Gospel & Doctrine

I didn’t actually get to see or taste it, but I sure heard about it. A program provided for the youth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as “the Mormons”) is seminary, and the early morning seminary teacher had made a mess of pottage to share with her class while teaching them the story of Jacob and Esau. (An early morning seminary class meets every morning before school.)

Esau, if you remember from the story in the Bible, was the firstborn of the twins and legally owned the birthright. The birthright son received a double inheritance, and it was also his responsibility to preside over and care for the family in the absence of the father. But one day Esau came in from a tough day of labor in the fields, and he was understandably tired and hungry. He saw that Jacob had some pottage, and he asked him for it.

The exchange that followed is well-known to Bible readers everywhere:

31 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
32 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.
34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright. (Genesis 25: 31-34)

Pottage, according to one source, is a stew made with vegetables and perhaps meat. Another source explains that it was grain ground into a paste. Perhaps these definitions can give us a clue of what the dish must have been like. This particular teacher chose to make her pottage from lentils, similar to what is indicated in the Biblical text.

I can only imagine the reactions she must have received from her class as she brought out the pottage. Picture about twelve teenagers in a room together at about 6:15 in the morning and you might be able to imagine their reactions as well.

I only found out about it at our church’s youth activities that evening. One of the students who had been there asked me if he could use my keys to get into the church kitchen. As I looked for the correct key, I asked him what he wanted in there.

“Pottage,” he said. When I looked at him funny, he explained the class they’d had that morning. “The teacher left it in the fridge for me. No one else wanted it.”

Having taught the early morning seminary class myself last year, I knew this student. And while I knew and respected him as a great guy, I also knew of his affinity for strange foods that other people might not enjoy.

The pottage must have made the desired impression on the other students, though. If it was so unappetizing that none of the students wanted to eat it (well, except for this one guy), how vividly the lesson must have hit home that Esau had made a big mistake in selling his birthright for…pottage.

We can be sure that Esau wasn’t really about to starve to death. He was probably very tired and hungry, but he would have been all right for a while longer. Instead, he sacrificed something very important – his birthright – for something that satisfied a momentary desire. (Something, as these seminary students learned, that wasn’t even particularly appetizing.) And we can be sure that Esau was hungry again before too long. All his birthright bought him was a few hours of satiety.

How often do we sacrifice things that are most important to us in order to satisfy lesser needs or desires? Sometimes we sacrifice our integrity in order to gain an advantage over someone. Sometimes we sacrifice the teaching of correct behavior to a child in order to have the “privilege” of losing our temper and getting what we want more quickly. We gain the smaller things that we want, only to discover in the end that we have lost so much more than we have gained.

The Savior Himself made the ultimate sacrifice for us. He atoned for our sins and gave His life for us – something that would not even benefit Him personally. But He sacrificed His own carnal desires for something greater. It is His example we must all strive to follow.

When the children of Israel journeyed in the wilderness after their deliverance from Egypt but before their entry into the Promised Land, they received food from the Lord called manna. It’s not something that we’ve knowingly seen since then, but through the scriptural record we can still learn many lessons about obedience from it today.

Manna was an interesting thing. According to Exodus 16, it was a “small round thing” that appeared on the ground in the morning like dew or frost. The word manna comes from a phrase in Hebrew that literally means, “What is it?” The children of Israel did not know what it was when they first saw it. But Exodus 16:31 tells us that “it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”

Moses, their prophet, explained to them that it was from the Lord. They were instructed to gather what they could eat in the morning, and then they would have the food that they needed. This was indeed a great blessing from the Lord, and a sign that He was mindful of their needs and taking care of them. Furthermore, the Lord said in Exodus 16:4, “I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” So it was part of the Lord’s plan that the people demonstrate their obedience to His laws.

But the people didn’t always follow the instructions. They soon learned that they had to follow them exactly or they would not have the food that they needed. They had to gather the manna in the morning; if they waited until later, it would melt in the sun. And they couldn’t gather extra one morning and have some left for the next day, because it would spoil and become infested with worms. However, on the day before the Sabbath they were commanded to gather twice as much as usual. That extra manna that was gathered at that time would stay good through the Sabbath, allowing them to both eat and keep the Sabbath day holy. Those who did not gather extra, but instead went out on the morning of the Sabbath expecting to find food were sorely disappointed to find that there was none.

