Today's Favorite Verse: Zechariah 3:1-4

Today's Favorite Verse: Zechariah 3:1-4
"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Reminds me of things I learn in the temple. Joshua the high priest appears to be a good man for the angel of the Lord is before him. Satan is there to resist him. It would appear Joshua's garments are filthy not from his sins but from the sins of the world. He is being washed and cleansed from them, and put on a change of raiment. We likewise need to be cleansed from the sins of the world, and stand apart from it. Being in the world but not of it.

"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
(John 15:19)

"And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better."
(Doctrine and Covenants 25:10)

"And that thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;"
(Doctrine and Covenants 59:9)

Day 4048

Today's Favorite Verse: Daniel 3:21

Today's Favorite Verse: Daniel 3:21
"And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace."

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego would not bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. For that they were to be tossed into the fiery furnace. Their fear of God was greater than their fear of man. They knew that God would save them if it was His will. I have always loved this story. This and the one in the Book of Mormon where Nephi and Lehi are surrounded by a pillar of fire and it burned them not. These stories of survival in the midst of fire have brought me so much comfort. I used to be very afraid of nuclear holocaust but now I am not. I know that we can survive with no effect upon our bodies if it's according to God's will. While reading this I noticed the word "other" garments is italicized. That is one more reason for their protection.

Day 4027

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 15:38-39

Today's Favorite Verse: Numbers 15:38-39
"Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribband of blue:
And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:"

This made me think of the reason we wear garments today. I also thought about a video that spoke of sacred clothing of various religions.

What Were the Fringes on the Garment?
A symbol is one thing that represents another. One use of symbols is to remind us of our important commitments. For example, the bread and water of the sacrament are symbols that remind us of Jesus’ sacrifice for us and of our covenants with Him. Israel practiced the law of sacrifice for a similar reason.
Similarly, the Lord commanded wandering Israel to fringe the borders of their garments so that when they looked upon the fringes they would be reminded of the commandments of the Lord (see v. 39).
Clothing is used to cover, protect, and beautify. To put fringes on an article of clothing symbolized that an individual is clothed, or covered, with the commandments of God.
The ribbon of blue also symbolically suggested concepts of deep importance. Blue signifies the heavens and so symbolizes the spiritual realm or godliness (see Fallows, Bible Encyclopedia, s.v. “colors,” 1:440).
“The zizith [tassel] on the sky-blue thread was to serve as a memorial sign to the Israelites, to remind them of the commandments of God, that they might have them constantly before their eyes and follow them, and not direct their heart and eyes to the things of this world, which turn away from the word of God, and lead astray to idolatry.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 1:3:104.)
(Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel, "Numbers 13-36: Wilderness Wanderings, Part 2")

Day 3789

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 113:7-8

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 113:7-8
"Questions by Elias Higbee: What is meant by the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith: Put on thy strength, O Zion—and what people had Isaiah reference to?
He had reference to those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost."

There were some questions that Joseph Smith and others had on the writings of Isaiah. This chapter has questions they asked and the answers received. I love these question and answer sessions. I really do wish they had asked more. This is verse in Isaiah the question was about.

"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean."
(Isaiah 52:1)

This is talking about us. With the phrase "put on thy beautiful garments" it makes me wonder why, of all times, would an endowed member want to find excuses to stop wearing them? I don't really want to understand their reasoning. I truly feel they are on shaky ground and may not know it yet. That thought makes me really, really sad. It also makes me think of the five foolish virgins. Could you imagine them asking the five wise virgins to give them their garments because they don't have any with them? There is a reason we are told to be covenant keeping, temple going people.

"I am so grateful for the privilege of wearing the garment of the holy priesthood to remind me that the Savior and the blessings of His infinite Atonement constantly cover me throughout my mortal journey. It also reminds me that as I keep the covenants I have made with God in the house of the Lord, I have symbolically put on Christ, who Himself is an armor of light. He will protect me from evil, give me power and increased capacity, and be my light and guide through the darkness and difficulties of this world.
There is deep and beautiful symbolic meaning in the garment of the holy priesthood and its relationship to Christ. I believe that my willingness to wear the holy garment becomes my symbol to Him. It is my own personal sign to God, not a sign to others."
(Sister J. Anette Dennis, "Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ", April 2024 General Conference)

Day 3702

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 43:19-20, 37

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 43:19-20, 37
"And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing—
Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins; yea, all were naked, save it were the Zoramites and the Amalekites;
And the work of death commenced on both sides, but it was more dreadful on the part of the Lamanites, for their nakedness was exposed to the heavy blows of the Nephites with their swords and their cimeters, which brought death almost at every stroke."

