Lesson 23: “The Lord Be Between Thee and Me For Ever”

Lesson 23: “The Lord Be Between Thee and Me For Ever”

Reading 1 – 1 Samuel 18:1-4

Reading 2 - Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote:  "When we are struggling to learn to love, we can have faith in God's developmental plans for others as well as for ourselves. Then we do not feel threatened by those who are our superiors or who are becoming such. The more unselfish we are, the more able we are to find joy in their successes, all the while rejoicing without comparing. In any case, our only valid spiritual competition is with our old selves, not with each other. True love and friendship enable us to keep that perspective. The things about other people that truly matter are their qualities such as love, mercy, justice, and patience, and their service to others." (Not My Will, But Thine, p70)

Reading 3 – 1 Samuel 18:5-12

Reading 4 - President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Saul became an enemy to David through pride. He was jealous because the crowds of Israelite women were singing that ‘Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’ (1 Samuel 18:7; see also 1 Samuel 18:6, 8).

1 Samuel 18:28-29

Reading 5 - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, speaking of the resentment of the older son when the prodigal son returns and was welcomed by his father, said:  "Who is it that whispers so subtly in our ear that a gift given to another somehow diminishes the blessings we have received? Who makes us feel that if God is smiling on another, then He surely must somehow be frowning on us? You and I both know who does this - it is the father of all lies. It is Lucifer, our common enemy, whose cry down through the corridors of time is always and to everyone, "Give me thine honor."

It has been said that envy is the one sin to which no one readily confesses, but just how widespread that tendency can be is suggested in the old Danish proverb, "If envy were a fever, all the world would be ill" (Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Other Prodigal," Ensign, May 2002, pp. 62,63).

1 Samuel 19:6

Reading 6 – 1 Samuel 20:1

1 Samuel 20:3

Reading 7 – 1 Samuel 20:4, 16-17

1 Samuel 20:23

Reading 8 - Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote: Can one expect human relationships to be deep and lasting sources of purpose and meaning without having truth at their center? Can there be friendships such as the friendship of Jonathan and David outside the context of absolute values? We read that "Jonathan was knit with the soul of David"; these two individuals "made a covenant." (See 1 Samuel 18:1-3.)

Reading 9 – 1 Samuel 23:7-10

1 Samuel 24:3-7,10,12

Reading 10: President Spencer W. Kimball said: "The spirit of revenge, of retaliation, of bearing a grudge, is entirely foreign to the gospel of the gentle, forgiving Jesus Christ." (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p105)

Lesson 22: “The Lord Looketh on the Heart” – Scriptures and Quotes

Lesson 22: “The Lord Looketh on the Heart” – Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 – 1 Samuel 9:1-2

Reading 2 – 1 Samuel 9:18-20

Reading 3 – 1 Samuel 9:25-27,10:1

Reading 4 – Bible Dictionary – Anoint, page 609

Exodus 40:12-13

From the Bible Dictionary definition of "Anointed One" - The English word Christ is from a Greek word meaning anointed, and is the equivalent of Messiah, which is from Hebrew and Aramaic term meaning anointed.

Reading 5 – 1 Samuel 10:6-10

1 Samuel 10:24

Reading 6 – 1 Samuel 13:9-14

Reading 7 - Elder James E. Talmage wrote, “Saul prepared the burnt offering himself, forgetting that though he occupied the throne, wore the crown, and bore the scepter, [he had] no right to officiate … in the Priesthood of God; and for this and other instances of his unrighteous presumption he was rejected of God and another was made king in his place” (The Articles of Faith, 12th ed. [1924], 185).

