Thought: One of the most
beautiful modern-day examples of meekness that I am aware of is that of Brother
Moses Mahlangu. His
conversion began in 1964, when he received a copy of the Book of Mormon. He was fascinated as he read this book, but it was
not until the early ’70s that he saw an LDS Church sign on a building in Johannesburg,
South Africa, as he was walking down a street. Brother Mahlangu was intrigued
and entered the building to learn more about the Church. He was kindly told
that he could not attend the services or be baptized because the country’s laws
did not allow it at that time. Brother Mahlangu accepted that decision with
meekness, humility, and without resentment, but he continued to have a strong
desire to learn more about the Church. He asked the Church leaders if they
could leave one of the meetinghouse windows open during the Sunday meetings so
he could sit outside and listen to the services. For several years, Brother
Mahlangu’s family and friends attended church regularly “through the
window.” One day in 1980 they were told that they could attend church and also
be baptized. What a glorious day it was for Brother Mahlangu. Later the Church
organized a branch in his neighborhood in Soweto. This was possible only
because of the determination, courage, and faithfulness of people like Brother
Mahlangu who remained faithful for so many years under difficult circumstances.
One of Brother Mahlangu’s friends, who had joined the Church at the same time,
recounted this story to me when I visited the Soweto stake. At the end of our
conversation, he gave me a hug. At that moment, brothers and sisters, I felt as
if I was encircled in the Savior’s loving arms. Meekness emanated from this
good brother’s eyes. With a heart full of goodness and deep gratitude,
he asked if I could just tell President Thomas S. Monson how grateful and
blessed he and many others were for having the true gospel in their lives.
Brother Mahlangu and his friend’s example of meekness truly influenced many
lives for good—especially mine.
(Ulisses Soares-CR-Oct. 2013)
Book of the Week: "The Old Testament Explained- Through
Modern Revelation" - Dan Barker
JUDGES - is the
7th book of the Bible and the first of a group of historical books that follows
the Hexateuch. It is so named because it deals with the activities of a number
of "judges" of Israel, individuals who were in practical terms rulers
or deliverers of the people (2:16)during the period between their entry into
Canaan and the establishment of the monarchy. Israel had no central government
but was a loose confederation of tribes. It was a time of cycles of apostasy to
reformation led by judges. It was a low-water mark in the history of Israel as
every man did that which was right in his own eyes. (21:25)
1:19 Chariots of Iron on a airplane
The first two chapters of the book contain a
continuation of the conquests of Israel after they entered Palestine.
1:1-15 - This is kind of hard to
"finger" out. Adoni Belek may be the same guy as Adoni zedek.
"Israel's
failure, in general, to comply with God's commands to drive the Canaaanites and
Philistines out of the land involves 6 factors: 1) Inferior weaponry. (1:19)
2)Israel disobeyed and made treaties(2:1-3) 3) Covenant violation (2:20-21) 4)
God continued to test, prove and reprove (2:22-23; 3:4) 5) God was schooling
Israel on how to conquer. (3:1-2 and 6) Israel embraced the profit motive
rather than the prophet motive (1:28; 2:1-3) (Ogden p. 352-3)
2:10 - Mosiah 26:1-3 -"If
we do not take the pains to train our children, to teach and instruct them
concerning these revealed truths, the condemnation will be upon us, as parents,
or at least in a measure "(DBY, 207).
2:1,2,3,10,13,16-23
& 3:6&7
Idolatry Is the Worship of False Gods Which May or May Not
Involve the Manufacturing of Images. The first two commandments in the
Decalogue (the Ten Commandments) forbade the sin of idolatry (Exodus 20:25). Thus, the Lord announced the error and sin of having false
gods, tangible or intangible, as objects of worship. It is very important to
understand that the worship of a false god that is intangible is just as evil
and just as disastrous to the idolater as the worship of a graven image. Some
false god may be associated with nature or be the worship of nature itself,
meaning the laws or powers seen in nature. Idolatry of nature-related gods has
included the worship of various animals, plants, the weather, volcanoes, the
sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, and so on. For instance, the Baal of the
Old Testament was a god of nature. He was associated with rain and fertility of
the soil, and he was also worshiped as a sun god. The myths surrounding him say
that he was supposed to be a real entity who dwelt on a mountain somewhere
north of Israel and was involved in all sorts of heroic but sinful pursuits. He
even was supposed to have been killed by Mot, the god of death, and later
resurrected. This episode was supposed to explain a great drought in the Middle
East and its later alleviation.
