Lesson 5: Raising Cain

I'm going to try posting before the lesson this week, see how that goes...

Lesson 5 contrasts the lives of Cain and Enoch. I'll look at Cain this time around and see if I have time to cover Enoch later in the week.

Adam and Eve had high hopes for their son Cain. If we read the Genesis account, it sounds like Cain is their first son, but in Moses it's clear that they had several sons and daughters already (see Moses 5:12). By the time Cain comes along, it sounds like there are many who have chosen not to follow the Lord, and Eve's desire for Cain was that "he may not reject [the Lord's] words..." but sadly his attitude was, "Who is the Lord that I should know him?" (Moses 5:16)

Adam and his posterity had been commanded of the Lord to "offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord..." as "... a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten..." (Moses 5:5, 7). We need to know that part before the next part makes sense.

Satan told Cain to "Make an offering unto the Lord" (Moses 5:18). Either the record left out a few parts, or Cain could be trusted to mess it up on his own. Instead of offering the firstling of the flock, he brought some of his crops.

This doesn't make sense, why would Satan tell Cain to do something righteous? Because he either knew Cain wouldn't do it right, or he told him to offer crops instead of the required firstling. It wasn't exactly a suggestion from the Lord that if you happen to have a firstling kicking around, that'll work. Otherwise, whatever you have will be fine. God specifically set forth the terms of an acceptable sacrifice, it had to be specific if it was going to be symbolic of the Savior's great sacrifice.

When God approved of Abel's offering but not Cain's, Satan was happy and Cain was "very wroth" (Moses 5:21). This confused me a little too. Why would Cain be so upset that God didn't approve of his offering, which Satan told him to do in the first place? Cain "loved Satan more than God" (Moses 5:18), so you wouldn't imagine approval from God would be high on his priorities.

A scripture from the Book of Mormon helped a little. Mormon saw the sorrow of his people and was hopeful they would repent and turn from their wickedness.

"But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin" (Mormon 2:13, emphasis added).

There is no happiness or divine approval to be found outside of the Lord's commandments. Satan knows this and Cain just learned the hard way.

Satan makes a deal with Cain saying, "If you swear your allegiance to me, I'll hand over your brother Abel and you can do whatever you want to him" (paraphrasing Moses 5:29).

Medium story short, Cain does, Satan does, and Abel winds up murdered. Cain exclaims, "I am free" (Moses 5:33). Just as Cain learned there is no happiness in sin, he now learns there is no freedom in wickedness. He is cursed to roam the earth as a fugitive and vagabond.

One of the other questions which came to me was, "Why didn't the Lord warn Abel?" Abel was clearly a righteous man, that has to count for something, right? 'Hey Abel, your brother wants to kill you for a few sheep.' Abel gets to live, Cain gets upset but doesn't kill anyone, seems like a happy ending.

We sometimes get caught up in the idea that faithfulness somehow equals an easier ride through life. Ask Job how that worked for him. He was allowed to be tried and tested because he was so righteous and faithful.

Amulek asked a similar question of Alma as they watched the many faithful women and children being thrown into the flames by the wicked judges.

"But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that ... the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day" (Alma 14:11).

In the end, Cain is forced to wander the land and doesn't get his brother's flocks like he thought he would. Apparently he didn't read the fine print on his contract, "Terms and conditions apply. Subject to change without notice. Dealer may sell for less, or just walk away altogether and leave you to take the blame for everything."

Marriage Advice from Adam & Eve

I had the best of intentions to get this up last week, but between work and a much-needed weekend away I never got around to posting it. So I'll post this one from last week's lesson and then get this week's post done in the next day or so...

If we only had the Genesis account, we'd be pretty upset with Eve. After all, it seems at first glance that she blew it for everyone by eating the forbidden fruit (which was probably zucchini, in my opinion). They got kicked out of paradise and we're stuck in a world of thorns and thistles. Moral of the story, be a little more cautious when your wife wants to try out a new recipe...

Fortunately, we have more information available to us. The prophet Lehi taught his son Jacob about the effects of the fall of Adam:

"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden..." (2 Nephi 2:22)

That doesn't sound too bad so far.