Reading 8 - President N. Eldon Tanner:  "We all know that there are many, many things in science which we do not understand, but which we must and do accept. Where would we be if the laws of nature and the laws of God were limited to man's understanding? We have been admonished: 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding'." (CR, Apr 1969)

1 Samuel 14:12

Reading 9 – 1 Samuel 15:1-3

1 Samuel 15:22-23

Reading 10 - Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote:  "At issue is our obedience to the Lord. Has he not said, 'To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams'? (1 Samuel 15:22.)  Obedience is what is needed, because through obedience we can grow and become more like Him." (Meek and Lowly, pp15-16) A prominent feature of the natural man is selfishness—the inordinate and excessive concern with self. Prophets frequently warn about the dangers of this sin. The distance between constant self-pleasing and self-worship is shorter than we think. Stubborn selfishness is actually rebellion against God, because, warned Samuel, 'stubbornness is as. . . idolatry' (1 Samuel 15:23)." (Men and Women of Christ, pp8-9)

1 Samuel 16:6-7

1 Samuel 17:4-11

1 Samuel 17:45-47

Lesson 21: God Will Honor Those Who Honor Him – Scriptures and Quotes

Lesson 21: God Will Honor Those Who Honor Him – Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 – 1 Samuel 2:30

1 Samuel 1:27-28

1 Samuel 2:17

Reading 2 - President Spencer W. Kimball wrote:  "One would have thought that all the pleadings and warnings the Lord has made through his prophets over the centuries would induce a high general level of righteousness. Unfortunately this is not so. Apparently it is easier for man to sin than to live a life of righteousness; therefore, greater effort needs to be put forth to avoid evil and conform our lives to the elevating principles of the gospel." (Miracle of Forgiveness, p135)

Reading 3 - President Harold B. Lee said:  "In almost every incident where a young man has been converted to the Church by our boys in military service, he has told us that he was drawn to the Church because of the clean, pure life of some Latter-day Saint boy with whom he was associated. This is a day of demonstration when we as Latter-day Saints by our lives will preach more the gospel of truth than by all the words that we may conjure up." (CR, Oct. 1945, p49)

Reading 4 - Elder Neal A. Maxwell has written:  "The natural man is actually at cross purposes with God's plans. The natural man really has different ends, seeks different outcomes, marches to different drummers. If unrepentant, such become 'carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them' (Mosiah 16:3)." (Men and Women of Christ, p8)  "Heavenly power can be accessed only by those who are Christlike; it is a power whose continued availability is maintained by meekness along with the other virtues." (Meek and Lowly, p85)

Reading 5 – 1 Samuel 2:22-25

1 Samuel 2:29

1 Samuel 3:13

Reading 6 – Brother Arthur M. Richardson wrote:  "Like most rebellious, wicked sons they refused to take counsel from their father. However, Eli's responsibility did not end with counseling his sons. He had a further responsibility to protect the people from their depredations. This he failed to do. Rather, he allowed them to continue in their priestly office taking advantage of the people physically, spiritually, and morally." (Improvement Era, Sep 1955)

Reading 6 – Doctrine and Covenants 121:41-44

Reading 7 - President Joseph F. Smith said: "Fathers, if you wish your children to be taught in the principles of the gospel, if you wish them to love the truth and understand it, if you wish them to be obedient to and united to you, love them! and prove to them that you do love them by your every word or act to them. For your own sake, for the love that should exist between you and your boys—however wayward they might be... when you speak or talk to them, do it not in anger, do it not harshly, in a condemning spirit. Speak to them kindly; get down and weep with them if necessary and get them to feel tenderly toward you. Use no lash and no violence... approach them with reason, with persuasion and love unfeigned.... You can't force your boys, nor your girls into heaven. [But] You may force them to hell, by using harsh means in the efforts to make them good, when you yourselves are not as good as you should be" (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 316-17).

1 Samuel 2:35

Reading 8 – 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Reading 9 – Elder Neal A. Maxwell has written: "There is an attitudinal and behavioral bridge that we need to build in order for us to draw closer to Him, and thus be ready to return Home - cum laude or summa cum laude - to receive of His loving fulness, we must want to do this more than we want to do anything else. Otherwise, even if we avoid wickedness, our journey will end in the suburbs, somewhere short of the City of God." (Neal A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, p.4).

