"The Woman Bare a Son, and Called His Name Samson"

Judges 13-16. 

Manoah and his wife couldn’t have children. Manoah’s wife prayed for a child. An angel of the Lord told Manoah and wife that they would have a son, but that he was to “be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Judges 13:5).  They later had a child and they named him Samson.

Samson was to be a great man. The Lord chose him to be a leader and deliver of Israel like other leaders before him. In the chart below are some promises and blessings that Samson was given as well as some sins that he committed that did not allow him to keep his covenant with the Lord.                                                

Promises and Blessings	Sins
He would be a Nazarite	Ate honey from a lion he had killed, which was unclean, and kept it from his parents
He would free Israel from the Philistines	Defied his parents by marrying a Philistine girl from Timnath. He was to destroy the Philistines not mingle with them
Blessed with mighty strength	Used his strength for his personal desires, and revenges but never to deliver Israel out of the hands of the Philistines
Blessed with strength, which resulted in the deaths of many Philistines and even his.	Never kept his covenants, and sought after women and pleasures that made him break the law of chastity

Samson was a well-favored man not only by people, but by the Lord as well. Because of his great talents, Samson believed he was impervious to damage. He relied on his own strength and was less inclined to seek the Lord for guidance. In this similar way, some people, whom have so much potential, make such bad decisions. They rely on their accomplishments, and success, and forget of who blessed them with these talents. They rely on their strengths; become prideful, and stop serving the Lord and serving others. Instead they seek for personal gains, and pride in their own accomplishments, and start making bad decisions.

As a Nazarite since birth, Samson had certain requirements to uphold.  In order to be a Nazarite, one must “separate themselves unto the Lord” (Numbers 6:2). Meaning one had to make a special vow to separate themselves from any unclean thing, and live a life dedicated to the Lord. In the Old Testament in Numbers 6:1-9, it explains of three special requirements of a Nazarite: (1) abstain from wine or any strong drink, (2) not let a razor near their head, but instead to let it grow, (3) stay away from unclean and dead body, even that of a family member. We know that Samson broke his vow when he shared with Delilah where he obtained his strength. She told the Philistines who later cut Samson’s hair. For breaking his vow, Samson paid with his eyesight, and even his life.  

In learning of Samson’s life, there are things we can do to avoid yielding to temptation in our lives. It is easy for us to fall into temptations, and choose to do things that please us even though they may not be right. Sin can be attractive and desirable, and we must learn to commit to always keeping the commandments, and developing self-discipline. One thing I commit to do is to stay humble, and to always remember that all my gifts, and talents, are blessings that the Lord has given me to help Him carry His mission in this world. Let us not get sidetracked and always remember who we are, what we have, and what we are here on earth for.  

"Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve"

Joshua 7-24 

“Did the Sun Really Stand Still in the Heavens? (pg. 240, Institute Student Manual for Joshua 10:12-14). Joshua 10:12-14 states that the Lord commanded the Sun and Moon to stand still “until the [children of Israel] had avenged themselves upon their enemies…so the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.”  So did the sun really stand still in the heavens? The Book of Mormon is another testament and it helps us understand events from the Bible a little better. In Helaman 12: 13-17, it clarifies that it was the earth that stood still and not the sun. The earth stood still in order to lengthen out the day for many hours, which can seem like the sun may have stood still. As we know the Lord wanted to lengthen the day so the children of Israel could have victory over its enemies. Some people might question this event. Some may even say that they won’t believe the Bible because of the obvious contradiction with science. To those who choose to not believe such events can occur because of what we know from science, I say that they remember this is not something possible for us to do, but for the Lord anything is possible. Let us not forget how great and omnipotent His power is. With this power He created us, and everything around us.  He surely can command His creations to stop, stay still, and move, just as He can create, or destroy them. Let us exercise our faith, and believe that with the Lord anything is possible.