"And they would have had no children..." (2 Nephi 2:23)

So now it seems Eve knew what she was doing when she ate the fruit. They were commanded to multiply and replenish the earth, something they could not do in their current condition. So, what does that have to do with marriage? Well, if we don't understand why Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit and leave the garden, the rest doesn't really make sense.

Tip #1 - Support your spouse.
When asked why he had eaten the fruit, Adam responded that the "woman thou ... commandest that she should remain with me" gave him the fruit and he ate it. He's not trying to pass the buck or blame his wife, he's saying he transgressed one commandment in order to obey the higher one. As is often the case in marriage, we sometimes give up something good for something even better.

Tip #2 - "thy desire shall be to thy [spouse]" (Moses 4:22)
How many of today's marital problems could be avoided or eliminated if each spouse held the other in the #1 position? President Gordon B. Hinckley taught:

"When you are married, be fiercely loyal one to another. Selfishness is the great destroyer of happy family life. If you will make your first concern the comfort, the well-being, and the happiness of your companion, sublimating any personal concern to that loftier goal, you will be happy, and your marriage will go on throughout eternity" ("Excerpts from Recent Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley," Ensign, Dec. 1995, 67)

Not just devoted, but "fiercely loyal". He's not just talking about letting another person take the place of your spouse, but activities and interests can become more important to you than your spouse if not done in moderation. Online games, time at the office, sports, etc., although not inherently "evil", can be placed in the position which should be occupied by your spouse.

Tip #3 - Work with your spouse
After they left the garden, "Adam began to till the earth... to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow... And Eve, also, his wife, did labor with him." (Moses 5:1).

One thing that frosts my hide (and I hope I'm not guilty of this) is fathers/husbands who feel that when they get home from work their duty is done. One of the best, and arguably more important, places to work with your spouse is at home.

"By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, emphasis added)

Don't start "keeping score" of the things you do vs. what your spouse does, because we are by nature very poor score keepers. We tend to see the things we do and miss the other stuff that goes on around us. We only keep score when we want to win, which tends to promote a competitive atmosphere. Marriage is not a competition, it's a cooperation.

Anyhow, those were my thoughts from the lesson...

"I Am a Child of God"

I'm a little bit of a procrastinator. This is not news to some of you. In an effort to correct this little flaw, I am going to try posting something relating to the upcoming lesson ahead of time. Crazy, I know. Especially considering I haven't really done much with this page over the past year.

This year (2010), we are studying the Old Testament in Gospel Doctrine class. Lesson 1 deals with the first chapter in the Book of Moses where the Lord speaks with Moses on "an exceedingly high mountain". We're not really sure when this vision took place, but it was sometime between the burning bush (Moses 1:17) and the Exodus (vs. 25-26).

What transformed Moses from someone who was so reluctant to accept the call to someone who could walk into Pharoah's court and confidently demand that he release the Israelites?

I believe the answer is in this experience with the Lord. God appears to Moses and speaks with him face to face, introduces Himself as "the Lord God Almighty" (vs. 3), then says "behold, thou art my son" (vs. 4) and twice more refers to him as "Moses, my son" (vs. 6-7).

From this introduction, Moses quickly learns that God lives and has a body, not just a voice speaking from a burning bush. He also has a powerful confirmation that he is a son of God.

President Thomas S. Monson taught:

"...we need to reflect on the counsel of Maxwell Maltz, who declared:

'The most realistic self-image of all is to conceive of yourself as made in the image of God.' You cannot sincerely hold this conviction without experiencing a profound new sense of strength and power." (Thomas S. Monson, Go For It!, Apr 89 General Conference).

It is one thing to know that God lives, it is quite another thing to learn that we are His spirit children. What does it really mean to know that we are literally a child of God? Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught:

"Consider the power of the idea taught in our beloved song 'I Am a Child of God.' ...Here is the answer to one of life’s great questions, 'Who am I?' I am a child of God with a spirit lineage to heavenly parents. That parentage defines our eternal potential. That powerful idea is a potent antidepressant. It can strengthen each of us to make righteous choices and to seek the best that is within us. Establish in the mind of a ... person the powerful idea that he or she is a child of God, and you have given self-respect and motivation to move against the problems of life" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 31; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 25).

