Obadiah Saviors on Mount Zion

Obadiah - preached of the destruction of the Edomites The land of Edom was southeast of the kingdom of Judah and was inhabited by the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob. The Edomites were therefore relatives of the Israelites but, despite their close kinship, mutual hatred existed between the Edomites and the Israelites. The Edomites lived “in the clefts of the rocks,” (cities and dwellings that were built on mountainous land and ridges carved into rock cliffs). Situated high above the ground, the Edomites felt secure and safe from enemy attack.

Obadiah How could the person’s attitude and actions could cause him or her to feel unhappy. 1. A young man is very intelligent and talented and feels that he can succeed in life without the Lord’s help. 2. A young woman continues to associate with a group of friends who appear to like her, despite her parents’ concern that these friends do not have her best interests in mind. 3. A young woman feels resentful when a classmate receives an award and recognition that she hoped to get. As we study Obadiah 1:1–16, look for a principle that can help us avoid the attitudes and actions described in the scenarios they discussed.

Obadiah Obadiah 1:3–4 listen for what had deceived the Edomites. What had their pride led them to believe? Obadiah 1:10–15 How the Edomites had treated the Jews during the destruction of Jerusalem. Cross Reference Alma 41:14

Obadiah - Pride can deceive us 1. A young man is very intelligent and talented and feels that he can succeed in life without the Lord’s help. 2. A young woman continues to associate with a group of friends who appear to like her, despite her parents’ concern that these friends do not have her best interests in mind. 3. A young woman feels resentful when a classmate receives an award and recognition that she hoped to get. How could pride deceive the person in each example?

Isn’t it OK to have pride?

Pride “Pride is sinful … because it breeds hatred or hostility and places us in opposition to God and our fellowmen. At its core, pride is a sin of comparison, for though it usually begins with ‘Look how wonderful I am and what great things I have done,’ it always seems to end with ‘Therefore, I am better than you.’ “When our hearts are filled with pride, we commit a grave sin, for we violate the two great commandments. Instead of worshipping God and loving our neighbor, we reveal the real object of our worship and love—the image we see in the mirror.” (“Pride and the Priesthood,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2010, 56).

Pride works in two directions

• How can elevating ourselves above others cause us to be deceived? • What can we do to avoid being deceived into putting ourselves above others?

What would pride look like in a Sunday School class? What would pride look like in Seminary? What would pride look like in Family Scripture Study?

Saviors on Mount Zion MISSIONARY MOMENT “My husband died (unbaptized) years ago, so there’s no hope for him…” Obadiah 1:17–21 Cross Reference 1 Corinthians 15:29

Saviors on Mount Zion “Just as our Redeemer gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for all men, and in so doing became our Savior, even so we, in a small measure, when we engage in proxy work in the temple, become as saviors to those on the other side who have no means of advancing unless something is done in their behalf by those on earth” (“Closing Remarks,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2004, 105).

Saviors on Mount Zion Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: “Temple work enables us to do for others what they cannot do for themselves. It is a labor of love that permits our forefathers to continue their progress toward eternal life” (“Seeking the Good,” Ensign, May 1992, 88).

"In our preexistent state, in the day of the great council, we made a certain agreement with the Almighty. The Lord proposed a plan. … We accepted it. Since the plan is intended for all men, we became parties to the salvation of every person under that plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves but … saviors for the whole human family. We went into a partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father's work, and the Savior's work, but also our work" ("The Worth of Souls," The Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct. 1934, 189). Elder John A. Widtsoe

Saviors on Mount Zion “But how are they to become saviors on Mount Zion? By building their temples, erecting their baptismal fonts, and going forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings, anointings, ordinations and sealing powers upon their heads, in behalf of all their progenitors who are dead, and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with them” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 473).

Baptismal Font Symbols: The font and the water A receptacle of life-giving water. The Font placed below ground The death and resurrection of the recipient of this ordinance. The Font resting on the backs of Oxen The 12 Tribes of Israel Why an Ox? The symbol of the tribe of Joseph. The burden has been laid upon the birthright tribe of Joseph.

Nauvoo, Illinois

Salt Lake

Boise, Idaho

Ogden, Utah

Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

Meridian Idaho

Cebu, Philippines

Belgium, St. Barhélemy of Renier de Huy (11th Century)

Saviors on Mount Zion What have you felt or experienced as you’ve participated in being a Savior on Mount Zion?

Experiences with Baptisms for the Dead

“Elder Ballard contemplated on how great the temple ceremonies…and he wondered if the people there would accept the work we were doing for them. “Brother Ballard said: ‘All at once a vision opened to me, and I beheld a great congregation of people gathered in the east end of the font room. One by one, as each name was baptized for, one of these people climbed a stairway over the font to the west end of the room. Not one soul was missing, but there was a person for every one of the thousand names done that day.’ “Brother Ballard said that he had never seen such happy people in all his life, and the whole congregation rejoiced at what was [being] done for them.” (Nolan Porter Olsen, Logan Temple: The First 100 Years [1978], 170).

My mother was called to be the stake genealogy secretary My mother was called to be the stake genealogy secretary. Whenever a group assigned could not make it, a member of the temple presidency would call mother to ask if her sons could come to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. I often went to the temple to do baptisms. One summer’s day, I had cut my hand severely on an empty tin can. I begged Mother not to take me to the doctor to have the wound stitched together, so she cleaned my hand, applied a bandage, covered that with adhesive tape, and then wrapped everything in gauze. No sooner had she finished than the telephone rang. It was the brethren from the temple, wanting us boys to come over to do baptisms. I hurriedly bathed, dressed, and ran over to the temple. Jon B. Fish: “After 400 Names” Jon B. Fish, Ensign, August 1986

Several hours and four hundred names later, Brother Edwards and I stopped for the night. As I returned home, exhausted, Mother spotted the dripping wet gauze on my hand and helped me into the bathroom to re-dress the wound. I was so tired and hungry I just wanted to eat and sleep. I wasn’t paying attention to my hand. I let her unwrap the bandage. The gauze came off first, then the adhesive tape, and finally the bandage. My mother looked shocked. I looked down. Not a trace of a cut remained—no scar, no redness, nothing! I remember my mother quietly hugging me. As we cried together, sharing that moment, the Spirit bore witness to me that I had been healed because of my service in the temple of the Lord. Jon B. Fish: “After 400 Names” Jon B. Fish, Ensign, August 1986

Saviors on Mount Zion What have you felt or experienced as you’ve participated in being a Savior on Mount Zion?

Obadiah Saviors on Mount Zion