Thoughts About Exodus and Why the Pharoah Wouldn’t Let Israel Go

We usually think of the Pharaoh who held the Israelites in bondage in Egypt as a bad guy (not that I’m going to argue he’s good…)  It seems odd that he would be shown all these signs and plagues, and once each one is over, he refuses to let the children of Israel go, after saying he would. Why did he keep hardening his heart?

I think it might be useful to think about what factors might have contributed to his hard heart because they may show us factors that cause us to harden our hearts.

One factor that easily comes to mind is that the Pharaoh saw that once the Israelites were gone, a very profitable source of cheap labor would be gone too. It would be logical to his self-interest and the interest of his kingdom that he would try to prevent that. He would try to intimidate or jolly Moses along in hopes of not losing control of Israelite labor.  Lesson: Loss of material advantages can often prevent us from responding to the Lord’s call if we value the advantage over obedience.

A second factor that might not be so obvious is that God’s actions may have run contrary to Pharaoh’s notions of how a god acts. Pharaoh has his gods, Moses has his God. This conflict could be seen as a cosmic battle between Pharaoh’s gods and Moses’ God. What is Pharaoh going to think of a God that says, “Let my people go”?  He’s going to think Israel’s God is weak. (“A god that asks permission for his people to leave? Right. Make me!”)  However, in the whole story, we see a God that allows people their agency—even hostile rulers—and lets them make decisions to respond to His requests or commands…or not.  And with the plagues that steadily increase in severity, we see that God is long-suffering, willing to wait for people to make the right choice, but ultimately, He can’t be frustrated and He can’t be toyed with.

Another thing we notice about Pharaoh is that when the crisis of a plague is upon him, suddenly he sees the necessity of letting Israel go, or requesting Moses to stop the plague, but as soon as the plague has stopped, he reneges and doesn’t follow through. Once the pain is gone, all thoughts of changing or acting as promised stop. There’s a nice lesson from this—when we’re going through a crisis, it is easy to make all kinds of resolutions that we’re going to change once things get back to normal, but when conditions improve, it is really easy to say, “Oh, I don’t need to do that after all; I’m okay now.” This is the same way Pharaoh hardened his heart.

Let’s review the plagues and see in what ways Pharaoh tries to put Moses off.

1) Moses’ first request is polite, with no plague. Pharaoh, in response, gets tough and makes the Israelite tasks harder by depriving them of ready straw for making bricks while not diminishing their quota they have to provide. In effect, he rewards good with evil, so the Lord has to get tougher. Ever after, Pharaoh can’t do anything to punish the Israelites because of the crisis of plagues.   Lesson: Sometimes we might consider spiritual impressions to change to be some sort of internal rebellion in ourselves or lack of discipline against a comfortable or tolerable status quo, so we tighten the screws and double down on what we’re doing instead of listening.

2) Then there is the miracle of the rods turning to snakes, the water of the river turning to blood, and the frogs. But because Pharaoh’s magicians seem to be able to do the same, Pharaoh hardens his heart. He still things his gods are just as powerful as Israel’s god. We don’t hear anything about the river and waters being healed; we only hear of the request to send away the frogs. (But you can notice that Pharaoh doesn’t actually say he’ll let the Israelites go once the frogs are gone.)  Lesson: Sometimes we refuse to listen to spiritual impressions or signs we need to change or act because we think they are coincidences or something caused by others.

3) Then there is the plague of lice, which the magicians can’t duplicate, so they tell Pharaoh it is Israel’s God at work. Still, Pharaoh hardens his heart, and we don’t see him asking for that to be removed, so maybe he thought it was a small enough problem that everyone could just deal with it.

4) Next comes the plague of flies, and Pharaoh tries to dictate the terms by which the Israelites will act. Moses’ request from the beginning has been that the Israelites be allowed to go out into the wilderness to sacrifice to God (and then not be expected to return.) The Pharaoh says at this point, “Oh, sure you can sacrifice, but do it here in Egypt.” Moses says, “No, we can’t do that, since our sacrifice is abomination to the Egyptians; they will stone us.” (see Ex. 8:26) and he says the Israelites must go at least three days journey into the wilderness. Pharaoh says “That’s fine; just don’t go very far. And pray for me.” So Moses prays for the flies to go away, which they do, and again Pharaoh hardens his heart. 

