Stories of the Old Testament

This post is composed mostly of other posts on this blog and was written as a sacrament meeting talk to follow the ward primary program and given on September 11, 2022.

Although it was written thousands of years ago, the lessons of the Old Testament are as relevant for you and I today as they were for the people who lived upon its pages. Through these ancient writings we are privileged to observe the lives of the faithful in a very different time, a very different place, and a very different culture. Yet, in their experiences we can identify eternal principles that can guide us as we strive to be faithful in our time, in this place, and surrounded by the society that exists today.

For example, one of the first stories every primary child learns is about Noah and the ark. In Noah’s time, the sons of men were not honoring the covenants the Lord had given them, particularly the marriage covenant, and the “thoughts of [their] heart[s] [were] only evil continually” (Genesis 5:2, 5). Noah was righteous and “found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 5:8). The Lord gave the people 120 years to repent and sent Noah to preach to them.

The people did not repent despite a lifetime of opportunity. What follows in the scriptures is a great chiasm describing the building of the ark, a promised covenant, gathering food and animals, a forty-day flood, waiting 150 days for the waters to subside (symbolic of the completion of a priestly blessing), then the abatement of the flood, the commandment to leave the ark, finding food in the new land, receiving a covenant with a token, and the end of the ark.

We often associate Noah’s experience with baptism. The earth was immersed in water and the Lord made a covenant with all of mankind in the process. Perhaps this is also why the story resonates so well with our children. It is fun to recount the many animals that gathered on the ark, but the spirit also testifies in its retelling of the baptism ordinance we all need to return to our eternal home.

The lesson that the author of Genesis most wanted us to learn, embedded in the very center of the chiasm, is this sentence: “And God remembered Noah, and every living thing” (Genesis 8:1).

Even when the Lord shut Noah and his family in the ark (Genesis 7:16), he did not leave them in the dark. The scriptures speak of a window, though some rabbis believe that the window was really a precious stone that shone in the ark. This insight reminds me that even when I feel like I am helpless and in the deepest of waters, the Lord will always send his light to comfort me. He will remember you and I and he is the in “the details of the details of the details of our lives” (Elder Chi Hong Wong, April 2021).

My favorite Old Testament biography is the account of Abraham. At the tender age of 75, Abraham found himself on an altar about to be sacrificed to an idol god. At the last moment, an angel appeared, untied him from the altar and helped him escape.

In perhaps the greatest understatement in scripture, Abraham reflected that he “saw that it was needful… to obtain another place of residence.” Abraham’s insight about preventing future abuse was also a resolve to spend more time seeking for the things of God. He had been faithful—that’s how he ended up on an altar in the first place—yet he reflected that he desired “greater happiness and peace and rest” that he knew he could receive by seeking “the blessings of the fathers.” These blessings included knowledge, a greater capacity to obey the commandments, being the father of many nations, and being a holder of the priesthood (Abraham 1:1-2).

With renewed resolve, and over many years of diligent preparation, Abraham’s search ultimately led him to the temple and the covenants that each of us can make in the House of the Lord. Along the way he made smaller covenants and his faith was tested and expanded. He moved his family several times, risked his life in Egypt, endured famines, knew prosperity, resisted the evils of Sodom and Gomorrah, rescued his nephew from a foreign army, paid tithing, experienced the disappointment of infertility, and dealt with many emotional and relationship challenges. Through it all, Abraham “believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness” (JST Genesis 15:12).

It is important to note that Abraham’s covenant was not made in isolation. Genesis 17 clearly shows that Abraham’s wife, Sarah, also covenanted with the Lord. She also endured these many tribulations and was blessed, through her covenant, that she would be the mother of nations and kings. Her temple experience also included the very personal promise that, though she had been barren 100 years, she would yet have her desire to give birth to a son. It was her covenant, together with Abraham’s, that secured covenant blessings for her posterity who were born into that covenant.

For Abraham, fulfilling the terms of his covenant required more than thirty years of additional tests and trials. He fought an uphill battle to save the wicked city of Sodom, experienced the loss of members of his family, and was compelled to exile his second wife and oldest son. Then Abraham, who had nearly been sacrificed to idols by his own father, who wanted posterity most of all and had worked for decades to have that blessing, was asked to do the unthinkable. He was asked to sacrifice Isaac, his son of miraculous birth, the symbol of his covenant posterity and the son Abraham called his “beloved.”

The Lord has said that, if we are to receive blessings and glory like Abraham, we must also “be chastened and tried, even as Abraham” (D&C 101:4-5). President John Taylor taught these words that he heard from the Prophet Joseph Smith:

You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God… If God had known any other way whereby he could have touched Abraham’s feelings more acutely and more keenly he would have done so (Journal of Discourses, 24:197; 24:264).

In giving his will to the Lord, and being refined by Him, Abraham found the blessings of happiness, peace, posterity, and priesthood that he desired. He undoubtedly learned about how to deal with family problems, how to follow spiritual promptings, and the importance of love, humility, sacrifice and obedience. He learned that there is not anything that is too hard for the Lord (Genesis 18:14) and that the Lord will keep His promises. I don’t often enjoy the trials in my life, but I hope that I can have the faith of Abraham to seek the blessings I desire, keep the covenants I have made, and learn to be a little better along the way.

Another temple experience, not unlike Abraham’s, begins in the ancient city of Babel, a predecessor to Babylon in modern-day Iraq. A play on the Hebrew balal, which means “to mix or confound,” ancient tradition states that Babel was known as “the gate of God.” Here at the symbolic gates of heaven, Nimrod, the power-hungry grandson of Ham and great-grandson of Noah, sought to build a tower to reach the heavens.

