Hebrews: Jesus Christ, "The Author and Finisher of Our Faith"

Hebrews

Have a bowl of small treats, such as mini chocolate bars, on display on the table.  Don't mention them or answer any questions about them, but don't allow anyone to have one.

If the book of Hebrews was studied and understood by the other Christian sects of the world today, it would change their beliefs and doctrines drastically.  Here is a very general outline of Hebrews.

WITNESSING OF CHRIST (CHAPTERS 1-6)

Paul's primary calling was to bear witness of Christ.  Therefore, Paul opens every single epistle by witnessing of the godhead and what they are like.  In this epistle, he opens with the most explicit description of all:  Jesus Christ is

1. Heavenly Father's Son
2. Heir of all things
3. Creator of the worlds
4. The brightness of his Father's glory (a much expanded "apple of his eye" statement)
5. The express image of his Father's person.

All of chapters 1 and 2 are devoted to teaching about Christ's character and calling.

An allusion to the following section is made in 2:17--He became part mortal in order that he might become a "merciful and faithful high priest."  4:14-15--We have a high priest who understands us.

What does it mean to say that he was a high priest?  Well, as you can imagine, if you have been paying attention the past few weeks and learned of Paul's other epistles, it is going to have to do with the Atonement.

A MERCIFUL AND FAITHFUL HIGH PRIEST (CHAPTERS 7-10)

Chapters 7-9 detail the duties of the high priests of the Old Testament and explain that all of their responsibilities were types of Christ--in other words, they symbolized and foreshadowed Christ and his Atonement.  Foreshadowing is put in literature to allude to an important event later in the story.  Foreshadowing in the Old Testament is to explicitly point the people to Christ.

Melchizedek was the greatest high priest and the greatest type of Christ.

"For this Melchesedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace" (7:1-2).

The rest of chapter 7 tells about high priests of the Aaronic Priesthood, under the Law of Moses, compared to Christ and the Melchizedek Priesthood.  Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood depended upon personal righteousness, not lineage, as did the Aaronic.  (See v. 3.)  (Be sure to note the three large JST passages in the footnotes.)

The summary is found in 8:1-4 (with JST footnote):  "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.  For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: where it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.  Therefore while he was on the earth, he offered for a sacrifice his own life for the sins of the people.  Now every priest under the law, must needs offer gifts, or sacrifices, according to the law."

The high priests, under the Law of Moses, had a tabernacle or a temple (9:2).  Josephus, the ancient Jewish historian, reported that Melchizedek had a temple (Ogden/Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ, p. 255).  Within this temple, once a year, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies alone in behalf of the people, to offer a sacrifice for their sins (9:3-7).  This was symbolic only; he could not actually pay for the sins of the people. 

"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come"  [isn't that a nice phrase:  "an high priest of good things to come"] "by a greater and more perfect tabernacle [his body], not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (9:11-12).  He sacrificed his own blood, and he entered, not just the Holy of Holies, but what the Holy of Holies symbolized:  Eternal Life.

The result of this for us is found in 10:17-22:  "And [our] sins and iniquities will [he] remember no more.  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin [no more need for the earthly high priest to offer blood sacrifices].  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest [the Holy of Holies, or Eternal Life] by [because of] the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh [his bodily sacrifice provides the entryway for us to enter that Holy of Holies, as the veil in the temple does] and having an high priest [Christ] over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts [purified] from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water [the Living Water of Jesus Christ's atonement]."

The arch shows the relationship between the concepts taught in Hebrews.  In his teachings about the Melchizedek Priesthood, Paul links back to his witness of Christ, calling Christ the Great High Priest.

FAITH (CHAPTER 11)

First we find a definition of faith, or perhaps the formula under which faith grows:  "Now faith is the substance [assurance or guarantee] of things hoped for, the evidence [proof] of things not [yet] seen" (11:1).

"The assurance is founded upon a correct understanding about and trust in God and enables us to press forward into uncertain...situations...The witness we obtained after the trial of our faith is the evidence that enlarges and strengthens our assurance...Assurance leads to action and produces evidence" (David A. Bednar, CES talk given February 3, 2006).  So as something tries our faith, and our trust in God is rewarded, we have more proof that God is there and that he helps us, and so the next time, our faith has a greater assurance.  This cycle continues throughout our lives, if we continue to exercise faith.