So the early house of Israel learned that taking shortcuts and breaking the rules resulted in no food for them. It’s a lesson we can all learn from. Often we expect to gain blessings or rewards while putting in as little work as possible. Some people hope to profit from “get-rich-quick” schemes, while many others expect to find happiness and peace while living lives of immorality and discarded integrity.

In the Doctrine of Covenants, a book regarded as scripture by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as “Mormons,” we read:

There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—

And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21)

The Lord through His prophets has told us that in order to receive blessings, we must obey the laws associated with those blessings. There is not a shortcut to true happiness. Only by following the commandments that the Lord has given us will we find true peace and joy.

On the surface, the first of the Ten Commandments -"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" -- may seem to have little relevance to many of us today. But President Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the "Mormons"), had this to say about this commandment: "As I study ancient scripture, I am more and more convinced that there is significance in the fact that the commandment 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me' is the first of the Ten Commandments." (Spencer W. Kimball, "The False Gods We Worship," Ensign, June 1976, 3. Other quotes in this post from President Kimball are from the same address.)

Idolatry, as commonly defined, is the worship of manmade gods. The prophet Daniel spoke of people who put their faith in "arm of flesh" and in "gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know" (Daniel 5:23) Icons of man's own making, composed of silver, iron, stone, or other materials, are things we might readily recognize as idols.

But President Kimball extends this definition. He said: "Whatever thing a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god; and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true and living God of Israel, that man is laboring in idolatry."

I wonder how many of us profess a belief in God, but devote our energies to things of this world that ultimately don't matter much. Of this, President Kimball said, "Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life."

It's easy to get caught up in the excitement and pursuit of wealth, status, worldly goods, and other means of carnal security and satisfaction. After all, we live in this world. Advertising and media bombard us from all directions, telling us that if we buy this product or follow that diet, we'll be happy. Even people who consciously try to center their lives on following Christ usually still have to make a living in this world. Those who want to serve others in the world have to be in the world in order to do so.

But far too often, we find ourselves in the trap described by the prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon. He lived and died around 400 A.D., but was privileged to see our day. See if his description of our time sounds familiar:

36 And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.

37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted. (Mormon 8:36-37)

His mention of "fine apparel" in particular always gets to me. We're so used to seeing clothing advertisements, fashion magazines, features on how we should dress for success, and so forth that it's easy to get caught up in the false "need" for expensive clothing that will impress others. Not that we shouldn't try to look nice, but our obsessions with worldly goods create other problems, as Moroni points out:

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies-because of the praise of the world?

39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not? (Mormon 8:38-39)

In other words, we become so focused on obtaining worldly goods for ourselves that we ignore - or fail to even notice - those who are in need of our help. And for what? Our worldly goods will bring us momentary pleasure, and perhaps praise of the world and some worldly security. But how long will that last? We can't take these things with us when we die and pass to the next life.

President Kimball said: "What are we to fear when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a particle of faith in him? Our assignment is affirmative: to forsake the things of the world as ends in themselves; to leave off idolatry and press forward in faith; to carry the gospel to our enemies, that they might no longer be our enemies."

Notice that he said to forsake the things of the world as ends in themselves. He didn't say that we had to go live alone in caves, and he didn't say that we couldn't try to have successful careers or attractive homes or money and resources saved up to use in times of need. But he did say, in effect, that these are merely tools to help us in this mortal life. They should not be our sole objectives.

President Kimball ends his message with some direction on how we can find true happiness:

We believe that the way for each person and each family to prepare as the Lord has directed is to begin to exercise greater faith, to repent, and to enter into the work of his kingdom on earth, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It may seem a little difficult at first, but when a person begins to catch a vision of the true work, when he begins to see something of eternity in its true perspective, the blessings begin to far outweigh the cost of leaving "the world" behind.

Herein lies the only true happiness, and therefore we invite and welcome all men, everywhere, to join in this work. For those who are determined to serve the Lord at all costs, this is the way to eternal life. All else is but a means to that end.

Are the Ten Commandments still in force today? They may have been received thousands of years ago, but the truths behind them have not changed.

Even so, they are commandments many of us are able to rattle off without really considering their meanings. One interesting exercise that can help put the Ten Commandments in a different perspective is to take the "thou shalt not" commandments and turn them into "thou shalts."

The fourth and fifth of the Ten Commandments are "thou shalt" commandments. In other words, they tell us things we should be doing. The others are "thou shalt not" commandments. They give us specific instructions regarding things we should not do.

But just refraining from doing wrong things does not mean that we have done them correctly. So sometimes it helps to think about what we should be doing to keep the commandments, rather than just what we shouldn't be doing.