I know the war chapters are not always what they seem to be. There are warnings and lessons deeper in the stories as we ponder them. This time my mind was on garments. How they were a protection to the Nephites and covered their nakedness. They would not have survived the battle and been victorious without that protection. We have been hearing a lot about the wearing of garments in many general conference talks. There are many reasons why we need to be wearing them.

"Our temple garment reminds us that the Savior and the blessings of His Atonement cover us throughout our lives. As we put on the garment of the holy priesthood each day, that beautiful symbol becomes a part of us."
(J. Anette Dennis, "Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ", Apr 2024 General Conference)

"Partaking of the bread and water is a weekly reminder of His power working in you to help you overcome. Wearing the garment of the holy priesthood is a daily reminder of the gift of His power working in you to help you become."
(Emily Belle Freeman, "Live Up to Your Privileges", Oct 2024 General Conference

Day 3487

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 8:24

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 8:24
"Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean."

I love this verse, and how I love to wear my beautiful garments. I love the house of the Lord. The covenants I make there strengthen me. I wondered how those that are not a temple going people would understand this verse is Isaiah 52? I also pondered on how there are some that once they have the beautiful garments don't think of them as beautiful and reject them. What a difference it makes, what we love today is what we will take with us on the other side.

"Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.
And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?
O, my son, this is not the case; but the meaning of the word restoration is to bring back again evil for evil, or carnal for carnal, or devilish for devilish—good for that which is good; righteous for that which is righteous; just for that which is just; merciful for that which is merciful. "
(Alma 41:10, 12-13)

Day 3379

Today's Favorite Verse: Revelation 16:7, 15

Today's Favorite Verse: Revelation 16:7, 15
"And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame."

The seven vials are poured out upon the wicked. I had to look for the righteous and were they would be. I see that they recognize the judgments for what they are, and acknowledge they are from the Lord. With all these disasters man will probably foolishly not recognize they come from the Lord, but see them as climate change, or man made pollutions. Thinking they could control what is to come. There is also warning that the Lord will come as a thief in the night and we are to watch. See if we are watching we won't be caught unaware. I find that last part about the garments interesting. The adversary is working overtime to make those that have been endowed to remove their garments. Their protection is gone. They would be among those not watching. The righteous are faithfully watching and remaining true to their covenants.

Day 3342

Today's Favorite Verse: Revelation 3:3-5

Today's Favorite Verse: Revelation 3:3-5
"Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."

This makes me think of all the talks on wearing our garments and going to the House of the Lord. We cannot afford to be slack in physically wearing our garments or found morally unworthy and unprepared to enter His House. If we are watchful and ready the Lord will not come as a thief in the night. The consequences are just to great.

"The garment of the holy priesthood is a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ and is a reminder of our covenant relationship with Him and Heavenly Father. As endowed members keep the covenants they have made, including the sacred privilege to wear the garment, they will have greater access to the Savior’s mercy, protection, strength, and power."
(First Presidency Letter, "The Garment of the Holy Priesthood", 12 Apr 2024)

Day 3329

Today's Favorite Verse: Zechariah 3:1, 3-4

Today's Favorite Verse: Zechariah 3:1, 3-4

"And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.

And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment."

Resist = accuse

I pondered on the filthy garments and what it meant. Joshua didn't need to ask to be made clean, implying repentance and forgiveness. It was told to the angels to take away the filthy garment and for him to be given a change of raiment. I would think the filth then on the garments were not from Joshua's sins. The filth was on the outside and not on the inside. Before this happened it speaks of Satan standing there and accusing him. It mentions Joshua's office as high priest so it wasn't necessarily Joshua being railed against it was his office and what he represented. The filth on Joshua's garments were coming from the sins of the world. Joshua is being made clean of that. The change of garment can also represent doing away with old and putting on new. This made me reflect on the temple and the first time I went. How I made new covenants and put away the old and put on new.

Day 3073

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 52:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 52:1

"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean."