Pharaoh’s problem here was that he thought that if the intent of letting the Israelites go was sacrifice, then they should be able to do that anywhere. So why not Egypt? He forgot that the Egyptians did not approve of sacrifice, so requiring that would create a hostile, unbelieving environment for what should be a sacred, believing rite.   Lesson: Sometimes we try to dictate the terms of our obedience to the Lord. We try to choose the time and place that is most convenient, when sometimes those very inconveniences we try to ignore are what contribute to the sacredness of the experience.

5) Then there is the plague on the Egyptian cattle, and the boils on man and beast, but Pharaoh’s heart is still hardened. And he doesn’t seem to ask for any reprieve from these. He must have felt that was another thing people could just handle. Lesson: Sometimes we think we can deal with a problem instead of fixing it as we’re prompted to, and it just causes pain for everybody.

6) Then there is the hail, which is mixed with fire. (This may be ball lightning, which still hasn’t been studied much.) It so happens that the Egyptians who believed Moses could save their cattle and servants by bringing them into the house, but apparently Pharaoh didn’t care enough. Still, he asks Moses to stop the hail. Here he tries confession. “I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.” (Ex. 9:27) He promises to let the Israelites go afterward, but when the Lord stops the hail, Pharaoh hardens his heart again. So his confession was fake. You can also see that because he says, “I have sinned this time” (emphasis added). He doesn’t admit that his previous refusals to let them go are also sins. Lesson: Confessing a sin doesn’t do any good unless there is a commitment to act differently and follow-through.

7) The next one is an interesting case. Moses tells Pharaoh that there will be a plague of locusts if the Israelites aren’t let go. Pharaoh responds by telling them that only the men can go (see Ex 10:8-11) and then kicks Moses out so he can’t protest. Pharaoh is trying to hold the Israelite families hostage to ensure the return of the men. Also, he is trying to stop the conversation there so that there is no time for Moses to protest and announce the plague. I notice his servants figuring it out; they know Egypt is in trouble, but Pharaoh doesn’t realize it or refuses to see it.  Lesson: Censoring the Lord’s messenger doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. Also, sometimes it becomes obvious to others around us that we are ignoring the Lord and on the wrong track, while we flail around trying to avoid the inevitable.

Anyway, Moses is in a tricky spot here. Do they take what Pharaoh offers, or do they stick to their guns? The Lord tells Moses to stretch out his hand over Egypt and bring the locusts. And they come.  Lesson: Partial obedience doesn’t fool the Lord. He knows when full obedience is being held back.

After the locusts come, Pharaoh says, “I have sinned against the LORD your God and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the LORD your God, that he may take away from me this death only.” (Ex. 10:16-17)

Interesting that now Pharaoh admits he sinned against the Lord and against Moses. He has to up his contrition rhetoric to try to get Moses to believe him. (We only see this is rhetoric in hindsight, though, in the moment it could have been sincere, so he has to be believed.) But there are things he says which make us question his sincerity, especially since he says, “Forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once.” Even though Pharaoh has seen the Lord remove FIVE plagues, he has this idea that he only has to repent once and then everything will be okay after that. (What? Does he think no more plagues are possible and he’s seen the worst?) He doesn’t realize the principle that believers know-- all of us keep transgressing in ways we hadn’t anticipated, so we continue to need repentance. Also there’s another principle that Pharaoh depended upon, but which we sometimes forget (to our torment)—the Lord continues pardon as often as we repent. If the Lord removed plagues at Pharaoh’s request (knowing how hard-hearted Pharaoh was), how much more merciful will He be our complete sincerity and humility? So much more.

The Lord removes the locusts. But then Pharaoh hardens his heart again.

8) The next plague, Moses brings without going to Pharaoh. It is three days of darkness. This time Pharaoh says he will let the Israelites go, but they must leave their cattle in Egypt. He’s still trying to keep hostages, still only trying to get by with 2/3rds obedience.  But since the effect of leaving the cattle means the Israelites would have to go back to Egypt to keep them or stay in the wilderness impoverished, Pharaoh’s agreement is actually not obedience at all, just a complete sham. Lesson: Hypocrisy doesn’t cut it with the Lord either.