Following this definition or formula, we are given 18 great examples of faith.  "For by [faith] the elders [ancestors, forebears] obtained a good report [a beneficial result]" (2:2).

You may want to ask your class to look over vs. 3-40 and see how many examples of faith they can find.

The greatest and first example, of course, was Christ.  We speak of the necessity of having faith in Christ, but Christ also exercised faith, because faith is the principle upon which the Priesthood works.

1. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God [Christ], so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.  (Things were physically formed from spiritual creations or ideas.)
2. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain..."  (Abel's sacrifice was "more excellent" than Cain's in that it was in exact obedience to God's command, and in that it symbolized Christ's atonement.  Cain made up his own sacrifice, which symbolized nothing.)
3. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found [on the earth any longer], because God had translated him; for before his translation he had this testimony[:] that he pleased God.  But without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."  This perfectly matches Joseph Smith's first Lecture on Faith:  That we must know God, know his character, and know that our lives are pleasing to him in order to exercise faith.
4. Noah
5. Abraham
6. Sara
7. Isaac
8. Jacob
9. Joseph
10. Moses
11. Joshua (walls of Jericho)
12. Rahab
13. Gideon
14. Barak
15. Samson
16. Jephthae
17. David
18. Samuel

The stories of all these faithful people can be found by following the footnotes.

Ask your class whether they have faith in you as a teacher and your willingness and ability to give them a treat.  Undoubtedly, they will all say they do in hopes of getting a treat.  Give most of the class members a small treat, like a bite-size chocolate bar.  Ignore the rest of the class.  Everyone will protest loudly, but continue with the lesson.

Note that faith does not always immediately produced the hoped-for results.  Although some "through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions...received their dead raised to life again..."  (11:33-35), "others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection (JST says "first resurrection"): and others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings...they were stoned, they were sawn asunder...And these all, having obtained a good report [satisfactory result--can this be a satisfactory result?] through faith, received not the promise..."  (11:35-39).

What?  Is it a satisfactory result to not receive the "promise," the answer you wanted?

Yes, in fact, it's always more than satisfactory because if God does not give the requested blessing, it is because he has prepared a better one.

"...God having provided some better things for them through their sufferings, for without sufferings they could not be made perfect."  (11:40 JST footnote).

Now ask those class members who didn't get a treat before whether they still have faith in your desire and ability to give them a treat.  They will say yes in hopes of a treat.  Give them a full-size candy bar.  Explain that often God has better blessings in mind for us than we have for ourselves, but he expects us to exercise our faith in patience and wait for the greater blessings.

And the message is summarized (in the next chapter) with an injunction to follow the perfect example of faith:  Jesus Christ.  "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience (patience and faith are inextricably connected) the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author (originator--see 11:3 regarding his faith to create our world) and finisher of faith (who made it possible for us to be finished, perfected); who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (12:1-2).  (Notice the word "our" in "finisher of our faith" is in italics, indicating that the King James translators added it in, so I have taken it out.  Christ is the author and finisher of faith itself, not just our faith.)  (See also 12:11.)

ENCOURAGEMENT TO FOLLOW CHRIST (CHAPTERS 12-13)

Paul was an apostle, and therefore a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.  In every epistle he shows the proper function of his priesthood calling.  (See D&C 121:36, 41-44.)  Paul had the "doctrine of the priesthood distilled upon his soul."  Just as every epistle of Paul the Apostle begins with his witness of Christ, every one is also filled with Paul the High Priest "maintaining power" by "persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and [the summary of these:] love unfeigned;" some of them with Paul "reproving..with sharpness as moved upon by the Holy Ghost," and all of them "showing afterwards an increase of love."  Every epistle contains (usually at the end) an encouragement--a blessing--a pep talk.  Paul knew that encouragement was a powerful motivator and a necessary tool of priesthood authority.

Paul gave some truly great "pep talks" that we may want to reread ourselves from time to time.  If King James' English had used exclamation points, I have the feeling Paul's writings would be full of them.

