Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 3:25-28

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 3:25-28

"I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.

But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.

Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see."

Moses prays that he could go into the promised land and see it. Instead he is commanded to only view it from a distance. Then he is told to prepare Joshua for this. I pondered on how in leadership we often prepare those to take our place. I think if Moses had taken the children of Israel into the promised land and then died, the Israelites may have rebelled and not followed another prophet. It was good that they experienced this new phase under new leadership and prophet.

Day 2315

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 2:4-5, 9, 19

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 2:4-5, 9, 19

And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore:

Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.

And the LORD said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not give thee of their land for a possession; because I have given Ar unto the children of Lot for a possession.

And when thou comest nigh over against the children of Ammon, distress them not, nor meddle with them: for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Ammon any possession; because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession."

The children of Israel were told not to meddle or distress the children of Esau or Lot, their land was not to be given to them. The children of Israel were to inherit the land reserved for Abraham's posterity. I thought about how different portions of the earth have been designated by the Lord from time to time as everlasting inheritances. It was also done for the tribe of Joseph and this land. I also thought about how to be a good neighbor I shouldn't meddle, contend or battle with them. I should respect what is their property.

Day 2314

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 1:30

Today's Favorite Verse: Deuteronomy 1:30

"The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;"

As I thought about God going before I realize that he always is, but it might be me facing a different direction and not seeing it. If I'm not facing the direction the Lord is traveling, and following him, then he cannot fight my battles. I'm not where he is promised to help me.

Day 2313

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 36:5, 7

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 36:5, 7

"And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well.

So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers."

Once again I think of the order that comes when we listen to the instructions of the Lord. I also thought about how it is good to bring concerns before the Lord, it shows much thought had gone into this issue of inheritances. It also shows how God was into the details of their lives.

Day 2312

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 35:6

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 35:6

"And among the cities which ye shall give unto the Levites there shall be six cities for refuge, which ye shall appoint for the manslayer, that he may flee thither: and to them ye shall add forty and two cities."

As I read about the cities for refuge, a place the manslayer could flee to, it made me think about sanctuary cities. There was much discussion a while back about them, it sounds like even God set them up for Israel. I do not know all the rules about sanctuary cities but it's worth keeping an open mind about them.

Day 2311

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 34:13, 18

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 34:13, 18

"And Moses commanded the children of Israel, saying, This is the land which ye shall inherit by lot, which the LORD commanded to give unto the nine tribes, and to the half tribe:

And ye shall take one prince of every tribe, to divide the land by inheritance."

It made me think again of this verse.

"Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion."

(Doctrine and Covenants 132:8)

Day 2310

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 33:55-56

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 33:55-56

"But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.

Moreover it shall come to pass, that I shall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them."

I thought about the risk that goes with mingling man's philosophy and God's doctrine together. We have to be careful about embracing false doctrine and false gods. In Moses day they were to drive the people out. In my day even thought there are honestly precepts of man that prick my eyes, are a thorn in my side, and vex our land, I have to peacefully live among them. The only driving out I have control over is not letting it take center stage in my mind or heart. The only room there is to worship the true and living God.

Day 2309

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 32:23

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 32:23

"But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out."

I thought about how "your sin will find you out". If they are not exposed in this life, they surely will be in the next if left unrepented.

Day 2308

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 31:15-17

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 31:15-17

"And Moses said unto them, Have ye saved all the women alive?

Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.

Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known man by lying with him."

When I read that they killed all the little boys I thought of how Moses as an infant was saved from a similar faith. I really didn't understand why these captives women and male children had to die. Then I realized I was viewing this in the eyes of my culture and not theirs. The male children would have grown up and felt it a solemn responsibility to avenge their father's death. That's like a ticking time bomb. The women that had known man intimately were part of the sexual immorality and idolatry that had caused the children of Israel to sin earlier. Leaving them among the Israelites would just unleased that. It was only the young girls that would be no threat to them. They would become their slaves. Interesting that those that were once slaves now have slaves.

Day 2307

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 30:2

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 30:2

"If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

I found this quote from James E. Faust that I really like.

"Integrity is the light that shines from a disciplined conscience. It is the strength of duty within us."

He continued in his talk.

