Mommas Providential History

Historical Purpose:

1-Teach children the societal background that existed at the time of the Tower of Babel, and for further understanding of historical occurrences, teach them that the world was divided in the days of Peleg, which may have been a similar time period as Nimrod and the tower of Babel to further or vehicle confounding of languages.

2-Teach children about the Tower of Babel and Nimrod, so that children can describe the characteristics of this society and write a comparison in how they differed from the City of Enoch in spiritual attributes.

Leading Scripture: “…Therefore, we are led to seek personal inspiration in life’s important decisions… As each impression came, I carefully wrote it down.

The inspiring influence of the Holy Spirit can be overcome or masked by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, passion, fear, or pride.

If you are ensnarled in pornography, make a total commitment to overcome it now. Find a quiet place; pray urgently for help and support. Be patient and obedient. Don’t give up.

I bear solemn witness that as you pray with all the fervor of your soul with humility and gratitude, you can learn to be consistently guided by the Holy Spirit in all aspects of your life.” Richard G. Scott Oct 2009

(The Closure for this lesson is at the beginning of the next lesson, focusing on how the people of Nimrod, and the Jaredites, were destroyed for practicing among idolatry, wicked monarchy, paid priesthood—Secret Combinations)

Relate/Apply: (Discussion:) What I told the children about pornography, was in life as you are not looking for it, a bad picture will show up in the mail as an underwear add that they might see accidentally, or on your computer screen, or on a bill board, or in words.  I told them twice, 1-LOOK AWAY,  2 TURN IT OFF, 3 TELL A PARENT.  (Steps I learned directly from an expert on the subject, JoAnn Hibert Hamilton)  I said, don’t look again to turn it off, just turn away, and without looking turn it off *which they may need to be taught how to do* …I told them Satan would want them to feel guilty and that talking to a parent is the best way for this accident to not bother them, and to not trap them to an addiction, so they can return to peace and joy again, and to feeling the spirit to guide their lives.

Recall: Who can remember where the fertile crescent is?  Show pictures.  This is the civilization we are studying.  Refer to the map showing where Shem’s descendants are.

Background: Between two rivers so there was lots of fresh fish, yogurt, milk, mutton, date palms along the banks of the river which could be dried or eaten fresh, compressed to make syrup which was used like sugar, or freshly eaten as figs; barley used to make ale.  Present a taste sample and show case of the different foods eaten then.

Research: Read about the ways of life, the temples, the priests.

Research:  These scriptures show how the Mesopotamian society was probably set up with godly priests who did labor with out being paid.  Record this contrast later on in the “record” section below.

Mosiah  18: 18-26

And it came to pass that Alma, having ^aauthority from God, ^bordained priests; even one priest to every fifty of their number did he ordain to preach unto them, and to ^cteach them concerning the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

19 And he commanded them that ^athey should ^bteach nothing save it were the things which he had taught, and which had been spoken by the mouth of the holy prophets.

20 Yea, even he commanded them that they should ^apreach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.

21 And he commanded them that there should be no ^acontention one with another, but that they should look forward with ^bone eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts ^cknit together in unity and in love one towards another.

22 And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the ^achildren of God.

23 And he commanded them that they should observe the ^asabbath day, and keep it holy, and also every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God.

24 And he also commanded them that the priests whom he had ordained ^ashould ^blabor with their own hands for their support.

25 And there was ^aone day in every week that was set apart that they should ^bgather themselves together to teach the people, and to worship the Lord their God, and also, as often as it was in their power, to ^cassemble themselves together.

26 And the priests were not to depend upon the people for their support; but for their labor they were to receive the ^agrace of God, that they might wax strong in the Spirit, having the ^bknowledge of God, that they might teach with power and authority from God.

1-Nimrod and the Tower of Babel

ACTIVITY/RESEARCH: While discussing the type of man Nimrod was, how the world was divided, and about the Jaredites, have children trace a student and create as described below, a war-like giant.

Research: (4-21) Genesis 10:8–9 . What Sort of Man Was the Founder of Babylon?

The Joseph Smith Translation indicates, not that Nimrod was “a mighty hunter before the Lord” ( Genesis 10:9 ), but that he was “a mighty hunter in the land” (JST, Genesis 10:5).

One scholar said the following of Nimrod:

“Though the words are not definite, it is very likely he was a very bad man. His name Nimrod comes from . . . marad, he rebelled; and the Targum [ancient Jewish translations or paraphrases of the s10criptures], on 1 Chron. i. 10 , says: Nimrod began to be a mighty man in sin, a murderer of innocent men, and a rebel before the Lord. The Jerusalem Targum says: ‘He was mighty in hunting (or in prey) and in sin before God, for he was a hunter of the children of men in their languages; and he said unto them, Depart from the religion of Shem, and cleave to the institutes of Nimrod.’ The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel says: ‘From the foundation of the world none was ever found like Nimrod, powerful in hunting, and in rebellions against the Lord.’ The Syriac calls him a warlike giant. The word . . . tsayid, which we render hunter, signifies prey; and is applied in the Scriptures to the hunting of men by persecution, oppression, and tyranny. Hence it is likely that Nimrod, having acquired power, used it in tyranny and oppression; and by rapine and violence founded that domination which was the first distinguished by the name of a kingdom on the face of the earth.” (Clarke, Bible Commentary, 1:86.)

Thus, in the same patriarchal age, Melchizedek (see Reading 5-9 ) established a Zion after the pattern of Enoch, the prototype of the true city of God, the freest of all societies, and Nimrod established a Babylon that gave its name to the prototype of the kingdom of Satan, the antithesis of Zion (see Nibley, Lehi in the Desert, pp. 154–64).

