David Journal

Category: Scripture Notes

  • A difference of perspective

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    David
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    Nephi focused on an eternal perspective where doing as he had promised was important and where he was working in concert with an omnipotent Heavenly Father. When faced with an obstacle his instinct was to press forward. Laman and Lemuel were focused on a temporal perspective where their promise was only as good as their…

  • The Fall in Moses

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    David
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    In Moses we get more background on Satan and his influence with the serpent before we hear the story of the fall. I also like the clarification that the Lord for not say to Adam “for dust thou art” but rather “for dust thou wast.”

  • The Genesis fall

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    David
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    It is interesting to read the amount of the fall in Genesis with fresh eyes. When the Lord calls to them and asks Adam if he has eaten the fruit Adam is not blaming Eve for his choice, he is explaining that he joined her in the choice to keep the other commandment. Also, God…

  • Not so suddenly

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    David
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    Because Nephi tells us in chapter 1 that Lehi has a vision and paged in Jerusalem and them starts chapter 2 with Lehi being warned that the people sought his life it is easy to conclude that he only pushed briefly before he was driven from the land. While it is possible that it only…

  • The First Book of Nephi

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    David
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    I had long suspected this but reading the introduction to First Nephi written by Nephi it became clear to me how Nephi wrote his books in the small plates. He had been keeping his record in the large plates and then soon after arriving on the promised land he got the command to make a…

  • Prepared for the work

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    David
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    The testimony of Joseph Smith illustrates the need to be prepared before we are entrusted with a sacred work. Joseph was told from the first visits from Moroni that he must have no object besides doing the Lord’s work if he were to obtain the gold plates. When he first saw them he was unable…

  • Intriguing

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    David
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    The pending testimonies and introduction to the Book of Mormon would certainly get the attention of any reader with an open mind. They declare no doctrine but the origin story they expose would pique the interest.

  • The Abraham creation

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    David
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    This version would seem to confirm the concept that the first six days were design and that the actual forming of the plants and creatures and man took place after the day of rest as previously designed. The unique element in the Abraham version is the plural nature of the gods. I can’t decide how…

  • The Moses creation

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    David
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    The creation story in Moses has man created in the sixth day before God rested unlike the Genesis version. Interestingly this version also seems to suggest a two part creation process, like a design followed by a build. If so the design was before the seventh day and the final build, implementing the plants, animals,…

  • The Genesis creation

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    David
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    I never before considered but “the firmament” is the atmosphere—the thing that sets Earth apart from uninhabitable worlds. I also noticed that good explicitly tells Adam that plants were his for food but never days the same about animals. The Genesis version also lists the rest of the seventh day before the creation of man.