Monday, April 26, 2010
Class tomorrow!
I just wanted to let you know that we will be having class tomorrow morning, here at the house at 10:00. We will be discussing up through Numbers 21. I have learned so much from this reading! I am excited to discuss it all with you! See you tomorrow!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Exodus 1-14
I think I have read this assignment at least twenty times. Each time, I have learned or experienced something different. The first time I read it, I was really impressed with the amazing stories of faith that are recorded in these verses. Like the story of the handmaids and how they feared God more than man. Or the faith of the mother of Moses. Or the faith of the Israelites as they prayed for deliverance. Or even the faith of the Egyptians as they heard of the hail storm that was to come, and they put their cattle in their houses.
The second time I read it, I really studied the plagues and learned the relationship between each of these plagues and the false gods of Egypt. The Lord wanted to show Pharaoh, that he was more powerful than man, magicians, pharaohs, kings, Satan, and all false gods. There is only one true God--The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The next few times I read it, I was impressed with the comparisons between the deliverance of the children of Israel and the deliverance of all of God's children from physical as well as spiritual death through the atonement of Jesus Christ. My understanding of the atonement deepened as I studied the Passover and learned about the passover lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs. I gained a greater appreciation for repentance and the sacrament.
The last time that I read it, I was struck with the similarities between the Israelites bondage and the effects of the fall of Adam. I hadn't caught it the first several times around. There was a change in the political make-up of Egypt. The Israelites had "fallen" from favor. They were made to work "with rigour", by the sweat of their brows. Words like "affliction", "bondage", "bitter" and the like, were used to describe the bondage condition of the Israelites. Those same terms are used to describe the situation Adam and Eve found themselves in when they were cast out of the garden. Interestingly, as a result of the fall, Adam and Eve were blessed with posterity. The Israelites also were blessed with posterity despite the severity of their afflictions. The Pharaoh did not want to release his death grip on the Israelites. Just as Pharaoh would require an awesome display of power before releasing the Israelites from bondage, the laws of justice would require an infinite and eternal display of power before releasing us from the physical and spiritual bondage caused by the fall. There is only One that has that infinite power.
So, what insights did you gain? What did you learn? What touched your heart?
The second time I read it, I really studied the plagues and learned the relationship between each of these plagues and the false gods of Egypt. The Lord wanted to show Pharaoh, that he was more powerful than man, magicians, pharaohs, kings, Satan, and all false gods. There is only one true God--The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The next few times I read it, I was impressed with the comparisons between the deliverance of the children of Israel and the deliverance of all of God's children from physical as well as spiritual death through the atonement of Jesus Christ. My understanding of the atonement deepened as I studied the Passover and learned about the passover lamb, the unleavened bread, and the bitter herbs. I gained a greater appreciation for repentance and the sacrament.
The last time that I read it, I was struck with the similarities between the Israelites bondage and the effects of the fall of Adam. I hadn't caught it the first several times around. There was a change in the political make-up of Egypt. The Israelites had "fallen" from favor. They were made to work "with rigour", by the sweat of their brows. Words like "affliction", "bondage", "bitter" and the like, were used to describe the bondage condition of the Israelites. Those same terms are used to describe the situation Adam and Eve found themselves in when they were cast out of the garden. Interestingly, as a result of the fall, Adam and Eve were blessed with posterity. The Israelites also were blessed with posterity despite the severity of their afflictions. The Pharaoh did not want to release his death grip on the Israelites. Just as Pharaoh would require an awesome display of power before releasing the Israelites from bondage, the laws of justice would require an infinite and eternal display of power before releasing us from the physical and spiritual bondage caused by the fall. There is only One that has that infinite power.
So, what insights did you gain? What did you learn? What touched your heart?
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