I have a lot to accomplish today and as always never enough time! My prayer was simple this morning with thank you's for all my blessings and opportunities, and requests for patience, peace, and discernment. And then I was off to start my day!
Exodus 21-23
These chapters contain the Mosaic or the Law of Moses, which was given to Moses immediately after the Ten Commandments. These laws were designed to help the Israelites grow and progress toward being prepared to someday enter the presence of God. For modern day readers these laws may seem unfair or just plain weird, but we have to remember that these laws were designed for that time and culture.
Although all the laws may not pertain to our modern day society, God’s reason for giving laws has not changed over time. He is still trying to prepare His people to be in His presence. If the chance to be in His presence wasn’t enough for the Israelites, God also includes five promises for being obedient. Do these five promises for obedience still apply to us today? Let’s take a look.
1. Ex 23:20: “I will send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way…” [I will send and angel to guide and direct you]
2. Ex 23:25: “Serve the Lord…and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee…” [You will be blessed with prosperity and good health]
3. Ex 23:26 “There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land…the number of thy days I will fulfill.” [You and your flocks and herds will increase greatly and you will live long and prosperous lives.]
4. Ex 23:27: “I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom though shalt come” [You will be blessed with help from the Lord in fighting against your enemies and overcoming them.]
5. Ex 23:31: “I will set thy bounds from the Red sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river..” [The Israelites would inhabit all the land from the Red Sea to the Euphrates River}
1. Does God still send angels to guide and direct us? Absolutely! There are plenty of scriptural references talking about angels. The scriptures show that they:
-announce and testify of events pertaining to God’s work and glory (see Matt 1:20-21; 28:1-6; Luke 1:11-20; 2:8-14; Rev 14:6ff; D&C 88:92-110)
-preach the gospel and minister “unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ” (Moro 7:22; see also Moses 5:58)
-declare “the word of Christ unto chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him” (Moro 7:31; see also Mosiah 3:1-27)
-bring to earth “their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood” (D&C 128:21; see also27:12; 110:11-16; JS_H 1:68-70)
-protect and guide the servants of God in times of trouble so that they may accomplish his purposes (see Acts 5:18-20; Dan 3:28; 1 Ne 3:29; Hel 5)
-bring comfort, instruction, and warnings to faithful individuals in times of need (see Gen 16:7; Ex 23:20-23; Matt 2:13; 1 Ne 11:14-15, 30; Alma 8:14-18).
2. Does God bless us with prosperity and good health? Yes again!
Prosperity: We have a tendency to think of prosperity only as it is represented by material wealth or lack of serious problems. The word prosperity itself comes from the Latin pro + spes, which means “hope.” If we remember the scriptures’ admonition that “men are, that they might have joy” (2 Ne 2:25), we can see that, for those who live the gospel, prosperity can mean joy, peace, harmony, unity, love, and sufficient faith and means to meet our needs without fear. Such prosperity comes because one possesses faith and peace of mind. (Study by Topic)
Good Health: Today we have the Word of Wisdom. “The Word of Wisdom is a law of health revealed by the Lord for the physical and spiritual benefit of His children. On February 27, 1833, as recorded in section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord revealed which foods are good for us to eat and which substances are not good for the human body. He also promised health, protection, knowledge, and wisdom to those who obey the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89:18-21)” (Study by Topic)
3. What about increasing greatly and living long and prosperous lives? There are two parts to posterity:
· all descendants of one person and
· succeeding or future generations collectively
Although not everyone is given their own posterity, we are all part of a family. And the best blessing afforded to righteous families is the “sealing of the children to their parents” (D&C 138:48) or the ability to be a family together for eternity. The ultimate goal is for all families to come together as one complete family, past, present, and future to be in God’s presence!
We already talked about prosperity, so what about a long life? We need to look the word ‘long’ carefully. It might be more appropriate to use the word ‘full’ instead of long. Remember God’s time is different than our time and we are told that “To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecc 3:1). In other words, when we obey we are blessed with the knowledge that God will allow us to live our lives fully, we will be given the time we need to complete the work we are sent here to do. We will not be taken until it is our time!
4. Does the Lord still promise to protect us from our enemies? Yes! You may be familiar with the phrase: The Armor of God (Eph 6:11-17). In our battle against evil here are some of the ways this armor protects us, as well as some ways we can secure it.
We should wear the “breastplate of righteousness” (Eph 6:14; D&C 27:16). A breastplate protects vital organs such as the heart and lungs. Our righteousness, both in thought and deed, protects the core of our spiritual lives.
We should wield the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17; D&C 27:18). A sword is a weapon used to strike at the enemy. The word of God is “sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12), and the power of the Spirit can “carry [the truth] unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Ne 33:1), help people to “know the truth of all things” (Mor 10:5), and even “thrash the nations” through the preaching of the gospel (D&C 35:13). With our testimony and the power and peace of God’s Spirit, we can strike against and conquer the enemy of all righteousness.
We should have our “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15; D&C 27:16). Shod means wearing shoes. “Your feet … represent your goals or objectives in life. … Preparedness is the way to victory, and ‘eternal vigilance is the price of safety.’ … The tide of victory rests with him who is prepared” (President Harold B. Lee [1899–1973], “Message from the First Presidency,” Ensign, Jan. 1971, 2).
We should put on the “helmet of salvation” (EPH 6:17;D&C 27:18). Focusing our minds on Christ and His salvation will protect us from unworthy thoughts, keep our “eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 4:5), and guide us in our decisions.
We should pick up the “shield of faith, wherewith [we] shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph 6:16; D&C 27:17). A shield is the most versatile and effective means of defense in battle. Our faith, if it is built upon Christ and His gospel, can defend us against the adversary’s numerous onslaughts, just as a shield, if it is made of the right material, will withstand volleys of fiery darts.
We should have our “loins girt about with truth” (Eph 6:14; D&C 27:16). Loins means the area between the hips and abdomen. Girt means tied around firmly with a belt. Generally, to “gird your loins” means to prepare for action. We prepare ourselves to take action in the battle against evil by learning the truth through prayer and scripture study (Alma 17:2-3;D&C 11:21;D&C 84:85).
Also, when the righteous build Zion the Lord has promised that “all who fight against Zion shall be destroyed” (1 Ne 22:14, 19; 2 Ne 6:12-13; 2 Ne 10:13,16; 2 Ne 27:3).
5. Does God promise land to us today? We are promised more than just a piece of land, we are promised that just our bodies will be restored to their perfect form, so will the earth be restored to its paradisaical form for us to inhabit (A of F 1:10; D&C 133:23-24). The righteous will inherit a perfect world!
We are promised some amazing blessings if we choose to obey! And this is just five of the blessings the Lord has promised, there are many more! It is always helpful to me to spend some time looking for the blessings the Lord promises, it reminds me of how awesome God is and how much he loves us! It also gives me the desire to get myself back on track so that I can have these blessings in my life.
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