Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man”?
• Jacob
• This wisest of all men in the Old Testament made this comment. “It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and an angry woman.”
• Solomon
Next, a simple Multiple-Choice section. Which item is correct?
• Which of the following is not something Ezekiel did to teach the people of Jerusalem?
A. Made bread, baked it with cow dung, and then ate it in front of everyone.
B. Jumped up and down in the central square of the city like a frog for hours.
C. Lied down on his left side for 390 days, then on his right side for 40.
D. Didn’t cry or mourn when his wife died.
• What happened when the Philistines captured the ark from the Israelites?
A. They tried to open it and they melted.
B. Their pagan temples crumbled to the ground.
C. They got hemorrhoids.
D. They fell into a deep sleep until the Israelites could recover the ark.
• What special test did the Israelites give to those wishing to enter its borders to verify they were of the house of Israel.
A. They had them say the word “Shibboleth” because only an Israelite could pronounce it correctly.
B. They asked them to demonstrate the “Shalom Beth la Haim” dance. A Hebrew dance performed at weddings.
C. They had to recite their genealogy all the way back to Abraham.
D. They had to quote the entire book of Leviticus.
• When Saul prayed to the Lord, and the Lord didn’t answer because of Saul’s wickedness, he resorted to asking a witch from this place.
A. Tatooine
B. Endor
C. Dagobah
D. Naboo
Our next section. Now the Old Testament is also a bit more of an intense book when it comes to war and conflict. So, the next challenge is entitled: How did they die? Choose the scenario you think describes the actual demise of these wicked people.
Absalom
His long flowing hair got tangled on a low branch, hanging him there until his enemies found him and dispatched him.
He fell backwards off a cliff while fighting with the Philistines
He was crushed by his own idol while carving it.
Jezebel
Fire from heaven came down and consumed her.
A crack in the earth opened up and swallowed her whole.
She was thrown out of a window by her own servants and eaten by dogs.
Abimelech
He was trampled by a herd of stampeding camels.
He was hit in the head by a piece of falling kitchenware.
He was thrown into a vat of boiling hot olive oil.
Our next section will give you three different stories. Two of them I made up. You have to determine which one is the true story from the Old Testament. Here we go:
• One day as Elisha the prophet was walking through the land of Israel, a group of teenagers came by and started making fun of him for being bald. They taunted calling him a “bald head”. Elisha responded by turning around and shaking his head at the youths. Suddenly, from out of nowhere a huge bear came running out of the woods, attacking the young men, and devouring them. Apparently, they had all learned a painful lesson. Never mock a prophet.
• Malachias was a prophet during the Babylonian empire. One day while walking down the streets of Susa, he heard a voice calling his name from an alleyway. As Malachias entered the alley he was startled to find that the voice was not coming from a person, but from a sheep. The sheep told him that his calling was to prophesy to the people of Japhek by telling them that they were as sheep without a shepherd and needed to turn again to the God of Israel. It just goes to show that in the Old Testament, the Lord often uses unconventional means to teach his people.
• Ahaziah was a powerful but wicked Judean King. The Lord called on his prophet Oded to confront the king. Oded was a very short, old, and frail man while Ahaziah was strong, young, and mighty. The Lord commanded Oded to approach the king with a sword and demand that he repent or perish. The kings guards did nothing, not expecting this frail, old man to be a threat. The King simply laughed and drew his own sword, challenging Oded to a fight to the death. As the King approached, Oded unexpectedly sprang forward and fought with such incredible speed, and power, and skill that he swiftly killed the wicked king to everyone’s great surprise.
Which of those stories is true? The answer is the first one about Elisha. That really did happen. We’ll cover that story in more detail later in the year.
Finally, the Old Testament is most known for what I would call the “AND” stories. See if you can fill in the blanks of these “AND” stories.
Adam AND___________
Noah AND ____________
Jonah AND ___________
David AND ___________
Samson AND __________
Joseph AND ___________
Daniel AND ___________
Cain AND ____________
And then I usually like to add that this year, they’ll be introduced to a lot of other “AND” that they may not be as familiar with. We’ll talk about Jacob AND Esau, Elijah AND the widow of Zarephath, Hezekiah AND Rabshakeh, Gideon AND the Midianites, Nehemiah AND the walls of Jerusalem, Balaam and the talking donkey. AND many, many more.
TRUTH
So, the truth that I like to emphasize with this introduction is. The Old Testament will teach you, inspire you, warn you, and fascinate you IF you are willing to dig deep into its contents.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
What is your study goal this year in the Old Testament?
Some suggestions: Maybe your goal will be to read all the suggested readings from the manual. (There’s a note about the reading schedule at the beginning of the Come, Follow Me manual that tells you that this year’s study does not include every book and chapter of the Old Testament, only selected portions. This makes the reading schedule a bit more manageable for someone who is trying to study the whole thing in just one year) Or, you may decide to read the entire text of the Old Testament-a worthy goal in my mind and something I think everybody should do at least once in their life. Maybe your goal will be to mark something in your scriptures every time you study, or to keep a study journal, or to really dig deep every time you study. Whatever you do, have a goal in mind that you know will keep you motivated and challenged throughout the year.
