“Ordained of God”

The Creation story not only reminds us to be grateful. It also teaches us two fundamental truths:

1. Our earthly stewardship: God created this earth specifically for His children and gave us “dominion” over all of it, including other living things. (See Genesis 1:26-28.)
2. The divine pattern of marriage: God intended for His sons and His daughters to organize themselves into marriages—a man and a woman merging their lives and becoming completely united. (See Genesis 2:21-25.)

Perhaps both of those truths are obvious. We have significant control over God’s creations in our daily lives, and people do have a tendency to pair off into couples as they become adults. But we benefit from remembering that these realities are not arbitrary; God established them intentionally.

Book of Mormon prophets point us back to the Creation multiple times. Lehi found an account of the Creation on the brass plates and used it to teach his children the importance of agency. (See 1 Nephi 5:11; 2 Nephi 1:10; 2 Nephi 2:11-14.) King Benjamin reminded his people that God created us and lends us breath from day to day. (See Mosiah 2:20-26.) King Mosiah found that the Jaredite record began with the Creation. (See Mosiah 28:17.) And his sons, Ammon and Aaron, both structured their presentations to Lamanite kings by beginning “at the creation of the world.” (See Alma 18:36; Alma 22:12-13.) Moroni urged his future readers to remember and ponder all that God has done for us “from the creation of Adam” (Moroni 10:3). Clearly, an understanding and awareness of the Creation gives us important perspective.

Paul prophesied that “in the latter times,” some people would stray from the truths of the Creation story, which would affect not only their own decisions but also their expectations of other people:

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; …

Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

1 Timothy 4:1, 3

In a revelation received by Joseph Smith in 1831, the Lord reiterated both of these points. Joseph received this revelation to clarify some misconceptions of a new church member, Leman Copley, who had previously been a Shaker:

Whoso forbiddeth to marry is not ordained of God, for marriage is ordained of God unto man. …

And whoso [biddeth] to abstain from meats, that man should not eat the same, is not ordained of God;

For, behold, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which cometh of the earth, is ordained for the use of man for food and for raiment, and that he might have in abundance.

Doctrine and Covenants 49:15, 18-19

The word “ordain” has at least two meanings:

1. to make someone a priest or religious leader
2. to officially establish something

When we understand that “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children” (“The Family—a Proclamation to the World“), we treat that relationship with deeper reverence. We put more effort into strengthening our own marriages and the marriages of the people around us.

Likewise, when we remember that God has given us dominion, or leadership, over His creations, we recognize the need to “use the bountiful resources of the earth more reverently and prudently” (Bishop Gérald Caussé, “Our Earthly Stewardship,” General Conference, October 2022).

In short, when we know that God has ordained something, we treat it with respect, and we strive to act in a way that is consistent with His intentions.

Today, I will remember and ponder the truths taught by the Creation story, particularly the importance of marriage and of our stewardship over the earth.