“There is no provision in the law that miracles will create faith.  Signs follow, they do not precede.” – Elder Bruce R. McConkie Exodus 6-12 contains a series of signs and wonders that the Lord uses to encourage Pharoah to let the Israelites leave their bondage in Egypt and goContinue Reading

In Exodus 5 there is an interchange between Moses and Pharoah where the prophet asks Pharoah to let the Israelites “rest from their burdens” and go and “hold a feast in the wilderness.” (Exodus 5:1,5). Pharoah responds with the command that from this time forth the Israelites will continue theirContinue Reading

Today we spent some time looking at Exodus 3 through Moses’ perspective.  At the age of 40 Moses is called by the Lord to deliver the Israelites from the greatest empire Moses had ever seen.  Egypt had every power and luxury available, and Moses was just one man. When MosesContinue Reading

Two major stories in the Old Testament deal with golden calves and gods. The Hebrew word is עֵ֣גֶל egel, meaning bull-calf. The following photos may help the modern reader of the text to see these stories the way that the ancients saw them. Aaron and the Golden Calf The firstContinue Reading

From time to time students express their frustration with those that ridicule them for their faith and for resisting temptation.  Others tell them that they need to “get real” and learn to “live in the real world”.  They are told that since everyone is committing sin, they might as wellContinue Reading

The story of Joseph in Genesis teaches so many lessons.  First, it is a type, a message of the redemption paid by our Savior Jesus Christ.  Each of us is a brother begging for bread in a time of famine, while Joseph represents the Savior – freely forgiving and offeringContinue Reading

Genesis 25 tells the story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob.  The birthright itself was a tremendous blessing and responsibility.  The birthright child had the duty to care for the family in temporal affairs and assume the role of spiritual leadership and presidency.  Although I do not believe EsauContinue Reading

There is significance to the symbolism of the ark Noah built in Genesis 6.  There are three arks in the Bible. 1.  The ark of Noah – contained the prophet and the salvation of Israel.  The ark rested on a mountain – Genesis 8:4.  The breath of life was containedContinue Reading

We began class today with the question we left off with in the Moses 7 discussion.  How would you build Zion in your sphere of influence?  Many students shared that they would work on being kind and giving in difficult circumstances.  I asked them to illustrate a difficult circumstance.  MostContinue Reading

We started the class asking this question: how would you describe a perfect society?  We followed this question with, “have any of you had a perfect day or a perfect week?  Where were you?  Who were you with?  What were you doing?” Many students reflected on moments in their livesContinue Reading