CONCLUSION
Well, as I’ve said, there is so much to look forward to in this year’s study. The poetic symbolism of Isaiah, the profoundly deep visions of Moses, and Abraham, and Enoch, the fantastic miracles of the Exodus. We’ll see seas part, giants fall to shepherds, and the faithful walk through fiery furnaces unsinged. We’ll study both dramatic stories of faith and simple stories of faith. We’ll learn from kings, and prophets, and priests, and shepherds, and harlots, and the old and the young. We’ll learn lessons from both the righteous and the wicked. If you’ve never read the Old Testament before, I want to invite you to do that this year. To give this course of study your due attention and diligence. If you’ve read the Book of Mormon 20 times, and you’ve studied the life of Christ, and you’ve been deeply through the Doctrine and Covenants this past year, but you’ve never given much attention to the Old Testament, I hope you’ll reconsider your opinion of its value. Keep the following in mind. When Nephi and his brothers were sent back to Jerusalem for the plates of brass, a record so important that it was worth traveling all the way back to Jerusalem for, and giving away, all their worldly possessions, and a risking of their lives to get. And what record was on the plates of brass? The Old Testament. Or at least portions of it. When they arrive back at camp with the plates, Nephi makes the following comment about them:
21 And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children.
22 Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.
What did we just learn about the Old Testament? It is desirable. It is of great worth. It preserves the commandments of the Lord. It is wisdom that we should carry the Old Testament with as we make OUR journey towards OUR promised land.
When Nephi encourages us to liken the scriptures, when he says, “feast upon the words of Christ”, when he speaks of holding fast to the iron rod of God’s word, what book of scripture was he referring to and thinking of? The Old Testament. No wonder he quotes Isaiah so much. Nephi loved the Old Testament.
Also, when Jesus speaks of the scriptures. When he defends himself against temptation by saying the words “it is written”. When he prophesies about himself in the synagogue. When he says, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) What “scriptures” was Jesus referring to? The Old Testament. He quoted it frequently and found inspiration and strength in it. And remember, after the resurrection when he appears to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, it says that he opened up the scriptures and taught them about his mission and purpose. What book of scripture must he have been teaching from? The Old Testament.
So, although we don’t find the name “Jesus Christ” anywhere in the Old Testament, who does it testify of, and teach us about, and lead us to? Jesus Christ. We just get to know Him by a different name: Jehovah. If the New Testament is the testament of the actual life and mortal teachings of Jesus Christ, and the Book of Mormon is ANOTHER testament of Jesus Christ, and the Doctrine and Covenants is OUR testament of Jesus Christ, then the Old Testament is the FIRST testament of Jesus Christ.
If you know your Old Testament, your comprehension and appreciation of the Book of Mormon will increase. You’re understanding of the teachings of Christ in the New Testament will be illuminated. Your grasp of the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History will be amplified.
So together, let’s dig deep into this phenomenal book of scripture this year. Something that may surprise you as you begin to deeply study the Old Testament is just how relevant it is to our day. Though these stories come from thousands of years ago, they are as applicable to the year 2022 AD as they were to the year 2022 BC. The people of the Old Testament will teach you things if you’re just willing to listen to them.
Have any of you ever felt like even though you were doing everything you could to do what was right, only wrong things happened to you? Even though you remained faithful to your beliefs, only negative consequences came. Well, Joseph of Egypt and Job have something to teach you this year.
Have you ever felt like the world around you was just getting worse and worse and you needed a refuge from it all? Something to help you rise above the flood of evil around you? Noah has something to teach you.
Have you ever had trouble in your family, or you felt that it was dysfunctional? Jacob has something to teach you.
Have you ever felt God was testing you? That he was asking you to do something or give something that seemed almost impossible to give? Moses, and Gideon, and Abraham and Isaac have something to teach you.
Have you ever felt surrounded on all sides by temptation, or your enemies, or your trials and you didn’t know how on earth you were ever going to escape? Well Hezekiah has something to teach you.
Have you ever had a calling you just didn’t want to accept? Jonah has something to teach you.
Have you ever had to stand up for what’s right when everybody else around you seemed to be bowing down to the worldly wrong? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and Daniel have something to teach you.
You want to know how to be a more loyal friend? Jonathan has something to teach you.
Do you want to come to know Christ on a more deeply personal level? Give Isaiah a chance.
Listen to them! Their voices whisper to us from the dust, showing us that God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. If he can do these marvelous things for them, he will most certainly do the same for us.
I’d like to end with something that Joseph Smith said about the Old Testament. He said:
“God’s own handwriting” is in this “sacred volume” and “he who reads it oftenest will like it best”.
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 56.)
I believe that those who do read the Old Testament often and deeply, will like it best. And I hope that you not only come to like it, but love it as well.