By virtue of its goal, Nimrod’s tower was likely some version of a temple. Aware of the floods that had previously destroyed the wicked, the Tower of Babel was built high and thick and from bricks and mortar so as to be watertight. Its construction was a mockery of God, to whom Nimrod preached it was cowardice to submit, and many traditions hold that it was Nimrod’s satanic desire to use the tower to break into heaven, dethrone God, avenge mankind of the flood that destroyed it, and place himself as the new ruler of the heavens and of earth.

It was in this wicked society that a man named Jared and his brother pleaded with the Lord for unity, or at-one-ment, for their family and a small band of believers. The Lord answered each prayer with compassion and, when the Brother of Jared had cried “this long time,” the Lord ultimately promised to go before the Brother of Jared’s face, deliver him and his friends from the evil around them, lead them to a promised land, and make Jared and his brother the heads of a great nation (Ether 1:33-43).

Of course, the story of the Jaredites is recorded in the Book of Mormon, but this story very much reflects the Old Testament time period in which it occurred. Intertwined with the Lord’s promises for temporal and political blessings for the Jaredites are the core elements of what we now call the Abrahamic Covenant: knowledge, priesthood, posterity, and a promised land. In other words, because the Jaredites had faithfully rejected the false doctrines of the world and its heretical temple, the Lord covenanted to reveal the doctrines of the gospel and bring them back into his presence through authorized temple ordinances.

Preparation to receive the promised blessings lasted for many years. The Jaredites were tested and refined as they wandered in the wilderness, built barges on several occasions to cross many waters, endured trials and chastisement, collected animals and seeds, and lived four years in tents on the seashore. As the Jaredites’ obedience and sacrifice increased, so did their privileges with the Lord.

“And it came to pass that the Lord did go before them, and did talk with them as he stood in a cloud, and gave directions whither they should travel… being directed continually by the hand of the Lord” (Ether 2:5-6).

“And it came to pass… that the Lord came again unto the brother of Jared, and stood in a cloud and talked with him. And for the space of three hours did the Lord talk with the brother of Jared” (Ether 2:14).

Finally, the Jaredites were ready to construct the barges that would carry them across the ocean; and the Brother of Jared was prepared for the greater light and knowledge the Lord promised to give him. The Brother of Jared’s prayers led him to the top of a particularly high mountain, where he appealed for the Lord’s approval and redemption in the same way that a high priest entering an ancient temple symbolically was redeemed from the Fall in order to enter the presence of God. Once admitted, like Moses on Mount Sinai, the Brother of Jared asked the Lord to touch the stones with his finger that they may have light. I wonder where he got that idea.

The Lord grants the Brother of Jared’s request and then, the scripture records, “there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared” (Ether 4:4). Having received this instruction, “he could not be kept from beholding within the veil… and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting” (Ether 3:19).

As the Lord inquired of the Brother of Jared, so he inquires of us: “What will ye that I should do that ye may have light in your vessels?” Are we willing to reject the false philosophies of the world, the secularism and selfishness and tribalism, to pursue unity and at-one-ment for our families and our small band of believers here in Mariposa?

If so, the Lord has promised that “inasmuch as you strip yourselves from jealousies and fears, and humble yourselves before me, for ye are not sufficiently humble, the veil shall be rent and you shall see me and know that I am—not with the carnal neither natural mind, but with the spiritual” (D&C 67:10).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie once taught that “a prophet is one who has the testimony of Jesus, who knows by the revelations of the Holy Ghost to his soul that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. In addition to this divine knowledge, many [Old Testament prophets] lived in special situations or did particular things that singled them out as types and patterns and shadows of that which was to be in the life of him who is our Lord” (The Promised Messiah, p. 448).

Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son. Moses was sent from the presence of the Lord to deliver his people. We also see a shadow of the Savior in the life and mission of the prophet Joseph.

Joseph was the favored son of his father. He was rejected by his brothers, the Israelites, and sold into the hands of the Gentiles for the average price of a slave his age. Judah, whose descendants would become the Jews, was the one who proposed the sale. In their very attempt to destroy Joseph, his brothers actually set up the conditions that would bring about their eventual temporal salvation.

Joseph began his mission to prepare salvation for Israel at age thirty and was eventually raised to an exalted position in Egypt where everyone bowed the knee to him. In the end, Joseph, by virtue of being sold—provided bread for Israel, forgave his brothers, and delivered them from death while returning their money to their sacks.

Likewise, Jesus Christ was and is the only begotten Son of God in the flesh. He was also rejected by the Israelites and sold into the hands of the Gentile-Romans for the average price of a slave his age. Judas, the Greek spelling of Judah, was the one who sold him.

Jesus began his ministry when he was thirty years old. He was raised by the Romans and crucified, whereby he completed the atoning sacrifice and became the Deliverer and Redeemer of all mankind.

Jesus taught: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). We are saved by his grace, after all we can do; yet he offers this forgiveness and salvation without money and without price.

Certainly there are many other examples we can learn from in the Old Testament. I wish that I could have the wisdom of Eve, Esther’s courage, Job’s willingness to consecrate, Elijah’s confidence in the Lord, Isaac’s patience, and Joshua’s loyalty. I want to reject sinful thoughts, philosophies and actions like Noah, Abraham, the Brother of Jared and Joseph.

