Ruth

I haven't really understood the story of Ruth very clearly before, but this time I think I'm getting it a little more, and why Ruth is such a great example to us.

In Ruth chapter 1 Naomi and Elimelech go to Moab because there is a famine in their hometown of Beth-lehem-judah. They are there awhile, and their two sons marry two women from Moab. Meaning they did not marry in their faith.

Then Elimelech dies as well as his two sons.

President Thomas S. Monson said:

“In our selection of heroes, let us nominate also heroines. First, that noble example of fidelity—even Ruth. Sensing the grief-stricken heart of her mother-in-law, who suffered the loss of each of her two fine sons, and feeling perhaps the pangs of despair and loneliness which plagued the very soul of Naomi, Ruth uttered what has become that classic statement of loyalty: ‘Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.’ ( Ruth 1:16 .) Ruth’s actions demonstrated the sincerity of her words. There is place for her name in the Hall of Fame.” ( “My Personal Hall of Fame,” Ensign, Nov. 1974, p. 108 .)

She not only comforted her mother-in-law by words, but she left HER homeland and HER upbringing and faith to go back with Naomi to Beth-lehem-judah. I am sure she was converted to the faith maybe through Naomi's example, but then never faltered the rest of her life in living that, and in showing her devotion to Naomi. Ruth also knew she wouldn't have very many opportunities to marry again in Naomi's homeland. She even worked in the fields gleaning the wheat (which was left for the poor and alien) to provide for her and Naomi. A very humbling job I am sure, and I have to say, I am very impressed.

Being in Utah right now I have been staying with both my parents and my in-laws. And although I love my in-laws and they are very accomodating and wonderful, there is just something so much more comfortable about living in the home you grew up in. Ruth left all that behind selflessly to comfort and provide for Naomi, and that is why she is so amazing.

A little hiatus

Just to let you all know, I did not just post about the ten commandments and then be done with any scriptural insights inside of me. I have had lots of ideas to write about Joshua and Gideon and obviously always about the children of Israel, however I really have not had time to write them here right now, as i am clear across the country visiting family and friends via some incredibly cheap plane tickets. Since I will be here for another three weeks, I just want you to know my posting will be sporadic if at all during this time. BUT I will for sure be back after June 10th, and then I will get back in the swing of things. I hope that isn't too disheartening to you all, and know that my scripture study is not going away, it's just not going to posted on here for awhile. :)

"Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness] - the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth."

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother

I remember one time when I was in my teens talking to my aunt one day about my parents. I was so frustrated that I had so many chores and responsibilities and said "I think my parents had me so I could work for them!"

I think about that to this day as my aunt gently corrected me and told me the obvious that my prideful self centered teenager person couldn't see, but my parents really did so much for us ALL the time. And it would probably be easier for them to just do the dishes or clean the living room themselves than prod and push and get us to clean those areas. And if I needed more to think about, how about all those dirty diapers and hours of lost sleep they had when I was a baby/toddler. Did they do that so they could have a few dish nights off later? And dishes are way easier with two people rather than 8 or 10 or sometimes 15 at our house! (And being a mom myself now, I realize how much more work it is than I could even imagine back then! Not to mention pregnancy and childbirth- yikes!)

In Matthew 7:9-11 it says
"9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

I take this to mean that most parents are doing their best. Now they might not be perfect, (as they haven't been parents before they probably will make mistakes), but most are trying hard! They aren't thinking what can I do to bug my child today, but trying their best to help them grow up with correct principles.

And not just trying hard, most ARE selflessly serving and giving to their children. And Heavenly Father wanted to make sure we understood the importance and order of family relationships with this commandment.

Now honoring and obeying are different things, although usually they follow the same path. Some people are thinking how do I honor a parent that is telling me to do something wrong, or not living up to the commandments?

The Old Testament institute manual addresses this. It says:

"To honor means to “bring honor to or to have an attitude of honoring.” Obedience means “to follow direction or example.” Paul said, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right” ( Ephesians 6:1 ; emphasis added), and then immediately thereafter adds, “Honour thy father and mother” ( v. 2 ). This time, however, he added no qualifying statement, describing it only as the “first commandment with promise” ( Ephesians 6:2 ). To obey one’s parents in the Lord means to obey them in righteousness (see McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:521). Anytime a child lives righteously he brings honor to his parents, whether those parents are themselves righteous or wicked. The opposite is also true. Anytime a child lives wickedly he brings shame to his parents, whether or not the parents are righteous. So, honoring parents may not always imply obeying them. In those relatively few cases where parents may ask for or encourage unrighteous behavior in their children, the individual brings dishonor to his parents if he obeys them"

So in short the best way we can honor our parents is by living righteously. 3 John 1:4 states "I have no greater joy than to hear my children walk in truth. " and I know that is how many parents feel. They don't want diamonds or vacations or expensive presents from their children to feel honored by them. They want to know their children are honest and kind and gentle and wonderful contributing members to society, their own families, and building the kingdom of God righteously.