As a teacher, you may want to write up each of these on a little handout or fridge magnet, put them in a basket, and let each student randomly choose one out to read, and then to keep and take home to encourage himself throughout the coming week.  There are plenty of others which you can choose from in Paul's writings, but here are a few:

• "Be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee"  (Heb. 13:5).
• "Stand fast in the faith"  (1 Cor. 16:13).
• "I have confidence in you" (Gal. 5:10).
• "Put on the whole armour of God" (Eph. 6:13-18).
• "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philip. 4:13).
• "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies" (Col. 3:12-15).
• "Ye are all the children of light" (1 Thess. 5:5).
• "We have confidence in the Lord touching you that you both do and will do the things which we command you" (2 Thess. 3:4).
• "Fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12).
• "Run with patience the race the race that is set before you" (Heb. 12:2).
• "Look unto Jesus the author and finisher of faith" (Heb. 12:3)
• "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).
• "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (Heb. 13:2).
• "The Lord is my helper" (Heb. 13:6).

Acts 10-15

Acts 10-14; 15:1-35

GENTILES ARE WELCOMED INTO THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH

All through his ministry, Jesus specifically forbade his disciples from preaching the gospel to Gentiles: "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not" (Matt. 10:5).  But there were hints that the Gentiles would one day be included.  Matthew took effort to make this apparent in his gospel, from the very beginning, in the second chapter, where he tells of the faith of the wise men from the east: their study of the scriptures, their understanding of Christ and his importance, their warning in a dream that saved the life of the baby Jesus.  Their righteousness and perceptiveness stands in contrast to that of the common Jews who had no room in the inn, and the Jewish king, Herod, who wanted the infant Christ killed.

Throughout Jesus' three-year ministry there are a handful of stories of Gentiles who were faithful enough to receive miracles at the hand of Christ.  And there are parables Christ told, in which the Gentiles are allowed to take the place of the Jews--such as the parable of the marriage of the king's son.  These should have prepared the disciples for the idea that the gospel would not be the Jews' private property for long.


Then, at the very end of Matthew, the closing verses are Christ's injunction to the disciples, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matt. 28:19).  The word "nations" in this scripture is translated from a Greek word "ethnos," which in the Greek Old Testament is used to specifically designate a pagan or Gentile people (Streathern, p. 189). 


So it should have been pretty clear to the disciples that the directive to teach the gospel only to the Jews had been expanded so that the blessings of the gospel could be made available to everyone in the world.  Indeed, Peter, John and Philip all followed this commission quite quickly, as in Chapter 8 of Acts we find all three of them teaching the gospel in the cities of the Samaritans, and Philip also teaching the gospel to the Ethiopian.

But there was something about this change in policy that was not well understood by the disciples, and definitely not understood by many of the Jewish Christians.  The second part of the injunction to preach to the Gentiles says, "...teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." (Matt. 28:20).  Did that include the Law of Moses?  Did you have to convert to Judaism first, and then convert to Christianity?


This was the question that was answered definitively by the vision given to Peter in Acts 10.  A centurian named Cornelius, well-prepared to accept the gospel, had a vision at the ninth hour of the day, which would be 3:00 in the afternoon.  Why is the time significant?  It was the time of the afternoon prayer.  Revelations come in answer to prayer.  In addition, Cornelius had been fasting (Acts 10:30).  He saw, "an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.  And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.  And now send to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a Tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do" (Acts 10:3-6).  He sent two servants and one of his soldiers who was also religiously minded to Joppa right away, 34 miles south of Caesarea, or about 11 hours walking distance (Ogden/Skinner, p. 55).


They were nearing the city about the sixth hour (noon), which was another regular hour of prayer.  Peter at that time was praying on the housetop, "And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.  And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.  But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.  And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.  This was done thrice; and the vessel was received up again into heaven" (Acts 10:11-116).


As an important part of the Mosaic Law (the Law of Moses), the people had been given severe dietary restrictions relating to the animals they could consume.  (See Deut. 14:3-20.)  Basically, they were forbidden from eating birds and animals that were carnivores or scavengers, and they were forbidden from eating animals that ate their own feces.  So the term "unclean" is pretty literal here (JustBible.net).


"The 'great sheet knit at the four corners' probably resembled a large prayer shawl of the kind worn by Jewish men during their religious devotions.  Nonkosher animals wrapped in a holy prayer shawl would have made a doubly significant impression on Peter" (Ogden/Skinner, p. 57).