I want to have Joseph’s faith that the Lord will keep his promises even when it doesn’t seem possible. Like Abraham, I recognize that, though I have been pretty faithful, and have spent some time on metaphorical altars, I need to seek more diligently to keep my covenants and obtain the promises that I have been given. I hope that my life reflects, in some small way, the example of the Savior and that his image can be seen in my countenance.

The Old Testament challenges each of us to endure trials and wickedness to follow the Lord. It also shows us how keeping our covenants and following the prophet can help us with these challenges.

The prophet in our day, President Russell M. Nelson, has asked us to study every day in the scriptures. He has provided the Come, Follow Me curriculum and promised that it has “the potential to unleash the power of families” and, through our diligence, will decrease the influence of the adversary in our lives. He has warned that, “in the coming days it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”

If you have not yet begun studying the Old Testament with Come, Follow Me in your family, go home today and open it up. Start fresh with the new week and seek for the blessings and strength that is there for you. If you’re not sure if you have enough faith, start to act as if you do—especially studying in the scriptures and praying each day—and I promise there will be a power that will come into your life that will be undeniable. You can know, or know again, that God remembers you and has provided light for you in the darkness.

Promises and Plural Marriage

One of the greatest Old Testament prophets is Abraham, originally called Abram. The scriptures record that he was one of the most valiant spirits in the premortal world and chosen to be a leader in the kingdom of God before he was born (Abraham 1-5). Forced to leave his homeland after religious persecution threatened his life, Abraham would go on to receive great revelations and a special covenant from the Lord with promises of priesthood, property and posterity "as innumerable as the stars". Hundreds of millions that have and do live on the earth regard Abraham as the "father of the faithful" and many refer to the place of the righteous dead as "sitting down next to Abraham" or "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22-23).

Those who rightfully consider Abraham among the righteous have reason to consider the account given in Genesis 16: "Now Sarai Abrahm's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife" (verses 1-3).

The Lord has commanded the faithful in every generation to keep sexual relations within the bounds of marriage, to not commit adultery, to cleave unto a spouse and unto none else; yet here and hereafter the Lord seems okay with Abraham's plural marriage to not only Hagar but several other women as well. How can this be?

This is the question that the prophet Joseph Smith asked the Lord in the summer of 1843. "Inasmuch as you have inquired of my hand to know and understand wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as also Moses, David and Solomon, my servants, as touching the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines," the Lord responded, "Behold, and lo, I am the Lord thy God, and will answer thee as touching this matter" (D&C 132:1-2).

The following 64 verses detail the Lord's doctrine of eternal marriage. "If a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law," the Lord instructs, "it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world... to their exaltation and glory" (D&C 132:19). Those married in holy temples by those authorized to exercise the appropriate priesthood keys can expect relationships far beyond the bounds of this life.

With that background, the Lord provided several reasons why righteous women and men obey the principle of plural marriage at certain times. The first is because God has commanded it and made it his law at those times.

"God commanded Abraham, and Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham to wife. And why did she do it? Because this was the law; and from Hagar sprang many people. This, therefore, was fulfilling, among other things, the promises. Was Abraham, therefore, under condemnation? Verily I say unto you, Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it" (D&C 132:34-35, emphasis added).

The Lord's perspective is different than our own. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). God's commandments are designed by an omniscient Father to execute his plan for his children and complete his mission for our immortality and eternal life.

At certain times, the Lord's commandment to a particular individual or group may surprise us because it is different from what we would expect it to be under normal circumstances. There are several examples of this in the scriptures including Nephi killing Laban, Moses killing the master builder, and several specific instances of plural marriage. "Abraham was commanded to offer his son Isaac; nevertheless, it was written: Thou shalt not kill. Abraham, however, did not refuse, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness" (D&C 132:36).

In the case of Abraham and Hagar, the Lord seems to be saying that the fulfillment of his promise to Abraham is of greatest importance. This is a powerful reassurance for us to whom the Lord has promised forgiveness, salvation and exaltation. As promised, the union of Abraham and Hagar has resulted in millions of posterity who revere their father Abraham.

The proliferation of children and grandchildren is another obvious reason for the Lord to command the faithful to practice plural marriage, particularly when their numbers are few. The Lord explained to Jacob: "For there shall not any man among you have save it be one wife; and concubines he shall have none... For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I will command my people; otherwise they shall hearken unto these things" (Jacob 2:27, 30). 

At such times, plural wives "are given unto [a man] to multiply and replenish the earth, according to [the Lord's] commandment"; but also "to fulfill the promise which was given [to the wives] by my Father before the foundation of the world, and for their exaltation in the eternal worlds, that they may bear the souls of men" (D&C 132:63).

Finally, the law of plural marriage is part of the "restitution of all things" promised before the Second Coming of Christ (Acts 3:20-21, D&C 132:40). As in other dispensations, the Lord required early members of the church in our dispensation to follow this law.

This was not a desirable or easy thing for those required to follow this commandment. Marriage has been weakened and redefined over several decades in modern Western culture; it was much less selfish and much more sacred in the 1840s. Joseph Smith delayed for a decade until the Lord sent an angel with a drawn sword who threatened to remove him from his place if he did not obey. When first taught the principle of plural marriage, Heber C. Kimball "became sick in body [from anxiety], but his mental wretchedness was too great to allow of his retiring, and he would walk the floor till nearly morning, and sometimes the agony of his mind was so terrible that he would wring his hands and weep like a child, and beseech the Lord to be merciful" (as told by Vilate Kimball, wife of Heber C. Kimball, in Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball [1967], 325-38).