I love the reminder that comes by putting on beautiful garments. This verse comes to me each time that I do. It does strengthen me. This also reminded me of Elder Bednar conference talk and putting on the king's robes, and how offense it was not to wear them.

"The custom in those days was for the host of a wedding feast—in this parable, the king—to provide garments for the wedding guests. Such wedding garments were simple, nondescript robes that all attendees wore. In this way, rank and station were eliminated, and everyone at the feast could mingle as equals.

People invited from the highways to attend the wedding would not have had the time or means to procure appropriate attire in preparation for the event. Consequently, the king likely gave guests the garments from his own wardrobe. Everyone was given the opportunity to clothe themselves in garments of royalty.

A Christian author, John O. Reid, noted that the man’s refusal to wear the wedding garment exemplified blatant “disrespect for both the king and his son.” He did not simply lack a wedding garment; rather, he chose not to wear one. He rebelliously refused to dress appropriately for the occasion. The king’s reaction was swift and decisive: “Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The king’s judgment of the man is not based primarily upon the lack of a wedding garment—but that “he was, in fact, determined not to wear one. The man … desired the honor of attending the wedding feast, but … did not want to follow the custom of the king. He wanted to do things his own way. His lack of proper dress revealed his inner rebellion against the king and his instructions

(David A. Bednar, "Put on Thy Strength, O Zion", Oct 2022 General Conference)

Day 2890

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 26:6

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 26:6

"Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering."

No matter what you have done and thought you have gotten away with or hidden, God knows the truth. He sees it all. I pondered on how the wicked have no covering, but the righteous do. The robe of righteousness, a garment made white and clean through the blood of the lamb would cloth our nakedness. To wear that you would have no sins to be revealed. The question is then, would I want to stand naked before God with all my sin revealed or clothed in white because I repented of them?

"Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."

(Revelation 3:4-5)

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

(Revelation 3:18)

"Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

(Revelation 16:15)

"For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you."

(Mormon 9:5)

"Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness."

(2 Nephi 9:14)

"That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings."

(Doctrine and Covenants 109:76)

Day 2621

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 40:12-13

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 40:12-13

"And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and wash them with water.

And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest's office."

This made me look for a the video the Church made that explains "Sacred Temple Clothing".

Day 2249

Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 2:16

Today's Favorite Verse: Amos 2:16
"And he that is courageous among the mighty shall flee away naked in that day, saith the Lord."

Naked can mean riotous, let loose, or exposed. It can also mean you are physically naked as was Adam and Eve.

"And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they had been naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
And he said: I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I beheld that I was naked, and hid myself."
(Moses 4:13, 16)

I think the experience of Adam and Eve hiding in the garden from the Lord because of their nakedness is exactly how the world will end.

"And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:"
(Revelation 6:15-16)

In the great and terrible day of the Lord, I do not want to stand naked before him. I want to stand clothed in the garments of the priesthood, with the robes of righteousness, obtained through the atonement of Jesus Christ. For that is the only thing that can cover my nakedness. Nothing man made can do it.

"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them." (Genesis 3:21)

To stand naked, exposed before God, I would truly want the rocks to fall down and hide me.

"For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God, and also the glory of God, and the holiness of Jesus Christ, it will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you."
(Mormon 9:5)

"Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness, and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness."
(2 Nephi 9:14)

"That our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings."
(Doctrine and Covenants 109:76)


Day 1456

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 42:11, 14

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 42:11, 14
"And the way before them was like the appearance of the chambers which were toward the north, as long as they, and as broad as they: and all their goings out were both according to their fashions, and according to their doors.
When the priests enter therein, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the utter court, but there they shall lay their garments wherein they minister; for they are holy; and shall put on other garments, and shall approach to those things which are for the people."

I pondered on how its not just the Lord's house that is designed and fashioned the way revealed. It is also the people. Are we not also the temple of the Lord, for that is where our spirits dwell.

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
(1 Corinthians 6:19)

(Old Testament high priest, created by Israel Daniel Smith.)

Day 1419

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 35:11

Today's Favorite Verse: Job 35:11
"Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?"

My mind went to the verses in the story of Adam and Eve, that I have recently been pondering on.