"The power of keeping an oath was manifested by Nephi, who held Zoram, the frightened servant of Laban, to keep him from fleeing. Dr. Hugh Nibley has written:

“Nephi, a powerful fellow, held the terrified Zoram in a vise-like grip long enough to swear a solemn oath in his ear, ‘as the Lord liveth, and as I live’ that he would not harm him if he would listen. Zoram immediately relaxed, and Nephi swore another oath to him that he would be a free man if he would join the party. …

“… As soon as Zoram ‘made an oath unto us that he would tarry with us from that time forth … our fears did cease concerning him.’  (1 Ne. 4:32, 35, 37) 

(An Approach to the Book of Mormon, 2nd ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976, pp. 103–4.)

(James E. Faust, "Integrity, the Mother of Many Virtues", April 1982 General Conference)

Day 2306

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 29:35

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 29:35

"On the eighth day ye shall have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work therein:"

I don't observe the feasts and make blood sacrifices but I have participated in several solemn assembly. The last was in the April 2018 General Conference when President Russell M. Nelson was sustained as prophet, seer and revelator and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I found it and watched it again. What a spiritually moving occasion that was. I then went back and watched the solemn assembly for both President Thomas S. Monson and President Gordon B. Hinckley. As I have participated in them I always think about how the Lord's house is a house of order.

Day 2305

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 28:16

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 28:16

"And in the fourteenth day of the month is the passover of the Lord."

As I was reading this chapter with the offerings to be made for Passover, and each day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits, the spring Jewish feasts, I was reminded of the video on the events of the last week of the Savior, Jesus Christ's life. This holy week is when Jesus Christ became our Passover lamb.

Day 2304

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 27:4-7

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 27:4-7

"Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son? Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father.

And Moses brought their cause before the Lord.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them."

This is a wonderful example of how an issue should be brought before the Lord. Zelophehad's posterity received no inheritance because he had no sons. His daughters spoke up and Moses then inquired of the Lord. Then the Lord spoke and established a new law among them regarding inheritances. We've seen this happened with other issues. Sometimes the answer is yes, and other times no, or not now. Though I am curious in this case how the daughters would have behaved if the answer was no.

Day 2303

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 26:63-65

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 26:63-65

"These are they that were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel in the plains of Moab by Jordan near Jericho.

But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.

For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun."

At the start of the book of Numbers at Sinai all the males 20 years and older were counted. The total being 603,550. Now 40 years later on the plains of Moab near Jericho the count is 601,730. Of those originally counted only two, Caleb and Joshua, as promised remained alive. I marvel how close the numbers of those that were replaced now stands. The Lord's army is nearly the same, yet they are now younger and hopefully more obedient. I pondered on how important the youth would have been growing up in their generation.

Day 2302

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 25:13

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 25:13

"And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel."

This made me think about the priesthood being everlasting, being without beginning or end.

"It was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundation of the earth, down to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, or the first man, who is Adam, or first father, through the fathers unto me."

(Abraham 1:3)

Priesthood Everlasting: The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the Gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven, it is by Adam’s authority.

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 157)

Day 2301

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 24:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 24:1

"And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness."

I am glad for this verse it confirms that Balaam did receive revelation through the Lord and not through the adversaries means of deception. Over the years as I have read various prophesies and dreams, or even reports of visitations of angels, I have questioned their source. I've wondered if they used the way to try those spirits as spoken of in the Doctrine and Covenants 129, being as simple as offering to shake hands. What I have decided is to throw the vast lot out, unless I understand the authority of that man and who recorded it.

Day 2300

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 23:19

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 23:19

"God is not a man, that should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

Those are comforting words. The only time you would have an issue is if you thought you were listening to God, and you were instead listening to the wrong source that deceives. Knowing how God speaks to you, or even how he speaks to his prophet are about the most important thing we can obtain in this life.

"If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."

(Russell M. Nelson, "Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives", April 2018, General Conference)

Day 2299

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 22:25, 31-32

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 22:25, 31-32

"And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again.

Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.

And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:"

I could not stop from thinking about my broken arm. The joy I felt in the morning, over making an appointment to go to the temple, was dashed to pieces by evening, when I fell while printing out my temple cards. I remember laying on the floor, knowing my arm was badly broken, and saying, "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord". I knew my righteous desire to go to the temple was now placed on hold. Sometimes we can be on a good course, but it's not the road we are meant to travel. We just have to accept the course we are now on and know its the course God has in store for us. Having that knowledge makes enduring and having patience more attainable.

Day 2298