Covenants
"From
the beginning, the Lord has made covenants with His children on earth. When His
people make covenants (or promises) with Him, they know what He expects of them
and what blessings they may expect from Him. They can better carry out His work
on earth. The people who covenant with the Lord and with whom the Lord makes
covenants are known as the Lord’s covenant people. Members of the Church are
part of the Lord’s covenant people.
"Within
the gospel, a covenant means a sacred agreement or mutual promise between God
and a person or a group of people. In making a covenant, God promises a
blessing for obedience to particular commandments. He sets the terms of His
covenants, and He reveals these terms to His prophets. If we choose to obey the
terms of the covenant, we receive promised blessings. If we choose not to obey,
He withholds the blessings, and in some instances a penalty also is given.
"For
example, when we join the Church we make several covenants with God. We
covenant with the Savior at baptism to take upon ourselves His name. He
promises that “as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus
Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved” (D&C 18:22). We
covenant with the Lord as we partake of the sacrament. We promise to take His
name upon ourselves, to remember Him, and to obey His commandments. We are
promised that the Holy Spirit will be with us. (See D&C 20:77–79.) When we
receive temple ordinances, we make other sacred covenants and are promised
exaltation for faithful obedience (see D&C 132).
"God
has also made special covenants with particular persons or groups. He made
special covenants with Adam, Enoch, Noah, the children of Israel, and Lehi (see
Moses 6:31–36, 52; Genesis 9:9–17; Exodus 19:5–6; 2 Nephi 1). He made a special
covenant with Abraham and his descendants that blesses members of the Church
and all nations of the earth today" (Gospel Principles, The Lord's
Covenant People).
Q What is a covenant? Why
does God want us to make covenants with Him?
Q How do we learn about
and experience God’s power as we make and keep covenants with God?
God's
Covenant with Abraham
"Abraham,
an Old Testament prophet, was a very righteous man.... He refused to worship
his father’s idols. He kept all of the Lord’s commandments. Because of
Abraham’s righteousness, the Lord made a covenant with him and his descendants.
"The
Lord promised Abraham that he would have numberless descendants. He promised
that all of them would be entitled to receive the gospel, the blessings of the
priesthood, and all of the ordinances of exaltation. These descendants, through
the power of the priesthood, would carry the gospel to all nations. Through
them, all the families of the earth would be blessed (see Abraham 2:11). God
further promised that if they were righteous He would establish His covenant
with all generations of Abraham’s children (see Genesis 17:4–8).
"The
blood descendants of Abraham are not the only people whom God calls His
covenant people. In speaking to Abraham, God said, “As many as receive this
Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed
[lineage], and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father” (Abraham 2:10).
Thus, two groups of people are included in the covenant made with Abraham: (1)
Abraham’s righteous blood descendants and (2) those adopted into his lineage by
accepting and living the gospel of Jesus Christ (see 2 Nephi 30:2).
"When
we are baptized into the Church, we enter into the covenant the Lord made with
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (see Galatians 3:26–29). If we are obedient, we
inherit the blessings of that covenant. We have the right to receive help and
guidance from the Holy Ghost. Worthy males have the right to hold the
priesthood. Families can receive the blessings of the priesthood. We can gain
eternal life in the celestial kingdom. There are no greater blessings than
these" (Gospel Principles, The Lord's Covenant People).
Q What are the
blessings of the Abrahamic covenant?
Q How can we receive
the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant?
Q How will all nations
of the earth be blessed as we keep the covenants we have made with God? (Consider
how this question applies in different settings, such as at home, in the
workplace, in the community, or as missionaries.)
The
Scattering of the House of Israel
"Jacob
was a great prophet who lived hundreds of years before the time of Christ.
Because Jacob was faithful, the Lord gave him the special name of Israel, which
means “one who prevails with God” or “let God prevail” (Bible Dictionary,
“Israel,” 708). Jacob had twelve sons. These sons and their families became
known as the twelve tribes of Israel, or Israelites (see Genesis 49:28). Jacob
was a grandson of Abraham. The Lord made an everlasting covenant with Abraham
that was renewed with Isaac and with Jacob and his children....
"Again
and again prophets of the Lord warned the house of Israel what would happen if
they were wicked. Moses prophesied, “And the Lord shall scatter thee among all
people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other” (Deuteronomy 28:64).