I love my parents and what they have taught me. They not only taught me the truths of the gospel from when I was an infant, they lived as such amazing examples of Christ everyday, and I still think I have the best parents in the whole wide world.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!

Thou shalt not covet

“He who covets the mere material ‘things’ of life may have ‘other gods before him,’ and may ‘bow down before them,’ in thought and in spirit, if not in physical fact.

“He who covets may become coarse and careless in other things also, such as taking ‘the name of the Lord God in vain.’

“He who covets may desecrate the Sabbath day to get gain.

“He who covets may fail to sustain his father and his mother in their need.

“Some who have coveted have killed to get gain.

“Many who have coveted a ‘neighbour’s wife’ have committed the grievous sin of adultery.

“He who covets is more likely to steal (or to swindle or embezzle or engage in sharp practices).

“He who covets may bear false witness to get gain.

“And so again: The tenth commandment is inseparably integrated with all the others, and coveting could lead to infraction of all the others—for there is a wholeness in life in which each part complements the other. And there is a wholeness and harmony in the word of God, and it all comes from the same source. And whenever we ignore any divine counsel or commandment, we can be sure that we weaken ourselves and increase our susceptibility to other sins. . . .

“The commandment against covetousness does not mean that we should not have a wholesome discontent or a wholesome desire to improve ourselves or our situation. It does not mean that we should not have an honest ambition to have more of the better things of life. It does not mean that we may not admire what our neighbor has, and seek by our own industry to earn things of like worth. The earth holds plenty for all—and the urge to acquire for ourselves such good things as other men have is a productive quality of character—provided that we acquire them by honest effort, by lawful means, and by keeping life well-balanced. The danger comes when mere ‘things’ begin to matter too much.” (Richard L. Evans, in “The Tenth Commandment,” Part 1, The Ten Commandments Today, p. 142–44.)

One part of coveteousnes I was thinking about is ingratitude. When you are ungrateful usually you covet something someone else has. Whether that be a job, an item, someone’s family, good health, etc. In these times we are ungrateful we fail to see what God truly has given us. Job in the Old Testament is an awesome example of being grateful in the midst of some crazy trials.

Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness

Robert J. Matthews had this to say about bearing false witness

"Our obedience to the commandment not to bear false witness should be rooted in both our love of God and our love of our fellowmen. But the violation of the ninth commandment is among the most common of sins.

Elder Adam S. Bennion of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote:

“Murder, adultery, and stealing, dealing respectively with life, virtue, and property, are generally considered more serious offenses before the law than the bearing of false witness. And yet, what the latter may lack in severity, it more than makes up for in prevalence” (“The Ninth Commandment,” in The Ten Commandments Today, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1955, p. 134).

Whereas murder involves the taking of human life, bearing false witness involves the destruction of character and reputation. To do so maliciously is the sin of calumny, or character assassination, described in Shakespeare’s Othello:

Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;
’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him
And makes me poor indeed.
(Act 3, sc. 3, lines 157–61)..."

Thus, the ninth commandment is a strong declaration against covenant breaking, oath breaking, and all forms of untruth, including exaggeration, gross understatement, fabrication, or the willful giving of any explanation not supported by the facts. Even sharing the truth can have the effect of lying when we tell only half-truths that do not give a full picture. We can also be guilty of bearing false witness and lying if we say nothing, particularly if we allow another to reach a wrong conclusion while we hold back information that would have led to a more accurate perception. In this case it is as though an actual lie were uttered...

Lying and misrepresentation in all of their forms are wrong, no matter how they may be rationalized, and those who silently let these evils pass unchallenged are also doing wrong...

The seriousness of lying is not measured only in injury or pain inflicted on the one deceived. Lying has a devastating effect also on the perpetrator. It robs the liar of self-respect, and deadens his ability to recognize the difference between truth and error.