How would it affect our own lives if we really knew and felt that we too were children of God? I suspect it would bring more focus and direction to most of us. I think many of us know or believe that we are children of God, but how many of us really feel it? What can we do to strengthen that feeling? I can only speak for myself, but I know if I "called home" more often on my knees, that would help. The times when I have really opened my heart in prayer, whether to seek for guidance or just to express thanks, are when I have felt this parent-child bond the strongest.

"Never forget, my dear ... friends, that you really are a child of God who has inherited something of His divine nature, one whom He loves and desires to help and bless." (Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, "You Are a Child of God," Ensign, May 2003, 117

Talk on Trials

We were asked to speak in church on Sunday and my topic was Trials. Rather than copy all five pages, I'll just post a link to the PDF version:

Talk on Trials

This was another learning experience for me. We had two weeks to prepare, and I had been collecting quotes and writing down thoughts, but I just couldn't get it to come together until two days prior. I had a quirky little thought come to mind, talked with Michael about it, and as we talked things started falling into place. I compensated for not having any quotes from Elder Bruce R. McConkie by using three or four from Elder Neal A. Maxwell

The best part was a sister in the ward came up to me later to tell me that I had said something she'd heard many times before, but this time it stuck with her and was what she needed to hear.

"...he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth...

"Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together." (D&C 50:21-22)

Learning From the Early Apostates

I know, it's been six months since my last post. Things have been a bit crazy on this end. After giving my bro-in-law a hard time about semi-annual posts, I guess I should update my own blog a bit more frequently.

I'm working on my lesson for the 28th, which is about avoiding deception and apostasy (lesson 24). The manual uses a couple of illustrations from early Church history of people who apostatized and discusses the various reasons. Because I really enjoy Church History, and knowing I won't be able to cover everything during class time, I thought I would go through a few examples here.

As I have been collecting stories and examples from Church history, I've seen a few common threads through the lives of those who fell away. By studying these men, I hope to recognize potential warning signs to help me stay faithful. I'm sure none of these men started out with the intent to become apostate.

My first example, which is not covered in the lesson, is that of William E. McLellin. Shortly after meeting Joseph Smith, he wanted to receive a revelation from the Lord and came up with five questions to which he wanted answers. He asked Joseph to inquire of the Lord on his behalf, without informing him of the questions, and section 66 of the Doctrine and Covenants was received as a result. William wrote of the experience, "I now testify in the fear of God, that every question which I had thus lodged in the ears of the Lord of Sabbath, were answered to my full and entire satisfaction."

Less than a month later (November 1831), William spoke out against the language of the revelations in the Book of Commandments (now the Doctrine and Covenants). Joseph received a revelation challenging anyone, especially "him that is the most wise among you" (see D&C 67:6-7)to imitate even the least of the revelations.

Joseph wrote later, "William E. McLellin, as the wisest man, in his own estimation, having more learning than sense, endeavored to write a commandment like unto one of the least of the Lord's, but failed."

In 1835, William wrote a letter criticizing the First Presidency and had apostatized by August of 1836 "...because the leading men to a great extent left their religion and run into and after speculation, pride, and popularity... I quit because I could not uphold the Presidency as men of God." He later said this lead him to quit praying and keeping the commandments, and that for a time he had indulged in sinful lusts. I suggest he had the order reversed, and that he stopped praying and keeping the commandments first, and then lost faith in the prophet and presidency.

A couple of short illustrations of how far he had fallen:

First, while Joseph was imprisoned in Liberty Jail during the winter of 1838-39, he wrote to Emma saying he did not have a blanket and pleaded for one. Emma replied that while he was gone, William McLellin had plundered the house and taken all the jewelry and blankets, leaving only one quilt and blanket.

Later, when Joseph was imprisoned in Richmond, Missouri, William asked the sheriff for the privilege of flogging Joseph. The sheriff granted permission on condition that Joseph was willing to fight. Joseph agreed on condition that his irons be removed. William then demanded he have a club, and Joseph again agreed to the terms, but the sheriff wouldn't permit the fight as he felt William would have too great an advantage. Personally, I don't think William would've had a chance, even with a club.

