The Judges of Israel

Khinckley1@yahoo.com

Questions to Third GradersWhy did God make mothers?

She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.Mostly to clean the house.To help us out of there when we were getting born.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other Mom?`We're related.`God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about dad before she married him?His last name.She had to know his background. Like is he a crook?Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on her back.

Parenting is a balancing act…

Neal A. Maxwell

"Years ago, as we were driving home one night, I listened as my

friend told me, through some tears, of one of those family challenges we all seem to face in one form or another. He's always been so grateful for all that has gone well in his family, but he's honest as a father and a grandfather that you should never assume that parenting is an unbroken chain of successes.

Those experiences have given him added empathy in his ministry, and they are also evident in his very genuine inquiries about other people's families."

The Eternal Template

In the BeginningIn the BeginningWe “counseled together”We “counseled together”Establishing “The Plan”Establishing “The Plan”

Parents Covenant:1)To Obey The Plan

2)To Train Others

Teac

her

Children Covenant:1)To be taught2) To Follow

Learner

TeachWhat, Why

Israel’s search for a leader

Question:

Watching the struggle in Iraq, how difficult is “freedom” for those that have never known it?

Oth

niel

Ehud

Sham

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Debor

ah

Gideon

Tola

Jair

Jeph

thah

Ibza

nElon Abdon

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Joshua Saul

Without proper, consistent leadership

Judges 1: 19 And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but

could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron.21 And the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem; but

the Jebusites dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem unto this day.22 And the house of Joseph, they also went up against Beth-el: and the LORD was with

them.25 And when he shewed them the entrance into the city, they smote the city with the edge of

the sword; but they let go the man and all his family.27 Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and her towns, …29 Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites

dwelt in Gezer among them.30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, …31 Neither did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Accho…32 But the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites…for they did not drive them out.33 Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh…

Judges 2: 10 …and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the

works which he had done for Israel.

The Lord Arranges a demonstration

Judges 7: 1 …Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee …

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

President Hinckley

Not long after we were married, we built our first home. We had very little money. I did much of the work myself. It would be called “sweat equity” today. The landscaping was entirely my responsibility. The first of many trees that I planted was a thornless honey locust. …it was only a wisp of a tree, perhaps three-quarters of an inch in diameter. It was so supple that I could bend it with ease in any direction. I paid little attention to it as the years passed.

Then one winter day, when the tree was barren of leaves, I chanced to look out the window at it. I noticed that it was leaning to the west, misshapen and out of balance. I could scarcely believe it. I went out and braced myself against it as if to push it upright. But the trunk was now nearly a foot in diameter. My strength was as nothing against it. I took from my toolshed a block and tackle. Attaching one end to the tree and another to a well-set post, I pulled the rope. The pulleys moved a little, and the trunk of the tree trembled slightly. But that was all. It seemed to say, “You can’t straighten me. It’s too late. I’ve grown this way because of your neglect, and I will not bend.”

Finally in desperation I took my saw and cut off the great heavy branch on the west side. The saw left an ugly scar, more than eight inches across. I stepped back and surveyed what I had done. I had cut off the major part of the tree, leaving only one branch growing skyward.

More than half a century has passed since I planted that tree. My daughter and her family live there now. The other day I looked again at the tree. It is large. Its shape is better. It is a great asset to the home. But how serious was the trauma of its youth and how brutal the treatment I used to straighten it.

When it was first planted, a piece of string would have held it in place against the forces of the wind. I could have and should have supplied that string with ever so little effort. But I did not, and it bent to the forces that came against it.

I have seen a similar thing, many times, in children whose lives I have observed. The parents who brought them into the world seem almost to have abdicated their responsibility. The results have been tragic. A few simple anchors would have given them the strength to withstand the forces that have shaped their lives. Now it appears it is too late

Reminder: “Fixing” or “Lax” parentsAre not “Loving” parents

What “stakes” should we be using? (for ourselves or our youth?)

Legrand Richards: "Over fifty years ago I heard Elder James E. Talmage tell this story. It has remained with me all these years. He told about a group of tourists or travelers in the Alps who were snowbound. The Lord sent an angel to a monk and told him about these people, asking him to go and rescue them.

The answer was, 'Why?' And the minute he said 'Why,' the angel disappeared. He went to the second monk and delivered the same message, and the answer was, 'How?' And the angel disappeared. He went to the third and delivered the same message, and the monk said, 'When?' And the angel remained and delivered his message.    

"It shouldn't be for us to say, when the call of the Lord comes or when we understand a command that is given to us through the prophets of God, 'How can we do it?' or 'Why does he ask us to do it?' but 'When, oh, God the Eternal Father, as thy son or daughter, wouldst thou have me do the thing that thou hast commanded?'"

J. Reuben Clark“The Charted Course, 1938”

The youth of the Church, your students, are in great majority sound in thought and in spirit. The problem primarily is to keep them sound, not to convert them.

The youth of the Church are hungry for things of the spirit; they are eager to learn the Gospel, and they want it straight, undiluted.

The want to know about the fundamentals I have just set out--about our beliefs; they want to gain testimonies of their truth; they are not now doubters but inquirers, seekers after truth. Doubt must not be planted in their hearts. Great is the burden and the condemnation of any teacher who sows doubt in a trusting soul.

These students crave the faith their fathers and mothers have; they want it in its simplicity and purity. There are few indeed who have not seen the manifestations of its divine power; they wish to be not only the beneficiaries of this faith, but they want to be themselves able to call it forth to work.

Elder Eyring

The best help that ever came to me for that moment came on a night years ago when President Marion G. Romney spoke to a group of teachers in the Church Educational System. I was his host that night…

Then President Romney simply read President Clark's talk and added only one sentence of his own in closing. That was the end of his talk. I knew he had prepared a talk of his own, but he chose to read "The Charted Course of the Church in Education."

President Romney had no family member with him that night, so I volunteered to drive him to his house, about twenty minutes away… After we had driven along for a few minutes, I asked, "President Romney, don't you think young people and the world have changed almost completely since President Clark gave that talk in 1938?" And then I paraphrased what seemed, at least to me, a remarkable part of President Clark's talk:

I talked with President Romney, as we drove along, about all the changes in morals, in science, in education, in the sophistication of young people, and the changes in their families—and on and on. And that is when I repeated my question to him: "Do you think what President Clark taught still describes the way we should approach our students today?"

President Romney chuckled, sat silent for a moment, and then said, "Oh, I think President Clark could see our time—and beyond."