Here are some ideas for things we could do to keep these commandments.

1) "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" could become: Thou shalt love and serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart, might, mind, and strength. Thou shalt place this loyalty first in your life, above all other priorities.

2) "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image" could become: Thou shalt worship the Lord and not become infatuated with your own creations. Thou shalt love and care for the earth; thou shalt exercise thy talents for good toward the building up of the kingdom of God; thou shalt serve the Lord only.

3) "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" could become: Thou shalt speak kindly. Thou shalt take care that the words that come from your lips build people up and build the kingdom of God. Thou shalt call on the Lord in prayer. Thou shalt speak of the Lord and testify of His goodness. Thou shalt use good and wholesome language.

4) "Thou shalt keep the Sabbath day holy."

5) "Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother."

6) "Thou shalt not kill" could become: Thou shalt protect the sanctity of life.

7) "Thou shalt not commit adultery" could become: Thou shalt live the law of chastity and practice sexual relations only within the bonds of marriage. Thou shalt be completely faithful to your spouse, both physically and emotionally.

8) "Thou shalt not steal" could become: Thou shalt have as property that which was rightfully given to you by purchase or gift, or earned as wages, or earned as natural increase from your own property.

9) "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor" could become: Thou shalt always tell the truth. Thou shalt keep thine integrity and be honest with yourself and with others.

10) "Thou shalt not covet" could become: Thou shalt be grateful for the things you have been blessed with. For everything you have is a gift from your Father in Heaven.

The Savior said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) President Joseph Fielding Smith, tenth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as "Mormons"), gave us this assurance regarding keeping the commandments of God: "If we keep the commandments and are valiant in the testimony of Jesus and are true to every trust, the Lord will guide and direct us and his church in the paths of righteousness, for the accomplishment of all his purposes." (Improvement Era, June 1970, p. 26.) Surely the Lord will bless us as we strive to keep the commandments that He has given us.

I love to read stories of prophets called of God, and to watch them overcome their natural inadequacies and grow into men whom the Lord can truly work through. One of these prophets is Moses, and part of his story can be found in the book of Exodus.

Raised by the daughter of Pharaoh, he likely could have claimed the throne of Egypt if he had desired it. Instead, he identified with his own people, the house of Israel. And when the time was right and the Lord's prophet was prepared (whether this prophet realized he was prepared or not), Moses was called to deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt.

First, the Lord tells Moses that He does know of the trials that Israel is experiencing: "I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians." (Exodus 3:7-8)

Sometimes it is easy for us to think that we suffer our trials alone. But as the Lord tells us here, He is mindful of us and does know of our sorrows, and He is prepared to deliver us. But notice here what His solution is:

"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:10)

The Lord was going to deliver Israel, but His plan was not to come down and talk to Pharaoh Himself. Instead, His plan was to work through His prophet. Throughout the ages, we have seen this pattern repeated. The Lord works through people who are willing to be instruments in His hands to accomplish His purposes.

President Spencer W. Kimball, twelfth prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, once said, "God does notice us, and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs" (Ensign, December 1974, 5). This is the Lord's pattern of doing things. Among the other things this accomplishes, it requires us to stretch and grow so that we may meet the needs of others around us. Sometimes this may seem like a burden, but it is truly a great opportunity for us as we rise to meet the challenge.

And suddenly Moses felt the weight of this responsibility given to him: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Exodus 3:11)

Just like many of us do when we are given new responsibilities, Moses felt dreadfully inadequate. He sincerely wondered how he could even do this great thing the Lord had asked him to do. Perhaps he wondered if someone else could do it better than he could.

Sometimes we think of our prophets as something like superheroes, who never worry about anything, come by their abilities naturally, and always know exactly what to do. But the story of Moses shows us that this is not the case. Moses was terribly concerned about his abilities to carry out this assignment. The Lord's next words to him must have been a comfort to him: "Certainly I will be with thee." (Exodus 3:12)

The Lord went on to teach Moses some miracles that he could perform to testify to the people of Israel that his call came from God. And he again reassured him that He would be with him: "I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say." (Exodus 4:12).

We have to remember that this is the Lord's work that we're doing. He wants this work to succeed, and He wants us to succeed at it. So we don't need to be afraid in the face of our own inadequacies as we are doing the work of the Lord, because He will be there to help us. Ether 12:27 in the Book of Mormon tells us:

"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

Our weaknesses can be made strengths as we turn them over to the Lord and as we truly seek to do His work.