It's not so surprising, then, that Peter asked the Lord, Really?  It was a mega cultural shock.


Why is it that important messages from Heaven so often come in three repetitions?  Well, maybe because three in Hebrew (and in so many other ways in life) represents the Godhead.  It becomes quite clear on the third time that it is truly a directive given through the Holy Spirit and not just a wandering of the mind.


"While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold three men seek thee.  Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them" (Acts 10:19--21).  And Peter needed that clear command, because the three men asked him to come to Caesarea to teach Cornelius the gospel.  "Caesarea [was] the Roman capital of Judaea.  It had a temple of Zeus and a temple of Augustus, both built by Herod the Great.  It would have been repulsive for Peter to go there; he resided instead in Jewish Joppa" (Ogden/Skinner, p. 55).


And this act of faith was rewarded:  Cornelius had a large number of people assembled to hear the word of God from Peter.  When Cornelius related his vision, "Then Peter opened his mouth [once again, Step One of missionary work], and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him" (Acts 10:34-35).  Peter taught them about Jesus Christ, and their acceptance of the truth was so immediate that, "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.  And they of the circumcision  which believed [in other words, Jews who believed in Christ and had been baptized as Christians] were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.  For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God" (Acts 10:44-46).  "The manner in which the word circumcised is used throughout the book of Acts and the epistles is generally as a one-word representation for the entire law of Moses" (Matthews, p. 103).   Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy  Ghost as well as we?  And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord" (Acts 10:46-48).  (This would have just been the power of the Holy Ghost that Peter and the others witnessed unto the Gentiles' conversion, not the Gift of the Holy Ghost, since they weren't yet baptized.)


It was not at all easy for the majority of the church to accept this idea, though.  Here is where the problem lay:  The Jews thought that becoming a Jew (entering into the circumcision) was the first step toward becoming a Christian.  "Note this important fact: even though individuals of gentile lineage now came into the Church, they had all previously converted to Judaism, which meant complying with the practice of circumcision, eating kosher food, offering sacrifice, and honoring the Sabbath day in proper Jewish style.  Although Greek, Galatian, or Roman in lineage, they were Jews in religion" (Matthews, p. 99-100).  Wouldn't someone who wanted to follow Christ, first have to be circumcised and have a restricted diet, and follow the hundreds of other obligations and traditions the Jews had attached to the Law of Moses?


THE NEW LAW


The answer given by the vision was no.  James verified it as a second witness in Acts 15:19-20.  The rule for the new converts was that they should avoid eating things that had to do with pagan worship and they should remain sexually pure.  "The covenant is eternal, but this sign of the covenant is now discontinued: 'The law of circumcision is done away in me' (Moro.8:8)" (Ogden/Skinner, p. 74).  Jesus announced that the Law of Moses was fulfilled.


It took a long time for this "change in policy" to be generally accepted, though, and there was some schism in the church because of it.  Hundreds of years of tradition don't disappear that quickly.  But it was "not simply a topic about tradition or custom but a fundamental doctrinal issue regarding the atonement of Jesus Christ" (Matthews, p. 103).  The people needed to know that Jesus Christ's Atonement could save them without the Law of Moses.


 LATTER-DAY PARALLEL


Those of us old enough to remember the great Revelation on the Priesthood given to President Kimball on June 1, 1978 can relate.  It had been generally understood by the church membership and taught by some of the leaders that people of African descent would never hold the Priesthood on this earth (even though Joseph Smith ordained at least one man to the Priesthood.  See a previous post for more on the absolutely fascinating and little-known history of the black members of the Church.)  One of those who consistently taught and wrote this belief was Elder Bruce R. McConkie, often thought of as the definitive authority on any gospel subject.  But when the word of the Lord came in answer to President Kimball's pleadings, and was witnessed also to the apostles, he accepted it whole-heartedly.  This is what he wrote after the revelation was given:


"We have revelations that tell us that the gospel is to go to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people before the second coming of the Son of Man.  And we have revelations which recite that when the Lord comes he will find those who speak every tongue and are members of every nation and kindred, who will be kings and priests, who will live and reign on earth with him a thousand years.  That means, as you know, that people from all nations will have the blessings of the house of the Lord [the temple] before the Second Coming.


