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.