Whom God Calls, He Qualifies

Choice 2: Genesis 4-6 and Moses 6-7. Whom God Calls, He Qualifies

 

Read Moses 6:26-31 and answer the following questions in writing:

26 And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him.

 27 And he heard a voice from heaven, saying: Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their fears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off;

 28 And for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam.

 29 Wherefore, they have fore sworn themselves, and, by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and hell I have prepared for them, if they repent not;

 30 And this is a decree, which I have sent forth in the beginning of the world, from my own mouth, from the foundation thereof, and by the mouths of my servants, thy fathers, have I decreed it, even as it shall be sent forth in the world, unto the ends thereof.

 31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?

• How did the Lord describe the people of Enoch’s day?

o   Their hearts have waxed hard

o   Their ears are dull of hearing

o   Their eyes cannot see afar off

o   From the begging of their creation they have gone astray and denied God

o   They devise murder in their hearts

o   They do not keep the commandments

• What did Enoch say about his calling from the Lord?

            He doubted his ability to be an effective servant by stating: “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?”

From Moses 6:32-39, 47; 7:13-18, 69; describe in writing how the Lord strengthened and sustained Enoch. Write a paragraph or two on how you have seen the Lord do similar things for you or someone you know.

Ultimately, the Lord promises Enoch that if he is obedient he will be blessed and become an effective instrument in the hands of God. He was promised that no man would be able to pierce him and that his mouth would be filled with what to say if he would just open it. He then taught Enoch what to say to the people. He taught him to see with spiritual eyes instead of worldly ones.

I have been blessed to serve a mission as well. At first, I was timid and had a difficult time bringing up the gospel to strangers. I had a choice to make. The choice was to either begin opening my mouth to share the gospel or to remain silent and waste time. I chose to pray and ask for my heavenly fathers help.  It was amazing to me how, after that prayer, I was put in situations that pulled me out of my comfort zone. This comfort zone began to expand and I was filled with courage. I began to understand the promptings of the spirit as it directed me on what to say.  It was awesome and still is.

The Bible does not say much about Enoch and his people — it contains 109 words about Enoch and his day. By contrast, the Joseph Smith Translation account of Enoch in the book of Moses contains 5,240 words about Enoch’s day. Read Genesis 5:22–24; Moses 6:27-29, 47; 7:1-21; and summarize, in writing, what you find.

Genesis was extremely vague. It basically tells that Enoch walked with God, had a family, walked with God once more and then was no more.  

Moses, on the other hand, goes into a little more depth. It tells of how God was angry with the people and that Enoch needed to warn them. It explains how God was preparing to deal with those who would not repent.

Enoch was faithful to Gods command and prophesied to the people. They trembled because of what they heard. Then the city of the righteous, Zion, was created and was taken up into heaven.