Moses holds the line—everyone and everything they own is going with them. Pharaoh does not agree to that and says the next time Moses sees him, Moses will die.

So it has come to threats. Pharaoh seems to think that Moses is the problem and if Moses is gotten rid of, then everything will be okay. The problem is, this has just raised the stakes. Those who dig a pit for others will fall into said pit themselves. So, the Egyptians get the plague of the death of the firstborn.  Lesson:  Getting rid of the leader who transmits the commands of the Lord does not let you off the hook of following those commands.

Let’s sum up what we’ve learned, in a more organized fashion.

Sometimes we have troubles accepting messages from God because:

·      It forces us to sacrifice material advantages

·      It runs counter to our notions of what we think God would tell us.

·      We think it is just self-generated or foolish dissatisfaction.

·      We think it is coincidence or easily duplicated by others.

·      Or we think we can deal with the pain instead of changing.

Once it becomes clear the message really is from God, we still might drag our feet in the following ways:

·      The end of a crisis causes our urgency to fade and our motivation to drop.

·      We might confess our sins of disobedience, but still not change.

·      We might think we can get away with a show of obedience while not actually obeying.

·      We might think we can dictate the terms of the obedience, choosing what’s most convenient.

·      Or we might think that partial obedience is acceptable.

·      We might shorten, edit, re-interpret away the message.

·      Or (the unthinkable) threaten the messenger.

I bet these types of reasons look pretty familiar. But if we recognize ourselves here, recognizing there’s a problem is the first step to fixing it.

What I keep coming back to in this story is how long-suffering and merciful the Lord was with Pharaoh and how that means we can absolutely count on the mercy of the Lord if we repent sincerely and obey completely.

What we can learn from Nephi’s striving

Wherefore, I, Nephi, did strive to keep the commandments of the Lord, and I did exhort my brethren to faithfulness and diligence. (1 Nephi 17:15)

This verse caught my eye recently. It comes a few verses after Nephi gets the command to build a ship. The word that caught my attention was “strive.”

“Strive” means much much more than “try”; it means “fight or contend.”

So Nephi is saying that he fought to keep the commandments. Interestingly, this verse also comes before Nephi’s brothers realize he’s going to start building a ship, so he hasn’t even begun to preach to them about their murmuring yet. They haven’t begun to murmur; they don’t know a ship-building operation is about to begin.

So the question that came to me next was, “Who was Nephi striving against to keep the commandments in this verse?”

I realized he was fighting himself and his own inclinations. At some level Nephi was reluctant to build the ship. Even though he got busy collecting ore and made a bellows, he still had a part of him that hung back and didn’t want to do it. So he had to fight to be obedient first. And because he fought and won that battle, he was prepared to work to convince his brothers.

I find this realization inspiring and comforting. Throughout Nephi’s story you get the idea that he had little to no internal conflict with himself about doing what the Lord asked him to do. (We see it with killing Laban, but elsewhere hardly at all.)

So it helps me to see that Nephi also had to fight internal battles with himself to be obedient, and it helps to see that in this case he even had to fight them after he’d already begun to be obedient.  It shows that along with having to overcome the temptation of disobedience, we also have to overcome the temptation to slack off once we’ve begun a big hard task to keep the Lord’s commandments.   (I can think of a number of times I’ve been stopped in my tracks a ways in from starting something because the temptation to slack off got to me.) 

I think that realizing that tendency can help us overcome it when we’re faced with it. Instead of saying to ourselves, Ugh, I don’t want to do this; this is such a big job, we can say instead, Ah yes, this is the temptation to quit after having gotten a good start.

Have you noticed this problem affecting you? What do you do to overcome it?

A Woman’s Part in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood

33 For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

34 They become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

35 And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord;

36 For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

37 And he that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him.

39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood. (D&C 84:33-39)

When I have read these verses, I have usually only read it with reference to men. However, recently I saw this block of verses in a different context that showed me where I and other faithful women fit in it. (Hint: It's not terribly controversial..)