So, what was the catalyst to William's apostasy? It seems from the accounts that he was determined to find faults in the Prophet Joseph as well as the brethren of the First Presidency and Quorum of the 12.

Wilford Woodruff once taught, "...the very moment that men in this kingdom attempt to run ahead or cross the path of their leaders, no matter in what respect, ... they are in danger of being injured by the wolves. ... I have never in my life known it to fail." (Journal of Discourses 5:83).

The Prophet Joseph said, "I will give you one of the keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principal, that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg 156-57). Such was the case with William E. McLellin.

How do we avoid making the same mistake in our lives? One of the first steps on that path is finding fault in our leaders, whether they be a bishop, stake president, or even the prophet. Inherent in finding fault is the assumption that we could have done better had we been in their place. Are the leaders infalible? No, they are imperfect men and women. The difference is they have been called of God to serve in their current assignment, and as President Monson has often said, "Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies."

The Lord Himself has said, "...whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same (D&C 1:38-39)."

We should adopt the attitude of David when he was admonished to kill Saul, the king.

"...for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?

"...The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed..." (1 Samuel 26:9, 11)

How can we find fault or speak "against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?"

On a somewhat lighter note, William never denied his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Three years before William died, he wrote a letter to J.T. Cobb in defense of the Book: "I have set to my seal that the Book of Mormon is a true, divine record and it will require more evidence than I have ever seen to ever shake me relative to its purity...

"...When a man goes at the Book of Mormon, he touches the apple of my eye. He fights against truth - against purity - against light - against the purist, or one of the truest, purist books on earth... Fight the wrongs of LDSism as much as you please, but let that unique, that inimitable book alone."

William also counseled him to "cease your opposition and strife against the Book [of Mormon], ... for you might just as well fight against the rocky mountains as the Book!"

Jesus Christ, Our Deliverer

I feel very blessed to have had the opportunity this year to study the Book of Mormon as I prepared to teach the lessons. I have many post-it notes in my scriptures with ideas and insights gained as I studied the material each week.

One of the themes that really stood out this year is Christ's role as not only the Savior, but also the Deliverer.

I am a big fan of goal-setting and motivational literature and sometimes fall into the trap of believing that if I put my mind to 'it' and work hard enough, I can get through whatever problems I face. But that doesn't always work. Sometimes in life we find ourselves in situations or face challenges that no amount of positive thinking can resolve on our own.

"...I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." (Ether 12:27)

Let me illustrate a spiritual principle with a temporal example. Contrast the bondage experiences between the people of King Limhi and the followers of Alma the Elder.

King Limhi was the righteous successor to his wicked father, King Noah. The Lamanites held the people in bondage and imposed a heavy tax on them. Limhi's people tried three times to free themselves with the sword, but were unsuccessful. After their third attempt, "they did humble themselves even to the dust... even in the depths of humility and did cry mightily to God; yea even all the day long did they cry unto their God that he would deliver them out of their afflictions." (Mosiah 21:13-14). The Lord prospered them "by degrees" (Mosiah 21:16) until finally making it possible for them to escape.

Alma the Elder was a priest of King Noah who believed the words of the prophet Abinadi at the risk of his own life. Alma and his group of converts eventually flee into the wilderness after "having been warned of the Lord that the armies of king Noah would come upon them" (Mosiah 23:1). Eventually they find themselves in bondage to the Lamanites as well. Alma and his people immediately turn to the Lord for deliverance and are given the strength to "bear up their burdens with ease" (Mosiah 24:15) until the time they were delivered.

I think it is safe to say that we will all be required to experience hardships and trials that we will be unable to overcome on our own.

As a side-note, I find it curiously interesting how many people blame God for what they feel are unjust circumstances in their lives when everyone will have to experience their own custom-made tests. It would only be unfair if someone were made exempt from the testing process. The actual tests may differ, but I believe the degree and intensity will be the same for all.