1 Samuel 8:1-6

1 Samuel 8:7-9

1 Samuel 8:19-20

Reading 10 – Then-Elder Spencer W. Kimball wrote: "Samuel called the people together and explained to them that the people of the Lord should be different, with higher standards. 'We want to be like other peoples' they demanded. We do not want to be different'... Not so different are we today! We want the glamour and frothiness of the world, not always realizing the penalties of our folly... Others... indulge in their social drinking—'we must have a king like unto other nations.' Styles are created by the vulgar and the money-mad and run from one extreme to the other to date our present wardrobes and create business for merchants. We cannot be different. We would rather die than be 'not up to date.' If the dress is knee length, we must go a little above the knee. If shorts are short we must have the shortest... If bathing suits are skimpy, we must have the skimpiest. We must have a king like unto other nations. The Lord has said that he will have a peculiar people but we do not wish to be peculiar.... If intimate fondling is the pattern of the crowd, we will fondle. We must have a king like unto other nations.... When oh when, will the Latter-day Saints stand firm on their own feet, establish their own standards, follow proper patterns and live their own glorious lives in accordance with Gospel inspired patterns...Certainly good times and happy lives and clean fun are not dependant upon the glamorous, the pompous, the extremes" (Elder Spencer W. Kimball, "Like All the Nations," Church News, 15 October 1960, 14).

Lesson 20: “All the City … Doth Know That Thou Art a Virtuous Woman” - Scriptures and Quotes

Lesson 20: “All the City … Doth Know That Thou Art a Virtuous Woman”

Scriptures and Quotes

Reading 1 – Ruth 1:1-2

Reading 2 – Ruth 1:3-8

Reading 3 – Ruth 1:14-17

Reading 4 – 2 Nephi 26:33

Ruth 1:19-21

Reading 5 – Elder Richard G. Scott has said: Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. When those trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more (see Prov. 3:11-12). He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain (Elder Richard G. Scott, C.R., Oct 1995, p.18).

Reading 6 – Ruth 2:1-3

"Harvesting was difficult work and demanded long hours. Young men moved through the fields grasping handfuls of the grain and cutting through the stalks with sickles. These small bunches of grain were then bound into bundles called sheaves. As the men worked rapidly, a number of stalks fell to the ground. If the men were careful and took the time, these too could be gathered up. However, any stalks that dropped were allowed to remain where they fell. Poor people, following the reapers, were permitted to 'glean,' or gather, the random stalks--possibly all that stood between them and starvation. In addition, the edges of the field, where the sickle was not as easily wielded, were left unharvested. The poor were welcome to that portion, as well." (Old Testament Student Manual, pp262-263)

Reading 7 – Ruth 2:5-7, 11

Ruth 2:20

Reading 8 – Bible Dictionary - Levirate marriage - The custom of a widow marrying her deceased husband’s brother or sometimes a near heir. The word has nothing to do with the name Levi or the biblical Levites but is so called because of the Latin levir, meaning “husband’s brother,” connected with the English suffix -ate, thus constituting levirate. This system of marriage is designated in Deut. 25:5–10 (see also Gen. 38:8), is spoken of in Matt. 22:23–33; it also forms a major aspect of the story of Ruth (Ruth 4:1–12).

Ruth 3:6-12

Ruth 4:13-15

Reading 10 - President Thomas S. Monson stated:  "In our selection of heroes, let us nominate also heroines. First, that noble example of fidelity--even Ruth. Sensing the grief-stricken heart of her mother-in-law, who suffered the loss of each of her two fine sons, and feeling perhaps the pangs of despair and loneliness which plagued the very soul of Naomi, Ruth uttered what has became that classic statement of loyalty: 'Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.' Ruth's actions demonstrated the sincerity of her words. There is place for her name in the Hall of Fame." (Ensign, Nov 1974, p108)

Reading 11 – 1 Samuel 1:1-2

Reading 12 – 1 Samuel 1:9-12, 17, 20

1 Samuel 1:24-29

Reading 13 – Elder Matthew Cowley said - You remember Hannah who wanted a child and she went to the sanctuary to pray . . . a prayer from her heart to God that she might bear a child. And how earnest she was in that prayer, so earnest, so sincere, that she said, "If God will give me this child, I will lend him to the Lord for this life." (See 1 Sam. 1:11.) How well the mothers know that life is eternal. How well she knew that in lending this child to the Lord for this life, that beyond and down through the ages of eternity, he would be her child, and she would be his mother (Matthew Cowley, Conference Report, October 1953, pp. 106-109).