There is comfort in being included and valued, but there are dangers in feeling that we are uniquely chosen. God loves all of His children and blesses them in different ways at different times. Wd should celebrate all of those blessings.
“With Everlasting Kindness”
Suboptimal circumstances can create glorious opportunities. When the kingdom of Israel was scattered by the Assyrians, it was a direct consequence of their disobedience to the commandments of God: They rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and... Continue Reading →
Manasseh and Ephraim
After Joseph became a ruler in Egypt, he married and had two sons. Their names represent two aspects of his Egyptian experience: Manasseh (מְנַשֶּׁה) means "causing to forget." Joseph explained the name: "God...hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house" (Genesis 41:51). He was no longer plagued with the memory of... Continue Reading →
The Sons of Jacob
Jacob had twelve sons. Each of them was unique, with his own strengths and weaknesses. In the Genesis narrative, as each son is born, we learn not only their name but also the significance of the name to Rachel or Leah (Genesis 29:32-35, Genesis 30:1-24, Genesis 35:18). Some of these boys were their literal children,... Continue Reading →
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He didn't introduce Himself as the Creator of the Universe or as the Father of all people. He didn't say where He lives or what He is trying to accomplish. Instead, He introduced Himself in terms of three of Moses's ancestors: I am the God of thy father, the God... Continue Reading →
Promises to Covenant Israel
Nephi told us that God "loveth those who will have him to be their God." As an example, "he loved our fathers, and he covenanted with them, yea, even Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and he remembered the covenants which he had made" (1 Nephi 17:40). In August of 1830, Joseph Smith received a revelation in... Continue Reading →
Who Are the Lost Tribes of Israel?
Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) had twelve sons: Reuben Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun Dan Naphtali Gad Asher Joseph Benjamin (Gen. 29:32–30:24; 35:16–18, Guide to the Scriptures, "Israel") Their descendants were known as the twelve tribes of Israel, with each tribe named after one of these sons of Jacob. After Israel's descendants were... Continue Reading →
Who Is the House of Israel?
The word Israel appears 213 times in the Book of Mormon, almost always preceded by the word "of." Here are the phrases in which it most commonly appears: Phrase # Appearances house of Israel 122 Holy One of Israel 40 God of Israel 11 children of Israel 8 tribes of Israel 6 What is the... Continue Reading →