Anyhow, we can choose to try finding the way out on our own, as did Limhi's people. We can charge repeatedly against a problem or situation, only to get beaten back repeatedly. Or we can skip that part as did Alma and his followers and move straight to the submissive, willing obedience and rely upon God for strength. Notice, He did not immediately remove the burdens, but gave them strength to bear their trials before eventually delivering them. When we are faced with the trials and tests, can we "submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord"? (Mosiah 24:15)

Trials and hardships are inevitable. Jobs will be lost, loved ones will at some point leave this life and sometimes violently or unexpectedly, illnesses and injuries will come and go. We can either "curse God, and die" (Job 2:9), or "look to God and live" (Alma 37:47). One of the recurring themes in the Book of Mormon is that deliverance comes only through willing and faithful submission to Christ.

"...behold I say unto you, that as these things are true, and as the Lord God liveth, there is none other name given under heaven save it be this Jesus Christ, of which I have spoken, whereby man can be saved." (2 Nephi 25:20)

"What will ye that I should do...?"

I think the experience of the brother of Jared in Ether 2 & 3 is one of the greatest examples of problem solving we can find in the scriptures. He had just completed the construction of eight barges "according to the instructions of the Lord" (Ether 2:16) and now had three problems to take to the Lord (Ether 2:19).

1. There is no light.
2. How will we steer?
3. We won't be able to breathe.

Notice the Lord's answers. In verse 20, He instructs TBOJ to make a hole in the top and bottom of each vessel. When they need air, they simply unplug the top hole (I find it very amusing that he was told to plug it again if water started coming in). I assume they knew what to do with the hole in the bottom, because it isn't explained. Problem #3 solved, they now have a way to get air.

In verse 24, the Lord explains that the barges will be driven as a "whale in the midst of the sea". Problem #2 solved, the Lord will be doing the steering.

Which brings us back to problem #1; what do we do about getting light into the barges? The Lord asks him, "What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?" (vs. 23). Having light was obviously a worthy objective, the Lord didn't say they had to go in the dark. He had already shown TBOJ how the other two problems would be resolved, but now He asks for his input. He instructs TBOJ that they can't have windows because they'd get broken, and they can't use fire. So the only two man-made sources of light available had just been ruled out.

So, what did he do? He went to a mountain known for its "exceeding height" (Ether 3:1) and moltened out 16 small, clear stones and carried them to the top of the mountain before asking the Lord to touch them. He reasoned that if the Lord touched the stones, "they [would] shine forth... in the vessels... that we may have light" (Ether 3:5). TBOJ's faith is so strong, he is permitted to see Christ's finger as He touches the stones. The vision that follows is a topic for another discussion. I want to focus on the decision-making process at work here and what we can apply to our own lives.

1. TBOJ had questions and discussed them with the Lord in prayer. How many of our concerns and problems would be resolved if we would first pray about them?

2. Realize that the answer isn't always going to be handed to us. It is interesting to me that God answered the last two problems, but not the first. He could very well have asked, "What do you think you should do in order to get air inside the vessels?" Elder Richard G. Scott taught in October 1989 General Conference:

"When we explain a problem and a proposed solution, sometimes He answers yes, sometimes no. Often He withholds an answer, not for lack of concern, but because He loves us—perfectly. He wants us to apply truths He has given us. For us to grow, we need to trust our ability to make correct decisions. We need to do what we feel is right. In time, He will answer. He will not fail us."

As He did with TBOJ, the Lord gives us clear guidelines which we can use to form our decisions. He tells us what is and isn't acceptable (ie. 'you can't use windows or fire') and leaves us to our agency. What would TBOJ have missed if the Lord had just handed him 16 glowing rocks? What would we have missed?

3. Go to the "mountain of the Lord" (Isaiah 2:3) when you need divine direction. TBOJ went to the top of an exceedingly high mountain to talk with the Lord and receive needed assistance. The temple is a house of learning where the Holy Ghost can be poured out more abundantly. To make things even more interesting, TBOJ took the stones he obtained at the base of the mountain with him to the top of the mountain.

What if you can't go to the temple? We have been taught that our homes should be second only to the temple in holiness.

"In addition to temples, surely another holy place on earth ought to be our homes. The feelings of holiness in my home prepared me for feelings of holiness in the temple." (Elder James E. Faust, “Standing in Holy Places,” Ensign, May 2005, 62)

So, this scriptural experience gives us keys to handling decisions in our own lives; pray, put in your own effort, and go to the temple.