Biyernes ang 16

Nothing much happening today. I got up early and read the BoM. I was reading in Mosiah 1:2 about King Benjamin's sons being taught by their father, or he caused them to be taught, in all the language of the past fathers that thereby they might become "men of understanding." Because of their learning, they would understand the prophesies and words of the Lord. "Men of understanding," stuck in my mind. I remembered reading about Jewish teaching regarding "men of understanding."

Rabbi Jose’ ben Chlafta:  “A certain matron was arguing with the Rabbi on the point of God giving wisdom to ‘men of understanding’. This, she thought, was paradoxical, as it would be more proper if God granted wisdom to simpletons, who are more in want of it than wise men.

Rabi Jose’ put a simple question to her, ‘If two men were to appear before you, one wealthy and one poor, each asking you for a loan of money, whom would you be more inclined to trust?’

‘Surely the one possessed of wealth’, she replied.

‘God in His dispensation’, said Rabbi Jose’, ‘giveth wisdom to the man of understanding, who possesses and knows the value of it, and will make profitable use of the augmentation; like the man you would prefer to trust with your money, knowing that he has facilities to employ profitably what you lend him; whereas, a fool entrusted with wisdom would abuse the precious gift and convert it to folly, like the poor man whom you would not care to trust, lest the money should be lost through his inability to employ it profitably.” 

This reminds me of teaching people simply, milk before meat, Gospel Essentials before Gospel Doctrine . . . 

I would like to be a man of understanding and I hope my children are men of understanding (using "men" here to cover all my human progeny, man, woman, children . . . men.) So, when we hear wisdom, we understand and can put the wisdom to good use. Here is some:

God lives, Jesus is the Christ, God the Holy Ghost administers to us on the Earth. We have prophets in our midst who are definitely men of understanding. Father give them His words and they share with those who will listen and profit from them, "ears to hear."  As the world continues to slide further away from God, let us draw closer to Him by keeping His commandments, by obedience to His words and prophets, by keeping ourselves qualified to partake of the Sacrament and attend His Holy Temples. In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.