President John Taylor recalled, "I had always entertained strict ideas of virtue, and I felt as a married man that [plural marriage] was to me, outside of this principle, an appalling thing to do... It was a thing calculated to stir up feelings from the innermost depths of the human soul... Nothing but a knowledge of God, and the revelations of God, and the truth of them, could have induced me to embrace such a principle as this" (in B.H. Roberts, The Life of John Taylor, Third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints [1963], 100). And Brigham Young summarized, "I was not desirous of shrinking from any duty nor failing in the least to do as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time. And when I saw a funeral I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not in the coffin" (in "Provo Conference," Deseret News, Nov. 14, 1855, 282).

A restricted number of the early Saints were tested and tried by the principle of plural marriage. Those who obeyed the voice of the Lord and his prophet received the promised blessings of posterity, divine power and assistance, hearts full of rejoicing, forgiveness of sin and preparation for exaltation.

"Plural marriage did result in the birth of large numbers of children within faithful Latter-day Saint homes. It also shaped 19th-century Mormon society in may ways: marriage became available to virtually all who desired it; per-capita inequality of wealth was diminished as economically disadvantaged women married into more financially stable households; and ethnic intermarriages were increased, which helped to unite a diverse immigrant population. Plural marriage also helped create and strengthen a sense of cohesion and group identification among Latter-day Saints. Church members came to see themselves as a 'peculiar people,' covenant-bound to carry out the commands of God despite outside opposition" (in Plural Marriage in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, www.lds.org/topics).

We do not know all the reasons why the Lord sometimes requires the faithful to live the principle of plural marriage. We know that it is carefully guarded and governed by priesthood keys: "For I [the Lord] have conferred upon you [the president of the Church] the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things... And again, verily I say unto you, that whatsoever you give on earth, and to whomsoever you give any one on earth, by my word and according to my law, it shall be visited with blessings and not cursings, and with my power, saith the Lord, and shall be without condemnation on earth and in heaven" (D&C 132:45, 48). Plural marriage is acceptable only when commanded of the Lord and authorized only through the keys held by the president of the Church. It has been strictly forbidden since 1904.

We are not asked to live the principle of plural marriage today, but we can benefit from the promises given as a result. We can see the Lord's pattern and restoration in modern times and have greater faith in the divine origins of the modern Church. We can see that the Lord always makes a way to keep his commandments and prepare our hearts to hearken to his voice, as Abraham did. Perhaps best of all, we can know and be assured that when we keep the commandments of God, he will always keep his promises.

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People

One of the axioms of life is that it isn't fair. Sometimes the most generous, good people seem to have the most struggles and people we consider lazy, criminal or no-good seem to have it easy. Life's not fair--at least on the surface-- and that creates a special sort of dilemma for the faithful. It has many variations, but it is typically expressed like this: If there is a just God, and he really, truly loves us and wants us to return to live with him, why is life so hard? Or, why do so many bad things happen to good people?

For some, life's perceived unfairness can fuel doubts that grow into significant stumbling blocks to their faith. On the other hand, when we seek answers to even our most profound questions through prayer and a study of divinely-appointed sources we find answers that build our faith. The specific answer you or I may need at a particular time will most likely come through the Holy Ghost as we diligently seek to learn God's wisdom; but there are also some general principles that can guide our thoughts.

For example, consider the role of opposition in the lives of the faithful. Prophets like Moses, Nephi, Abraham and Joseph Smith all faced seemingly insurmountable opposition to their righteous efforts. Meanwhile, the Israelites, Nephi's brothers and others seeking the path of least resistance appear to have had less faith but also to have faced less opposition.

Lehi had a comfortable and prosperous life in Jerusalem. Had he ignored the Lord's commandment to go into the wilderness, he would've likely kept his prosperity for a time. He would have avoided the difficult journey across the wilderness and near death experiences when there wasn't food or when the storms threatened his ship. He would not have experienced the anguish of waiting and not knowing when he sent his sons to recover the brass plates from Laban. Perhaps even some of the conflict with Laman and Lemuel would have been entirely avoided had he only decided to do what was more comfortable and convenient.

Without such opposition, it is also very possible that none of us would have ever heard of Lehi. He would have been killed or taken captive by the Assyrians along with thousands of other Jews in Jerusalem, never obtaining the brass plates or making it to the promised land. It was his faith to obey the Lord's voice, knowing it would be a more difficult path, that helped him cross the ocean almost 1600 years before the vikings and provide the foundation for the Book of Mormon. He shared his thoughts on the matter with his son Jacob:

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad... It must needs be that there [is] an opposition; even the forbidden fruit in opposition to the tree of life; the one being sweet and the other bitter. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other (2 Nephi 2:11, 15-16).

Opposition gives us meaningful choices. Those choices always have consequences. Sometimes the bad things (and good things!) that happen to us or to those we love are simply the natural results of an earlier action. Infidelity or angry outbursts may lead to a painful divorce. One person's dishonesty in the corporate world may lead to sanctions and layoffs that affect thousands of employees. One group's public preference for a particular false doctrine may yield negative consequences for an entire society, including those standing for truth, as that doctrine is adopted in public opinion and policy. And one man's faith in God's commandment to lead his family into the desert can be the beginning of two mighty nations and the restoration of the gospel that has blessed millions.

In the apparent chaos of all our choosing and reaping consequences, there is order. The Lord is in control. He promises, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). And again, "All things will work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28).

