"What?"
"Elder Hill found something in the Scriptures that has never clicked before....."
"Elder Hill found something in the Scriptures that has never clicked before....."
"And?"
"I'm never going to hear
the end of it..."
Are you ready? :D
Moses chapter six begins by
laying out the generations of Adam down to his great great great great grandson
Enoch. You know Enoch? Righteous guy, had a city, all went up into heaven?
Yeah, that guy. Well, in this chapter, God calls Enoch to be a Prophet. Saying
:
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;
30 And this is a decree, which I have sent forth in the beginning of the world, from my own mouth, from the foundation thereof, and by the mouths of my servants, thy fathers, have I decreed it, even as it shall be sent forth in the world, unto the ends thereof.
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;
30 And this is a decree, which I have sent forth in the beginning of the world, from my own mouth, from the foundation thereof, and by the mouths of my servants, thy fathers, have I decreed it, even as it shall be sent forth in the world, unto the ends thereof.
That's all gotta be hard.Can
you imagine being the guy that has to say all of that? the bible dictionary
explains the role of an old testament prophet:
The work of a Hebrew prophet was to act as God’s messenger and make known God’s will. The message was usually prefaced with the words “Thus saith Jehovah.” He taught men about God’s character, showing the full meaning of His dealings with Israel in the past. It was therefore part of the prophetic office to preserve and edit the records of the nation’s history; and such historical books as Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings were known by the Jews as the former Prophets. It was also the prophet’s duty to denounce sin and foretell its punishment and to redress, so far as he could, both public and private wrongs. He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness. When the people had fallen away from a true faith in Jehovah, the prophets had to try to restore that faith and remove false views about the character of God and the nature of the divine requirement.
The work of a Hebrew prophet was to act as God’s messenger and make known God’s will. The message was usually prefaced with the words “Thus saith Jehovah.” He taught men about God’s character, showing the full meaning of His dealings with Israel in the past. It was therefore part of the prophetic office to preserve and edit the records of the nation’s history; and such historical books as Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings were known by the Jews as the former Prophets. It was also the prophet’s duty to denounce sin and foretell its punishment and to redress, so far as he could, both public and private wrongs. He was to be, above all, a preacher of righteousness. When the people had fallen away from a true faith in Jehovah, the prophets had to try to restore that faith and remove false views about the character of God and the nature of the divine requirement.
That is quite the call.
At this point you're saying (if
you've actually read this far---if so I congratulate you and will owe you a
hug), "Elder Hill, this is all really nice boring information, why are you
geeking out about it?"
Well, because of how Enoch
responds.
31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?
31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?
In other words, "God, why
me? I'm just a kid, just a social reject who can barely even talk, why would
you want someone like me to be your servant?" or maybe more simply "God,
I can't. I don't see it in me. You don't want me."
Well, does that sound familiar to you? Does it ever sound like your own voice? It sure does like mine, "I'm just a 21 year old kid! I can't even figure out how to follow the spirit well, and I don't know the bible. I'm scared, this is hard! The people here hate us... why would you put me here? Why would you choose me?" Not just from a missionary perspective, but I'm sure similar woes have been lamented by anyone who has ever held a calling that seemed even for a moment like a little too much for them to bear. Maybe motherhood or fatherhood can feel like too much. I'm sure there isn't an ocean big enough to hold the tears of righteous mothers all around the world who feel the weight of their divinely commissioned call to serve in the most intimate capacity any woman can be called to. Add that to bearing the burden of discipleship. In addition to all of those things there are some here who have difficult family situations, friends or siblings who've gone astray, companions that are hard to work with---in short paths that no one wants to walk, and footsteps that no one would care to follow.
Well, does that sound familiar to you? Does it ever sound like your own voice? It sure does like mine, "I'm just a 21 year old kid! I can't even figure out how to follow the spirit well, and I don't know the bible. I'm scared, this is hard! The people here hate us... why would you put me here? Why would you choose me?" Not just from a missionary perspective, but I'm sure similar woes have been lamented by anyone who has ever held a calling that seemed even for a moment like a little too much for them to bear. Maybe motherhood or fatherhood can feel like too much. I'm sure there isn't an ocean big enough to hold the tears of righteous mothers all around the world who feel the weight of their divinely commissioned call to serve in the most intimate capacity any woman can be called to. Add that to bearing the burden of discipleship. In addition to all of those things there are some here who have difficult family situations, friends or siblings who've gone astray, companions that are hard to work with---in short paths that no one wants to walk, and footsteps that no one would care to follow.
Isn't it sometimes a little too
much to bear? Yes... it often feels beyond my own mortal capacity to stand
again and again and fight for what I believe and desire to do, never mind the
personal challenges and concerns that come just as a simple result of what I
have been called to do.
Well, here the Lord gives a loving response to his fearful, frightened, under qualified son that I find very interesting:
32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.
33 Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.
34 Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.
Well, here the Lord gives a loving response to his fearful, frightened, under qualified son that I find very interesting:
32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.
33 Say unto this people: Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.
34 Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.
Or, "Do what I've asked,
Enoch, and I promise it will work out. I will make it happen, just walk with
me."
My dear friends, "God is
eagerly waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams,
just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you
don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe." (Jeffrey R.
Holland, "This, the Greatest of All Dispensations" July 2007, Ensign)
Whom the Lord calls, He
qualifies. If you have been asked or called---whether by your priesthood
leader, by God, or simply by the walks of life---to do something that you feel
is beyond your capacity I promise you that God will help you as you stand in
holy places. He promises that He "will go before your face. [He] will be
on your right hand and on your left, and [His] Spirit shall be in your hearts,
and [His] angels round about you, to bear you up." (D&C 84:88)
23 Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me. (D&C 19:23)
Walk with Him. I promise you
that you will never ever be let down in the Lord's service. He will be
with you. He will fight with you. He will never leave you alone to fall.
Stand.
I love you all!
Rock on. Peace, love, and temple marriage. In
that order.
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