"We have read these passages and their associated passages for many years.  We have seen what the words say and have said to ourselves, 'Yes, it says that, but we must read out of it the taking of the gospel and the blessings of the temple to the Negro people, because they are denied certain things.'  There are statements in our literature by the early brethren, wchih we have interpreted to mean that the Negroes would not receive the priesthood in mortality.  I have said the same things, and [now] people write me letters and say, 'You said such and such, and how is it now that we do such and such?' And all I can say to that is that it is time disbelieving people repented and got in line and believed in a living, modern prophet.  Forget everything that I have said, or what President Brigham Young or President George Q. Cannon or whomsoever has said in days past that is contrary to the present revelation.  We spoke with a limited understanding and without the light and knowledge that now has come into the world.


"We get our truth and our light line upon line and precept upon precept.  We have now had added a new flood of intelligence and light on this particular subject, and it erases all the darkness and all the views and all the thoughts of the past.  They don't matter any more.


"It doesn't make a particle of difference what anybody ever said about the Negro matter before the first day of June 1978."  (Bruce R. McConkie, "The New Revelation on Priesthood, p. 130-132, quoted in Ogden/Skinner, p. 59.  Also quoted on Wikipedia.)


The great thing about Christ's church is that each person need only pray for a personal witness to a major change such as this to receive verification from the Lord on the subject.  What a great system!  And when we get that witness, we need to pedal as hard as we can to adjust ourselves to completely accept the change, as did Peter and as did Elder McConkie.


(Here is a link to the Revelation on the Priesthood in the July 1978 Ensign, from which you may want to quote.  Here is a link to the story of the faith of those waiting for this revelation: "African Converts Without Baptism"  in a BYU devotional address given by Dale LeBaron. This may be a good opportunity to have class members share their experiences regarding major shifts in the church--how they felt, how they adjusted their perspective, how others around them reacted, etc.)


Eternal life is completely fair in that Jesus Christ's gospel is open to everyone!  "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:28-29).  "He inviteth them allt o come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all ar alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (2 Ne. 26:33).


But, on the other hand, earth life is completely unfair:

DEATH OF JAMES/RESCUE OF PETER

Now in one chapter, we have completely opposing outcomes to the faith of two of the apostles.

"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.  And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.  And because he saw it pleased the [leaders of the] Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also" (Acts 12:1-3)

"This James is a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, brother of John.  He was killed during Passover in Jerusalem in AD 44, making him, as far as we know, the first apostle-martyr.  The death of James was a pivotal event, for it demonstrated the weakening position and increasing unpopularity of the Christians among the Jews of Jerusalem,  This change seems to have resulted from the Church's extending fellowship to the Gentiles" (Ogden/Skinner, p. 61-63). 

FYI:  The James that is mentioned from this time forward in the account (such as in verse 17) is "the brother of Jesus, widely esteemed in Jerusalem as a strictly observant Jew, [appearing] as principal leader of the church of Jerusalem" (Bruce R. McConkie, New Testament History, p. 261, quoted in Ogden/Skinner, p. 63).

Peter, on the other hand, was imprisoned, prayed for constantly by the body of the Church, and rescued most miraculously by an angel of the Lord while he was sleeping chained between two soldiers, with guards also at the door.  They, apparently, walked through the doors, through two wards of the prison, through the outer gate and down the street with no one noticing.  Peter thought he was dreaming at first.  It was the most awesome jailbreak ever!

The angel left him to reunite with the church members on his own.  Coming to Mary's house, who was the mother of John Mark, he pretty much freaked everybody out.  They thought he was a ghost.  But what a joyous reunion, once they actually let him in the door!

Still, do you think James' mother thought, Why wasn't my son rescued?

ABOUT THOSE HAPPY ENDINGS...

We have the same sorts of juxtapositions in the lives of Latter-day Saints today.  (And everyone else's lives as well.)  One person is healed, another dies at a young age.  And there are others who live to old age without any major health issues.  Joshua Dennis was miraculously rescued after being lost for days in a cave on a Scouting trip.  David Rayborn was struck and killed by lightning at Scout camp.  But most Scouts come and go from camp in perfect safety.  Elizabeth Smart was rescued months after being abducted from her bedroom and lived to serve a mission.  Trisha Autry was kidnapped and brutally murdered in her own hometown, one of the safest communities in the country.  And of course, there are others who sleep safely in their own beds every night of their lives. 