How do the hard things in life work together for our good? President John Taylor once explained:

I heard the Prophet Joseph say, in speaking to the Twelve on one occasion: 'You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God.' ... Joseph Smith never had many months of peace after he received the truth, and finally he was murdered in Carthage jail" (John Taylor, Deseret News: Semi-Weekly, Aug. 21, 1883, p. 1).

The apostle Paul wrote that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God" and declared that as many as believed despite opposition were ordained to eternal life (Acts 14:22, 13:48). If the faithful must be tried as Abraham to inherit the Celestial Kingdom, it follows that some of the opposition we face in life may actually be blessings for earlier faithfulness and/or to inspire greater faithfulness. Just as athletes that excel have opportunities to face better competition and employees have more professional development opportunities as they climb the corporate ladder, disciples of Christ experience greater opposition to their faith as they come to know and rely on his teachings and Atonement.

Some of these experiences may be like what President Henry B. Eyring described when he explained how his father's prayers during a losing battle with cancer taught him about the deeply personal relationship between God and His children:

When the pain became intense, we found him in the morning on his knees by the bed. He had been too weak to get back into bed. He told us that he had been praying to ask Heavenly Father why he had to suffer so much when he had always tried to be good. He said a kindly answer came: 'God needs brave sons.'

And so he soldiered on to the end, trusting that God loved him, listened to him, and would lift him up. He was blessed to have known early and to never forget that a loving God is as close as a prayer ("Families and Prayer," Ensign or Liahona, Sept. 2015, 4).

Elder Eyring's dad had served others as a professor and priesthood leader most of his life, yet there was a valuable lesson for him about God's love that he could only learn through a difficult life experience of his own. That experience enhanced his prayers, reaffirmed and enriched his knowledge of who he was and God's love for him, and gave him the courage to face the end of his life.

Speaking of a man who was born blind, the Savior taught, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but [he was born blind] that the works of God should be manifest in him" (John 9:3). This hardship was not the result of anyone's prior action but was given as a gift to inspire sufficient faith to lead the blind man and those around him to salvation.

Other times, the hardships we see others facing may be as much about teaching us to serve as they are about opposition for those involved. Elder Robert D. Hales has taught:

As the Savior's latter-day disciples, we come unto Him by loving and serving God's children. As we do, we may not be able to avoid tribulation, affliction, and suffering in the flesh, but we will suffer less spiritually. Even in our trials we can experience joy and peace...

As we follow Jesus Christ, His love motivates us to support each other on our mortal journey. We cannot do it alone. You have heard me share the Quaker proverb before: Thee lift me, I'll lift thee, and we'll ascend together eternally. As disciples, we begin to do this when we are baptized, showing our willingness to 'bear one another's burdens, that they may be light' (October 2016).

It is often said that one of the primary purposes in life is to be tested and tried. That is true, of course, but this phrase is also often misconstrued to mean that God will throw curveballs just to see if he can strike us out. God is "perfect, has all power, and knows all things" ("God the Father", Gospel Topics). He has a perfect love for each of us. He already knows what we would do in a given situation and he has no interest in embarrassing us unnecessarily; rather, his work and glory is to mold and refine us until we are prepared to inherit all that he has.

Each of us has known someone who has tried our patience. Perhaps it was a coworker, another driver on the freeway or one of our children. When we say that our patience has been tried, usually we mean it has been pushed to or even slightly beyond its normal limits. We may feel in those exasperating moments that we don't have any patience at all, but more often than not we have been even more patient than we normally consider ourselves capable and we are feeling the effects of being stretched to something more than what we were before. This is how the Lord tries us and makes us better.

There is a story by an anonymous author about a group of women studying the Book of Malachi in Bible study that illustrates how the Lord uses opposition in our lives. As they read in chapter three, verse three, they read: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what the statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week, the woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She watched as the silversmith held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that, in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot - then she thought again about the verse: He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's the easy part-- when I see my image reflected in it."

Speaking to an audience of missionaries, Elder Holland taught:

I am convinced that [a disciple's life] is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are the Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that [we] have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. [We] have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary.

Now, please don't misunderstand. I'm not talking about anything anywhere near what Christ experienced. That would be presumptuous and sacreligious. But I believe that [all of us], to come to the truth, to come to salvation, to know something of this price that has been paid, will have to pay a token of that same price.

For that reason I don't believe [a disciple's life] has ever been easy, nor that conversion is, ... nor that continued faithfulness is. I believe it is supposed to require some effort, something from the depths of our soul ("Missionary Work and the Atonement", Provo MTC, 20 June 2000).

Life is hard because it is supposed to change who we are. Bad things happen to good people, at least some of the time, because they are ready to be put in the fire and refined into someone who reflects the image of our Savior in their countenance. They are ready to take a step or two toward the summit of Calvary and an eternal life in the Celestial Kingdom of God.

The real question then isn't why life is hard, but how we are responding to the opposition in our lives. Are we willing to give up all that we have to walk the more difficult path of a true disciple? When we are in the midst of the flames, are we willing to trust that the silversmith knows better than the silver when it has been refined?

Like Elder Eyring's father, we can get the answers we need in a difficult time through prayer and the Holy Ghost. As we come to realize that many of the hard things in our lives are actually blessings to try us, refine us and qualify us to have a seat next to Moses and Nephi in the presence of God, it becomes increasingly clear that God is in control, he is our perfect judge, and unfair as it may be, all things work together for good to them that love God.