MARKING ACTIVITY
One final activity that you might want to walk your students through at the beginning of your study of the Old Testament is a quick marking activity with the table of contents. It may help your students to understand the organization of the Old Testament because it’s not necessarily in chronological order. It’s arranged into different sections. So here’s how you break it down. I have my students mark and label these sections in different colors.
You have the first five books of the Bible. These books are referred to as THE LAW. They were written by Moses and contain an account of the earth’s history from the time of the creation down to the death of Moses. They also contain what we call the law of Moses, which was the Lord’s religious instructions for his people that God wanted them to live from the time of Moses down to the mortal ministry of Christ. These five books are also sometimes referred to as the Pentateuch or the Torah.
Then we have the historical books. These extend from Joshua to Esther and are basically chronological in their retelling of ancient Hebrew history.
Then you have the poetic books. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. These are written in more of a poetic style and contain some of the wisdom and musical texts of Old Testament peoples.
Finally, you have the prophets. Each book contains the writings of the prophet whose name the book bears. You have the writings and prophesies of prophets from both the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel.
That should give your students a good overview of the makeup of the Old Testament.
And, it’s also important that you note that the Pearl of Great Price has some additional books of scripture that coincide with our study of the Old Testament. There you’ll find the books of Moses and Abraham as well.
MOSES 1-THE INTRODUCTION TO ALL SCRIPTURE
ICEBREAKER
Now to get into the actual scriptures themselves. I believe I’ve shared this activity with you before, but I believe this is a good place to remind you of an important scripture study skill. I like to do this little activity at the beginning of a study of any of the standard works. There is a habit that I want all of my students to get into, and that is scripture marking. Scripture marking many benefits. A few of the biggest:
· Engagement-studying with a marking pencil in your hand engages your mind and heart more than if you just studied by reading. It gives you something to actively look for and pay attention to. I’ve always found the spirit to be much more willing to teach me when I had a marking pencil in my hand.
· Enduring-Marking your scriptures leaves a permanent record of our efforts and insights. Discussions will be forgotten, handouts thrown away or lost, thoughts will fade, but what we mark and write in our scriptures lasts forever. Each time we read that chapter in the future, we will be reminded of what the Spirit taught us in the past. Then the spirit can build on that prior knowledge.
· Excitement-Honestly, scripture marking is fun. It just makes the study experience more exciting as you look for things to mark. Then, it’s also fun to flip back through your scriptures and see all the things you’ve learned and marked.
So to introduce that idea, I like to do the following icebreaker. With my students, at the beginning of the year I'll sometimes bring out a little treasure box that I have, and I tell them that I have something for them inside it that is going to help them at the final judgment and if they'd be interested in knowing what it is. And then with great fanfare I slowly open the lid to reveal a box full of colored pencils and I pull one of them out and hold it up like it's a precious artifact. And I say this item is going to bless them at the final judgment because the Lord is only going to ask them one question. He'll say, "Can I see your scriptures?", and you'll say, "Ok, here they are". Now if he opens your scriptures and he sees markings all over them, perhaps he'll say "Hmmm, it is apparent that you've spent a lot of time studying my word. And if you've spent a lot of time studying my word, that probably suggests that you've spent a lot of time living my word, then he'll turn to the side and point to the pearly gates of heaven and say, "Come on in, you made it". On the other hand, if you hand him your scriptures and he looks at them and blows the dust off of them, and they look brand new, and the pages are still stuck together, he may leaf through them thoughtfully and say "Hmmm, these look like a really nice set of scriptures, they look almost brand new. I'm afraid it doesn't look like you've spent much time studying my words. And if you haven't spent much time studying my words, there's a really good chance that you haven't spent much time living my words. I'm so sorry. And he'll reach out, pull the cord, the trap door will open, and whoosh, off you slide to purgatory. Now this is all done facetiously, and I suggest you ham it up a bit because I don't really think that's what the judgment is going to be like, BUT I do believe there is a hint of truth in it. I do believe that the way we valued his words in our lives is going to have a bearing on how we'll be judged. And to help them avoid that negative fate, I give them a colored pencil of their own. And I promise them that if they study with a marking pencil your hand, you will get much more out of it. You will find you get more insight and inspiration when you study this way because you are showing the Spirit that you are ready and willing to learn. So I encourage all of you to study the Old Testament this year with a marking pencil in your hand. A number of people have asked me over the years what I like to use to mark my scriptures. And really, any set of colored pencils will do. My favorite marking pencil is this 8 in 1colors mechanical pencil that’s really convenient and fun, but it is kind of expensive. I’ll put links in the video description if anyone is interested in either.
Crayola Colored Pencils: https://amzn.to/3m358Ep
Pentel Mechanical Pencil: https://amzn.to/31XACEX
Now to give you some practice with that skill, we are going to do a marking activity in our very first chapter of the year. Moses chapter 1.