Though in
the Old Testament idolatry is associated with the worship of actual images,
true idolatry goes far beyond the practice of bowing down to images and appeasing
angry idols. The Lord has made it clear in all ages that whenever men place
their full trust in such things as other men, nations, treaties, treasuries,
precious minerals, armies, or armaments, their actions are a form of idolatry
because such actions reveal a lack of trust in Jehovah. To be totally free
of idolatry one must put complete trust in the true God.
The most
pronounced and consistent of Israel’s departures from the covenant relationship
with Jehovah involved idolatry. Old Testament history is filled with accounts
of Israel’s turning to false gods, the Lord’s warnings against doing so, and
prophets’ warnings about what would happen if Israel did not repent.
“The general rites of idolatrous worship
consist in burning incense; in offering bloodless sacrifices, as the
dough-cakes and libations in [Jeremiah
7:18], and the raisin-cake in [Hosea
3:1]: in sacrificing victims [1 Kings
18:26]; and especially in human sacrifices. … These offerings were
made on high places, hills, and roofs of houses, or in shady groves and valleys.
Some forms of idolatrous worship had libidinous orgies. … Divinations, oracles
[2 Kings
1:2], and rabdomancy [Hosea
4:12] form a part of many of these false religions. The priesthood
was generally a numerous body; and where persons of both sexes were attached to
the service of any god (like that of Ashtoreth), that service was infamously
immoral.”
Ashtoreth. “This is the name of Astarte,
goddess of the Zidonians [1 Kings
11:5, 33], and also of the Philistines [1 Samuel
31:10], whose worship was introduced among the Israelites during the
period of the judges [Judges
2:13; 1 Samuel
7:4], and was celebrated by Solomon himself [1 Kings
11:5], and was finally put down by Josiah [2 Kings
23:13]. She is frequently mentioned in connection with Baal, as the
corresponding female divinity [Judges
2:13]; and from the addition of the words ‘and all the hosts of
heaven,’ in [2 Kings
23:4] … it is probable that she represented one of the celestial
bodies. …
“… The
most prominent part of her worship, consisted of those libidinous orgies which
Augustine, who was an eye witness of their horrors in Carthage, describes with
such indignation. … Her priests were eunuchs in women’s attire and women … prostitutes [Hosea
4:14], … who, like the Bayaderes of India, prostituted themselves to
enrich the temple of this goddess.”
Baal. “The supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish
nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. Some suppose Baal to
correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter
and Ashtoreth Venus. The plural, Baalim, is found frequently, showing that he
was probably worshipped under different compounds.
Why Was Idolatry So Attractive to the Israelites?
“Many
have wondered why the Israelites were so easily led away from the true God,
into the worship of idols. (1) Visible, outward signs, with shows, pageants,
parades, have an attraction to the natural heart, which often fails to perceive
the unseen spiritual realities. (2) But the greatest attraction seems to have
been in licentious revelries and obscene orgies with which the worship of the
Oriental idols was observed. This worship, appealing to every sensual passion,
joined with the attractions of wealth and fashion and luxury, naturally was a
great temptation to a simple, restrained, agricultural people, whose worship
and laws demanded the greatest purity of heart and of life.”
A
person’s god is the thing or being in which he trusts and which he believes has
the greatest power. It is the thing to which he looks for whatever salvation he
believes is available. All other beliefs and actions are affected by that
belief or object of his worship. When this idea is fully grasped one can
understand why the Lord would issue an edict to destroy all the people and
their possessions in an idolatrous city. Similarly, if a Latter-day Saint will
not tithe, is it not because he centers his trust in worldly things and the
system that produces them instead of in the providence of the Lord? In that
sense, then, the things of the world become a god to him, for he trusts more in
them than in God’s power. Often modern prophets have warned against making
idols of money, automobiles, houses, and other material objects The worship of
these things, of course, is symptomatic of the trust some have in natural law
instead of God and His laws. They see the world as a place where the creature
fares according to his genius (Alma
30:17). Hence, they look upon all they gain as their own, not as the
Lord’s. They forget that they are only stewards of the Lord’s goods. (OTSM
Enrichment Section F)
3:8-11-The cyclical
degeneration process' first example. Vs. 11- 40 years may represent a
generation.