"Despite
this warning, the Israelites consistently broke the commandments of God. They
fought among themselves and split into two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom,
called the kingdom of Israel, and the Southern Kingdom, called the kingdom of
Judah. Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel lived in the Northern Kingdom. During
a war they were conquered by their enemies and carried away into captivity.
Some of them later escaped into the lands of the north and became lost to the
rest of the world.
"About
100 years after the capture of the Northern Kingdom, the Southern Kingdom was
conquered. The capital city of Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C., and many
members of the remaining two tribes of Israel were taken captive. Later, some
of the members of these tribes returned and rebuilt Jerusalem. Just before
Jerusalem was destroyed, Lehi and his family, who were members of the house of
Israel, left the city and settled in the Americas.
"After
the time of Christ, Jerusalem was again destroyed, this time by Roman soldiers.
The Jews were scattered over much of the world. Today Israelites are found in
all countries of the world. Many of these people do not know that they are
descended from the ancient house of Israel" (Gospel Principles, The
Gathering of the House of Israel).
The
House of Israel Must Be Gathered
"The
Lord promised that His covenant people would someday be gathered: “I will
gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them”
(Jeremiah 23:3).
"God
gathers His children through missionary work. As people come to a knowledge of
Jesus Christ, receiving the ordinances of salvation and keeping the associated
covenants, they become “the children of the covenant” (3 Nephi 20:26). He has
important reasons for gathering His children. He gathers them so they can learn
the teachings of the gospel and prepare themselves to meet the Savior when He
comes again. He gathers them so they will build temples and perform sacred
ordinances for ancestors who have died without having this opportunity. He
gathers them so they can strengthen one another and be unified in the gospel,
finding protection from unrighteous influences in the world. He also gathers
them so they can prepare themselves to share the gospel with others"
(Gospel Principles, the Gathering of the House of Israel).
Q Why does the Lord
want the House of Israel to be gathered?
"The
power and authority to direct the work of gathering the house of Israel was
given to Joseph Smith by the prophet Moses, who appeared in 1836 in the
Kirtland Temple (see D&C 110:11). Since that time, each prophet has held
the keys for the gathering of the house of Israel, and this gathering has been
an important part of the Church’s work. The covenant people are now being
gathered as they accept the restored gospel and serve the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob (see Deuteronomy 30:1–5).
"The
Israelites are to be gathered spiritually first and then physically. They are
gathered spiritually as they join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and make and keep sacred covenants. This spiritual gathering began
during the time of the Prophet Joseph Smith and continues today all over the
world. Converts to the Church are Israelites either by blood or adoption. They
belong to the family of Abraham and Jacob (see Abraham 2:9–11; Galatians
3:26–29)....
"The
physical gathering of Israel means that the covenant people will be “gathered
home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their
lands of promise” (2 Nephi 9:2). The tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh will be
gathered in the Americas. The tribe of Judah will return to the city of
Jerusalem and the area surrounding it. The ten lost tribes will receive from
the tribe of Ephraim their promised blessings (see D&C 133:26–34).
"When
the Church was first established, the Saints were instructed to gather in Ohio,
then Missouri, and then the Salt Lake Valley. Today, however, modern prophets
have taught that Church members are to build up the kingdom of God in their own
lands. Elder Russell M. Nelson said: “The choice to come unto Christ is not a
matter of physical location; it is a matter of individual commitment. People
can be ‘brought to the knowledge of the Lord’ [3 Nephi 20:13] without leaving
their homelands. True, in the early days of the Church, conversion often meant
emigration as well. But now the gathering takes place in each nation. … The
place of gathering for Brazilian Saints is in Brazil; the place of gathering
for Nigerian Saints is in Nigeria; the place of gathering for Korean Saints is
in Korea; and so forth. Zion is ‘the pure in heart.’ [D&C 97:21.] Zion is
wherever righteous Saints are” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2006, 85; or Ensign,
Nov. 2006, 81).
"The
physical gathering of Israel will not be complete until the Second Coming of
the Savior and on into the Millennium (see Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:37) "
(Gospel Principles, the Gathering of the House of Israel).
Q How will the Lord
gather the House of Israel?
Q What blessings have
you received by being gathered with the House of Israel? What are some potential
blessings for being gathered?
Q How can we help with
the gathering of the House of Israel?
Key talks about Sharing the Gospel can be found at
Key talks about Service can be found at
Key talks about the Covenants can be found at
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