MOSES 5-7
Adam and Eve had many children. At one point Eve gave birth to a son and called him "Cain" and said " I have gotten a man from the Lord; wherefore he may not reject his words." (Moses 5:16) We'll see that Cain was the first mortal mother's sad disappointment. They also had the righteous Seth who was the great grandfather of Enoch. Cain and Enoch's statements and actions in this lesson can show us a little bit of ourselves. If' we're not watchful, we could fall into some of the same traps - maybe not as dramatic - but destructive nonetheless. Or if we are watchful, we can make choices that will bring joy and happiness to ourselves and others around us. Attitudes lead to outcomes - which ones do we want?
We begin by seeing the pride of Cain and that he has no interest in the teachings of his parents by stating, "Who is the Lord, that I should know him?" (Moses 5:16). I think like Cain, we confuse pride with self worth. We are taught in many scriptures that those that knew the Lord often "bowed down before him". Do we recoil from humility because it appears as groveling? Does God require humility just to put us in our place? Many felt that humility is how we get out of our own way. It is the pathway to receive light and knowledge necessary to gain true self worth. Pride and arrogance blocks true light and knowledge because we sadly assume that our finite minds and experience as well as the other pretentious intellectuals we choose to worship are enough.
Cain shows a deceptive nature by going through the religious motions, pretending to worship and faithlessly offers up the fruits of the field instead of the flock as is instituted. (Moses 5: 18-19). Even though this way of worship had been set up by the Lord and surely taught to Cain for years, he was still "wroth" when his sacrifice was not accepted. Typical - I make a willfully disobedient choice, but I'm angry at you for calling me on it. Some of us felt uneasy as we recalled times when we were less than faithful in our worship, only went through the motions or when we thought our way was better than the way things were set up. Some wondered if sometimes the Lord sets things up in a way that seems inefficient or inconvenient to see if we will be faithful. Others thought that the Lord sets up his organization for a real purpose and if we perceive it to be inefficient or inconvenient, that's our problem, not the Lord being petty. We also recognized the Lord as a perfect parent in that he states a law, ("And he gave unto them commandments, that they should aworship the Lord their God, and should offer the bfirstlings of their cflocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was dobedient unto the commandments of the Lord." Moses 5:5) then occasionally gives a reason for the law, ("This thing is a asimilitude of the bsacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of cgrace and dtruth." Moses 5:7), states the consequences ("If thou doest well, thou shalt be aaccepted. And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and Satan bdesireth to have thee; and except thou shalt hearken unto my commandments, I will cdeliver thee up, and it shall be unto thee according to his desire..." Moses 5:23), lets us choose, then follows through. Even though the Lord suffers when we face our difficult consequences (Moses 7: 25, 32-33,37), he doesn't keep them from us. Therefore, we can trust that he will allow profitable consequences when we "doest well".
Cain again show his colors when he steps further into the dark, kills his brother for his holdings, glories in his wickedness and states "I am free". We decided Cain, like many of us, confused relief with freedom. There is always a false sense of relief when we choose to rid ourselves of church, familial - or any responsibility. Turns out that that sense of relief is just self-indulgence. That same self-indulgence is what generally binds us in the end. Real freedom, according to 2 Nephi 2:25 is a knowledge of good and evil. When we choose evil (self-indulgence), we begin to be decieved in thinking evil is good and now we can't tell the difference. Real freedom is always knowing the difference and therefore always having the ability to choose between the two.
The last statement of Cain's that was discussed was his famous "Am I my brother's keeper?" That question makes it clear that Cain "loves" Satan more than God (Moses 5:18) by its suggesting such pure self interest. In other words, Satan and Cain's whole modus operandi is "Your life for my gain" as opposed to Christ's "My life for your gain".
Which now brings us to Enoch. Boy, do I wish we had more information about him! We immediately learn he is Cain's (Who is the Lord that I should know him?") pure opposite.(Who am I that the Lord should know me?) And when Enoch had heard these words, he abowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: bWhy is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people chate me; for I am dslow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant? (Moses 6:31)
Enoch's choice to be humble gave him the ability to hear the Lord offer his help. 32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy amouth, 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.
34 Behold my aSpirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the bmountains shall flee before you, and the crivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore dwalk with me. (Moses 6:32-34) Enoch's choice to have faith in the Lord's help turned his weaknesses (real or perceived) -I am slow of speech, all the people hate me - into tremendous strengths. 13 And so great was the afaith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he bspake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the cmountains fled, even according to his command; and the drivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so epowerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.
Enoch was charged to call many many wicked people to repentance. The physical manifestations of mountains being moved and rivers changing their course is symbolic to me of how the power of the word of the Lord and the example of a loving leader/parent/friend can change the course of a sinful or apathetic life and can move mountains of regret and guilt. Enoch's humility and choice to serve healed countless people and put them on not just the road to health and happiness, but the pathway to Zion, to know and live with God.
I prayed that if we "doest well" and chose humilty, and service - being "our brother's keeper", we could let the Lord turn our weaknesses into strengths, inspire each other so that there would be "no poor among us", and then we could truly "be accepted" and like Enoch, "behold the Lord's abode forever."
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