Pearl of Great Price - Moses 5:32-59 - January 14, 2022

 11/14/2022 – Moses 5: 32-59

Cain has joined forces with Satan. His thoughts are only on himself and what he can gain. After he killed his brother Able, he “gloried in that which he had done, saying: I am free; surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands.” (v 33)  

In 1885 the First Presidency of the Church made this statement about the righteous who are afflicted by the wicked: “For a wise purpose in [God’s] providence He permits the wicked, in the exercise of their agency, from time to time to afflict His followers. Since the days of our father Adam this has always been the case, and it will continue to be, so long as Satan has any power over the hearts of the children of men.”

In v 34, the Lord comes to Cain questioning him as to where his brother Abel is. Cain’s answer shows his callousness: “I know not. Am I my brother’s keeper?”  Elder Dallin H Oaks spoke of Cain’s reasoning: “Are we our brothers’ keepers? In other words, are we responsible to look after the well-being of our neighbors as we seek to earn our daily bread? The Savior’s Golden Rule says we are. Satan says we are not. Tempted of Satan, some have followed the example of Cain. They covet property and then sin to obtain it. The sin may be murder, robbery, or theft. It may be fraud or deception. It may even be some clever but legal manipulation of facts or influence to take unfair advantage of another. Always the excuse is the same: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’” ( Oct 1986 Gen Conf)

Cain doesn’t accept the fact that he is responsible for his own actions. When he hears the punishments the Lord will now place on him, Cain’s thoughts are not about repentance, but he works only to shift the blame: “Satan tempted me…I was wroth…my punishment is greater than I can bear.” (v38)

Cain went on with his life, away from those who believed in and followed Heavenly Father. We learn of the generations that follow Cain in his wickedness. And then v 51 gives us not just information, but a warning: “For, from the days of Cain, there was a secret combination, and their works were in the dark…” V 52 speaks of the Lord’s reaction to those who covenanted with Satan, and explains where they went astray “…for they kept not the commandments of God, and it displeased God, and he ministered not unto them, and their works were abominations…”. V 57 continues to describe them: “For they would not hearken unto his voice, nor believe in his Only Begotten Son, even him whom he declared would come in the meridian of time…” 

The Lord responded to this wickedness. “And thus the Gospel began to be preached, from the beginning; being declared by holy angels sent forth from the presence of God, and by his own voice, and by the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (v 58)

And then the Lord told us how He would continue with those on the earth: “And thus all things were confirmed unto Adam, by an holy ordinance, and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world, until the end thereof; and thus is was. Amen.” (v 59)

Elder Boyd K Packer said: “Ordinances and covenants become our credentials for admission into [God’s] presence. To worthily receive them is the quest of a lifetime; to keep them thereafter is the challenge of mortality”. 

I have found during the times that I have put less emphasis on the scriptures and on prayer and on my efforts to grow in the gospel—that those have been my most difficult times where happiness has ebbed and depression has grown. But fortunately, each time I have wallowed in that darkness, I have finally turned again to Heavenly Father, and to His scriptures, and to working toward improving my ability to hear, and then to ponder, and then to follow those sweet and simple realizations I get from the Holy Ghost. Those messages are often fast and fragile, but they deserve my most immediate attention. And that effort and attention is always what has lifted me from my most difficult times into times of gladness, and productiveness, and of the quiet, sweet comfort of His spirit.