Prize the Good

This is the summary of a Sunday School lesson I taught February 6, 2022. While I would prefer to sit down and talk about these ideas, this will give you an overview of the thoughts I shared. I only wish I could capture the great discussion we had as a class!

The past couple of weeks I’ve been studying about the Old Testament prophets Adam, Enoch, Moses and Noah. With this study I’ve been pondering about what it means to be righteous or wicked and what does it mean to follow a prophet?

For example, Adam was the first prophet who learned more about God’s perspective regarding our life experiences… In Moses 6:55, 58-59 we learn that,

In some ways it seems easy to see how we and our children taste the bitter now – there is so much conflict, racial and cultural tension, prejudice, anger, hate, war etc. but how do we help our children (and ourselves) prize the good & what does that look like?

The Lord continued by teaching Adam to teach his children…

“Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying: That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory.”  

Teaching our children about the role of Christ in our lives is how we help them to be able to prize the good.

Enoch was another prophet who learned more about how to combat the ugliness that can be between people on this earth. In Moses 6:26-27 we learn about the beginning of his spiritual journey…

“And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him. And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them – Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off.”

What does it mean and how does it feel to have a hard heart? To me it means we might be uncaring or indifferent or insensitive to the needs of others. It might mean that we are resistant to change or refusing to admit we might be wrong or hurtful. What do you think it means? And what do you think is needed to change a hard heart?

In order to help change their hard hearts Enoch taught the people in Moses 6: 37-39…

“And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were offended because of him…And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God.”

Walking with God is something I want to learn more about and experience for myself. I don’t think the people who heard Enoch were afraid of him, I think they became aware of their own hard hearts and their need for a Savior to help overcome their own hardness towards each other.

In Moses 7: 17-19 we learn about the change in the people who listened to Enoch…

“The fear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the glory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish. And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them. And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days, that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion.”

So here we are back to this idea of righteousness. And what does it mean to preach in righteousness? What does it mean to dwell in righteousness? Besides Zion, there was another group of people who were able to build this righteous peaceful society as they worked to follow what Jesus Christ taught them.

In 4 Nephi 1:15-18 we read that…

“…it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. And how blessed were they! For the Lord did bless them in all their doings.”

It sounds pretty ideal and also like it will take a lot of work for us to get from where our society is now to that type of community. So how do we get the love of God to dwell in our hearts?

In Doctrine and Covenants 105:5 God taught that…

“…Zion cannot be built up unless it is by the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom; otherwise I cannot receive her unto myself.”

What are the principles of the law of the celestial kingdom? These things are the start of my understanding…

• No poverty or violence
• Jesus Christ is our King
• Integrity = thoughts, words and actions align and are motivated by doing good.

With further exploration about Zion we learn about God’s mercy in what Enoch was told in his vision of the future. This conversation with God is recorded in Moses 7 and in verse 38-42 God shares the following insights about the people who died in the floods when Noah was the prophet…

“But behold, these which thine eyes are upon shall perish in the floods; and behold, I will shut them up; a prison have I prepared for them. And that which I have chosen hath pled before my face. Wherefore, he suffereth for their sins; inasmuch as they will repent in the day that my Chosen shall return unto me, and until that day they shall be in torment;Wherefore, for this shall the heavens weep, yea, and all the workmanship of mine hands. And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Enoch, and told Enoch all the doings of the children of men; wherefore Enoch knew, and looked upon their wickedness, and their misery, and wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook. And Enoch also saw Noah, and his family; that the posterity of all the sons of Noah should be saved with a temporal salvation…”

Now as I looked into this I realized that God told Enoch that there would be flood about 500 years before those people were even born, and God was sad for their wickedness. I was surprised by this! And what was their wickedness that God was sad about? Well they were fighting and killing each other. When I have thought about my own children fighting with each, I can relate to God’s sadness.

But what is the point of giving prophecies so far ahead from the actual event? For example, the United States of America is not even 300 years old, we don’t even know much about what the people who lived 500 years ago really were like and in so many ways, their experiences and attitudes and behavior seems completely removed from our lives now.

But perhaps this idea of learning to create a peaceful, cooperative society really is a multi-generational effort? And perhaps the work that we do in teaching our children and also family history and temple work has more long term impact than we recognize?

