Clean vs. Unclean

 Leviticus 11-14                  

  

What Israel Could & Could Not Eat..

Clean	Unclean
Beasts Who Have: A Part in Hoof Cloven Footed                                                                                 Chew the Cud                                                                                                                                All in the Water that don't have fins & scales            From Seas & Rivers	Coney Camel Rabbits Swine All in the Water without Fins & Scales Every Raven, Owl, Night Hawk, Cuckow, Hawk, Little Owl, Cotmoarant, Locust, Great Owl, Swan, Pelican, Gier Eagle, Stork Bald Locus Lapwing, Bat, Gowls that Creep On All Fours Beetle, Weasel, Mouse  Toirtoise, Ferret, Grasshopper, Chameleon, Lizard, Snail, Mole

 

                  

 Institute Manual Leviticus 11-18
 " If the dietary code is seen both symbolically and as part of a system of laws that covered all the customary acts of life, it becomes apparent how it served. God was using the diet as a teaching tool. People may forget or neglect prayer, play, work, or worship, but they seldom forget a meal. By voluntarily abstaining from certain foods or by cooking them in a special way, one made a daily, personal commitment to act in one’s faith. At every meal a formal choice was made, generating quiet self-discipline. Strength comes from living such a law, vision from understanding it. "
" Each time they got hungry they were forcibly reminded of personal identity and community bond. Indeed, they belonged to a people set apart.  "    

It's interesting because the Word of Wisdom was so strict in this time but it was a constant reminder of obedience. It was a daily commitment to follow what they were commanded to do and through that they became a people "set apart" I'm sure that it reminded them that they needed to remain just as faithful in all other aspects of their life as well. It's good for us to have those reminders and renewel of commitment to our Heavenly Father.

Word Of Wisdom Today

 

For the Use of Man

Fruits

Grain (Staff of Life)

Beasts and Fowls Sparingly

Wholesome Herbs

 

Restricted From the Use of Man

Wine, Strong Drinks

Tobacco

Hot Drinks and Coffee

Why the Lord Commands Unclean and Clean Today

I think the reason that the Lord has the word of wisdom instituted today is because our bodies are temples and He wants us to remain clean as well as us to keep our temples clean. The things that are unclean in today's terms are unhealthy and will have detrimental affects on our body and limit our options, He gives this law to us as a protection.
I think that He uses this as a sanctification process because not only is it literally cleaning and sanctifying our bodies but it is allowing us to clean our lives through keeping and fullfilling the commandments and it's making us stronger.
By committing to keep these commandments we can be more clean in our lives, as well as through consistently using the atonement.

The Ten Commandments

Exodus 20: 3-17

 

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me

 

Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee Any Graven Image

 

Thou Shalt Not Take The Lord Thy God's Name In Vain

 

Remember The Sabbath Day to Keep It Holy

 

Honor They Father And Thy Mother

 

Thou Shalt Not Kill

 

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultry

 

Thou Shalt Not Steal

 

Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor

 

Thou Shalt Not Covet Anything Of They Neighbor

 

Matthew 22:36-40

 

The Lord tells us that the two great commandments are to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind.

Then second, to love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

He then says that all of the commandments hang on these two laws.

 

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me: Love God

Thou Shalt Not Make Unto Thee Any Graven Image: Love God

Thou Shalt Not Take The Lord Thy God's Name In Vain: Love God

Remember The Sabbath Day to Keep It Holy: Love God

Honor They Father And Thy Mother: Love thy Neighbor

Thou Shalt Not Kill: Love they Neighbor

Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultry: Love the Neighbor and Love God and the precious gift he has given you.

 

 

Thou Shalt Not Steal: Love thy Neighbor

Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor: Love they Neighbor

Thou Shalt Not Covet Anything Of Thy Neighbor: Love thy Neighbor

 

The 3 commandments that I feel are most commonly neglected by the world are not COVETING anything of thy Neighbors, not having OTHER GODS, and not KEEPING THE SABBATH holy.

 

I think that we covet things of others with out even thinking about it. It has become just part of societal nature. We want our friends car, clothes, house, life.

Along with that anything that we revolve our lives around can be constituted as having other Gods. Things such as sports, friends, models or celebrities, clothes, excersise, even things that are good if we spend more time thinking about them than our Heavenly Father and if we determine our choices around them that is worshiping "other Gods".

Lastly, keeping the Sabbath. Rarely does it seem that a person sets asside everything of the world  (TV, homework, work, friends) for our Heavenly Father every Sunday.

Do we read our scriptures and reflect upon where our life is and should be and spend our time worshiping God and the great things he has done for us?

 

 

 

So how will our lives be blessed by following these commandments?

We are commanded to LABOR for 6 days and rest for 1. By following both of these parts of the commandment and not being wasteful and idle the rest of the week and resting and worshiping the Lord we will be sanctified, kept holy, and spiritually clean.  The violation of the Sabbath law indicates a kind of death- a spiritual death.

We are promised rest, temporal plenty, divine protection, and spiritual power in keeping the Sabbath Day holy.

 

If God is not first then everything else will be affected. Not even life itself can come before God.