Life is terribly unfair, and we can never expect it to be otherwise. 

BUT!  Paul, the great apostle who suffered so much for Christ, wrote, "All things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28) and I think he really meant that.  (Next week we will discuss Paul in depth.) 


(This may be a good time for class discussion and testimonies regarding miracles they have witnessed or experienced, and faith they have exercised or observed during times when "miracles" did not happen as desired.)

 

We don't have much control over whether we have the traditional "happy ending" in this life (long life, good health, personal safety, missionary success, romantic love, etc.), but through our faith and the power of the Atonement, we do have a great deal of control over whether find peace in this life and total control over whether we ultimately have a happy ending in the eternities.  If we don't receive the miracle we want, we are compensated with great blessings through our trials, and ultimately, if we use our "good" or "ill" fortune to strengthen our faith, to gain understanding, and to serve others, the world is a better place and we are blessed people.  If we exercise faith in the Atonement, what happens to us in earth life can never prevent us from achieving eternal life.  (See a previous post for more on this.)  It will all come out fair in the final counting.

SOURCES:

• Gaye Strathearn, "The Jewish and Gentile Missions: Paul's Role in the Transition," The Apostle Paul: His Life and His Testimony--Sidney B. Sperry Symposium on the New Testament
• D. Kelly Ogden & Andrew C. Skinner, New Testament Apostles Testify of Christ
• JustBible.net (http://www.justbible.net/acts10-cornelius.htm)
• Robert J. Matthews, "The Jerusalem Council," The Apostle Paul: His Life and His Testimony--Sidney B. Sperry Symposium on the New Testament

Old Testament Lesson #16 "I Cannot Go Beyond the Word of God"

(Numbers 22-24; 31:1-16)

As the Children of Israel moved into the Land of Canaan, winning battles against the current inhabitants, their power and might became known.  Among the tribes living in the area were the Moabites, and the Midianites.  (See "Teaching the Family to Trust in the Lord" in a previous post for the ancestry of the Moabites; and "Abraham's Wives" in a previous post for the ancestry of the Midianites.)  These tribes had both become idolatrous, worshiping the god Baal with extremely wicked acts.

Balak, the king of the Moabites, could see that the Israelites' God, Jehovah, was much more powerful than Baal, as he watched the Israelite army crush the cities in their way, and he became terrified.  He sought the help of a prophet of Jehovah (who was not an Israelite) named Balaam.

CHANGING THE LORD'S MIND

First Solicitation (Numbers 22:5-14).  Balak asked Balaam to curse the Israelites, sending a healthy bribe to him as a reward.  Being idolators, the Moabites did not understand that "the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven and cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness" (D&C 121:36).  Balaam asked God, and God said the Israelites were not to be cursed.  Balaam told the messengers to return to their own land, "for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you."

Second Solicitation (Numbers 22:15-21).  Balak sent again to Balaam, this time adding to the monetary reward "very great honor."  Balaam knew Jehovah, though, and said, "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more."  But even though he had received the Lord's answer, he said he would ask again, clearly hoping the answer would change.  He already knew the Lord did not give him leave to go with them.  (Is this sounding a little bit like Joseph Smith and the lost 116 pages?)  Willing to let Balaam learn from his own experience, as he does with us, God said to Balaam, "If the men come to call thee, rise up if thou wilt go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do" (words in italics are JST change).  God let Balaam go, but he "sent an angel before [him] to keep [him] in the way" as in Exo. 23:20.

This is where we meet up with the strange story of the talking donkey.  Balaam was determined to go to the Moabites and mightily hoped to change the Lord's mind when he got there.  The donkey, however, was spooked by the presence of the angel that Balaam could not see.  Although the animal was protecting Balaam's life, Balaam was hard set on going that direction and mistreated the beast.  At this point, "the Lord opened the mouth of the ass," which may be a way of saying He gave to Balaam a clear insight as to why the donkey was acting the way she was.

Obviously the angel was there to prevent Balaam from going to Moab, yet still he didn't turn back of his own accord, but said to the angel, "If it displease thee, I will get me back again."  It was already abundantly clear that it displeased the Lord.  (Here the similarity to the story of the lost 116 pages ends; Balaam did not humble himself and submit to the Lord's will as did Joseph Smith.)  The Lord, once more giving Balaam his freedom to choose, said through the angel, "Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shal speak" (Num. 22:34-35).