TRANSITION
And what an amazing chapter it is. I will often refer to Moses chapter 1 as the “introduction to all scripture”. If you wanted to start the scriptures from the very beginning, this is where you would go. Because look at Moses chapter 2. What’s the subject matter? The creation. It’s an account of what we find in Genesis chapter 1. In fact, in verse 1 you’ll find the phrase “in the beginning”, which is the way the Bible begins. So Moses chapter 1 was meant to come before Genesis 1, making it the introduction to all scripture. The chapter relates a vision and conversation that Moses has with God. At one point in the vision, God leaves Moses and Satan appears to tempt him. There is a confrontation and, in the end, Moses commands Satan to depart. God then gives Moses another vision of all his creations and teaches him his purpose. When or where this vision takes place, we’re not exactly sure. The final verse tells us that the name of the mountain this vision occurred on “will not be known among the children of men”. So it’s probably not Sinai. But we can surmise that this is pre-Exodus though because verse 26 has God telling Moses that he will yet deliver his people from bondage.
SEARCH
As you study Moses 1, I want you to see Moses as representative of all of us and to look for what God wants us to know about Him, ourselves, Satan, and our purpose in life. So as a marking activity, you can send your students into Moses 1:1-23 and assign them as a number 1, number 2, or number 3. #1’s are going to mark everything they learn about God from those verses. #2’s are going to mark everything they learn about ourselves through Moses. Then #3’s are going to mark everything they learn about defeating Satan and temptation. After you’ve given them enough time to read those verses. Allow them to share what they found. You can always go over anything significant you feel they left out when everyone is done sharing. Let me go over a few of the things they might find. Keep in mind these are just some of the things they may mark. They may find other things I don’t cover here.
First. What do we learn about God?
:1 He wants to communicate with us. The Words of God which he spake unto Moses. God speaks. He is involved in the life of man.
:2 He has a body in the form of man. Moses spoke to him “face to face”
:2 He is glorious. In fact, he is so glorious that according to verse 5 “no man can behold all my glory and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth”. That’s some serious glory there.
:3 He is Almighty
:3 He is Eternal or endless.
:4 He is the creator
:6 He will send a Savior to us
:6 He is the only God
:6 He is all knowing
And then I love this. The Lord says, behold, this one thing I show unto thee. Moses, I’m just gonna show you one thing here. What is that “one thing”. The entire world and everyone on it. Just that one thing. What could be the Lord’s purpose here? Imagine how you might feel after seeing all of that. You’d probably feel pretty small, wouldn’t you? In fact, that’s exactly how Moses feels after seeing that vision. He comes to a conclusion down in verse 10. He says: “Now for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed”. Remember, Moses comes from the background of being raised in Egypt. A place that truly manifested the great things that man could do. And I guess that begs the question. Is Moses’s conclusion correct? Is man nothing? Keep that question in mind. In one sense. Yes. That is important for us to keep in mind. That should keep us humble. In the grand scheme of things, the works of man are nothing. Look at what’s left of all the great civilizations of earth’s history. Nothing but ruins. It’s usually quite dangerous to think too much of ourselves. But God is going to teach Moses some more things about man. And by the end, maybe we’ll come to a different conclusion about ourselves.
So, what other things does God want us to know about ourselves through the character of Moses?
:4 He says to him: “thou art my son”. What did we just learn? We are God’s children. We sing “I am a child of God” and we mean it.
:6 We have a work to do on this earth-there is purpose to our lives. Life is not meaningless; we have something to accomplish here.
:9 After Moses is given the vision of all creation something happens.
“9 And the presence of God withdrew from Moses, that his glory was not upon Moses; and Moses was left unto himself. And as he was left unto himself, he fell unto the earth.” Now isn’t that the condition of us all in mortality? We do not currently enjoy the full glory of God upon us. We are withdrawn from his presence. We are, in a sense, left to ourselves on this earth.
:12 And in that state, who comes to us? Well, here comes Satan, tempting him. That’s something we learn about ourselves. We are going to be tempted while on this earth. That’s a part of our mortal test.
:13 But, we have been created in the similitude of God’s Only Begotten. There is something divine in each one of us.
:15 And then, remember back in verse 9 where we saw the presence of God withdraw from Moses. Well, that wasn’t 100% accurate. We learn in verse 15 that the Spirit of God had not altogether withdrawn from him. So God doesn’t abandon us completely while on earth. We are not alone; God sends a portion of his spirit to help us and to strengthen us.
Verses 12-23 will help us to know how to conquer Satan and his temptations. See if you can find how Moses does it. What does Moses do to resist temptation and get Satan out of his life? I see at least four strategies he uses.
1. Know who you are.
a. 13 And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten;
Moses knows his divine identity, potential, and worth. Satan is always going to try and take that away from us. In verse 12, notice what Satan calls Moses. He calls him “son of man”. Contrast that with how God addressed him as a son of God. Moses responds with such confidence. Who art thou? For behold I am a son of God. Wouldn’t that be great if we could respond to all temptation in that way? Who are you to ask me to lie, to steal, to cheat, to disobey God? These actions are beneath me. My potential. I am a child of God. Don’t try to make me feel less than what I am. And then I love Moses’s boldness here. He continues. and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?
