What are the Three Grand Divisions of The Priesthood?
Aaronic Melchizedek Patriarical Governing Unit Quorm Quorm Family Commences through Ordained Ordained Marriage
What are the saving ordinances of the Gospel?
Baptism, Confirmation, Temple Marriage, Own Endowment, priesthood
What are the Non-saving ordinances of the gospel?
Blessings Blessing of Sick, Patriarchial, Fathers, Baby Cursing Blessing Disfellowship, Washing of Feet, Excommunication Ordinances of Consectration Oil, Sacrament, Graves, Homes, Temples, Buildings
Which of those blessings require the Melchizedek priesthood?
Were there two high priests presiding at the time of Abraham?
Why is there not much said concerning Shem�s ministry?
Why don�t we know much about Melchizedek�s ancestry?
Are Shem and Melchizedek the same person?
Possible reason why they might be...
1) Shem was given as an inheritance the land of Salem..
2) Shem reigned in righteousness and the priesthood came through him, Melchizedek�s name means �King of righteousness�
3) Shem was the great high priest of his day. Abraham sought his blessings from the Great high priest Melchizedek
4) In the patriarchal order of the Priesthood Abraham stands next to Shem...but we know that he got the preiesthood from Melchizedek.
5) Jewish tradition identifies Shem as Melchizedek
6) In Joseph F. Smiths vision he names Shem amoung the great patriarchs, and doesn�t mention Melchizedek.
7) Times and Seasons Dec 15,1844 says Shem is Melchizedek. *********** END OF POP QUIZ
What are some of the ways that we or you can discover the blessings and warnings in your patriarchial blessing?
GENESIS 13
Read GENESIS 13:1-9
1 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.
2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai;
4 Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the LORD.
5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents.
6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together: for their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together.
7 And there was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle: and the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land.
8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.
9 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: if thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left.
Why can�t Abraham and Lot and their families live together when they returned to Canaan from Egypt?
Shortly after Leaving Egypt, Abraham finds that the land between Bethel and Ai is not sufficient to support their flocks. A dispute breaks out, not just between Abraham's hired hands and Lot's employees, but among the native residents of the land. So they decide to part ways, with Lot settling near sodom.What do we learn about Abraham from this episode?
Which way is your home pointing? How can we point it the right way?]
Read GENESIS 13:10-13
10 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar.
11 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other.
12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward sodom. [Where does Lot choose to live? Why did he choose to live there? What is the signifigance of pitching his tent toward sodom? Do we do anything like that today? When/How? Compare to the people in the time of King Benjamin how and where did they pitch their tents? Read Mosiah 2:6
6 And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them;
13 But the men of sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly.
Read GENESIS 13:14-18
14 And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward:
15 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.
16 And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. [Why do you think the Lord needs to re-iterates the promise to Abraham ? Lord re-iterates the promise to Abraham, the promise that he has - neither Abraham and Lot were not so different from us they were not sophisticated theologians, and there is some question as to whether Abraham, at this point, fully understood his role in God's plan. The repetition of the covenant promise in 13:14-17 implies that God thought such repetition to be necessary.]
17 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.
18 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the LORD.
so now what happens to Lot?
GENESIS 14
Read Genesis 14:1-2, 8-9, 10-12
1 And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
2 That these made war with Bera king of sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
8 And there went out the king of sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
9 With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
Kings started to war with one another
10 And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
11 And they took all the goods of sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in sodom, and his goods, and departed.
Lot was taken captive
so what does Abraham do?
Read Genesis 14:13-16
13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
14 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
15 And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
Whom did Abraham meet with after rescuing Lot?
Read Genesis 14:17-20
17 And the king of sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.[not 10% but all]
What were the blessings that Melchizedek had blessed Abraham with?
Read Joseph Smith Translation Genesis 14:36-40
36 And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.
37 And he lifted up his voice, and he blessed Abram, being the high priest, and the keeper of the storehouse of God;
38 Him whom God had appoined to receive tithes for the poor.
39 Wherefore, Abram paid unto him tithes of all that he had, of all the riches which he possessed, which God had given him more than that which he had need.
40 And it came to pass, that God blessed Abram, and gave unto him riches, and honor, and lands for an everlasting possession; according to the covenant which he had made, and according to the blessing wherewith Melchizedek had blessed him.
What is the signifigance of this statement?
Read Genesis 14:21-24
21 And the king of sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine,[
Genesis 18
20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
so now what is the Lord planning to do?
[Destroy sodom and Gomorrah]And what does Abraham ask of the Lord?
Found in vs 22-32What does that teach us about the Lord and building righteous communities? Is this one of those cases where a few can really have an impact?
22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26 And the LORD said, If I find in sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
33 And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.
Why is Lot instructed to leave the city?
Read Genesis 19:12-13
12 And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
What was the wickedness of sodom and Gomorrah?
Read Ezekial 16:49-50
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
so now what happens? The whole family says ok whatever you say, your the leader?
Genesis 19:14
14 And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.
Why are we so stubborn or stupid, why do people sometime refuse to remove ourselves from bad influences?
so they are leaving town and what is the instruction given them?
Genesis 19:17
17 And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.
Did any of them not follow the council given them?
Genesis 19:26
26 But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.
What can we learn from Lots wife? Seek temporal things and lose eternal life, sacrifice the things of this life and gain eternal life
It is also interesting to note that the Site of sodom is now covered by the southern part of the red sea...the Red Sea has a high salt content..as a result anything in or under it would be figuratively be described as a pillar of salt.