Holiness to the Lord

A theme for the book of Leviticus could be: Be thou holy for I the Lord am holy.

To be holy is a reference to a person’s moral character. A person who is set apart for a sacred purpose is considered holy. Jehovah commands His followers to be holy because He Himself is holy. The attempt of the Jews to become holy failed because they got caught up in the letter of the law instead of the spirit of the law. In order to avoid the same downfall we should be careful to remember why we are doing things. All of the commandments that we have been given have a purpose. We need to remember these purposes as we keep the commandments.

According to Leviticus 18:4-5 if we keep the commandments of the Lord and remember the spirit in which they were given then we will have the privilege of having the Lord live by us, meaning that we will have His spirit with us.

Many commandments are given to us in Leviticus 19-20 including:

Ø  Keep the Sabbath day holy (19:3,30)

Ø  Do not worship idols (19:4)

Ø  Do not steal (19:11,13)

Ø  Do not lie (19:11,12)

Ø  Do not take the name of the Lord in vain (19:12)

Ø  Do not defraud others (19:13)

Ø  Have compassion for others (19:14)

Ø  Do not make other’s life harder than needs be (19:14)

Ø  Judge righteously (19:15)

Ø  Do not gossip (19:16)

Ø  Love thy neighbor as thyself (19:17,18)

Ø  Do not hold a grudge (19:18)

Ø  Do not defile your body (19:28)

Ø  Do not commit whoredoms (19:29)

Ø  Do not commit adultery (20:10)

Ø  Do not partake in homosexual activities (20:13)

I think the commandment that our world struggles with the most is loving others as thyself. In our world we are all busy and very focused on what we need to get done that we often do not think about those around us. We often make the lives of others harder than we need to because we don’t always take the time to help others. This is something that I often struggle with. I get so caught up in what I need to get done that I don’t take the time to help those around me. In an effort to keep this commandment more valiantly I am going to look for something that I can do each day to lighten the load of those around me. 

Melchizedek

To be completely honest I didn’t have a real understanding of who Melchizedek was before studying him this week. I knew that he was the one that the Melchizedek Priesthood was named after but that was about it.  By studying the Old Testament and other scriptures relating to him I was able to gain a better understanding of who he was.

Melchizedek was the king of Salem during a time in which the people were very wicked. Melchizedek however, was a very faithful man. The Joseph Smith translation of Genesis tells us that he was a man “who wrought righteousness.” Because of his faithfulness and good works he was made a high priest and was called to preach repentance to the people of Salem. The people listened to Melchizedek and repented. Peace was established in the land for many years. Because of his faithfulness and righteousness the Holy Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God was given the name of the Melchizedek Priesthood to avoid repetition of the name of Deity.

There are many evidences given in the scriptures to suggest that Melchizedek is the same person as Shem, the son of Noah. However, scholars have said this is not enough evidence to either prove or disprove this. 

Enoch

The people of Enoch’s day were an evil people. They did not seek the Lord in all things but instead “sought their own counsels in the dark” (Moses 6:28). The Lord explained to Enoch that the people’s “hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off” (Moses 6:27). The Lord called upon Enoch to be a prophet unto the people and preach repentance unto them. Enoch was wary of the assignment he was given. He explained to the Lord, “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?” (Moses 6:31). Enoch did not feel that he had the proper training to be a servant of the Lord.

The Lord assured Enoch that He would assist him in doing His work. He tells him, “Open thy mouth and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good” (Moses 6:32). The Lord knows the potential of each and every one of us. He knows what we are capable of doing. The Lord has a plan that needs specific people in specific situations to bring about the results He desires. We need to be willing to step up to the call that He extends to us regardless of whether or not we feel qualified because as the Lord told Enoch, He will give us the strength and the skills that we need to accomplish it.

In January of 2012 I was called to be Relief Society president in my student ward at BYU-Idaho. I accepted the calling knowing that the Lord would help me through it. The semester had its usual ups and downs. Near the end of the semester I began to feel as though I had failed. I had people around me telling me that I hadn’t done a good enough job and that I needed to be better. I felt like Enoch when he said, “All the people hate me…wherefore am I thy servant?” (Moses 6:31). As I humbly sought the Lord in prayer and through the help of my bishop I came to realize that I was doing my best and that I was pleasing the Lord. The Lord had strengthened me to do all that He expected me to do, not what other people expected me to do. I was reassured that the Lord provides those He calls with all of the strengths and skills they need to fulfill His plan.

I am so glad that we have the account of Enoch in the Pearl of Great Price. It gives us so much understanding that we do not get from the bible. Without the Pearl of Great Price I would not have the example of Enoch to look up to when I feel as though I am not qualified for the calling the Lord has bestowed upon me.