The context was in a flyer our stake leaders handed out at ward conference to highlight the stake theme for the year about ordinances. All the ordinances were listed with a scripture about them. For the Melchizedek priesthood ordinances, v35-38 were given from the block above.  Read just those verses and see how it changes your perspective.

I particularly noticed verse 35 & 36. They who receive the priesthood, receive Jesus. And they that receive Jesus’s servants, receive Jesus. As a woman, I read that and I thought, I can’t receive the priesthood. Ah! But I can receive Jesus’s servants who have the priesthood, and that is still receiving Jesus.  I don’t care if the verse says “he” there; I can apply that to myself.

So, I think faithful women have part in the oath and covenant of the priesthood by receiving God’s servants, receiving the ordinances and blessings they can give, and by supporting and sustaining them in that work. Thereby, women can receive Jesus, receive the Father, receive the Father’s kingdom, and be given all the Father hath.  I also see no reason why women can’t then also magnify their callings and claim the blessing of being sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies. 

If I were to apply the above verses to women, I would probably read it this way:

33 For whoso is faithful unto the receiving of those who hold these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.

34 They become the daughters of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church and kingdom, and the elect of God.

35 And also all they who receive these priesthood holders receive me, saith the Lord;

36 For she that receiveth my servants receiveth me;

37 And she that receiveth me receiveth my Father;

38 And she that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto her.

39 And this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth to the priesthood.

An Interesting Anecdote from Brigham Young on Indian Hostilities

Here’s a little gem of a story from Brigham Young in the Journal of Discourses 1:162:

I recollect when we were down at Father Allred’s settlement last April, they had previously been to me not only to know if they might settle in San Pete, but if they might separate widely from each other, over a piece of land about two miles square, each having a five acre lot for their garden near their farms. They were told to build a good substantial fort, until the settlement became sufficiently strong, and not live so far apart, and expose themselves and their property to danger. Father Allred told me they were then so nigh together, they did not know how to live! I told him they had better make up their minds to be baptized into the Church again, and get the Spirit of God, that each one might be able to live at peace with his neighbor in close quarters, and not think himself infringed upon. They wanted to know if they were to build a fort. “Why, yes,” I said, “build a strong fort, and a corral, to put your cattle in, that the Indians cannot get them away from you.” “Do you think, Brother Brigham, the Indians will trouble us here?” they inquired. I said, “It is none of your business whether they will or not, but you will see the time that you need such preparations.” But I did not think it would come so quickly.

I think this selection has several great lessons.

1)   Having the Spirit helps us live close together with other people and not feel infringed upon. (Some of my best memories of close living as a single included dorm and apartment living with other strong Latter-day Saints women.)

2)   Preparations the prophet advises are for our protection, even if there is doubt they will be needed. Definitely building a fort would have taken extra work for the San Pete Saints in Brigham Young’s day, but it would have kept them secure… and possibly taught them a little more about close living.  It takes faith to follow prophetic instructions to prepare in a certain way.  In Brigham Young’s day, forts were one protection advised the people. What protections are we advised to make today?

3)   I think it is interesting that Brigham Young says it is none of the Saints business whether the Indians would trouble them or not. Perhaps he said it a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the underlying principle is to pay more attention to carrying out one’s duty and making the required preparations rather than wasting energy on worrying or speculating over the level of probability of disaster or attack.  It’s all about putting your focus on what you can control.

The Greatness of the Task

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I was feeling burdened a few days ago by the demands of my particular leadership calling in cub scouts, and I felt I needed some scriptures to help buoy me up. I headed for my scriptures with a prayer in my heart that Heavenly Father would help me flip instantly to something that would help me.

Here’s where I turned to:

8 And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul.

9 Wherefore, it burdeneth my soul that I should be constrained, because of the strict commandment which I have received from God, to admonish you according to your crimes, to enlarge the wounds of those who are already wounded, instead of consoling and healing their wounds; and those who have not been wounded, instead of feasting upon the pleasing word of God have daggers placed to pierce their souls and wound their delicate minds.

10 But, notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God… (Jacob 2:8-10)

This was from Jacob, who was about to deliver a chastity talk and an anti-pride-and-materialism talk to the Nephites.