Furthermore, one who lies may also likely steal; someone who has little regard for the integrity of truth will probably have little regard for property rights. One sin leads to another. The Lord has said that unrepentant liars—“whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Rev. 22:15)—shall spend time in hell, and eventually be assigned to the telestial kingdom for eternity (see Rev. 21:8; 2 Ne. 9:34; D&C 42:21; D&C 63:17; D&C 76:103). "

And that is where the talk ends and I say AMEN! The problem with not living one or two of the commandments as he said is they usually lead to each other.

AND

Usually sin is addictive. That's how Satan gets you in his trap, just letting in one little sin, that then starts snowballing until you can't stop lying or stealing or cheating. Sadly I know some people like that, where their whole life is tangled up in a web of lies and they stop even knowing the difference between truth and fabrication. If you notice yourself gossiping here, or just telling small lies there, work to put an end to it IMMEDIATELY!!!! So you don't start down that slippery slope of sin.

Thou Shalt Not Kill

A primary teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor thy father and thy mother," she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?"

Without missing a beat one little boy (the oldest of a family of seven) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

From a collection of LDS jokes on Lightplanet.

I don't know about you, but killing is not something I have really ever been tempted with. I can't watch it on TV or in a movie, (I turn my head away and/or turn off the show), and I can't even fathom killing someone, even in self defense, or worse on accident. I feel this is the most serious of all crimes we can commit. And I know in the scriptures this is actually true as in Alma 39:5, Alma is talking to his son Shiblon about chastity and says "Know ye not, my son that these things are an abomination in the sight of the Lord; yea, most abominable above all sins save it be the shedding of innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost." So it ranks right up there. Killing and denying the Holy Ghost are the worst sins we can commit, and then the breaking law of chastity is a close third. (I wonder how many people in the world think sexual sins are as bad as killing someone? Obviously not the media. Although I do find it interesting that in murder cases on tv often the killer/victim have been involved in some type of illicit sexual relationship with each other and/or others. This then inspires the same passion to kill. Obviously an important thing to live this law of chastity. But we're talking about killing, so back on topic.)

As I stated before in the thou shalt not commit adultery post, God is VERY concerned with how we get in and out of this world. Elective abortion falls under this killing category. (And again a law of chastity and thou shalt not kill connection.) From lds.org- "Human life is a sacred gift from God. Elective abortion for personal or social convenience is contrary to the will and the commandments of God. Church members who submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions may lose their membership in the Church."

I also wanted to say that I know SEVERAL people that cannot have children of their own, and if you do have an unwanted pregnancy, adoption is an incredible gift you can give to someone else. An amazing gift that will change your life and theirs forever. Read more about that here.

O.k. so onto how I can apply thou shalt not kill to my life and the funny joke that prompted this next train of thought for me at the beginning. I was thinking about how in New Testament Jesus is giving the Sermon on the Mount and says in Matthew 5: 27-28

"27. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28. But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

And I thought. That same principle can be applied to killing! And while looking up these references for adultery I remembered that the Savior beat me to my thought. In Matthew 5:21-22 he says

"21.Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22. But I say unto you, That whosever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgement..."

It's not enough to just not kill. We shouldn't even come CLOSE to where we could kill someone. This means that rather than wishing someone was not in your life, (a form of wanting to "kill" them) we need to figure out how to love this individual and maybe that's why they are in your life to help you learn how to love more fully. (Besides unhealthy/abusive relationships. But even then you can still love the person even if you aren't around them anymore.) And that comes in learning to love others like the Savior did.

Thou Shalt Not Steal

The Ensign, an LDS magazine, had a great article by Richard D. Draper, called “‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’,” Liahona, Oct 1998, 27 on this very subject that I am going to share with you today. I love the depth it goes into on this subject.

"The Bible emphasizes that stealing belongs to the set of sins that includes murder, adultery, and false swearing. All of these are directly related, and theft is the common link; murder is the unlawful taking of life, adultery concerns the taking of virtue, and false swearing usually involves the taking of reputation, property, or goods.

Stealing is a sin against our Heavenly Father even when motivated by need and poverty. The act dishonors God (see Prov. 30:9). Conversely, the honest person who chooses not to steal, even under stressful circumstances, shows trust in God. He is conscious of a covenant relationship with the Lord and chooses to sustain it.