A Covenant Example

When Abram was around the tender young age of 75, and that really isn't so old when you live to be 175, it's safe to say that he began to have a few family troubles. The root of the trouble was his father, Terah, and possibly others in his family, who had turned against the gospel taught by Adam, Enoch, and Noah to instead worship the wood and stone idols of the Egyptians.

A part of Egyptian idol worship included sacrificing men, women and children on an altar to their idol gods. As the scriptures begin their account of Abram's life, idol priests had just sacrificed three virgins because they were virtuous and refused to bow down to the idols. Abram had spoken out against the atrocities being committed, but writes that his fathers 'utterly refused to hearken to my voice' and 'laid violence upon me, that they might slay me also, as they did those virgins upon this altar'. At the last moment, as the priests were about to sacrifice Abram, an angel appeared, untied him from the altar and helped him escape.

This context sheds some light into one of the greatest understatements in all of scripture as Abram wrote of his circumstance that he, 'saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence; And finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers'. The sought-after blessings included great knowledge, increased capacity to obey the commandments, to be a father of many nations, and ultimately the priesthood (Abraham 1:1-2).

With this background in mind, the story of the man who would become Abraham, the great patriarch, shows us how we can live in an evil world yet remain steadfast and loyal to the one true God. The scriptures are filled with stories that provide similar examples, yet Abraham's account is unique because of the clarity and detail given to the covenant process as he attains the blessings he desired.

Like Abram, our hearts may yearn for greater happiness and peace and rest. We may long to be reunited with relatives who have passed on, to have greater spiritual strength for the trials we face, or to better understand the Lord and His love for us collectively and individually. Abram, more than anything, wanted posterity. With Abram, as with us, desire for the blessings that come from covenants with God is a first step toward finding what we seek.

The next step is to prepare to receive the Lord's blessings. Abram was taught about the blessings of the covenant he would make on at least four separate occasions over the next 24 years (see Genesis 12:2-3, 13:14-16, 15:5, 15:18). Along the way he made smaller covenants and his faith was tested. He moved his family several times, risked his life in Egypt, experienced famines, knew prosperity, resisted Sodom and Gomorrah, rescued his nephew from a foreign army, paid tithing, experienced frustration at continued infertility and dealt with all the emotional and relationship challenges of taking a plural wife who bore a son while his first wife remained childless. Through it all, Abram 'believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness' (JST Genesis 15:12).

When Abram had acted on his desires, learned about the covenant he would make, trusted in the Lord and proved his faith and obedience through all manner of difficulties, he was finally prepared enough to covenant with the Lord. This sacred occasion is differentiated from his previous encounters with divinity by the presence of the Lord himself. Though Abram had talked with God several times previously, this is first time the Lord appeared to Abram. It is also the first time the Lord predicated covenant blessings on specific requirements.

'Walk before me,' the Lord said, 'and be thou perfect' (Gen 17:1). The commandment to be perfect has been a covenant requirement to the faithful in all ages. Among other places, the command to be perfect is repeated each week as we renew our covenants through the sacrament. The presence of this requirement is evidence of the covenant nature of Abram's conversation with the Lord. Covenants are two-way promises with God-- it's not a covenant if we don't have to do anything-- so we can understand that earlier mentions of covenant blessings must have been made as instruction and encouragement preparatory to the time when Abram would be ready to enter into the covenant with the Lord.

Another evidence of Abraham's covenant is the new name he received. Names are often associated with covenants. We take the name of Christ upon ourselves when we are baptized, for example, and wives often take the surnames of their husbands when they are married. Similarly, Abram was told that he would now be called Abraham, which means 'father of many nations', reflecting his greatest desires and the nature of the covenant he was making with the Lord.

The Lord also repeats the blessings of the covenant. Abraham is to become the father of many nations, heir of the chosen land of Canaan, and the head of God's covenant people. He is also promised that these blessings would be everlasting, providing access for Abraham's posterity to receive the covenant and blessings of Abraham while also admonishing Abraham and his posterity to keep the covenants given to preceding generations.

In other words, Abraham will not only have so many posterity that they are as difficult to count as stars in the sky, but this covenant allows those unending generations of posterity to be linked together with all previous generations retroactively back to Adam, being bound by the same requirements and receiving the same blessings. Fittingly, this strong family element that appears to satisfy and exceed Abraham's desires also allows for each new generation to learn and progress upon the last, line upon line, covenant upon covenant, here a little and there a little toward the Lord's requirement for perfection.

Since we're responsible for keeping all of the covenants given through the Lord's prophets, it's worth knowing what those covenants are. Three significant covenants predating Abraham include the covenants made with Enoch, Noah, and Adam. Interestingly, these great men are also seen as fathers in the covenants they made with God-- Enoch as the father of Zion or of the righteous, and Noah and Adam, whose experiences are remarkably similar, as the fathers of all people that came to Earth after them.

The Lord covenanted with Enoch that when men should keep all of God's commandments, Zion should again come on the earth. Noah covenanted that when all of his posterity (all people everywhere) embrace the truth, and look upward, 'then shall Zion look downward, heaven and earth shall tremble with joy, and the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven and possess the earth until the end come'. Adam's covenant is revealed to us through temple ordinances.

In each case, covenants are accompanied by tokens or signs. For example, Noah was given the rainbow as a token or sign (reminding us to 'look upward') that the earth would not be destroyed by flood again until his covenant was fulfilled.

