What do you want to say you have done at the end of 2010?
What do you want to have become during 2010?
What differences would you want others to notice in you at the end of 2010?
Lesson 5: “If Thou Doest Well, Thou Shalt Be Accepted”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 17
Lesson 6: “Noah … Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House”, Old Testament Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, 23
1. Adam's Children
a) Pursuant to the commandments of the Lord, Adam and Eve were fruitful, multiplied and replenished the earth
i) READ – Moses 5:2 - Adam knew his wife, and she bare unto him sons and daughters, and they began to multiply and to replenish the earth.
b) Adam and Eve taught their children the Gospel
i) READ – Moses 5:12 - Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
2. Satan Comes Among the children of Adam and Eve
a) Think of the situation in which Adam and Eve found themselves
i) The first mortals to be parents on the earth
ii) Starting from scratch
iii) No scriptures
iv) No primary or mutual
v) No traditions and practices of successful family life to emulate
b) Guess Who Shows UP
i) Reading 1 – Moses 5:13-15
13 And Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God; and he commanded them, saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish.
14 And the Lord God called upon men by the Holy Ghost everywhere and commanded them that they should repent;
15 And as many as believed in the Son, and repented of their sins, should be saved; and as many as believed not and repented not, should be damned; and the words went forth out of the mouth of God in a firm decree; wherefore they must be fulfilled.
(1) Verse 13 - Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God
(2) Verse 13 - he commanded them, saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not,
(3) Verse 13 - they loved Satan more than God
(4) men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish
(5) Verse 14 – Lord God called upon men by the Holy Ghost everywhere
(6) Verse 14 - and commanded them that they should repent
3. Cain and Abel
a) Eve bears Cain and Abel
i) Does no appear that Cain was the firstborn
b) Reading 2 – Moses 5:16-17
16 And Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said: I have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he may not reject his words. But behold, Cain hearkened not, saying: Who is the Lord that I should know him?
17 And she again conceived and bare his brother Abel. And Abel hearkened unto the voice of the Lord. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
i)
Verse 16 - Adam and Eve, his wife, ceased not to call upon God
(1) Praying for their children
ii) Verse 16 - Cain hearkened not, saying: Who is the Lord that I should know him?
(1) What does this say about Cain?
(a) Obedient?
(b) Reverent?
iii) Verse 17 - Abel hearkened unto the voice of the Lord
c) Cain's Disobedience
i) Reading 3 – Moses 5:18-24
18 And Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him, saying: Make an offering unto the Lord.
19 And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
20 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering;
21 But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. Now Satan knew this, and it pleased him. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
22 And the Lord said unto Cain: Why art thou wroth? Why is thy countenance fallen?
23 If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire. And thou shalt rule over him;
24 For from this time forth thou shalt be the father of his lies; thou shalt be called Perdition; for thou wast also before the world.
(1) Verse 18 - Cain loved Satan more than God
(2) Verse 18 - Satan commanded him, saying: Make an offering unto the Lord
(a) Whose commands was Satan following?
(b) If Satan commands an offering unto the Lord, is he doing so in order that the Lord will bless Cain?
(3) Verse 19 - Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
(4) Verse 20 - Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof
(5) Verse 20 - the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering
(6) Verse 21 - But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect
(7) ASK – What's wrong with Cain's offering of the fruits of the field?
(a) READ – Moses 5:5 - 5 And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord.
(b) What did Cain offer? – The fruit of the ground
(c) Reading 4 - The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “Abel offered to God a sacrifice that was accepted, which was the firstlings of the flock. Cain offered of the fruit of the ground, and was not accepted, because he could not do it in faith. … Shedding the blood of the Only Begotten to atone for man … was the plan of redemption; … and as the sacrifice was instituted for a type, by which man was to discern the great Sacrifice which God had prepared; to offer a sacrifice contrary to that, no faith could be exercised … ; consequently Cain could have no faith; and whatsoever is not of faith, is sin” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith [1976], 58).
(d) ASK – How would the Lord feel if, for the Sacrament this morning, the Deacons passed around hot dogs and beer?
(e) Other Problems with Cain's Offering
(i) He loved Satan more than God
(ii) He offered sacrifice because Satan commanded him to
(iii) His offering was in direct disobedience to God – he changed a priesthood ordinance without authorization
(8) Verse 23 - If thou doest well, thou shalt be accepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan desireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire
(a) The Lord invites Cain to repent and tells him that he will be accepted.
ii) Cain's response to this invitation
(1) Moses 5:27 - 26 And Cain was wroth, and listened not any more to the voice of the Lord, neither to Abel, his brother, who walked in holiness before the Lord.