Stealing is a sin against our Heavenly Father even when motivated by need and poverty. The act dishonors God (see Prov. 30:9). Conversely, the honest person who chooses not to steal, even under stressful circumstances, shows trust in God. He is conscious of a covenant relationship with the Lord and chooses to sustain it.

A student once shared a story with me that effectively illustrated this point about honesty. While he was growing up, his father’s business had failed. By working hard, his father developed a new business that promised eventual returns but provided scant income for the family in the beginning. The student’s mother had gone to work too. This was distressing for the family, especially for the father, but he promised that it would be only for a short time. Within a year, the business had improved enough that the mother was able to quit working. Later the family became quite comfortable.

When my student, a business major, began working for his father, he learned that his parents had paid off all the debts from the earlier business failure, even though the debts had been canceled under bankruptcy laws. His father had begun paying them as soon as he started the new business. This was also one of the reasons his mother had gone to work. When my young friend questioned the wisdom of paying debts that had been legally canceled, his father explained that although he realized many honest people are unable to pay legally canceled debts, he felt his situation might allow him to pay his debts over a long period. His concern over his unpaid obligations forced him and his wife to reexamine their personal commitment to the Lord and to the covenants they had made with him. They felt that morally they owed those debts and that to do anything less than paying them would be stealing. So his father and mother had joined as a team to pay what they felt they owed, and they and their family had been blessed."

O.k. back to me and not the article

This concept of paying back debts owed to others is one that world doesn't value today. I was listening to a money program that talked about how with the housing market being so bad right now, many people are foreclosing on the houses they currently own, and then going down the street and buying a house $100,000 cheaper. They said it was a good business move. When asked morally if it was right or wrong, they mentioned how the stigma attached to it might have been bad awhile ago, but now it's looked on like a business deal when that goes bad, they just file bankruptcy and move on to the next business. THIS IS WRONG! When situations like this happens, it's not like the money automatically goes away, someone is hurt and picks up the slack.

But here's the thing, those that do steal are actually at more of a loss in this circumstance than those they steal from. When you steal, whether an actual good or person's reputation or whatnot, you come in danger of losing your soul. (As you are with any sin.) Peace is not afforded to those that take wrongfully. Peace is actually the one feeling Satan cannot imitate.

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? . . .

But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.

A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. [Proverbs 6:27-33]

Jeffrey R. Holland gave an amazing talk at BYU on the subject of physical intimacy called of Souls Symbols and Sacraments. I would recommend you reading it. The highlights of the talk are here.

He said "It is LDS doctrine that sexual transgression is second only to murder in the Lord's list of life's most serious sins. By assigning such rank to a physical appetite so conspicuously evident in all of us, what is God trying to tell us about its place in his plan for all men and women in mortality? I submit to you he is doing precisely that--commenting about the very plan of life itself. Clearly God's greatest concerns regarding mortality are how one gets into this world and how one gets out of it. These two most important issues in our very personal and carefully supervised progress are the two issues that he as our Creator and Father and Guide wishes most to reserve to himself. These are the two matters that he has repeatedly told us he wants us never to take illegally, illicitly, unfaithfully, without sanction....

May I quote a 1913 sermon by Elder James E. Talmage on this doctrinal point:

We have been taught . . . to look upon these bodies of ours as gifts from God. We Latter-day Saints do not regard the body as something to be condemned, something to be abhorred. . . . We regard [the body] as the sign of our royal birthright. . . . We recognize . . . that those who kept not their first estate . . . were denied that inestimable blessing. . . . We believe that these bodies . . . may be made, in very truth, the temple of the Holy Ghost. . . .

It is peculiar to the theology of the Latter-day Saints that we regard the body as an essential part of the soul. Read your dictionaries, the lexicons, and encyclopedias, and you will find that nowhere [in Christianity], outside of the Church of Jesus Christ, is the solemn and eternal truth taught that the soul of man is the body and the spirit combined. [CR, October 1913, p. 117]

So partly in answer to why such seriousness, we answer that one toying with the God-given--and satanically coveted--body of another, toys with the very soul of that individual, toys with the central purpose and product of life, "the very key" to life, as Elder Boyd K. Packer once called it. In trivializing the soul of another (please include the word body there), we trivialize the Atonement that saved that soul and guaranteed its continued existence. And when one toys with the Son of Righteousness, the Day Star himself, one toys with white heat and a flame hotter and holier than the noonday sun. You cannot do so and not be burned. You cannot with impunity "crucify Christ afresh" (see Hebrews 6:6). Exploitation of the body (please include the word soul there) is, in the last analysis, an exploitation of him who is the Light and the Life of the world."

