“Lesson 7: Moses 1:24–42,” Old Testament Seminary Student Material (2018)
“Lesson 7”
Lesson 7
Moses 1:24–42
Prepare to Learn
Take some time to prepare your mind and heart to learn. Remember that the way you choose to participate in this lesson influences how much you will be taught by the Holy Ghost as you study. Determine now to demonstrate your desire to be taught by the Spirit.
Begin your study with prayer.
Have you ever felt insignificant or unimportant?
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, while serving in the First Presidency, reminded those who may feel this way of some important truths about how our Father in Heaven sees His children. You can read the text for this video here: “You Matter to Him,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 22.
Moses’s Encounter with Satan
In the last lesson you learned about the encounter Moses had with Satan.
How was Moses able to resist Satan’s temptations? (See Moses 1:12–22 if you need to review.)
In the rest of Moses 1 we learn about the blessings that Moses received because he chose to resist temptation. As you study this lesson, think about the blessings you have received as you have chosen to resist Satan’s temptations.
Moses’s Blessings
Read Moses 1:24–26, looking for how Moses was blessed for resisting Satan’s temptations.
What did God say He had chosen Moses to do?
What phrases in verses 25–26 might have helped you have confidence if you had been in Moses’s position? Why?
God’s Promise
At the time that Moses received the revelation recorded in Moses 1, the children of Israel were in bondage to the Egyptians. When you study the book of Exodus, you will learn more about how God fulfilled His promise that Moses would “be made stronger than many waters” (Moses 1:25) and that he would deliver Israel from bondage (see Moses 1:26).
Grains of Sand
Imagine picking up a handful of sand. Could you count every grain of sand in your hand?
How many grains of sand do you think are on a seashore?
Read Moses 1:27–30, looking for what God showed Moses that relates to sand.
What were the two questions Moses asked God in verse 30?
A Knowledge of Who We Are
Moses’s question in Moses 1:30 about the purpose of the Creation is similar to questions asked by many people today about why the world exists and the meaning of our life on earth.
1. Why is it important for Heavenly Father’s children to understand the purposes of the earth and our lives here?
The Creation
Read Moses 1:31–33, looking for the Lord’s answer to Moses’s second question: By what power were the earth and its inhabitants created?
What doctrine can we learn from verses 32–33 concerning the Creation of the earth?
Additional Details about the Creation of the Earth
From Moses 1:32–33 we can learn that under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created worlds without number. You may want to write this statement of doctrine next to verse 33.
Read Moses 1:34–38, looking for additional details the Lord gave to Moses about the Creation of this and other worlds.
In the video clip “Christ the Creator” (3:05), Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926–2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testifies of the Savior’s role in the creation of worlds and the salvation of Heavenly Father’s children.
Heavenly Father’s Purpose
In Moses 1:30, Moses also asked God the following question: Why were the earth and its inhabitants created?
The Lord provided an answer to this question in Moses 1:39. This verse is a doctrinal mastery passage. You may want to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily. Understanding these passages and knowing where to find them will help you answer questions that you or others may have about the gospel. Review them regularly, and consider memorizing them.
Read Moses 1:39, looking for Heavenly Father’s purpose in creating the worlds and their inhabitants.
What doctrine can we learn from this passage?
Immortality and Eternal Life
From Moses 1:39 we can learn that Heavenly Father’s purpose is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.
Quiz 1
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What is immortality?
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Being resurrected and living forever.
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Becoming like God and living in His presence with our families forever.
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What is eternal life?
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Being resurrected and living forever.
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Becoming like God and living in His presence with our families forever.
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Jesus Christ and His Atonement
Through His Atonement, Jesus Christ has made possible the immortality of all humankind. Every person who is born with a physical body will be resurrected and will live forever.
Eternal life is a blessing that is also available to all because of Jesus Christ. Through the Atonement, He has made it possible for all who are obedient to the laws and ordinances of the gospel to receive eternal life.
How can it influence your life right now to know that Heavenly Father’s purpose is to bring to pass your immortality and eternal life?
Your Feelings
If a hymnbook is available (or if you can visit hymns.lds.org), consider reading the words of the hymn “How Great Thou Art” (Hymns, no. 86). How do the words of the hymn relate to what you have learned in Moses 1?
2. Write a few sentences about your feelings regarding what Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have created and what they have done to bring to pass your immortality and eternal life.
The Purposes of God
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ, we are blessed with knowledge that we can use to help others learn and understand the purposes of God and His plan for them.
3. Select one of the following two scenarios. Write how you would use what you have learned from Moses 1 to help the individual in the scenario. Be sure to include verses from Moses 1 in your answer.
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In your science class, your teacher explains that human life and the Creation of the earth occurred by chance. After class, a classmate asks you what you believe.
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A friend is experiencing challenges and wonders if God cares about him or her.
The Restoration of Moses’s Words
In Moses 1:40–42, the Lord instructed Moses to write the things that He was going to teach Moses about this earth. He also told Moses that “in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write” (Moses 1:41), He would raise up a man who would restore Moses’s words to those who believed. That man was the Prophet Joseph Smith, who restored the book of Moses through revelation. Moses 2–4 contains the words Moses wrote about the earth.
An Invitation to Share What You Learned
The following truths were identified in this lesson:
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Under the direction of Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ created worlds without number.
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Heavenly Father’s purpose is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of man.
Consider if there is someone in your life with whom you could share what you have learned from this lesson. Prayerfully determine what you will share. Seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost so that He may help you as you teach.
Answer Key
Quiz 1: (1) a; (2) b
References for Quiz 1
(1) See Guide to the Scriptures, “Immortal, Immortality,” scriptures.lds.org.
(2) See Guide to the Scriptures, “Eternal Life,” scriptures.lds.org.