The Lord introduced circumcision as the token of Abraham's covenant. This was a particularly appropriate sign given the sins of Abraham's generation, most notably infant baptisms and false teachings of Abel as a Savior rather than the coming Christ. Circumcision performed at eight days old was a reminder that a child was not old enough for baptism, nor accountable before the Lord because of the Atonement of Christ, until they were eight years old. The number eight in Hebrew importantly symbolizes the first in a new series, such as the first day of a new week, or more relevant to baptism, resurrection or rebirth. Baptismal covenants are likewise renewed through the sacrament ordinance administered on the eighth day of the week.

Circumcision was also a fitting token for Abraham's covenant because of the covenant's strong family focus. Abraham lived close enough to Sodom and Gomorrah that he could see them, so circumcision may have been a relevant reminder of sexual purity and the law of chastity. More importantly, Abraham's covenant includes both the promise of posterity and the ability for that posterity to be born into that covenant. Thus, the organ of the body that produces posterity and brings about physical birth is the organ on which the token was made. Later on, when Christ fulfilled the Law of Moses, the token is changed to a 'circumcision of heart', which references the organ of spiritual rebirth. Though the token changed, the covenant remains the same.

In keeping with that strong family focus, it is important to note that Abraham's covenant was not made in isolation. Genesis 17 clearly shows that Abraham's wife also covenanted with the Lord. She too was given a new name-- now Sarah instead of Sarai-- and with it a similar promise that she would be the mother of nations and kings. She also received the very personal promise that, though she had been barren 100 years, she would yet give birth to a son.

Sarah's covenant also explains why it is Abraham's second son, Isaac, that is chosen to carry forward the Lord's covenant. Ishmael was Abraham's oldest son, but he did not inherit the right to the covenant because his parents had not yet entered into that covenant themselves. Though Abraham later would, there is no indication that Hagar, his mother, ever did. Isaac, on the other hand, was born fourteen years after Ishmael to a mother and father who had entered the Abrahamic covenant with the Lord.

Even after desiring the Lord's blessings, preparing for them, and entering into a covenant with the Lord, the blessings of the covenant are not certain. Covenants provide a vehicle by which desired blessings can be achieved, but we, as Abraham, still have to live up to the terms of the agreement we have made to reach our final destination.

For Abraham, filling the terms of his covenant required more than thirty years of additional tests and trials. He fought an uphill battle to save the wicked city of Sodom, had family members die, and was compelled to exile his second wife and oldest son. Then Abraham, who had nearly been sacrificed to idols by his own father, who wanted posterity most of all, was asked to do the unthinkable and sacrifice Isaac, his son of miraculous birth, the symbol of his covenant posterity and the son Abraham called his 'beloved'.

There can be no doubt that the command to sacrifice his son was heartbreaking for the 'father of many nations'. He had received promises from God that may have confused him or made this commandment seem like it did not make sense. Yet, this experience would be the climax of Abraham's life and the capstone on the covenant the Lord gave his posterity through him. It is no coincidence that so many details of this account foreshadow the Atonement of Christ, also an only son miraculously born to a father of many nations and who put the capstone on the covenants of salvation with his sacrifice.

Despite the sorrow that must have been in Abraham's heart, the scriptures say that he rose early in the morning to obey the Lord's command. Traveling three days to the place the Lord had appointed, Abraham took his son to Mount Moriah, a major hill now located in the city of Jerusalem where Solomon's temple would later stand and on the same range of hills as Golgotha, the place where Christ was crucified.

For the last part of the journey, Isaac carried the wood for his own sacrifice on his back. Noticing they did not have an animal to sacrifice, Isaac inquired of Abraham, who could only reply, 'My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering'.

Isaac was to be that lamb, and he submitted to his father with the meekness of that gentle animal. Now in his thirties, as the Savior was at the time of his crucifixion, Isaac was certainly capable of overpowering or escaping Abraham, now more than 130 years old, but instead he laid on the altar to be sacrificed. At the last moment, an angel of the Lord stopped Abraham and a ram was offered in Isaac's place.

It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of Abraham's relief and joy at the angel's interference or Sarah's delight when she learned her only son would be allowed to live. Family was the most important thing in their lives. They had been separated from their parents by apostasy and struggled for multiple decades to have children of their own. So it was only after Abraham was willing to do the Lord's will in all things, even giving up the thing he had righteously desired most all of his life, that the Lord pronounces the blessings of the covenant they had made upon him.

'Because thou has done this thing,' the Lord says of Abraham's perfect obedience in the way of the Lord, 'I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven... And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.'

As we desire the blessings of the gospel, we must also prepare to enter and keep covenants with the Lord. We will also be tested and tried to help us learn to trust in the Lord and become perfectly obedient to his commands.

President John Taylor taught these words he heard from the Prophet Joseph Smith:

You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God... If God had known any other way whereby he could have touched Abraham's feelings more acutely and more keenly he would have done so (Journal of Discourses, 24:197; 24:264).

When we are ready to give up our own will and the things that we desire most, the Lord is prepared to bless us with the greater happiness, peace, and rest that we seek, and all the blessings of exaltation promised by covenant to the great patriarchs of the scriptures.

Praying (and Persevering) for a Promised Land

More than four thousand years ago, two brothers had a dilemma. They lived in a city founded by one of Noah's grandsons in the middle of modern-day Iraq. Both men were fathers and providers for their families. They were righteous men, but the city where they lived had become wicked. They knew the Lord was not pleased with what was going on around them. They also knew that the Lord's pending wrath meant the people would be scattered and their languages confused-- and that they might not ever see, or be able to understand, each other again.

