Skip to main content

Ponderize Moses 4:21 - Enmity

This week’s ponderize came to me during a recent visit to the temple.   When I heard the word enmity, I decided to spend some time pondering what it means.

We know that enmity is the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

If you look in the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary, you find the following definition.  (Again, I use this dictionary when I am pondering things that were revealed to Joseph Smith because this is the context he would have been using)
EN'MITY, noun
1. The quality of being an enemy; the opposite of friendship; ill will; hatred; unfriendly dispositions; malevolence. It expresses more than aversion and less than malice, and differs from displeasure in denoting a fixed or rooted hatred, whereas displeasure is more transient.
2. A state of opposition.
With the definition of enmity in my I have been pondering what this scripture means.
15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15 (See also Moses 4:21)
Consider these two questions:

  • Why was it necessary for God to cause those that follow Satan to have a hatred toward the children of Adam and Eve?  
  • How does Satan use that hatred to try and destroy us? 

I think this passage of scripture in Moses 7 helps us understand these questions:
 32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
 33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; (Moses 7:32-33)
Here is the point.  Satan and his followers hate the children of Adam and Eve because they have been given bodies.  These bodies allow us to have experiences to help us grow, develop, make choices, and become like our Father.  If Satan can convince us that we should also hate our bodies, then we are more inclined to abuse them or use them contrary to God’s design.  Additionally, if he gets us to hate ourselves, then we also lose sight of the fact that those who are around us are our spiritual brothers and sisters, and we begin to hate them as well.  If we hate God’s children, then how can we love Him?  Hence the first and second great commandments.  Love God, and Love each other.  Satan twists the enmity that God put between Satan and the people of this earth as a protection, and he turns it into a tool to destroy us.  We must be careful and not be fooled by this lie.  We must turn our back on the master of hate and embrace the Master of love.

Here is a list of the references to the other uses of the word Enmity in the standard works:

  • Doctrine and Covenants 101:26
  • Moses 4:21
  • Ephesians 2:16
  • Luke 23:12
  • Numbers 35:21
  • Numbers 35:22
  • Romans 8:7
  • James 4:4

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Marking Scriptures in Gospel Library

The other day as I was reading my scriptures and using a few of the available colors to do some highlights when I realized that I wasn't fully utilizing the entire pallet of colors. In the Gospel Library app there are 10 colors available.  Each of these colors can be used in the underline, highlight, or text color mode.  I asked extended family what they do and one of my niece's responded with this color code: Red- doctrine Orange- clarifications or explanations of doctrine Yellow- commandments and specific instructions Purple- promised blessings and how to attain them Grey- power phrases Blue- favorites Dark blue- ones with a deeper meaning (I always attach a note with a dark blue)  Pink- examples of Gods love/charity Brown-specific for our day Green - Not used This "Come, Follow Me" color code seems to be all over Pinterest.  I'm not sure where it came from, but it is based on the 12 colors in a small box of crayons. Here is a color coding ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bajio, Cafe Rio, or Costa Vida?

It is time for the showdown.  Which one is best: Bajio, Cafe Rio, or Costa Vida?  Or is it (as was my opinion) that they are all exactly the same? I decided to do a taste test.  Six people participated.  Three were salad testers and three were burrito testers.  None of the people who participated have any food judging experience although a couple of them have competed in cooking contests and have a couple of first place finishes to their name.   Each couple went to a different restaurant and picked up a Sweet Pork Salad and an Steak Burrito to go.  We ordered each salad with black beans and their creamy green dressing (whatever they happened to call it).  The steak burritos were ordered enchilada style with black beans. Then we all met at a central location and judged each dish on the following: Value Score = Weight (oz)/Cost($) Overall Appeal (visual appeal, aroma, garnish) Recipe (Cooking, ingredient combination, too m...
14 comments
Read more

No, I am not a vegan

Why I'm not a vegan (or a vegetarian for that matter).  After my previous post about the Word of Wisdom , I felt I should write an additional post covering this topic.  First, the word "vegetarian" means nothing.  There are so many levels, tangents, and offshoots of vegetarianism that applying the label to yourself or anyone only causes confusion.   Some vegetarians eat dairy, some don't.  Some eat fish, some don't.  Some eat eggs, some don't.  Some are weekday vegetarians, and some only honor meatless Monday.  And the list goes on and on.  Labeling yourself as a vegetarian is simply a label that brings on a confusing discussion.  So, I don't use it.   I'm not a vegan either.  You see, vegans typically fall into three categories: - They are in it for their own good health - They are doing it to be kind to animals, promote animal rights, avoid animal cruelty, etc.  -...
3 comments
Read more