“Choose You This Day Whom Ye Will Serve” (pg. 242, Institute Student Manual commentary for Joshua 24:1-28). This was the major theme for Joshua’s final address to his people. From Joshua 7-22, we can see some successes and failures that Israel had. The following are some successes: conquered Ai, defeated Amorites and their allies, conquered a whole land, conquered Kings, rewarded for their faithfulness, received their inheritances, and the Lord fulfilled all his promises and gave Israel rest. Some of their failures were: defeated by Ai, complained to the Lord, and households destroyed because of their disobedience. From looking at successes and failures that the children of Israel had through their journeys, it is clear to see why Joshua would chose to deliver his final address on this particular topic. Joshua wanted the people of Israel to decide whom they were going to serve. He wanted them to reflect on their success and their failures, and to reflect on how victorious they were because of the Lord. He wanted them to choose if they were going to serve the Lord, or if they were going to serve other gods.

This is the same decision that we must make ourselves. We each need to decide whom we will serve, and if we choose to serve the Lord we must do so “in sincerity and in truth.” If we diligently serve the Lord, He is bound by His promises to always bless us. Let us not forget that the Lord is powerful, and anything is possible through Him. If we obey and serve Him we will be more prosperous than we can imagine in this life, and the in the next.

Obedience Brings Blessings; Disobedience Brings Curses

Deuteronomy 10-11; 13-14; 22-24; 26; 28-29. 

The Tablets containing the commandments: 

The Lord directed Moses to make an ark (chest) of wood to keep the tablets containing the Ten Commandments. This instruction teaches us that the commandments are precious and important to the Lord, so He wanted them protected and safe. (Deuteronomy 10:1-5)

Reading and comparing through Deuteronomy 11:1, 13-14, 22; 30:6, 16, 19-20 and Matthew 22:36-40, I noticed that the greatest commandment is to love. Through these verses I was able to see why to love is the most important commandment. If we love God, we will be more willing to obey Him and keep His commandments. We will cleave unto Him, and live righteously through His guidance. Because of this we will be blessed and live more happier lives. The opposite is also true. If we don’t love God, or choose not to believe in Him, or follow Him, they we are cursing ourselves with a life full of misfortunes and sorrow.  

Love is an emotion. We can command our emotions. We can decide and choose who we want to love regardless of how we feel. We can learn to love someone we don’t’ see by taking the time to getting to know them. The same is for God. We can learn to love God by getting to know Him.

Several verses in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 10:12-13; 11:1, 8-9; 13:4; and 26:17-19) talk about keeping the commandments. The Lord places such a strong emphasis on obedience to the commandments because He loves us and wants us to return to live with Him. He has given us rules and guidelines to follow that will help us come closer to Him. As we follow and obey the commandments we will be happier and more prosperous not only in this life but in the next as well because the Lord will bless us for obeying His commandments. Mosiah 2:41 reads, “And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and ^ahappy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are ^bblessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out ^cfaithful to the end they are received into ^dheaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.” Keeping the commandments is so important for our happines, and salvation.

Here are some results of obeying the commandments from Deuteronomy 28:1-14:

• Blessed in the city, and in the field. (verse 3)
• Blessed will be the fruit of our bodies. (verse 4)
• Blessed with fruit of the ground (crops/agriculture). (verse 4)
• Blessed with increase of cattle, and flocks of sheep. (verse 4)
• Blessed with plenty of things for our use, and for storage. (verse 5)
• Blessed in our travels (verse 6)
• Blessed with protection for our enemies. (verse 7)
• Blessed with success in everything we set our minds to. (verse 8)
• We will be called the Lords people, and others shall see us and be afraid. (verse 10)
• We will be prosperous in goods, cattle, and land. (verse 11)
• Blessed in abundance to be able to share with others and never have to borrow. (verse 12)
• We will be at the head of the Lords kingdom. (verse 13)

In Doctrine and Covenants 84:14-27 we learn that the children of Israel denied themselves through their disobedience in the wilderness the blessings of the Lords priesthood, and the right to see and live with the Lord in His kingdom.