12, 14, 15, 21-30 - Ehud slay Eglon (the name
Eglon means, "the round one")
4:4, 6, 8,
9,14, 15, 17, 18, 20-22
- Deborah (name means, "honey bee") - Is the gift of
prophecy limited to those whom we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators? The answer is a simple no. Prophecy is a gift of the
Spirit that can come to any baptized member. Its expression is limited to our
areas of responsibility. Only one person at a time serves as prophet for the
entire Church. “No special ordination in the Priesthood is essential to man’s
receiving the gift of prophecy. … This gift may be possessed by women also.”(Articles
of Faith,p. 228–29.) The Old Testament uses the word prophetess to
describe at least 5 women: Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Huldah (2 Kgs. 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), & Isaiah’s wife
(Isa. 8:3). The New Testament
makes reference to Anna, a prophetess (Luke 2:36). The Apostle Peter
spoke of the last days when “your sons & your daughters shall prophesy.” (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28.) “Revelations are given for a two-fold
purpose: to furnish guidance for the Church,& to give comfort to the
individual. “Every member of the Church may seek & receive revelation, but
only for himself and those for whom he is responsible. As Brigham Young
expressed it: “Without revelation direct from heaven, it is impossible for any
person to understand fully the plan of salvation. We often hear it said that
the living oracles must be in the Church, in order that the Kingdom of God may
be established and prosper on the earth. I will give another version of this
sentiment. I say that the living oracles of God, or the Spirit of revelation
must be in each and every individual, to know the plan of salvation and keep in
the path that leads them to the presence of God.” (Ensign, Nov. 1990- I Have a
Question, Dean Sorenson) also Alma 32:23.
6:1,6,15,17, 27, 31,
37-40.
7:21 - "We are
encamped against the greatest array of sin, vice, and evil ever assembled
before our eyes. Such formidable enemies may cause lesser hearts to shrink or
shun the fight...As we do battle against him who would thwart the purposes of
God and degrade and destroy mankind, I pray that each of us will stand in his or her appointed place,
that the battle for the souls of men will indeed be won." (TSMonson,
"Correlation Brings Blessings", Relief Society Magazine April 1967 p.
246-7) (also BKP Ensign May 2010 p. 6)
8. Chapter Heading and vs. 21 & 22 - Mosiah
23:6-8
9. Abimelech (father-king),
son of Gideon -Slay 70 brothers, conquers much and is almost killed by a woman.
- VS. 53-57.
10:10-16 - D&C
101:7-8: Mosiah 21:14-15
11. Jephthah- the son of
a harlot kicked out by his brothers then elected to lead them against that
Amorites. He does so successfully, but makes a foolish vow which we do not
appear to have a good version of as it seems to involve child sacrifice and
lifelong inappropriate sacrifice.
13-16-Samson the son of
Manoah - The man that might have been.
D&C 3:4 1)Marries outside covenant. 2) Comes upon many dead bodies 3)
Frequents and sponsors drinking of the fruit of the vine 4) disobeys parents 5)
is immoral 6) gets a haircut.
17-21- "The history
of Israel has demonstrated many low-water marks spiritually. But the period of
the judges is among the lowest. Violence, rape, murder, mob action, homosexual
behavior, and the near obliteration of a tribe of Israel complete the picture.
Once again we see the explanatory statement made several times by the writer of
the record: 'In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that
which was right in his own eyes' (17:6; 21:35) (Ogden p. 371)
Ruth- From the time of the
book of Judges- a good thing in a bad time
The first true "short story" known in
literature full of full-empty and loss-restoration.
Begins in Bethlehem (the house of bread) where
there is no bread and end with Jesus (the Bread of Life)
Elimelech - God is King
Naomi-Pleasant
Mahlon-Weak
Chilion=failing, pining
Mara=bitter
Moab-descendents of Lot
Orpah made her choice
Ruth - 1:16-17 - Mary Fielding Smith
Boaz-Strength, swiftness is a kinsman to
Elimelech
Gleaning
Levirite marriage
A kinsman had the right to purchase the land of a
deceased relative, marry his widow and produce offspring-the first of whom
would be the heir of the man who had died. He was called a redeemer (go'el)
"Lying at the feet" would be the
position of a servant, not a wanton woman.
3:6-9-Ruth proposes
3:10-18- Boaz knows the protocol
4:1-10- Go to the gate, get witnesses, strike a
deal
There are places for converts in the Lord's plan!
(thanks to Ogden p. 372-81)