At first I wondered whether I was going to be admonished for sins that I didn’t realize I had. 

But then what suddenly struck me were Jacob’s words of how burdened he felt by the constraint of the Spirit to follow the commandment to admonish the people. But notwithstanding the great task and the overwhelm he felt as a leader, he waded into it determined to do what the Lord asked of him.

Aha! I thought, Another leader has felt overwhelmed by the demands of their calling. I’m not alone. Not that I’m required to admonish people for their sins right now, but it is neat to 1) find this openness in the scriptures about the burden of leadership and 2) find it right when I needed it.  Heavenly Father had answered my prayer, and that gave me just the encouragement I needed to get back to the stuff I needed to do.

See? Heavenly Father answers our prayers to receive knowledge and encouragement from the scriptures.

I honor and salute the church leaders, past and present, who do their duty despite their overwhelm, and who do it with such grace.  Sometimes it can seem like I am the only one who struggles. Maybe you feel the same in your calling.  Jacob’s words show us his struggle, and then we see his obedience and we can see how the Lord magnified his efforts. That gives hope that the Lord can also magnify our efforts.

The heavens shall shake for our good

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5 For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

6 For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory. (D&C 21:5-6)

This was part of a revelation given at the organization of the church, about following the prophet.

I wondered what it meant that the heavens would shake for our good. Happily, there are scripture references to explore for the footnote for “shake.”  Each one has a little something extra to add to the picture, with context and with extra details.

And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts. (Haggai 2:7)

Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound; and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice upon the hills and flourish; (D&C 35:24)

The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. (Joel 3:16)

For, with you saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms; I will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall tremble. (D&C 84:118)

Wherefore, be not deceived, but continue in steadfastness, looking forth for the heavens to be shaken, and the earth to tremble and to reel to and fro as a drunken man, and for the valleys to be exalted, and for the mountains to be made low, and for the rough places to become smooth—and all this when the angel shall sound his trumpet. (D&C 49:23)

And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this mount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake. (D&C 45:48)

After reading all this, I’m going to hazard a suspicion that the idea of the heavens shaking is symbolic, rather than literal, but I will say that literal fulfillment is also possible too. (How’s that for covering my bases? ;-))

If the imagery of shaking heavens is symbolic, what are we to learn from it?  When I think of the heavens, I think of the place God resides and His angels. But why should the holy inhabitants of heaven shake?  And how could that possibly be for our good?  Shaking makes me think of instability and even a little fear, and are we really to think that the organization of heaven and its inhabitants are unstable and fearful?  The notion is absurd, and I reject it.

So what other possible ways could we interpret heavens besides as the place God resides and His angels?  If these “heavens” aren’t holy, then it must be more worldly. Perhaps it is used here to refer to earthly governments that rule nations, states, cities, etc.  After all, rulers have high status. This would fit with the contrast set up in several of the above scriptures where Zion rejoices, while heaven and earth trembles and shakes.  The Lord roars out of Zion and will be the hope of His people, but the heavens and the earth will shake.

Why go to the trouble of stating it this way?  What purpose could it have? I think it is commonly the Lord’s practice to conceal things from people who are not ready to know it, until the time they are ready.  It is rather uncomfortable to know that governments will be unstable and fearful.  It would be a dangerous thing for the fledgling church to spread about.

But then it is a fact that the Saints’ committed mass of obedience to prophetic direction has always intimidated outsiders and governments. They fear the possibility of the Saints being commanded to do something that would threaten them. This issue was grounds for people accusing the Saints of being undemocratic back in Joseph Smith’s day. A prominent editor of a Warsaw, Illinois newspaper came to Nauvoo to observe the Saints and his alarm over their obedience drove him to write incendiary editorials that wrought up local animosity against the Saints and were instrumental in leading to Joseph Smith’s martyrdom.

So how would this instability end up helping the Saints? I don’t think this is a case where unstable powers that be get intimidated into giving us privileges. Rather, I suspect the unstable conditions will provide an environment for the Saints to develop greater faith in the Lord than they would gain otherwise.  If conditions are shaky and everyone is worried, then you have to choose whether to act out of fear or out of faith in God.