14 For behold, I could not look upon God, except his glory should come upon me, and I were transfigured before him. But I can look upon thee in the natural man. Is it not so, surely? He’s so confident there, almost provoking. He’s like. Hey, why should I worship you? To see God, I actually had to be transfigured just to see him, his glory was so great. But I can look at you no problem. I don’t even need sunglasses to look at you. Is it not so, surely? A little tinge of sarcasm there.
So, like your parents used to tell you, “Remember who you are and what you stand for”. The prophets have also continually taught us that we have been reserved for the last days for a special purpose. If we keep that in mind and aspire to live up to that calling, it will keep us strong in the face of the adversary.
b. A second strategy for stopping Satan. Look at verses 15 and 18. Moses says: 15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his Spirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: Worship God, for him only shalt thou serve.
It's important for us to know the difference between light and dark. Perhaps that was the purpose of this vision all along. To help Moses see and experience the difference between the Glory of God and the darkness of Satan. The contrast would have been so evident after this encounter. The adversary is always trying to obscure that line. Making evil look good and good evil. Moses was able to distinguish the difference because he had just had an amazing experience with the light and glory of God. In verse 18 he says: “for his glory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee.” We need to make sure that we do the same and do all we can to fill our lives with the light of God. To seek after those things which are virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy, and of good report. With the books we read, the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the language we use. Keep your lives filled with light. That’s part of the reason for why we have church, and scripture study, and family time, and temple worship. That way, when the things of the world and darkness approach and tempt us to worship them, we will instinctively reject them, because we will know the difference between light and dark. We can judge between Satan and God. I mean, what a contrast this section draws between the two. What emotions does the adversary display in those first 23 verses? Pride, anger, demanding, misery. Why would we want to worship a being like that when we have the light, mercy, and glory of God as an alternative?
c. A third strategy. From verse 18. Moses boldly tells Satan that he will not cease to call upon God and commands Satan to depart hence. Of course, the adversary is not pleased with Moses’s resolve. And he throws a bit of a tantrum. You can imagine how terrifying of an experience this must have been.
19 And now, when Moses had said these words, Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me. (Oh, you really get a sense of Satan’s pride and jealousy here) 20 And it came to pass that Moses began to fear exceedingly; and as he began to fear, he saw the bitterness of hell. Nevertheless, calling upon God, he received strength, and he commanded, saying: Depart from me, Satan, for this one God only will I worship, which is the God of glory. 21 And now Satan began to tremble, and the earth shook; and Moses received strength, and called upon God, saying: In the name of the Only Begotten, depart hence, Satan.22 And it came to pass that Satan cried with a loud voice, with weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth; and he departed hence, even from the presence of Moses, that he beheld him not.
Did you notice what Moses did to receive strength in that situation? He called upon God. Multiple times. Each time he did he got stronger and stronger. When he called upon God, h received strength. We can do the same. When you find yourself afraid. When you find yourself tempted. When the bitterness of hell is upon us, call upon God in prayer for strength and it will come.
d. We’ve also learned something significant about the adversary from these verses, haven’t we? How many times did Moses have to tell Satan to depart? Let’s see. Verse, 16, verse 18, verse 20, and verse 21. Four times! He has to say it four times. What does that teach us? Satan is persistent. So what is our strategy for defeating that persistence? We have to be persistent ourselves. We’re going to have to work really hard to keep him out of our lives. He doesn’t give up easily on us and so we’ll always have to be on our guard. And we know that this is not the only time that Satan is going to try and stop Moses. Just as God withdraws and returns, so will the adversary. Our lives are a constant shifting between these two presences. Hopefully, we find ourselves more often in the presence of the Godly, and we maintain our strength, and identity, and the Spirit through the darker times. But we can know, that even in those dark times, that God is with us. His Spirit will not altogether withdraw from us.
SUMMARIZE Moses 1:24-42
Now let’s conclude the chapter. Moses is once again shown a vision of the glory of God’s creations. And Moses sees every particle of the earth, and every soul. And this prompts two questions in Moses in verse 30. Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?
Now, the first question God is going to deflect for a short time. He’s not prepared to answer Moses yet on the why or the purpose. He says: For mine own purpose have I made these things.
He will however answer Moses’s second question:
32 And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
I created them by the word of my power. I’ve done it through my Beloved Son—through my Only Begotten.
And as Moses gazes upon all these worlds and all these people, by what God says next, you get a sense of Moses’s reaction to all of this. How he must have been feeling. It must have been overwhelming. The sheer mass and number of God’s creation must have caused Moses’s mind to wonder “How do you keep track of it all? There’s so much.” Perhaps Moses reverts back to his first conclusion. Man is nothing. I’m just a speck in the midst of a sea of creation. How could I matter in light of all that? And maybe you’ve felt that way. When you look up at the night sky and see the universe in all its vastness and immensity. When you find yourself in a large crowd of people. When you feel lonely and forgotten by the rest of the world. Remember what God says here at the end of Moses 1.