We will not be favored of God if we put him second to worldly things whatever they will be. Any time the children of man put things before God the work of the Lord will be thwarted. By doing this you will lesson the power of God in your own life. Nothing besides our Heavenly Father that we are worshiping can bring us joy and by worshiping these things we will have false dependence and emptyness. The Lord is the only thing that can leave us fullfilled and bring us eternal joy.

 

Finally, the commandment of covetting can not be broken with out breaking all of the other commandments as well. The problem doesn't occur when we have an honest desire to better ourselves or we admire what our neighbor has it occurs when things begin to matter to much.

The person who covets may put things above God, they may desecrate the Sabbath to get gain, they may fail to sustain their father and mother in need, they may kill to get gain, he who covets his neighbors wife may commit adultery, they may steal to get gain, and they may lie to secure these material things for themselves.

 

We need to protect ourselves from this sin in order to strengthen ourselves against the breaking of the rest of the commandments and further condemnation.

The commandments are not set as restrictions they are the guidlines for our genuine long term happiness.

There is enough plenty in the world for all. 

 

 

Preparing to Meet the Lord

 

 

Exodus 19:3-6, 10-11

 

 

 

 

What did the Lord want the children of Israel to become?

 

The Lord wanted the children of Israel to become a peculiar treasure. I loved this because peculiar means out of the ordinary and I feel that the Lord means that they are especially important to Him.

He is really showing them how much He loves and favors these people.

 

He also said that He wanted them to become a kingdom or priests and a holy nation.

He wants to give this kingdom the priesthood and the power that He has to give them  so that they can reach their full portential and recieve the blessings that will be granted through that.

He also talks about making them a holy nation. I think a nation that has been made holy unto the Lord will be blessed above other nations and will be prosporous and with out contention.

 

 

What did the Lord command them to do that would help them achieve this goal?

 

 The Lord commands them obey His commandments and to keep His covenant.

He also talks about how they need to be sanctified.

 

I feel like the Lord's commandments are always given for our good. They are never selfish and are only for His benefit because He loves us, wants us to be happy, and wants us to return to Him.

Through keeping His commandments and staying true to the covenant they will naturally recieve these goals or blessings because that will be the consequence of their righteous actions.

 

What was the promised blessing if they could achieve these commandments?

 

The Lord talks about how He is going to bare them up on "eagles wings" and bring them to Him like He did with the Egyptians.

I can't think of a more wonderful blessing than being lifted up and strengthened by God and brough back to Him.

He also talks about how they will be a treasure to Him and have a Holy Nation.

I think that our Heavenly Father's love is one of the most sweet blessings we could ever recieve, as well as living in a righteous nation where those around you love you and buoy you up and you do the same for them.

 

In what way does this apply to US all?

 

We are all given commandments and have entered in to convenants that we have to stay strong and faithful too.

Our Heavenly Father gives us these Holy Scriptures so that we know that we can recieve these promised blessings as well.
If we are faithful He will lift us us and love us and we will be a treasure unto Him and protected.

He wants us to be a nation with the priesthood. The blessing of having the power of God on the earth are unimaginable.

We are promised all of these sweet wonderful blessings if we are sanctified, faithful in the word of God, and keep our covenants.

 



The Sacred Covenant of Marriage

Marriage in the Covenant

Genesis 24, 27:46, 28:1-2, 29:1-30

 

1.      Genesis 24:1-4: Why was Abraham concerned about his sons?

       He was so concerned that his sons would marry one of the daughters of the Caananites and marry outside of the covenant that he made them promise they would not.

 

 

Consequences of Marrying Out of the Covenant



 Deuteronomy 7:1-4, 1 Corinthians 11:11, 2 Corinthians 6:14

 

 

Deut 7:4  says that if someone were to marry outside of the covenant that their spouse would turn them away from God and they would fall away from the church and worship "other Gods".
 
1 Corinthians 11:11 tells us that the man and the woman have to be together in God. If you don't have the support of your spouse you will not be able to be the faithful person or family that we are meant to be.

2 Cor 6:14 says that spouses will be unequally yoked together. If a husband and wife are not equally yoked together in anything they are doing it will not be successful.
 
      All of these principles have always applied to members of the good faithful people in the world and they still apply to us today.

Traits Rebeka had that would be desirable for a wife or husband.

 

She was chaste and virtuous. (vs. 16)

Rebekah was a hard worker. She performed the chores of her house with duty and willingness. (vs. 20)

She was obedient to the Lord's commandments and what he wanted. (vs. 58)

 

What was Jacob willing to do to marry Rachel? What you are willing to do to be worthy to marry within the covenant.

Jacob was willing to serve 14 years in order to marry Rachel.

 

       It meant everything to me to be worthy to marry within the covenant. We are taught that is the way to true joy and happiness and our only true way back to our Heavenly Father, and I can't think of anything I want more than that. I was willing to give up dating guys that I was interested in because I knew that they couldn't take me to the temple or give me the life that I wanted. I was willing to wait for my husband in every sense and to prepare to be the woman that a man who would take me to the temple would want to marry. I strived to strengthen my testimony and be obedient so that our marriage could be founded on correct principles. The gospel is everything to me, it's my life and my priority in everything. It is perfect. I am so grateful for a good husband that was willing to do everything to marry in the covenant as well and for the foundations of the gospel we have been able to base our marriage on and the happiness it has brought and continues to bring me.