"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it."
(Genesis 2:15)

"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them."
(Genesis 3:8, 21)

I have often sat and wondered on all that God taught Adam and Eve while they walked in the garden. You cannot have someone dress and keep a garden if you don't show them how. Adam and Eve must have learned to garden, and make clothes by God himself instructing them. I will never know all that they learned while in the garden, but their source had to be directly from God. Once they left the garden they no longer walked with God. Instead they received instruction through his spirit. Those strokes of ideas that come to man, making him see new possibilities. Man might think they thought of such things themselves, but it was not them. It was the spirit that gives inspiration. When the time is right man will receive new ideas that build upon the knowledge already given. Even those that know not God will receive impressions through the light of Christ given to all men. The difference is what they will use that knowledge for.


Day 1046

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 39:29

Today's Favorite Verse: Exodus 39:29

"And a girdle of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, of needlework; as the Lord commanded Moses."

As I read of these colorful robes for the priest I wondered why we don't have them today in our temples? White, the absence of color is what I see. Then a thought came into my mind. "They have been washed white from the blood of the Lamb."  That just seemed right, but I have no other resource for that information. I would love to find it. Because I often find I have no original thoughts. What might seem new to me has been known by others for a very long time.

Theses verses would appear to confirm the impression that came to me.

"Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the lamb." (Alma 13:11)

"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7:14)

Day 664

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 3:21

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 3:21

"Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them."

As I read this verse I remembered hearing something about the coats of skins that I had been meaning to look up. The theory was that the coats of skins were made from the animals in the Garden of Eden that were also immortal. So the skins never rotted. This same coat of skins was handed down and is what Jacob gave to his son Joseph as the Coat of Many Colors. I went looking for the source of the story. I found things but nothing to my satisfaction. There was one article on http://thetorah.com/primeval-coats/ that was very interesting. It went through Primeval Coats - the fate of the first clothing in the hands of Adam, Nimrod, Esau, Jacob, Joseph and the High Priest. It covered various Jewish traditions in the Torah.

I was struck by the concept that the skins came from the serpent itself. God lopped of the serpents arms and legs, making it to crawl on its belly and eat dust. God then commanded the serpent to shed its coat. That shedded serpent skin was used to make the garments for Adam and Eve. I could see a loving God force the serpent to shed his skin for exposing the nakedness of Adam and Eve, instead of killing innocent animals for their skins. There are animal sacrifices in the Mosaic law but I couldn't see God making a sacrifice to himself, since he was the one making the coats of skins. I had read several things about the Coat of Many Colors and one was that it had the design of fish scales and was multi-colored. Wow, serpent skin could look like fish scales and actually be quite colorful and beautiful. I don't know if any of that is what really happened, but for some reason out of all that I read this tradition clicked. 

This will be one of the very interesting things I would like to know when this life is over. For now what I do know is that if I follow and keep God's commandments I will be covered from my nakedness. The garments of the Lord are a protection from all the darts of the adversary. 

Day 578

Today's Favorite Verse: D&C 36:6

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 36:6

"Crying repentance, saying: Save yourselves from this untoward generation, and come forth out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted with the flesh."

I had to pause and ponder on this verse so I could understand the meaning of some phrases. It's so interesting that when I sit and ponder the meaning will unravel to me. I remember in school we would have tests matching phrases to their meanings, such and such is to such and such. I have no idea what you call this exercise, I'm sure it has a name. I would never get it. My brain would just scream "I don't understand what this means!" So I find it so exciting my brain is able to finally grasp this when instructed by the spirit. I have no such ability on my own.

These are the phrases I wanted to understand:

"untoward generation"

"come forth out of the fire"

"garments spotted with the flesh"

I actually didn't get it until I went in reverse. I looked for any scripture reference to the phrase "garments spotted with the flesh". I found Jude 1:23 " And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh".

The word "by" help me understand that a little better. It's talking about taking on the sins of the flesh, that soil my garments and make me unclean from the world. The part "pulling them out of the fire" is similar to "come forth out of the fire". I know that I will be cast into an everlasting fire if I am found marked will the sins of this world in the end. So "come forth out of the fire" means to leave the world behind. This would mean then that the "untoward generation" would be those that do not come towards Christ. They will not come to his outstretched hands. They are moving away from him. 

What I learned is I need to come to Christ, keep myself from the sins of the world, and have garments washed white in his blood. 

Day 455