“and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.”
Yes Moses, you are just one of many. This world upon which you stand is one of many. BUT, I’m talking to you, aren’t I. I am giving you this vision at this time. I know you by name. I have a work for you to do! This is yet another evidence here that we worship a “one by one” God.
We belong to God. We are numbered to him. As impossible at it is for us to comprehend this kind of universal awareness, and presence, and love, it’s there. Have you felt it? I have. I know it’s real.
And now God is ready to answer Moses’ first question. Why do you do this? What is your purpose? And I think you all know what this is leading up to. We’ve been building and building to verse 39 in a type of heavenly crescendo. And what is the climactic revelation? Why does God create so much?
39 For behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
Moses, this is what I do. This is my work. I create souls and I create worlds for those souls to live on. And my goal and purpose for every single one of them, is to bring to pass their immortality and their eternal life. I want them to be like me. I want my children to have and experience all that I have. And not only is this my work, it is my glory! I love what I do. I love my job. So, no. Moses, your prior conclusion was wrong. Man is not nothing. Man is everything. And I want you to know that you are a part of that everything. You matter to God.
TRUTH
We are all children of a loving, all knowing, all powerful Heavenly Father and we have a work to do.
Satan will tempt us in this life, but we can defeat him when we remember our divine identity, when we fill our lives with light, when we call upon God for strength and when we are persistent in resisting him.
God’s work and glory is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
To liken the scriptures ask your students to pick at least one of the following questions to consider, to write about in their study journal, or share with the class.
(Pick one)
• Why do you feel it’s important that we know we are children of God?
• Have any of Moses’s strategies ever helped you to resist temptation? How?
• Have you ever had an experience that helped you to know that God was aware of you? Please share.
CONCLUSION
I just love Moses chapter 1. It’s a powerful introduction to the scriptures and the entire gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ve just learned some of the most fundamental things we need to know about our lives here on earth. We’ve learned who God is, who we are, and who the adversary is, and how to defeat him. I know that God can help you to defeat Satan in this life just as he did Moses, and you can emerge victorious too. Remember God’s purpose for you, he wants to give you immortality, but more importantly, he wants to make you like He is, and give you eternal life. As we study the Old Testament this year, keep the lessons of Moses 1 in mind. We are everything to God! You mean everything to him!
ABRAHAM 3-ASTRONOMY 101, RELIGION 101
ICEBREAKER
As an icebreaker for Abraham 3, I usually like to show my students some images of space and ask them if they ever had a chance to look through a telescope before. Possible object lesson here. If you have a telescope, or have access to one, I might bring it into class and set it up at the front of the room. You can then ask them what kinds of things they’ve been able to see through a telescope. One year I bought my son a telescope for Christmas, and we were fascinated by the craters of the moon, the small red sphere of Mars, and we were even able to see Jupiter surrounding by these tiny little points of light which were its moons. Looking into the depths of space can really be a spellbinding experience.
TRANSITION
Well, God is going to use space as an object lesson to teach both Abraham and all of us some important truths about our lives. This is the grand universal object lesson that the night sky has to teach us. The first 17 verses of Abraham 3 introduce us to the object lesson while the remaining verses teach us the lesson. We could label the first section “Astronomy 101”. And then the second section we’ll label “Religion 101”.
SEARCH
So first, astronomy 101. Without any prior knowledge or study of Abraham 3, it’s really difficult to interpret this on your own without some help. So what I do is give my students the following handout and then we walk through this chapter together and help them label it. If you’re teaching a more mature group of students, you may try allowing them to fill it out on their own first, but it is rather challenging. So we just go through it together reading verses and filling out the chart as we go. I’ll try to model that for you here.
We’ll pick it up in verse 2.
2 And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it;
So if we were to diagram this, it would look something like this. First of all right here in the center of our universe we have a place called the Throne of God. It doesn’t say it is a star or a planet, so we’ll just make it look like a giant throne. Certainly, God and his throne are somewhere physically out there in the universe. That is the place where God dwells. So let’s label that the throne of God. But what is right next to the throne of God? One particular great star. And then what are surrounding it? Other great ones. So we can put a number of other smaller stars around that bigger one near the throne of God.
3 And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord thy God: I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.
So now we can label this great star near the throne of God. It’s called Kolob. The other stars that surround it we can also label. We’ll call them the governing ones. Now you tell me, in terms of stars and planets, what do you think he means by the word “govern” here? These stars are governed by the great star Kolob. What would be the word a modern astronomer would use? Because I would say that in our solar system that the moon is governed by the earth. And the earth is governed by the sun. What does that mean? They orbit the other. The moon orbits the earth, and the earth orbits the sun. They are governed by them. They direct the path the other heavenly body takes through space.
Well, now he’s going to zoom in to our particular solar system and the heavenly bodies that Abraham is most familiar with. You’ve got the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth. We’ll say that the sun is one of those great stars, those “governing ones”. And he’s going to start talking about these heavenly bodies in terms of time. This can get a little confusing so let me walk you through it.