(2) Satan gains power over Cain and they create the first Secret Combination – Moses 5:29-31
(a) Cain boasts that he is Master Mahan – a title denoting that he is the master of evil and deception
(b) He can murder and get gain
d) Cain marries and has children and draws all of the descendants of Adam and Eve who are evil together
4. Enoch
a)
Enoch is a fourth great-grandson of Adam
b) Enoch receives a calling from the Lord
i) Reading 5 – Moses 6:27-29
27 And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off;
28 And for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam.
29 Wherefore, they have foresworn themselves, and, by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and a hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not;
(1) Verse 27 - prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent
(2) Verse 27 - I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off
(3) Verse 28 - they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark
(4) Verse 28 - in their own abominations have they devised murder
(5) Verse 28 - have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam
(6) Verse 29 - by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and a hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not
(7) Interesting that Satan promised Cain that his murder would be kept a secret, but sins cannot be kept secret from the Lord.
ii) Note that Enoch is "slow of speech" – Moses 6:31, just like Moses
c) Enoch is obedient and goes forth preaching repentance to the people – trying to save them from death
i) READ – Moses 6:37 - 37 And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him.
ii) READ – Moses 6:38-39
38 And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the tent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a wild man hath come among us.
39 And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God.
iii) How similar is this to the experiences of thousands of missionaries
(1) People are upset with them
(2) They listen to them, thinking they are strange – "a wild man hath come among us"
(3) The Holy Ghost testifies to those who hear the missionaries and they are influenced by the Spirit – "no man laid hands on him" "fear came on all them that heard him"
(4) Why do the people react this way to missionaries they were formerly upset with ? "he walked with God"
d) What does Enoch teach to those who will listen to him?
i) Moses 6:47-63
ii) The Plan of Salvation
(1) Creation, Fall and Atonement of Christ
(2) Baptism
(3) Receipt of Holy Ghost
(4) Free Agency – Verse 56
iii) The people are to teach these things to their children
iv) Verse 62 – Atonement " This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time."
e) Enoch's faith gives him great power
i) Reading 6 – Moses 7:13
13 And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.
(1) so great was the faith of Enoch
(2) he led the people of God
(3) their enemies came to battle against them;
(a) We may sometimes forget that Enoch was a great wartime leader
(4) and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command
(5) the rivers of water were turned out of their course
(6) the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness
(a) These must have been desperate battles for the Lord to provide such great miracles
(b) Think of what Captain Moroni would have done to the Lamanites if he could move mountains and rivers
(7) all nations feared greatly
(8) so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him
(a) Remember, Enoch starts out with everyone hating him because he is slow of speech
ii) Reading 7 – Moses 7:16-19
16 And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.
17 The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.
18 And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.
19 And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion.
(1) The story of Enoch and his people is a type and a lesson concerning the Saints in the last days
(2) Verse 16 - from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness
(3) Verse 17 - the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish
(4) Verse 18 - the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them
(5) Verse 19 - he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion
iii) READ - In the midst of a great vision given to Enoch, Moses 7:23 tells us that "And after that Zion was taken up into heaven "
iv) ASK – Do we see why the prophesies of the return of the City of Enoch in the last days are so apt and relevant?
v) ASK – Can we draw strength to live righteously as evil seems to gain in power every day by remembering what Enoch and his people were able to accomplish during times that were at least as evil? Can we appreciate the fact that Enoch and his people will return to help us?
5. Enoch's Vision – Continuing in Moses 7
a) The Lord shows Enoch a great vision of all things from the beginning to the end of the earth.
b) Enoch sees the great and widespread wickedness among all the people of the earth and does not know what can be done to save them
c) Enoch sees the Messiah coming in the meridian of time as the only means by which men can be saved.
d) Enoch sees the Lord weep because of the disobedience and sin of those men and women for whom Christ created the earth and who He would die to save.
e) The Lord shows Enoch a vision of Noah and his ark and the great flood.
f) Enoch even hears the earth itself groan because of the wickedness of men
g) READ – Moses 7:48-52
48 And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?
49 And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah?
50 And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying: I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods.
51 And the Lord could not withhold; and he covenanted with Enoch, and sware unto him with an oath, that he would stay the floods; that he would call upon the children of Noah;
52 And he sent forth an unalterable decree, that a remnant of his seed should always be found among all nations, while the earth should stand;
i) What is the promise?
(1) Noah and his children will be blessed
(2) After Noah, the earth will no more be covered by floods
(3) A remnant of Enoch's seed should always be found among all nations
6. Noah
a) Noah's Genealogy
i) One of Enoch's sons was not taken up to heaven with the City of Enoch
(1) READ – Moses 8:2 - Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins.
ii) Methuselah had a son named Lamech – Mosiah 8:5
iii) Lamech was the father of Noah – Moses 8:9
b) With the departure of the City of Enoch, there were very few righteous people left on the earth and a great famine spread
c) READ - Moses 8:13 - Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God.
d) Who is Noah?
i) Reading 8 – Joseph Smith said: "Then to Noah, who is Gabriel: he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office, and was the father of all living in this day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven." (TPJS p157)
(1) Which angel would appear both to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist and Mary, the mother of Christ? Gabriel.
e) Noah Preaches Repentance
i) READ – Moses 8:16-17,19-20
16 And it came to pass that Noah prophesied, and taught the things of God, even as it was in the beginning.
17 And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them.
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19 And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch.