Faced with this difficult circumstance, one of the brothers, whose name was Jared, did what every older brother and fearless leader would do: he delegated. 'Cry unto the Lord,' he told his brother, 'that he will not confound us' (Ether 1:34). When the Lord had promised not to confuse the language of Jared and his brother, Jared asked his brother to pray again for their friends and a third time, accepting that they may be scattered like the rest of their people, for direction on where they should go.

To this third inquiry, the Lord responds that he would, 'go before thee into a land which is choice above all the lands of the earth' (Ether 1:42). Though the land would be choice and their descendants were promised to become the greatest nation on earth, the work didn't stop there. This small group was not yet ready to receive that ultimate blessing. Preparation would take at least, but likely much more than, five more years.

That preparation included four significant moves-- first north to the land of Nimrod, then out into the wilderness 'where there never had man been', on to the land along the beach, where they lived in tents for four years, and finally across the ocean to reach their ultimate goal. Their travels included building barges to cross the water on at least two separate occasions (with earlier builds likely enhancing the quality of the vessels that would cross the ocean), finding and preparing food for themselves and herds of animals they had brought with them, and solving problems of insufficient light, steering, and air on the eight water-tight barges built to cross the ocean. They were spiritually prepared as they sought answers to their prayers, followed the Lord in a cloud across the wilderness and, after they had been faithful for many years, as the brother of Jared saw the premortal Christ and all things from the beginning of the world to the end.

The final leg of their 6,000-mile journey isolated three or four adults, if they were divided evenly, with their children and animals in eight windowless, water-tight barges for just over eleven months as they crossed the ocean. The ocean waves were like mountains and the winds were fierce. The craft were tossed and frequently submerged under the water, sometimes only coming up for air after they had prayed for relief. The people, now unified as 'Jaredites', had learned to trust in the Lord, so they filled their time with grateful singing and praises to God.

When they finally landed on the American continent, the 'promised land' they had been working for years to achieve, there was more to be done. After rejoicing and thanking the Lord for what he had given them, they set about the work of dividing the land, tilling it to plant their crops, and establishing a government. Their lives were not likely very easy by our standards, but they had achieved something far greater. 'They were taught to walk humbly before the Lord,' the scripture says, 'and they were also taught from on high'. Becoming what the Lord wanted them to be, and knowing him well enough that he could teach them his will and doctrine, was far a greater prize than even the land they had acquired.

Whether a physical place or a goal to achieve something significant in our lives, each of us is striving toward our own 'promised land'. In our striving, it is useful to take note of the pattern that is prevalent in scripture. Of all the stories of peoples led to promised lands-- be it Abraham, Moses, Lehi, the modern pioneers or one of the others-- each began in the face of a difficult situation. Abraham was nearly murdered by his father; Moses was left for dead in the deserts of Arabia; Lehi was troubled by the prophecies that Jerusalem would be destroyed; and Joseph Smith wrestled with the question of which church he should join.

What separates these men from their peers, why they were led to great blessings and ultimately empowered to obtain 'promised lands' when others facing the same challenges around them were destroyed, is twofold: first, these men took their challenges to the Lord with faith that He would respond; and second, having received an answer from the Lord, they worked hard to accomplish His will for them.

None of these examples initially prayed for a promised land, either. The brother of Jared prayed to preserve the language of his family and friends; Abraham desired to be saved from his father and then to receive the priesthood; the Israelites prayed for freedom; Lehi prayed in behalf of his people; Joseph prayed for truth. Each received the desires of their hearts, but then submitted themselves to the further counsel and direction given by the Lord.

A period of temporal and spiritual preparation ensued in every case. Most of the stories we read in scripture come from these refining periods in the lives of the faithful. The Jaredites wandered over five years to reach their goal, learning shipbuilding and the nature of God as they went; Moses and the Israelites witnessed many miracles and received the Ten Commandments that would be the basis of their government while wandering the desert for 40 years; the early Saints received the restored gospel through the Book of Mormon and learned how to build temples in the 27 years it took to reach the Salt Lake Valley and are still waiting to build the New Jerusalem in Jackson County, Missouri.

It should be no surprise that reaching significant goals also takes significant time and effort. It takes an average of nine months for a baby to be born and an average of eighteen years to teach that baby to be an adult; great companies take an average of four years to define their values and another seven to fifteen years to realize their greatest successes (and five years of research just to figure that out); successful military campaigns are rarely won in a day, the best crops do not come from the first or second or third year of planting, marathons are rarely ran the first time a person gets off the couch, and the faith to see God does not come from a single, thoughtless petition to 'bless the food' or 'drive home safe'. Even when these goals are achieved, it will be following the Lord's guidance for our lives that will bring blessings so great that we will sing grateful praises though we're tossed and submerged by the storms of life.

Like Jared and his brother, we are faced today with the most difficult of circumstances. Though our individual lives have different challenges, we share a fallen, sinful nature that is unworthy to return to our Heavenly Father. Whatever other promises you or I may obtain from the Lord, He has promised each of us a place in His kingdom if we will follow the pattern outlined in scripture.The journey begins with earnest prayers for ourselves and others that we may receive His promise, then requires a significant period of preparation as we repent, receive necessary ordinances and develop the traits and abilities needed to make the final leg of the journey. Finally, if we endure it well, it will be our privilege to go about our Father's business in the promised land of His Celestial Kingdom.

It is God's desire that we all obtain this promise, and with it, all that He has. It is possible if we will follow the example of the prophets by turning to Him in faith and, trusting in His divine wisdom, put our time and effort to accomplishing His will for us.