4 And the Lord said unto me, by the Urim and Thummim, that Kolob was after the manner of the Lord, according to its times and seasons in the revolutions thereof; that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after his manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standest. This is the reckoning of the Lord's time, according to the reckoning of Kolob.
So what’s the measurement of time for Kolob and the Throne of God as compared to earth? They share the same time. 1000 years. One revolution of Kolob would be 1000 years here on earth.
Now moving on:
5 And the Lord said unto me: The planet which is the lesser light, lesser than that which is to rule the day, even the night, is above or greater than that upon which thou standest in point of reckoning, for it moveth in order more slow;
(So what are we talking about here? What is the lesser light that rules the night? We’re talking about the moon)
this is in order because it standeth above the earth upon which thou standest, therefore the reckoning of its time is not so many as to its number of days, and of months, and of years.
6 And the Lord said unto me: Now, Abraham, these two facts exist, behold thine eyes see it; it is given unto thee to know the times of reckoning, and the set time, yea, the set time of the earth upon which thou standest, and the set time of the greater light which is set to rule the day, (that would be the sun) and the set time of the lesser light which is set to rule the night. (the moon)
7 Now the set time of the lesser light is a longer time as to its reckoning than the reckoning of the time of the earth upon which thou standest.
So the reckoning of time for the sun, the moon, and the earth, is not so many as Kolob. So let me ask you, what are the reckonings of time for each of those?
What is the reckoning or the measurement of time for the sun compared to the earth? One year. One revolution of the earth around the sun is measured as a year.
What is the reckoning of time for the moon? One month. The moon goes through its phases over the course of about one month. That’s where we get the term month.
And what is the reckoning of time for the earth? One day. One revolution of the earth itself is measured as one day.
Now verses 8-9 are going to sum up the main points of this object lesson nicely.
8 And where these two facts exist, there shall be another fact above them, that is, there shall be another planet whose reckoning of time shall be longer still;
9 And thus there shall be the reckoning of the time of one planet above another, until thou come nigh unto Kolob, which Kolob is after the reckoning of the Lord's time; which Kolob is set nigh unto the throne of God, to govern all those planets which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest.
So we have our lovely visual here. The throne of God which governs with Kolob everything else in the universe. Then you have governing ones, which would suggest that there are others that they are governing, since they are called “governing” ones. And you’ve got sun, moon, and earth out here around one of those governing ones. And their reckoning of time increases the closer you get to Kolob and the throne of God.
Now we could continue with verses 10-17 and you could with your students as well but what we’ve established here is enough to make the point and help us understand the object lesson. Those verses just reiterate what we’ve learned here.
But before we go on, let’s list everything that we can learn about these elements.
First, what do we know about Kolob?
:2 Nearest to the throne of God
:3 Near unto me
:3 Governs all the other stars
:4 It’s time is same as that of the throne of God
:16 It is the greatest of all stars, reason why it is great is because it is nearest to God.
(And then we also can get a few more details by reading the description of facsimile #2. Those interesting Egyptian looking pictures that we find in the Book of Abraham. Read the description for figure #1)
Now what do we know about the governing ones?
Ok. Now you might be wondering what this has to do with anything. You might be like “What in the world are we talking about here?” Well, this is where it gets really cool, really fun. God is about to reveal the meaning behind the object lesson.
So let’s go to the shift. We are going to shift from Astronomy 101 and go into Religion 101. It happens in verse 18. We’re not going to talk about planets and time anymore. But what?
18 Howbeit that he made the greater star; as, also, if there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal.
OK. So instead of stars and planets, we’re really talking about spirits here or beings.
And instead of time, we’re talking about intelligence.
So put that key somewhere on the page. Planets=Spirits, and Time=intelligence.
19 And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all.
So now he’s given us the interpretation of some of those spirits. There in the middle. The throne of God represents who? That one’s easy. God, the Father, right? But who is Kolob? A spirit just like God, right next to him? Kolob is Jesus. Does that work? YES! And this is so fun. Just go through the list we just made.
:2 and :3 Is he nearest to the throne of God? YES
:3 Does he govern all the other stars? YES
:4 Is his time (or intelligence) the same as that of the God? YES
:16 Is he the greatest of all stars, and the reason he is great is because he is the closest to being like God? YES
Facsimile, fig.1: Was he the first creation? YES. Jesus was the firstborn spirt child of our heavenly parents.
Facsimile, fig.1: Is he the first in government (the highest in authority) YES. And is he the last pertaining to the measurement of time (or the greatest or longest in terms of intelligence) YES. This is part of the reason one of Christ’s titles is “the first and the last” or in other words “the highest and the greatest”.
Isn’t that cool?
Now verse 21 is going to put an exclamation point on that idea. But as we read it, can you find the “orbit” word. Which word suggests the idea of orbiting or governing?
21 I dwell in the midst of them all; I now, therefore, have come down unto thee to declare unto thee the works which my hands have made, wherein my wisdom excelleth them all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the beginning; I came down in the beginning in the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen.