I want to go back to one of the other verses and look at another part of it.

For, with you saith the Lord Almighty, I will rend their kingdoms; I will not only shake the earth, but the starry heavens shall tremble. (D&C 84:118)

What could this mean when it says the Lord would use his servants to rend the world’s kingdoms? 

“Rending kingdoms” to me evokes the idea of something like the Civil War happening in nation after nation. The Civil War started over the ideological divide over slavery and states rights, and it fomented a while before it finally blew up.  And here it seems a future series of rendings will start over a major divide about the Lord’s servants.  (It is also possible that the rending may be political without being violent, such as if there is a peaceful way for nation entities to split. But those kinds of things can still be messy and acrimonious.)

This may sound very scary, but from a certain point of view, it is actually rather encouraging.  For a lot of church history, we have been a tiny minority facing an uphill battle against the prejudices and persecutions from .. well.. practically everyone else.  But if a kingdom is rent to pieces over the Lord’s servants, then that means that there will be enough people in that kingdom for us (or the principles we stand for) to make a significant outcry if we are abused or tyrannized over by those who are against us. And if it happens in multiple kingdoms, then we have more allies across the world.

I don’t know if this has happened yet, so this says to me that this is still future stuff.  But this verse suggests there is significant polarization ahead for the politics of the world’s nations and ideological divides that the Lord’s servants will find themselves at the focus of simply while carrying out religious duty.  I think it is part of how the Lord will test and thresh the nations to see which way they will choose.

Moses’ pattern for what to tell children about the meaning of the commandments

I like these verses because they have a nice answer to the question “Why do we do these commandments?”  Actually, there are several answers, only implied and three stated.

20 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come, saying, What mean the testimonies, and the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath commanded you?

21 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand:

22 And the Lord shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes:

23 And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.

24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.

25 And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us. (Deut. 6:20-25)

The first one is implied.  Because the Lord brought us out of Egypt miraculously and to a promised land [we owe Him allegiance and fealty.]

The next are stated. 

2) “for our good always” – The commandments are for our good.

3) “that he might preserve us alive” – The commandments continue the Lord’s work of salvation in our lives, both temporally and spiritually. They restrict us from harmful acts and require us to do things that help us grow.

4) “it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments” – Obedience leads to a change for the better when coupled with faith in Christ’s atonement.

It is always interesting to see how different people explain the necessity of keeping the commandments of God.  There are so many ways the commandments bless us that keeping them always seems like an adventure.  It's a cheerful thing to live obediently in hope of seeing how the Lord will bless us even if we’re not sure how.

The Strict Law as a Type

30 Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances, a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.

31 But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were types of things to come. (Mosiah 13:30-31)

Abinadi asserts that the daily performances and ordinances of the Law of Moses were all types meant to prophesy of the future, and I suspect of Christ.  (I wonder if anyone has studied how those things typified Christ?)

In a way, the daily performances (separate from their symbolism) were a type of Christ and anticipated how He would be perfectly faithful. If the people made mistakes as they lived the Law, it was to remind them of their need for a Savior and lead them to repentance.

We could also say that the Law of Moses daily performances were a kind of all-encompassing sacrament, and just as the sacrament today instructs us to always remember Christ and keep His commandments, everything in the Law of Moses was supposed to remind the people of Christ.  I suppose the Lord wanted the people to imagine a day when they would keep the commandments constantly on their own and always remember Christ and His sacrifice.

Today, let’s think about every duty we do in terms of how it might remind us of Christ and His sacrifice.

How Christ learned obedience

8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;

9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; (Hebrews 5:8-9)

That first verse there has puzzled me a long time.  How did Christ learn obedience by the things He suffered?

I know I have learned obedience, but hardly ever has it been by suffering, except from suffering the consequences of disobedience.  How did Jesus learn from suffering when He did not disobey?

I’ve learned obedience by learning from other people’s mistakes, but that did not involve my suffering at all.  I’ve learned the sweetness of obedience by enjoying the blessings afterward, but that certainly wasn’t suffering.  I’ve been cajoled into obedience by parents and leaders, but I don’t know that can be called suffering either.

