Written by Brian Aldous, a BYU student, studying a volume of scripture known as the Pearl of Great Price, which is written by prophets; members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “Mormons” revere it as sacred text. This post comes from a book within the Pearl of Great Price known, as The Book of Moses; it is an extraction from the translation of the Bible as revealed to Joseph Smith the Prophet, June 1830—February 1831.
God the Father Appears to Moses
In Moses chapter one, the Pearl of Great Price (a book of scripture held sacred by Latter-day Saints “Mormons”), Moses saw God. During Moses’ encounter he learned that “man is nothing” – something that he “never had supposed” (Moses 1:10). He saw all of our earth and all of its inhabitants, and learned that God had created many worlds other than our
own. Moses also learned that although the creations of God are “innumerable” to man, they are all known to God. God spoke to Moses, saying: “all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them” (Moses 1:35). This discovery that Moses had is like what President Dieter F. Uchtdorf calls a “paradox of man”, which is that “compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God” (“You Matter to Him”, Oct. 2011). Moses learned the first part of this paradox as he beheld the glory of God and realized that the natural man cannot withstand such glory. Even though Moses was transfigured (a temporary change of nature to a more glorious state) when he beheld God, he still had to wait many hours before regaining his strength, after the encounter (Moses 1:10). Moses learned the second part of the paradox as God called him His son, told him that he was in the similitude of Jesus Christ, and revealed His work and glory (Moses 1:6, 39). These two sides of the paradox help us integrate the vastness of God’s creations with an understanding of His love for us.
Two things that I learned from Moses’ relationship to God that affect my relationship with Him are (a) Moses’ reaction to Satan tempting him and (b) the love that God has for us, in spite of our relatively small place in the universe. Satan told Moses to worship him, but Moses could not be confused about his relationship to God. Moses knew that he was “a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten” (Moses 1:13). Furthermore, he recognized that he could behold Satan without being transfigured, which showed that Satan did not have the glory of God. Moses’ experience in expelling Satan is instructive for us. He knew his relationship to God and Jesus Christ, he knew God’s glory, and he prayed to God to receive the force to expel Satan from his presence, which was done in the name of Jesus Christ.
My relationship with God is affected by knowing that I am part of the reason for His creations. Instead of looking into the night sky and feeling helpless or insignificant, I can feel hopeful and know that there is the potential for greatness within me. God showed Moses that the sheer extent of His creations did not have to be overwhelming and did not make Moses unimportant. On the contrary, God’s children are the reason for His creations and the focal point of His work and glory (Moses 1:39).
Additional Resources:
Moses saw God. This helps us understand our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Learn more at the official site of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently called by friends of other faiths as the “Mormon Church”).
Learn more about your relationship with God.
Request a free copy of the Book of Mormon or Bible.