Wow.

I feel this doctrine is crucial in teaching our youth. I think our youth know they shouldn't have sex before they are married, so they won't get an STD or have a child out of wedlock, but their ability to WANT to live this doctrine and help their friends live this doctrine will dramatically increase if they understand the WHY, which is so much more than why the world says not to have sex before you're married. Do you understand the WHY? I barely touched on a few of the doctrines behind this commandment. If you feel this isn't a strength go study it, because I know when I was growing up I just knew it was REALLY important, but when confronted as to the why, I didn't have a good answer. (Besides the not wanting to have a child out of wedlock, and STD thing which can be answered away with birth control methods and condoms.)

Elder Holland continues

"Sexual intimacy is not only a symbolic union between a man and a woman--the uniting of their very souls--but it is also symbolic of a union between mortals and deity, between otherwise ordinary and fallible humans uniting for a rare and special moment with God himself and all the powers by which he gives life in this wide universe of ours."

And to end with a quote by Elder Talmage

"It has been declared in the solemn word of revelation, that the spirit and the body constitute the soul of man; and, therefore, we should look upon this body as something that shall endure in the resurrected state, beyond the grave, something to be kept pure and holy. Be not afraid of soiling its hands; be not afraid of scars that may come to it if won in earnest effort, or [won] in honest fight, but beware of scars that disfigure, that have come to you in places where you ought not have gone, that have befallen you in unworthy undertakings [pursued where you ought not have been]; beware of the wounds of battles in which you have been fighting on the wrong side. [Talmage, CR, October 1913, p. 117]"

Commandment 3

Exodus 20:7- Thou Shalt Not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain

That is one thing out here in the East that I don't think I will ever get used to. It's such a part of common speech, even little kids swear all the time, and their parents don't teach them not to, because they are the ones the kids are learning it from! I know some very spiritual people as well that use God's name in vain, and I want to ask them what the third commandment means to them. I know it also means to not swear false oaths, with God or man, which I will talk about after this next quote, but I don't know how people so blatantly disregard such a clear commandment. O.k. so I know partly, it is everywhere in the media, and swearing is addictive, once you start, it's really hard to get those words and thoughts out of your head.

But Elder LeGrand Richards said this of profanity:

“It is difficult to understand how a person may truly and sincerely approach God in prayer, seeking a blessing at his hand, at the same time be so disrespectful as to take his name in vain.

“Profanity is incompatible with reverence. Surely at this critical time in our nation’s history, when we need the sustaining help of God, we should see that we do not offend him by reason of our language. We appeal to our young people everywhere to hold in reverence the sacred name of Deity, that they may walk acceptably before the Lord, so that, should there come a time in their lives when they need his sustaining help, they may go to him with good conscience and call upon him with faith that he will hear their plea.” (In “The Third Commandment,” The Ten Commandments Today, pp. 52–53.)

It says at the end of Exodus 20:7 the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. The footnote to that says

Exodus 20:7d IE utters an oath or makes a promise using the Lord's name without valid purpose.

That means those baptismal, sacrament and temple covenants you make are very serious. God will hold you to those things you promised to do for him. And obviously he will keep his side of the covenant, but it is not a flippant thing for us to disregard them, and it is taking his name in vain, even if we never speak his name irreverently on our lips.

But of course as we follow this commandment, the spirit is allowed into our lives more. We become more changed, the natural man continues to be eliminated from our lives and we are happier.

Graven Images... Again

My mom made a comment on my previous graven images post that I have been thinking about and want to share because it's such a great concise definition of idolatry.

"I've been thinking a lot about this idolatry one, too. Dad came back from a convention on Combating Pornography and one of the speakers likened pornography to an idol--something we stare at, think about, practically worship, allow to dominate our minds and hearts. Interesting, huh? But, then I thought, "Do I sometimes do that with the computer????" Hmmmmm.... Guess I can't check the idolatry one off my list quite yet..."

And no mom, wanting to check your kids' blogs to see if they have posted pictures of your grandchildren is not idolatry. :)

But anything we allow to dominate what we think about becomes our idol. Anything we want that starts dominating our thoughts over spiritual things becomes our idol. Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5 both talk about how being coveteous is idolatry. Which is another one of the commandments. Thou shalt not covet.