Josephus wrote:

Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham, the son of Noah, a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it were through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power… Now the multitude were very ready to follow the determination of Nimrod, and to esteem it a piece of cowardice to submit to God; and they built a tower, neither sparing any pains, nor being in any degree negligent about the work: and, by reason of the multitude of hands employed in it, it grew very high, sooner than any one could expect; but the thickness of it was so great, and it was so strongly built, that thereby its great height seemed, upon the view, to be less than it really was. It was built of burnt brick, cemented together with mortar, made of bitumen, that it might not be liable to admit water. When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they were not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before; for the Hebrews mean by the word Babel, confusion…

Coloring page of Tower of Babel

2- World was divided in the days of Peleg

Research: (4-22) Genesis 10:25 .

25 And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was ^aPeleg; for in his days was the earth ^bdivided; and his brother’s name was Joktan.

Was the Earth Divided in the Days of Peleg?

“The dividing of the earth was not an act of division by the inhabitants of the earth by tribes and peoples, but a breaking asunder of the continents, thus dividing the land surface and creating the Eastern Hemisphere and Western Hemisphere. By looking at a wall map of the world, you will discover how the land surface along the northern and southern coast of the American Hemisphere and Europe and Africa has the appearance of having been together at one time. Of course, there have been many changes on the earth’s surface since the beginning. We are informed by revelation that the time will come when this condition will be changed and that the land surface of the earth will come back again as it was in the beginning and all be in one place. This is definitely stated in the Doctrine and Covenants. [ D&C 133:18–20 is then cited.]” (Smith, Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:73–74.)

3-Brother of Jared (Ether 1:35)

In our class, we thank Elijah for summarizing the following information for us:

The story of the Brother of Jared Scripture Chain: Ether 1:33-36; Ether 2: Chapter heading,

What happens with the Jaredite’s government when Jared and his brother die?  Is this a good or bad idea?  Why?  Ether 6: Chapter heading and verses 11-24

Ether 7: Chapter Heading, Ether 8: Chapter Heading, Ether 11: Chapter Heading, Ether 14: Chapter Heading and Ether Chapter 15 Chapter Heading.  Who was the last Jaredite?

Later, Coriantumr was discovered by the people of Zarahemla. And  King Mosiah was given a large stone that told Coriantumr’s  story, Omni 1:20-22

Mosiah 7: 1-3 King Mosiah sends Ammon to see what happened to the people who went back to the land of Nephi-Lehi.  There they found the people of King Limhi.  King Limhi’s people had discovered the Jaredite’s remains.  Mosiah 8:6-11, 13, or Mosiah 21:25-28 (summary of the previously stated scriptures)

Why were the Jaredites destroyed?  The records of the Jaredites were interpreted by Mosiah.  He found that they were full of wickedness.  Before Mosiah died, he gave the records to Alma the younger.  Mosiah 28:20; The record of the Jaredite’s wickedness is stated here, where Alma the younger hands the records to his son Helaman in Alma 37:21,22,25-29. ( You can tell that these verses refer to the Jaredite record by the footnote 21a, because Mosiah 8:9 is about the discovered Jaredite record.)

Record/Write: What are the differences between Enoch and Nimrod?  How did their cities differ?  Use highlighted portions of the information below.  Record these differences on a T chart labeled City of Enoch verses Followers of Nimrod.

Contrasting Research, a Zion People:

“When we conclude to make a Zion we will make it, and this work commences in the heart of each person. When the father of a family wishes to make a Zion in his own house, he must take the lead in this good work, which it is impossible for him to do unless he himself possesses the spirit of Zion. Before he can produce the work of sanctification in his family, he must sanctify himself, and by this means God can help him to sanctify his family. . . .

“My spiritual enjoyment must be obtained by my own life, but it would add much to the comfort of the community, and to my happiness, as one with them, if every man and woman would live their religion, and enjoy the light and glory of the Gospel for themselves, be passive, humble and faithful; rejoice continually before the Lord, attend to the business they are called to do, and be sure never to do anything wrong.

“All would then be peace, joy, and tranquility, in our streets and in our houses. Litigation would cease, there would be no difficulties before the High Council and Bishops’ Courts, and courts, turmoil, and strife would not be known.

“Then we would have Zion, for all would be pure in heart.” (Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 118–19.)

“We’re living in the latter days. We’re living in the days the prophets have told about from the time of Enoch to the present day. We are living in the era just preceding the second advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are told to so prepare and live that we can be . . . independent of every other creature beneath the celestial kingdom. That is what we are to do. . . .

“. . . the final thing that we are to do is to be able and willing to consecrate all that we have to the building up of the kingdom of God, to care for our fellow men. When we do this we’ll be ready for the coming of the Messiah.” (Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1975, pp. 165–66.)

“In the meantime, while we await the redemption of Zion and the earth and the establishment of the United Order, we as bearers of the priesthood should live strictly by the principles of the United Order insofar as they are embodied in present church practices, such as the fast offering, tithing, and the welfare activities. Through these practices we could as individuals, if we were of a mind to do so, implement in our own lives all the basic principles of the United Order. . . .

“It is thus apparent that when the principles of tithing and the fast are properly observed and the Welfare Plan gets fully developed and wholly into operation, ‘we shall not be so very far from carrying out the great fundamentals of the United Order.’ ( Conference Report, October 1942, pp. 57–58.)

“The only limitation on you and me is within ourselves.” (Marion G. Romney, in Conference Report, Apr. 1966, pp. 100–101.)