Third Solicitation (Num. 22:36-23:12).  Balak added oxen and sheep to his previous bribe.  Balaam's desire to change the Lord's mind was heightened, and he came up with a new idea:  Perhaps if the Moabites worship God as the Israelites do, He will defend them.  So he and Balak set up sacrifices to the Lord, but in the "high places of Baal," a thinly veiled ruse.  Of course, obedience is more important than sacrifice to the Lord (1 Sam. 15:22) and the deception did not work.

Fourth Solicitation (Num.23:13-26).  Balak reduced his request, taking Balaam to an area where just a part of the Israelites were visible, and asking him to curse just that group.  Again they offered sacrifices to the Lord, but Balaam admitted the Lord was not a man and therefore unlikely to "repent," or change his mind.  Despite his desire to do otherwise, Balaam did not curse the Israelites, as the Lord "hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him."

Fifth Solicitation (Num. 23:27-24:24).  Balak clearly was not used to a god that could not be bribed.  He took Balaam to another lookout, and asked the Lord to curse that group of Israelites.  Instead, Balaam prophecied of Christ and the blessings He will bring to the Israelites.  Balak was angry, and he and Balaam parted ways.

This was not the end of their alliance, however.  After asking amiss and in vain five times, Balaam devised another scheme to get the Lord to curse the Israelites, which is not mentioned chronologically in this story, but in several other places in scripture:  He conspired with the Moabites, and the confederation of the Midianites of which they were apparently a part, to tempt the Israelites to commit whoredoms and worship their idols, therefore hoping to cause them to lose their favored place with Jehovah.  As a consequence, the Lord sent a plague upon the Israelites which killed 24,000 of these idolators (Num. 25:1-9).

The result, however, did not improve Balak's case with Jehovah, but incurred His wrath.  God commanded the Israelites to smite the Midianites.  Although Balak had left Moab, he apparently returned to the alliance, and was killed in the conflict (Num. 31:8).

THE EXAMPLE OF BALAAM

"Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen. And why are they not chosen?

"Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson—That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.  Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.

"We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion. Hence many are called, but few are chosen" (D&C 121:34-40). 

Balaam's example of a "prophet," or one who has a testimony of Christ, being outwardly obedient, while inwarding "loving the wages of unrighteousness" (2 Pet. 2:15-16) is confusing to us.  Fortunately, the tradition of the Old Testament is to place extreme examples of good and evil back-to-back, making the lessons easy for us to learn.  Balak's and Balaam's nemesis, Moses, is our clear and shining example of righteous use of the priesthood.

THE EXAMPLE OF MOSES

"No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile—Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy; That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death" (D&C 121:41-44).

• Moses exercised persuasion with the people, and as a liaison for the people, with God (Exo. 34:9).
• Moses was longsuffering through all the 40 years in the wilderness.
• He was gentle.
• Moses was the meekest of all men (Num. 12:3), leaving Pharoah's house, obeying and honoring Jethro, wanting all his people to be prophets like himself  (Num. 11:29).
• Moses' love was evident in all his actions.
• His kindness was also apparent, particularly in his defense of the slave when he himself was a prince.
• Moses brought pure knowledge to the people in the form of the greater and lesser laws (Exo. 20).  He also gave the first five books of the Old Testament to the Israelites, and through them, to all the world.
• He reproved and followed the reproval with love, in the instances of the golden calf, breaking the tablets, calling for a royal army to slay the wicked, attempting to atone for his people 40 days and 40 nights.

These characteristics of righteous priesthood use are what made Moses great.  They connected him with the powers of Heaven--keeping him at one in purpose with God.

BLESSINGS AND CURSINGS

John the Revelator prophesied that we, in the last days, would have the choice to spread wickedness as did Balaam, or to enjoy the blessings of the priesthood, as did Moses:

"I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication...

"Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna [the Bread of Life], and will give him a white stone [revelation as a Urim and Thummim], and in the stone a new name written [temple blessings], which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it" (Rev. 2:13-14, 16-17).  (See D&C 130:10-11 for the interpretations noted.)