Deuteronomy 28:15-65 tells us of some consequences that we too can face by disobeying the commandments:  

• Cursed in the city and in the field. (verse 16)
• Cursed be our basket and our store. (verse 17)
• Cursed will be the fruits of our bodies, our lands, and flocks. (verse 18)
• Cursed in our travels (verse 19)
• Cursed with trials and failure in things we set our minds to. (verse 20)
• Cursed with pestilence. (verse 21)
• Cursed with illnesses that will take over us, and all bad things. (verse 22)
• We will not have any protection against our enemies and they will destroy us. (Verse 25)
• So bad will our cursing be that we wont be able to healed and we will surely perish. (verse 27)

The Lord sometimes chastens his children with “many afflictions,” so they can remember Him. If he doesn’t chastise them and afflict them, then they will be slow to remember Him and seek Him. (Helaman 12:3) 

The Lord clearly stated consequences of disobedience, but He does not desire to curse His children. He wants us to remember Him, and keep His commandments. If we seek Him, and repent of our wrong doings, He will give us another chance to prove ourselves. God is willing to forgive us and bless us if we sincerely wish to be forgiven, and wish to walk in His way. We can all start in a clean slate if we ask for the Lords mercy. The Lord wants us to return to live with Him in His kingdom. He has prepared a way for us, and has instructed us on how to do so. He is always there to help us, forgive us, and bless us if we so desire. He has done and continues to do all of this for us because He loves us. We too can show Him how much we love Him by obeying the commandments, and walking in His way.

I am grateful for a king, loving, and merciful Heavenly Father, who despite all my imperfections He still wants me to return to Him. I am grateful for the atonement, and the opportunity I have to repent, and become pure again. The commandments grant me comfort because I know that if I obey them the Lord will bless me. 

The Brazen Serpent

Numbers 21:4-9

The Story:

The Israelites had been defending themselves from enemies who wanted them out of the land. They had sought the Lord’s help in battling them and the Lord had blessed them with victories. Despite their victories the children on Israel complained about the route they had been take through. They murmured against God, and Moses because the route they had been led through was harsh for them since there was no water or food for them. The “Lord sent fiery serpents among the people,” because of their murmuring (Num. 21: 6).  Many people died from being bit. The Israelites soon realized that they had sinned, and asked Moses to “pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from [them]”  (Num. 21:7).  The Lord decided to use this as a teaching moment for His people. Instead of taking the serpents away, He told Moses to make “a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole…if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived” (Num. 21: 9). The Israelites only had to look at the serpent of brass, and they would be healed and live.

How does this pertain to us?

The Brazen serpent symbolizes Jesus Christ and His atonement. This symbolism is explained in Helaman 8:14-15, “And as [Moses] lifted up the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall [Jesus Christ] be lifted up who should come. And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.”

There are times when we are like the children of Israel of ancient. We tend to complain or murmur against our fellowmen, or the Lord for hardships that occur to us in our lives. We become unhappy because we don’t understand why these things happen to us. We expect to be blessed and for our lives to run smoothly, yet our attitudes and lives don’t reflect these desires. We usually turn to our families, friends, and sometimes-church letters, to be healed, who are all great, but we should “look” unto the Savior for true healing. Each one of us can all “look to” Jesus Christ for healing. By repenting and believing in Christ we come closer to Him, and in return He blesses us salvation. Aside from physical healing, if we “look” unto the Savior, He can heal us by providing with comfort, and strength to endure our hardships. Knowing that He gave His life for us to be able to repent, and be cleansed so we can feel joy again shows us that we are not alone here on Earth, and His endless love for us. There are simple things in the gospel of Jesus Christ that can help heal us. Prayer, scripture reading, attending church, keeping the commandments, and being around our loved ones are all things that we can all do to help us in the healing process.

