Category: Scripture Notes
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Received by covenant
I never realized before how the Lord stipulated that the people of Israel should receive the law by covenant, by individual assent, when they came into the promised land.
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Enough and to spare
The Lord promised that there is enough and to spare in the world. His laws to His people regarding how to live exemplify that principle as they are told to leave some to spare for those in need. They are told to not seek to maximize their gain but to leave for the poor to…
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Details of righteousness
Notice how the Lord requires His people to deal justly. Aside from the nations they were commanded to destroy he requires that before attacking any city they offer peace to the city – those in the city can surrender and be spared. They can only make war on people who have refused the offer of…
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Why Oliver?
Why is it that Oliver Cowdery was commanded to speak to Hiram Page and correct him with regard to the seer stone? I would have expected that Joseph Smith would handle such matters. It may be that the Lord wanted Oliver to be seen supporting Joseph and also that Oliver was seen to be trusted…
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Noble and great ones
I love the list of noble and great servants who had various things committed to their care: Moroni, Elias, John the Baptist, Peter, James, John, Adam. Each of these and others visited Joseph Smith and often Oliver Cowdery to restore those things they were responsible for to create this dispensation of the fulness of time.
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Live generously
It is interesting to hear the laws of how the people were to live. When they released servants they were to do so providing those servants with goods to set them up. They were to be mindful of strangers, widows, the poor and the fatherless. They were directed to explicitly leave good in the field…
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Humbled or guilty
After hearing what Moses said about them not receiving the land because if their own righteousness the people must have been in one of two camps – either they were humbled or they were guilty. Moses’s warning was meant to keep them from being proud of their own accomplishment and following the the footsteps of…
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Set apart
Moses reiterated to the people the commandments they had been given so that they could remember what was meant to set them apart from other people.
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Of murder and war
It is important to note the injunction against allowing a murderer to pay a fine for his murder. The only acceptable payment was the blood of the murderer. Also, the murderer could only be killed by those who had the right if revenge for the murdered. Before now I never realized that after the people…
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Silence is assent
Notice that all a man (father or husband) had to do to agree to the promises of his wife or daughter was nothing. If he wanted to object he had to do so the same day he heard their promise. If he objected outside that timeframe then he was guilty for any unfulfilled promise.