20 And it came to pass that Noah called upon the children of men that they should repent; but they hearkened not unto his words;
(1) Note – In Moses 8:18 and Genesis 6:4, the term "giants" is used. Alternate translation of the original Hebrew word, nephilim, is "fallen ones". I am informed that some German bibles translate the word as "tyrants".
f) The people do not respond and all the earth, other than Noah and his family, become evil.
g) READ Moses 8:28-30
28 The earth was corrupt before God, and it was filled with violence.
29 And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.
30 And God said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with violence, and behold I will destroy all flesh from off the earth.
h) In order to save His creation and provide a place where His spirit children could be born and have an opportunity to grow up in righteousness, it was necessary for Heavenly Father to destroy all flesh living on the earth, except for Noah, his family and the animals that were carried on the ark.
i) The flood was, in a sense, a reversal of creation, a reset button for the earth.
j) Reading 9 - Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "The coming of the flood of Noah, and with it the 'end of the world' for the carnal civilization of that day, is a perfect type of the coming of the Lord, and the end of the world for the wicked of the latter-days. In both days all the normal activities of life continue until Deity intervenes to stay the mounting mass of iniquity." (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 1:667)
7. The Ark
a) Noah was commanded to build an ark – Genesis 6:14
b) Jewish tradition says that it required 52 years for Noah to complete the ark.
c) The ark was quite large – about 450 feet long – almost as long as a modern Navy destroyer
d) Reading 10 - President Spencer W. Kimball explained that when Noah built the ark, “there was no evidence of rain and flood. … His warnings were considered irrational. … How foolish to build an ark on dry ground with the sun shining and life moving forward as usual! But time ran out. The ark was finished. The floods came. The disobedient and rebellious were drowned. The miracle of the ark followed the faith manifested in its building” (Faith Precedes the Miracle [1972], 5–6).
8. The Flood
a) Rain fell for 40 days and 40 nights. – Genesis 7:12
b) The earth was covered with water for 150 days – Genesis 7:24
c) Genesis 7:23 - "And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark."
9. After the Flood
a) The first thing that Noah did after getting off the ark was to build an altar and make an offering – Genesis 8:20
b) The Lord makes a covenant with Noah that He will never cause the earth to be flooded again. This is related to the promise the Lord made to Enoch.
i) READ Genesis 9:8-17
8 ¶ And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
ii) Joseph Smith spoke in an interesting manner about the rainbow: "I have asked of the Lord concerning His coming; and while asking the Lord, He gave a sign and said, 'In the days of Noah I set a bow in the heavens as a sign and token that in any year that the bow should be seen the Lord would not come; but there should be seed time and harvest during that year: but whenever you see the bow withdrawn, it shall be a token that there shall be famine, pestilence, and great distress among the nations, and that the coming of the Messiah is not far distant'." (TPJS, pp340-341)
c) All men and women who live on the earth today are descendants of Adam and Eve, of Enoch and his wife and of Noah and his wife.
10. The Tower of Babel
a) "And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech" (Genesis 11:1)
b) "And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." (Genesis 11:4)
c) Brother Hugh Nibley: "An investigation of the oldest temples...concludes that those high structures were also 'gigantic altars,' built both to attract the attention of the powers above...and to provide 'the stairways which the god, in answer to these prayers, used in order to descend to the earth. . . . He comes bringing a renewal of life in all its forms.' From the first, it would seem, men built altars in the hopes of establishing contact with heaven, and built high towers for the same purpose (see Genesis 11:4)." (Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, 4:360)
d) Elder Orson F. Whitney: "The people who built the Tower of Babel are said to have done so in order that its top might 'reach unto heaven.' It was to prevent them from accomplishing this purpose, that the Lord confounded their language. Tradition credits Joseph Smith with the statement that the 'heaven' they had in view was the translated city." (Saturday Night Thoughts, p.101)
e) "...and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Genesis 11:4)
i) A name for ourselves: Achieving wealth and the things of the earth; power; glory and the honors of men; following our own earthly pursuits. We may achieve greatness in this life, but it will end just as surely as does our mortal life.
ii) Taking upon us the name of Christ: Christ and the gospel is the focus of our life; we strive to honor him; we seek to obey his will rather than our temporal desires. Though we may have little in this life, we will have made a name for ourselves in the eternities.
f) Genesis 11:9 - 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
i) Babel is the root word of Babylon and it is thought that the ancient city of Babylon was built on the site where the tower of Babel was built.
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