For example, I’m reading, or actually listening to the book “What Happened To You? – Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing” by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry about the long term impact of childhood trauma and how we can work toward healing. To me this is a serious challenge in our society that underlies all problems that are plaguing our communities and world. Will it take us 500 years to undo the effects of so many evils that very young children experience and need to overcome? I hope not, but it might and how much more do we need a Savior who heals when we think of all the multi-generational hurt.

When we read more about Noah’s experience as a prophet in Moses 8:13 & 17 and learn that…

“…Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God. And the Lord said unto Noah: My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for he shall know that all flesh shall die; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years; and if men do not repent, I will send in the floods upon them.”

So why is repentance always the message that prophets bring? In my opinion it is because repentance means changing how we treat each other, changing our mindsets and behaviors and attitudes towards others. It means that we are actively trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ, and love one another, and keep the commandments of God.

But dying in the flood wasn’t the beginning of an everlasting punishment for the people outside of Noah’s family after all since we read in 1 Peter 3:18-20…

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

In 1918, Joseph F. Smith was curious about this idea of Jesus preaching to those in spirit prison and recorded his thoughts in the Doctrine & Covenants 138:28-30…

“And I wondered at the words of Peter—wherein he said that the Son of God preached unto the spirits in prison, who sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah—and how it was possible for him to preach to those spirits and perform the necessary labor among them in so short a time. And as I wondered, my eyes were opened, and my understanding quickened, and I perceived that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them; But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead.”

Reading this was a big ah-ha moment for me as I started reflecting on what our current prophet, President Russell M. Nelson has been teaching us for the past several years…

• We are to seek, in every way we can, to hear Jesus Christ, who speaks to us through the power and ministering of the Holy Ghost. (April 2020)
• I urge you to take steps to be temporally prepared. But I am even more concerned about your spiritual and emotional preparation… 1) Create places of security, 2) Prepare your minds to be faithful to God, 3)Never stop preparing. (October 2020)
• I call upon our members everywhere to lead out in abandoning attitudes and actions of prejudice. I plead with you to promote respect for all of God’s children. (October 2020)
• …as you choose to let God prevail in your lives, you will experience for yourselves that our God is “a God of miracles.” (October 2020)
• Embrace your new normal by repenting daily. Seek to be increasingly pure in thought, word, and deed. Minister to others. Keep an eternal perspective. (October 2020)
• I invite you to pray to identify the debris you should remove from your life so you can become more worthy. (April 2021)
• Part of the gathering of Israel, and a very important part, is the charge for us as a people to be worthy and willing to help prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. (April 2021)
• You may feel that there is still more you need to do to make your home truly a sanctuary of faith. If so, please do it! (April 2021)
• If you know of anyone who is alone, reach out—even if you feel alone too! (April 2021)
• Discipline yourself to have time alone and with your loved ones. Open your heart to God in prayer. Take time to immerse yourself in the scriptures and worship in the temple. (April 2021)
• Each of God’s children deserves the opportunity to hear and accept the healing, redeeming message of Jesus Christ. No other message is more vital to our happiness—now and forever. No other message is more filled with hope. No other message can eliminate contention in our society. (April 2021)
• …start today to increase your faith. Through your faith, Jesus Christ will increase your ability to move the mountains in your life, even though your personal challenges may loom as large as Mount Everest. (April 2021)
• Faith takes work. Receiving revelation takes work. But “every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” God knows what will help your faith grow. Ask, and then ask again. (April 2021)
• …it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures—perhaps measures we have never taken before—to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. (October 2021)

I believe President Nelson is encouraging us to prepare ourselves to be righteous so that when Christ returns he can “organize and appoint US to be messengers, clothed in power and authority, to commission US to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to others who are in darkness.” whether on this side of the veil or the other. 

I’m grateful that we have living prophets on the earth today that share the same message of repentance and faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ as all the prophets have throughout history. This hope for a better world and more loving and kind communities is what keeps me returning to church each week in order to remember to keep praying and repenting and forgiving instead of fighting. Ultimately I believe that if we continue to share the light we have and teach our children and neighbors and friends about Jesus Christ, His righteousness will bring healing and peace to everyone who has tasted the bitter and chooses to prize the good.