Moses Talks with God

Today I read Moses chapter 1. I have always enjoyed the Pearl of Great Price. There’s just something about ancient history that I like to read about . As I am sure most, if not all of you, know, the book of Moses is a revelation that was given to Joseph Smith when he translated the Old Testament and is the original first 8 chapters of the book of Genesis that were removed.

In this first chapter Moses sees Jehovah and beholds His glory. He also sees Satan and beholds his lack of glory. I have always found it an odd decision on Satan’s part to appear as soon as Moses had his strength back from such a spiritual experience. I mean, with it so fresh in his mind, Moses could not help but recognize the difference between Jehovah and Satan. I have heard lots of people use this encounter to state that Satan strikes at us when we are at our weakest, and surely Moses was physically weak at this point, but he was also probably at the most spiritually strongest point he had ever been in throughout his entire life. I mean, what sense does it make?

I have also liked this chapter because like most little boys, I was always fascinated with the stars and outer space. I have always found the thought that there are other worlds out there with other of God’s children on them a comforting thought for some reason. Moses is taken up into the heavens, as best I can tell, and he is shown all things that have to do with this world, but only with this world. I have always found that interesting that the Lord is only will, or perhaps can only, show Moses the things of this world because this is the world he is part of. But I have always been intrigued, and jealous, that Moses gets to see the whole of human history. I can only imagine how this was accomplished and how draining it must have been to Moses to see it and comprehend it. I think that is the more impressive feat, not that Moses saw the beginning and the end, but rather that he comprehended it. I mean think about it, Moses probably only spoke at best, a couple of languages. He for sure did not speak all the dialects of all the people of the world throughout time, and yet and he understood the people and the events that were transpiring before him. That of course is through the help of the Savior. I just have to be patient that I too will someday get to see it all just like we all will. I have always felt that when we do see it, several of the mysteries that we have will feel kind of like a letdown when we see what the truth behind them are. Just food for thought.

Perhaps the most famous verse in this chapter would be verse 39 where the Lord reveals that His work and that which He takes glory in is helping mankind return to live with him as immortal beings. We have already talked about this verse in other posts, especially in the aspect of God being a God of work and the difference between immortality and eternal life. So I won’t really dwell on this verse in this post. But it would be a disservice to probably the most quoted verse of scripture in our church if I didn’t at least mention it.

The last thing I want to talk about today is the fact that one of the reasons Moses was able to resist Satan is because he had a correct understanding of who he is. The Lord called Moses His son 3 times, helping him to understand correctly that he was of a divine inheritance. So when Satan appeared and called him the son of man, Moses was already on his guard, probably even before he realized he had not been transfigured. Although, I have never been transfigured so perhaps it is so altering an experience that when Satan appeared, the first thing Moses noticed was that he had not been transfigured. Again, it is something I will know someday, but not anytime in the foreseeable future. But for the rest of us, one of our strongest defenses is to have a good understanding of who we are. When we know who we are, a son or daughter of God, it is a lot easier to resist temptations and to overcome the desire to do that which is wrong in the sight of God. And I don’t know about you, but I need all the help in overcoming Satan that I can get. It’s hard to know who we are though if we do not know God, and the only way we can come to know God is to follow His commandments and gain a better understanding of who He is. And that is accomplished day by day through righteous living, one correct choice at a time. Until tomorrow.