Being inactive from church for about seven years, I needed the healing power of the atonement in my life. I had relied on my own abilities, and didn’t think I needed Christ in my life. Distancing myself from the Lord, and the gospel, was the worst thing I could have ever done because of the sorrow, and pain I felt during those years. I was miserable, and in so much need of having the Lord in my life. Through the atonement, I was able to repent and correct my mistakes. I was able to become clean again, and feel the Lord’s love and blessings. I still have hardships, and difficult times, but I find things more bearable with Christ in my life. I am grateful for the atonement and the healing it provides me with daily. I am grateful for the Lord and for his unconditional love for us. He is always willing to help and heal us, if we just look for Him, and believe in Him.

Leadership and Delegation

Exodus 18: 13-24

Moses would judge people from morning until evening. Jethro, Moses’ father in law, observed this and told him that this activity was “not good.” He told him that it was too much responsibility for Moses to handle all by himself. He warned him that he would “surely wear away” if he continued this way. He counseled him to teach other’s the “ordinances and laws,” and that he must show them how to do the work and make them “able men”. He told him that he needed to delegate the work to others who would help him judge the people. The appointed judges would have the ability to judge smaller matters, but greater matters would be brought to Moses. Jethro then told Moses in verse 23, “If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” This would make Moses load lighter and in return everyone would benefit from it.

How does this story relate to us?

Corinthians 12: 14, “For the body is not one member, but many.” Just like our bodies have different members that contribute to make our bodies whole we too are individual members of our church, job, or home, and we each have an important role. We are all essential in one way or another. At times we may feel like we have a lot in our plates, and no matter how many hours we spend trying to complete them they don’t seem to go away. That’s when we need to follow Jethro’s counsel to Moses, and delegate the work to others and make leaders of them. By sharing our responsibilities with others we communicate trust, and care for others. We allow others to grow by having them contribute, and we help them to become responsible leaders. This is not always an easy task to do, but when we take the time to prayerfully seek others who can help us, our load not only gets lighter, but others grow from it as well. 

Joseph Endured His Trials

Genesis 29-30, 35, 37, 39-41

In order to understand how Joseph endured his trials, we need a little background information. The follwoing list is a birth order of Jacob's 12 sons found in Genesis 29-30, 35: 

1. Reuben (Leah)
2. Simeon (Leah)
3. Levi (Leah)
4. Judah (Leah)
5. Dan (Bilhah)
6. Naphtali (Bilhah)
7. Gad (Zilpah)
8. Asher (Zilpah)
9. Issachar (Leah)
10. Zebulun (Leah)
11. Joseph (Rachel)
12. Benjamin (Rachel)

Now in Genesis 37:3 we are told that Jacob "favored" Joseph "more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors,"and for this the brothers envied him. “What Was the Coat of Many Colors?” According to the Institute Student Manual commentary for Genesis 37:3, it is suggested that it as “a tunic reaching to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet; the long tunic with sleeves worn by young men and maidens of the better class; in the case of Joseph, supposed by Bush…to have been the badge of the birthright which has been forfeited by Reuben and transferred to Joseph” (pg. 93). As we see from the list above, there were four firstborn sons from Jacob and Leah. If in fact “the coat of many colours” given to Joseph by Jacob signified receiving the birthright then we can understand why the other brothers of Joseph were envious of him. Joseph was the eleventh brother. There were nine others who could have had the birthright since they were technically next in line, after Reuben forfeited his birthright. Joseph’s brothers could tell that Joseph was favored more by Jacob because of this. The brother’s also hated Joseph even more because of the dreams he was having that illustrated the leadership he would have over them.

Genesis 37 illustrates some challenges that Joseph faced because of his brother's jealousy. He was  thrown into a pit, and sold as a slave into Egypt. Joseph could have been bitter, angry and mad for what had been done to him, but instead he “was a goodly person.” And for it he was “well favo  I cannot imagine Joseph being happy about what was being done to him, but through it all he remained positive and faithful to God. Like Joseph, many people today face similar challenges. Although they may not be exactly be thrown into a pit, or sold as slaves, many face bad experiences and situations. Some of them are because they got themselves there and others because someone else influenced them. Nonetheless everyone faces difficult challenges in life, and it’s important to remain positive, and faithful through them.

ured” (Genesis 39: 6).

