The Lord does not send destruction upon people without first giving them many warnings and sufficient opportunity to repent (see Moses 8:15–24; see also Amos 3:7).
Ask students to review Moses 8 and make a list of what the Lord and Noah did to encourage the people to repent. What did Noah preach (see verses 23–24)? How did the people respond to the preaching of Noah and his sons (see verses 18, 20–21, 24)? Discuss possible parallels between the people in the days of Noah and people in our day. Compare what the people in Noah’s day said about themselves in verse 21 to what verse 22 says they were really like. (Review what Enoch learned about the wickedness among these people in Moses 7:33, 36.) What will happen in the last days because people reject the prophets (see Malachi 4:1; Luke 17:20–30; D&C 45:22–33, 48–53)?
Ask a student to read Moses 8:13–14 aloud. Remind students that the “sons of God” were the righteous, and their daughters married the “sons of men,” who were wicked. What did the Lord say about Noah’s granddaughters in verse 15? Invite students to give reasons why it is important for members of the Church to marry other worthy members (see also Deuteronomy 7:3–4). Display the following statement by President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), and ask a student to read it aloud. Then discuss the statement as a class:
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Ezra Taft Benson
“There will be a new spirit in Zion when the young women will say to their boyfriends, ‘If you cannot get a temple recommend, then I am not about to tie my life to you, even for mortality!’ And the young returned missionary will say to his girlfriend, ‘I am sorry, but as much as I love you, I will not marry out of the holy temple’” (Ezra Taft Benson, “To the Young Women of the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 1986, 84).
Ask students what they think “grace” means in Moses 8:27. (You may want to review “Grace” in the Bible Dictionary.) Why did Noah find grace in the eyes of the Lord? How was the Flood an act of grace? (Answers might include that by sending the Flood the Lord stopped the people from committing further wickedness, or that it was an act of grace for the premortal spirits because if there had not been a Flood those spirits would not have had an opportunity to be born into righteous families [see also 2 Nephi 26:24].) Display the following statement by the Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44), and invite a student to read it aloud:
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Joseph Smith
“As far as we degenerate from God, we descend to the devil and lose knowledge, and without knowledge we cannot be saved, and while our hearts are filled with evil, and we are studying evil, there is no room in our hearts for good, or studying good” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 265–66).