This year in Gospel Doctrine, we are starting a new unit of study...
Anyway, I ended up REALLY getting into this lesson. Hands down my best Gospel Doctrine lesson yet. Which is funny, considering our 2nd hour Relief Society counsel meeting (any thoughts on this new change, by the way?) went waaaayyyy over and I literally had 15 minutes to teach my lesson. But that is beside the point. I really liked this lesson and I think it was a great way to introduce (reintroduce?) the Old Testament.
This Sunday's lesson in Gospel Doctrine was Lesson 1 from the Old Testament manual: "This is My Work and My Glory". It covers Moses 1:1-39, which confused me at first because I was like "Um...this is Old Testament but we are starting in the Pearl of Great Price? What?" But it actually makes a lot of sense because this chapter is Moses talking to God and learning the answers to some really important questions that help us to understand the purpose of life. This section is broken down into three pretty distinct sections:
- Who are we?
- How do we overcome the influence of the adversary?
- What is God's purpose/the purpose of life on Earth?
Ok, so let's dive right on in.
Who are we? - Moses 1:1-11
In the first two verses of the chapter, we learn that this conversation between Moses and God occurred when Moses was on an "exceedingly high mountain". That means this conversation took place when Moses saw the burning bush as he was tending to Jethro's flock. Just to give you some context.
We also learn that Moses had to be transfigured in order to be in the presence of the Lord, just as other prophets who have had this experience. This fact will be important later in the chapter.
In this section of verses, Moses is learning not only about the nature of God, but also about his own divine worth. God tells Moses that He is the Lord God Almighty, endless, without beginning of days or end of years, that His works and words are without end, He is all-knowing, and that no man can possibly comprehend all of his glory and remain living on the earth. Going on, Moses then learns that he is a CHILD OF GOD (!) and was created in the image of Christ who is going to be the Savior of the World and that God has work especially for him to do.
That is pretty amazing for a man like Moses to learn. Think about Moses's upbringing and imagine what it must have been like for him to learn this. Pretty shocking right? It even says in verse 8 that he "marveled and wondered". Um. Yeah!
How amazing it is to learn of our divine worth and potential as children of God. How EMPOWERING that knowledge can be in our day to day lives! As a teacher, this knowledge helps me to understand and love my students (especially when they are being particularly unloveable) because I know that they are children of God.
Ok, God leaves Moses after showing him the world, and Moses is taking a minute to catch his breath and recover from the process of being in the Lord's presence (I would imagine it is pretty physically and spiritually exhausting). As he is recovering, he is reviewing in his mind what he has learned and he comes to the conclusion that "man is nothing". Which, at first glance, seems odd considering he JUST MINUTES AGO learned that he is a child of God made in the likeness of Jesus Christ. But, instead of missing the point, I think back to how Moses was raised. He grew up as a Prince of Egypt (excellent movie, btw).
He grew up in a life of privilege with a father who was basically considered a god himself. It makes sense that, after leaving the presence of the Lord, Moses would come to the realization that man is nothing, something he had never even considered. This God is completely new to him. He is used to the power and majesty of the Egyptian gods and goddesses and the fact that he was adopted into a royal household chosen by the gods themselves. Moses learns of his divine potential as a child of Heavenly Father, but he also learns that, compared to Heavenly Father, we are nothing. Through Him, we have the potential to become like Him, but we cannot do it alone.
How do we overcome the influence of the adversary? - Moses 1:12-23
As Moses was remembering and reflecting upon his experience with the Lord, who should saunter in but Satan. Not only does he walk in like he owns the place, but he addresses Moses as "son of man" and demands that he be worshipped. I mean, really?
Now, I can see this two different ways. Satan, who is definitely not all-knowing, perhaps doesn't realize how ill-timed his visit is. He is trying to tempt a man who JUST talked to God. Like, JUST.
But, I tend to lean more towards that idea that Satan does in fact know exactly what he is doing when he appears to Moses now. I think it is intentional that he addresses Moses as "son of man". Moses literally just learned about his divine origins as a child of God, but how often in life do we doubt or forget our self-worth? I think that Satan is trying to attack Moses's natural-man feelings of "I am not good enough" and make him forget what he just learned.