The word is “rule”. God and Kolob rule or govern over all the universe. The rest of the spirits orbit or are governed by them.
Let’s keep going. Now how about these governing ones? Who are they? Well look at our list again and see if you can guess.
:2 They are also great
:3 They govern others
:3 At the same time that they are governed by Kolob
:10 They are set to give light to light
Facsimile, fig.5: They borrow their light from Kolob
Facsimile, fig. 5: There are 15 of them.
Who are the governing ones? The prophets. Even the number 15 works there. How many prophets do we have on earth with the first presidency and the quorum of the twelve combined? 15.
The sun then would represent one of the prophets. For example. Our “sun” right now is Russell M. Nelson. And let’s say the earth represents us. That makes sense since the earth is where mortals live. And all those other planets out there around the governing ones represent individual souls or beings. I’m not quite sure what to do with the moon here? But perhaps they could represent local leaders. I leave that up to you how you want to interpret that.
And then what do you do with all this talk about time and the closer you get to Kolob the greater the time? What does that teach us? Each planet or star increases in intelligence or light or truth the closer you get to Christ and God. Remember what the Doctrine and Covenants taught us in 93:36? “The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth.” So the prophet has more intelligence or light and truth than your average person. And Christ and God have even more. The closer to God, the more the intelligence. So part of the purpose of our lives here as “God’s planets” is to “Hie to Kolob” or increase in intelligence and light and truth—to strive to be like Jesus. How can we do that? By orbiting them.
Now with that as a background maybe these more well-known verses at the end of Abraham 3 will take on new meaning to you.
22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was;(So he’s seeing all of God’s spirit children gathered together in one great council) and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; (The governing ones. God’s future prophets and leaders)
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, (can you see our object lesson being portrayed here. Jesus in the middle and all his prophets surrounding him, just like Kolob in the middle there with all the governing ones surrounding it, and Abraham is one of those governing ones) and he said: These I will make my rulers (my governors); for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
So Abraham, you are one of my governing ones. You are one of my prophets. You have been sent to this earth to give intelligence, and direction, and light to others. The light that has been given you from Christ.
24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, (Kolob, right there next to God, Jesus) and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;(these other planets, or souls)
25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
Ahhh, so now we get to the meat of it. What is the purpose of all of this creation? We’re going to create a place, a planet whereon all these beloved intelligences can dwell. And we’re going to prove them—test them. And what’s the big test? Will they do what they’re Lord commands them. In terms of the object lesson? Will they orbit? Are they humble enough, meek enough, wise enough to trust the path that God has carved out for them through time and space? Or, will they choose their own path, choose to go their own way? And think about that for a second. What would be the result of that? What if the earth decided that it didn’t want to follow the path that the sun had laid out for it? What if it said, “I’m done with doing what this old sun wants me to do? I want to make my own path in the universe. I want to do it my way. We’ve been following this old-fashioned orbit for millennia. I want to do something new and exciting. Progressive. I’m sick of feeling controlled by this great governing light.” What would happen to the earth if it said that, and it made its way off on its own course in the solar system? It would get lost. It would die! It might collide with something else and be destroyed. And so will our intelligence and spirit if we veer off the path of light and order given to us through the prophets and Christ. And here’s another cool truth to consider. If the governing ones are governed by Kolob, if the prophets orbit Jesus Christ and God, then if I choose to “orbit” the prophet, who else, by default, am I orbiting? I’m also orbiting Jesus, and God. And what does the Lord promise those who can learn how to orbit?
26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.
TRUTH
So our big truth here from our celestial object lesson. If I can learn to orbit (obey) the prophets, and Christ, and God, then glory will be added upon me forever and ever. I will increase in glory: intelligence, and light, and truth.
LIKEN THE SCRIPTURES
I know that Abraham 3 is usually used as a vehicle to teach us about our pre-mortal existence—which it does, beautifully. But I’m not so sure that’s the major thrust of the chapter. I believe the major message of Abraham 3 is “follow the prophet” and “follow Jesus”. The name of this very study program in the church is “Come, Follow Me”. Can we learn how to orbit? To trust and follow the governing ones? Those noble and great souls chosen by God before the creation of this earth to help give us light? That’s the real question.
And that’s my “Liken the Scriptures” question for you to consider. How’s your orbit? How are you doing at following the prophets and Jesus? Have you listened to their words recently? Have you studied the words of the ancient prophets and the Savior in the scriptures? Do you strive to apply and live their counsel? Do you follow the path that they have carved out for you through time and space?
CONCLUSION
Well, did you realize the night sky had so much to teach us? Think about that the next time you look up at night. When you look out and you see all that order, all that light, all that glory, ask yourself, “Am I traveling through space and time in the way the great star at the center of it all desires that I do? I promise you, that if you will, you will never be lost. You will never travel in darkness. You will never die spiritually. Instead, you will increase in intelligence. You will “hie” or “travel” to Kolob and have glory added upon you forever and ever. That we may all be good planets is my hope and prayer.