How easy could it have been for Joseph to curse and blame the Lord for all of the tragedies he was enduring? Some may think he could have even been justified for doing so. But Joseph never once offended or blamed the Lord. As mentioned earlier he was righteous person, always striving to serve the Lord. When tempted by Potiphar’s wife to sleep with her, Joseph refused by saying that he had been blessed, and that he couldn’t do such “wickedness and sin against God.” For this event he was falsely accused and imprisoned, but yet he still didn’t turn against the Lord. In Genesis 40, we even learn that Joseph willingly translated dreams for two prisoners, and even Pharaoh’s dream, and stated that it was knowledge that cam from God. Through his hardships, and tragedies Joseph remained faithful unto the Lord. For this we know from several repeated verses in Genesis 39 that “the Lord was with him” (v. 2,3, 21, 23).  

Joseph story is similar to many of our stories. We can all learn from him and his experience to always remain faithful. Sometimes it may be hard to understand why certain things happen to us. We have to live them whether we want to or not, they are just part of life, so why not live through them with a positive outlook in life, and our minds and hearts towards God? He can help us like he helped Joseph, if we too turn our bad experiences, or situations into good ones, and we do so believing that He will see us through them. Let us all be more like Joseph and see in the good in the bad that life hands us, and be more faithful and optimistic about it.

Holiness to the Lord

Leviticus 17-25. 

When something is written several times in the Old Testament, you know it must be important. This week while reading the book of Leviticus, I noticed a recurring theme: the importance of sanctifying ourselves and becoming holy in character as the Lord is. This theme was emphasized in several verses in Leviticus, which is why I chose to write about it, and discuss what it really means.

To understand the theme better lets find out what it means to be sanctified and holy. According to the Guide to Scriptures, “sanctification,” is when we become “free from sin, pure, clean, and holy through the atonement of Jesus Christ” (Guide to the Scriptures, online).  The Bible Dictionary states that “things or places where holy that were set apart for a sacred purpose …similarly, a holy person meant one who held a sacred office.” It also stated that in order to be holy, our minds and hearts had to be set straight upon the Lord. So in simple words we can say that in order to be sanctified and holy, we must separate ourselves from things that keep us from being the sacred people we are meant to be.

The Lord, our creator, has required that we become holy like Him. We can do this through the grace of the atonement. To make sure we remain holy, we must make use of the atonement. We can repent from our mistakes, and wrongdoings, and get right with the Lord. We can be become pure and holy again through the Lord as we separate ourselves from the filth of the world. In Leviticus 18: 4-5 we are told to keep the commandments and live them. Some of the commandments mentioned in chapters 19-20 were: obey your parents; observe the Sabbath, refrain from having idols, or false gods other than God. Do not steal, lie, or be dishonest. Do not use the Lord’s name in vain, and or commit adultery, and love your neighbor as you love yourself. These are some things that we can follow and live by to come closer to God, and be holy like He is.

We know and see that the world struggles with keeping and living the commandments. I think the ones that most of the world struggles with today are not having false idols, and loving their neighbors as they love themselves. I think that if we all refrained from putting anything else before God, and we loved and treated everyone as if it was ourselves then the world would be a completely different place. I don’t think there would be much dishonesty, stealing, lying, or breaking the Sabbath. Unfortunately, this is all wishful thinking. As long as we all have our agency, this is something that will be difficult to do, but we can all choose to make the world a better place by living the commandments, being good examples, and striving to become holy everyday.

I know I can improve in keeping the commandments. I choose to do my best from now on in keeping the Sabbath day holy by attending church, renewing my covenants I made with the Lord, and findings ways to grow spiritually and closer to heavenly Father. This is something we can all do. As we keep the commandments, and strive to live them daily, we will be blessed and sanctified. We will be able to fulfill the Lord’s desire to be holy as He is.