I love this, because Moses is basically like "I don't know who you think you are, but I am not going to fall for your lies". It's so great. He just learned this, y'all, and he is SO SURE of this knowledge that he tells off Satan for even trying to deceive him. I mean, the faith and testimony on this guy. Wow.
Moses tells Satan to leave twice to no avail. He tells Satan that he knows that he is a child of God and that he was given specific commandments to only worship God and to pray to Him always. Moses is standing strong in the face of the adversary, reaffirming his faith, but still Satan stays.
Really? I mean...really??
I honestly don't blame Moses for getting freaked out in this moment. I have seen whiny, angry children act this way, but to see Satan acting like a child? Shaking the earth in his anger? That's intense. It's really impressive that Moses called upon God in this moment, a God he had only recently learned about. This is also an amazing lesson about the power of prayer. God left Moses earlier in the chapter, but He didn't abandon him. He gave Moses strength and courage to fight off Satan when he needed it most.
You'll notice that Moses tells Satan to depart two more times in these versus, but nothing changes until he invokes the name of the Savior.
This verse really stood out to me in this chapter, because it is saying that because of the men who took it upon themselves to translate and edit the records for the Bible, this story was taken out and so it is not known to most people. This makes me think about why Joseph Smith included it in his translations. I think it may be because Satan is pretty consistently portrayed as a very cunning and very powerful entity throughout the scriptures. This account tells us that there is a distinct and recognizable difference between Satan and Heavenly Father. Moses was able to discern between them immediately based on things he knew to be true about Heavenly Father. When we are confronted with the adversary, there is a distinct difference between those feelings and feelings of holiness and light.
This account also shows that Satan will try to bring us down and make us forget about our divine potential and lineage. When you are confronted with feelings of inadequacy or doubt, THOSE ARE NOT OF GOD. Satan uses that tactic to try and draw you away from the comfort and protection that being close to the Lord provides.
Lastly, Moses's account of his interaction with Satan shows us that we CAN overcome the adversary, but we cannot do it alone. Satan does not leave Moses alone until Moses calls on the Lord and invokes the name of Christ. This is so important. We ARE able to overcome, but we have to rely on the Lord.
What is God's purpose/our purpose on the Earth? - Moses 1:24-29
It doesn't say this, but I think in this moment Moses was offering a prayer of gratitude. He had just been delivered from the adversary! I know if it were me, I certainly would be falling to the ground and thanking God for giving me courage and for rescuing me from Satan.
Then, as a reward for Moses's faith, the Lord appears to Moses again and he is once again transfigured so he is able to be in His presence. He is then told that God has chosen him for a special purpose, and that he will be made strong and powerful...as powerful as GOD. How amazing is that?? I'm sure Moses is going "whaaaaaaaat" in this moment. He just learned about the power and glory of God, and now he is being told that he is going to be just as powerful? How bonkers is that??
He is then told that he was chosen to be the one to rescue the Hebrews from bondage and lead them out of Egypt. That has got to be a daunting task, considering he used to be one of the ones enslaving the Hebrews. But, probably knowing that Moses would be intimidated by this task, the Lord says "I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days". Moses just had proof that the Lord is in fact with him, and so I am sure this was very comforting to hear.
Moses's (spiritual) eyes are opened and he sees the whole earth and everyone who will live on the earth. It says that there is not one person who will live on the earth that Moses doesn't see. Isn't that crazy to think about? Moses saw you! After seeing all of these people and places, Moses asks God why. Why did He create all of these things? What is the grand purpose? What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything? (No, it's not 42, nerds.) At first, Heavenly Father says it is far too much for Moses to possibly understand, because there are so many worlds that have been created that man cannot number them, but He knows them all and they are His.
Isn't that comforting? Amid all of God's innumerable creations, He knows YOU and YOU belong to Him completely. That gives me some serious warm fuzzies.
Moses then asks to know why THIS world was created with THESE people. Slightly more specific. Heavenly Father then tells him again that there are so many worlds and that His creations are endless. He then goes on to tell Moses WHY. Why we are here, why we were created, why we are alive and breathing on Earth today: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
Immortality: to live forever as a resurrected being
Eternal Life: to live in God's presence
There could be a WHOLE discussion about the distinction between immortality and eternal life, but for today, suffice it to say that Heavenly Father created worlds without number, people who are numbered as grains of sand, and you so that you can live forever with your family in His presence.
That sure is something, isn't it.
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