The only thing I can think of is if that suffering happened as Jesus had to make righteous choices and do His Father’s will.  We are told elsewhere that Jesus said, “I do not my own will, but His that sent me.” We often think those righteous choices were easy and painless for Jesus, but what if they weren’t?  What if it was just as hard for Him to give up His own will in favor of what Heavenly Father wanted as it is for anyone else?  I wonder what kind of pain Jesus went through as He worked to reconcile His own will to Heavenly Father’s. Still, we know He yielded willingly.  Every. Single. Time.  Knowing what I know of my own stubbornness, that gives me a huge respect for Jesus’s righteousness.

It’s also possible that part of the learning obedience through suffering happened as Jesus was stretched by what Heavenly Father asked Him to do.  Growing from grace to grace, He must have been stretched almost constantly.

Hmm, maybe I've learned obedience through suffering more than I thought.

What do you think?  Can you think of any other way Jesus might have learned obedience through suffering?

Hard-hearted yet keeping the Law of Moses

3 Behold, it is expedient that much should be done among this people, because of the hardness of their hearts, and the deafness of their ears, and the blindness of their minds, and the stiffness of their necks; nevertheless, God is exceedingly merciful unto them, and has not as yet swept them off from the face of the land.

4 And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.

5 And now, behold, two hundred years had passed away, and the people of Nephi had waxed strong in the land. They observed to keep the law of Moses and the sabbath day holy unto the Lord. And they profaned not; neither did they blaspheme. And the laws of the land were exceedingly strict. (Jarom 1:3-5)

These verses strike me as rather peculiar.  Jarom tells us how hard-hearted and stiff-necked his people are, and how much has to be done among them, yet two verses later he also says that they observed the Law of Moses, kept the Sabbath, and avoided profanity and blasphemy, and kept strict civil laws. 

Those conditions seem almost diametrically opposed to each other.

It seems that the people must have felt that keeping the laws was enough and did not allow the performance of their duty to change their hearts. 

Sometimes when you are so focused on keeping the commandments, you can develop a belief that everything is fine with you and you have no more improvement to make, when really there is a lot of refinement to do in our souls which can only be brought out through interpersonal relationships.

Sometimes it happens that I’ll be in the middle of doing something relating to one of my callings or keeping a commandment and I realize that I’m doing it with a spirit of apathy or impatience and annoyance.   When I notice that, I have to take a little time and ponder what my obedience means if done in the wrong spirit.  (Hint: It means the same as if I had been disobedient.)  But it is enough to at least give me the desire to do it in the right spirit.  And prayer is a good beginning for inviting a attitude adjustment.   I want to have the right spirit in my obedience.  I want to be joyful when I obey.  I want to find meaning in it and feel the Lord’s pleasure in it.

What do you do when you find yourself stuck in apathy or annoyance while obeying commandments?

Ezekiel’s people, hearing but not doing

30 ¶Also, thou son of man,  

the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses,

and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, 

Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord.

31 And they come unto thee as the people cometh, 

and they sit before thee as my people,

and they hear thy words, 

but they will not do them: 

for with their mouth they shew much love, 

but their heart goeth after their covetousness.

32 And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, 

and can play well on an instrument:

for they hear thy words, but they do them not.  (Ezekiel 33:30-32)

I’m posting these verses more for myself than for anyone else today.  They are good to read going into general conference. 

Am I pretending to be one of the Lord’s people by listening to conference but not doing, or am I going to be one of the Lord’s people in deed? 

How am I going to change what I do so that I will follow the counsel of the prophets that is given this April?  How will I change my study habits so that I study conference talks in addition to my scriptures?   What things will I put on my to do list?  

When I receive revelation about something I need to work on, how will I incorporate that into my life?  Will I merely write it in my notes, or will I start creating an action plan? 

How will I face the things that scare me?  Will I fast and pray about it to get the Lord’s help, or will I merely think about it and wish I could do it and not do anything?

When I listen to conference, do I notice and make notes of what I need to repent of?  Will I pray about it and ask forgiveness?  Will I take time to think of what to do instead and visualize myself making the better choice?  Will I think to pray when I am tempted?