I missed blogging last week because I wasn’t feeling well. That doesn’t mean I didn’t read and study nor does it mean I don’t have thoughts about the reading. In addition to reading Moses 7, I read things from The Gem of Genesis and the Apocryphal Books of Enoch (That is a lot to think about and a little on the heavy side).
The Books of Enoch go into some heavy details of the wickedness in Enoch’s day. Frankly, it made me feel so sad. I’m not alone.
Moses 7:28 “and it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept…”
Seriously. I now have a greater understanding of tragedy. Although I don’t understand everything about the mentioned “giants,” “Watchers,” or the fall of more angels, I do understand that those who had “been given much” perverted the ways of God. They loved the ways of man more than they loved the ways of God. They gave into the lusts of their hearts and minds. They chose the enticing lies of Satan and he rejoiced greatly. They willingly sold themselves and bound themselves with “dark oaths.”
God wept.
They became ravenish consumers, self centered, defiled their bodies, they messed with God’s laws and the laws of nature. It is like they could never get enough or anything. They lived fully the sins of selfishness and destruction. Stealing. Gluttony and starvation right next to each other. Murder. Drinking of blood. Revenge. Hoarding. War. Personal Glory. Violence. Satan rejoiced. God wept.
Satan rejoiced at the prospect of stopping human birth which meant stopping the birth of Jesus.
God wept.
I now see the flood as an act of mercy. I see lifting Enoch and his people as an act of mercy. The Plan is an act of mercy and had to move forward. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was to continue to be taught on the earth.
God rejoiced over righteousness – even if it was one man, or one family, or one community.
What I learn from this is that God administers justice because of His love and empathy for His children. God shows Enoch the love He has for all of His children. He showed Enoch His heart. He “wept and stretched forth his arms, and his heart swelled wide as eternity; and his bowels yearned; and all eternity shook” (Moses 7:41).
God hit “reboot.”
This manifestation of justice is rooted in empathy, “that the blood of the prophets and the saints shall not come any more unto me against them” (3 Nephi 9:5-11).
I learned through this study that I would like to increase empathy, remember that compassion need not compete with holiness. I am beginning to understand that when we truly want what’s best for God’s children, we are aligning with God’s will. I left this study with a desire to expand my understanding of God’s love for all of God’s creations.
Resigning as the General Manager of the Universe 