Israel Commanded to Destroy the Wicked

Read Deuteronomy 20:17 and make a list of the different nations the Lord identified in these verses. Then read Deuteronomy 2:15, 7:2, 12:2-3, and write a paragraph about what the Lord commanded Israel to do with these nations.

Nations: Hitties, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

The Lord commanded Israel to destroy those nations from among their host until they are consumed. That they should smite them and make no covenant with them or show mercy unto them. Israel should destroy all the places that those nations are in. Overthrow the alters and break their pillars and burn their groves with fire. They should cut down the graven images of their gods and destroy their names. The wickedness of these nations were a threat to the spiritual existence of the future nation so they needed to rid them to avoid that threat. These nations had the potential to contaminate the righteous so the Lord needed to put an end to it.

Read Deuteronomy 9:4-5 and the Institute Student Manual commentary for Deuteronomy 7:1-5, “Why Did the Lord Command the Israelites to Utterly Destroy the Canaanites?” (pg. 219). Add to your previous paragraph any other reasons why these nations were destroyed.

Many of the sins found among the people living in Canaan are prevalent in today’s society. Write a paragraph explaining how you think we can protect ourselves from these sins.

I think the most important part of protecting ourselves from these sins are to totally dive into living the gospel. The saying, “An eye single to the glory of God” rings a bell in my mind when I think about how we can protect ourselves from sin. Healthy habits are incredibly important. Things like: prayer with real intent and sincerity, daily scripture study, regular temple attendance, listening to clean uplifting music, standing in holy places, and so many other things.

Prophecy

I should be in bed right now but my friend posted a video about BYU-Idaho and I'm sure you all know how much I'm obsessed with my school by now. I'm feeling very nostalgic and so I watched a video on YouTube that I watched before I went back the second time. Please watch all the way through because the ending is the best part!

So, President Eyring prophesies that those who graduate from BYU-Idaho will become legendary to build people around them and to add value to where ever they serve. I know that this has come to pass because I know many amazing graduates from the Lord's university that have done these things and I know that it will continually come to pass as long at BYU-Idaho is functioning. 

There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss my personal sacred grove. I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow, and serve there and I wouldn't trade that for anything! I showed up there a totally different person than the person I was the day that I left and I wouldn't change any those experiences because I know they were a part of my plan. 

The Brazen Serpent

Read Numbers 21:4-9 and the Institute Student Manual Points to Ponder section (pg. 212). Then answer the following questions in writing:

What did the children of Israel do that resulted in the curse of the “fiery serpents”?

They spoke against God and Moses.

In what ways are people today sometimes like unto the children of Israel anciently? (See also 1 Nephi 17:45.)

We are swift to do iniquity and slow to remember the Lord. We have the opportunity to hear the Holy Ghost but cannot because we are past feeling.

According to Alma 33:18-22, what did the brazen serpent symbolize?

It symbolized the Atonement of Christ.

How does one “look to” Jesus Christ for healing?

They come to Him in humility with a broken heart and contrite spirit and ready to repent.

Aside from physical healings, how can “looking to” the Savior heal a person in other ways?

It can heal a person in every way possible: spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. When we look to Him and are willing to do as He asks we can be healed.

Where else do people sometimes turn for healing other than the Savior?

Many people choose to look to other people of substances like: counselors, friends, family, drugs, alcohol, pornography, anything really.

What are simple things in the gospel of Jesus Christ that can heal us?

Faith, repentance, prayer, scripture, hope, love, service, and obedience.

How have you experienced the healing power of the Atonement in your life?

Whenever I feel like I did something I shouldn’t have I always try to go to the Savior and utilize the Atonement because I have faith that it’ll comfort me and give me the peace that I’m seeking. I love the verse in the Bible that says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Because I believe this to be true I have the faith needed that my sins that were once red can become white as snow.

Modest Is Not Hottest

You're probably thinking- What's with the title of this blog post?! Let me just say that it's not what you think it is.

One of my friends and I are constantly sharing links to great talks, blog posts, songs, or whatever else with each other. She shared a good one with me last night. You can read it HERE. The title of it totally deceiving... Because I think we all know that I believe in being modest and I find joy in being modest. 

I do hope that you took the time to read through that blog post. She has some great points that she shares. I promise that it won't be a waste of your time. 

I would like to add a short definition of what modesty means to us "Mormons" and remember that it's not just how we dress. I found this information HERE.

"Modesty is an attitude of propriety and decency in dress, grooming, language, and behavior. If we are modest, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves. Instead, we seek to “glorify God in [our] body, and in [our] spirit”."

Leah Darrow puts it beautifully when she said, "Modesty is more than just a hemline, it is an interior disposition that influences not only our dress, but our thoughts and our actions."

 

The Day of Atonement

Leviticus 16

Leviticus 16 explains the details of what is referred to as the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 23:27-28). Write a definition for the primary purpose of this special day.

The primary purpose of this special day is to offer and offering to the Lord for that it was the only fast ordered by the law. It was a day to come to the Lord in humility asking for forgiveness. 

 Read Leviticus 16:1-28 as well as the Institute Student Manual commentary for Leviticus 16, “The Day of Atonement and Israel’s Forgiveness” (pgs. 176-77; see also Bible Dictionary, “Fasts,” 671, which describes the Day of Atonement). Then answer the following questions:

Why do you think Aaron needed to make atonement for himself before making atonement for the people?

So that he could be clean to make an atonement for the people.

Why did Aaron need two goats?

He needs one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering.

How could both goats represent Jesus Christ and His Atonement?

Sin offering was for him and the burnt offering was for the people. For Jesus Christ, He took upon himself our sins and suffered because of that and He bled out of every poor.

What do Aaron’s responsibilities and the responsibilities of the man who led the scapegoat into the wilderness symbolize?

They symbolize forgiveness and guidance of the Lord, getting rid of the sins of the mortal man.

Read the Institute Student Manual commentary by Elder James E. Talmage (1862-1933), a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (pg. 177). Define the word vicarious as it applied to the ancient Day of Atonement. Include in your statement the personal factor necessary for an individual’s sins to be forgiven. Explain in writing how the Savior’s work of the Atonement was a vicarious work.

Vicarious: to experience similar feelings indirectly through the imagination. By giving an offering to the Lord they were vicariously being forgiven of their sins. We are vicariously being forgiven of our sins when we come to the Lord in complete humility willing to do whatever He asks of us to be clean again. The Savior’s work of the Atonement was vicarious because the sins of men were forgiven when He performed the Atonement.