Genesis 9:8–17; Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 9:21–25

 

What can a rainbow bring to your mind?

"8 ¶ And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth." (Genesis 9:8–17)

"21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself.

22 And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy;

23 And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch.

24 And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will establish my covenant unto thee, which I have made between me and thee, for every living creature of all flesh that shall be upon the earth.

25 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and thee; for all flesh that shall be upon the earth." (Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 9:21–25)

"I humbly testify and pray that we will always remember Him—in all times, all things, and all places we may be in.

Dear brothers and sisters, when I served in Asia, people sometimes asked, “Elder Gong, how many people live in the Asia Area of the Church?”

I said, “Half the world’s population—3.6 billion people.”

Someone asked, “Is it hard to remember all their names?”

Remembering—and forgetting—are part of everyday life. For example, once, after looking everywhere for her new mobile phone, my wife finally decided to call it from another phone. When she heard her phone ring, my wife thought, “Who could be calling me? I haven’t given that number to anyone!”

Remembering—and forgetting—are also part of our eternal journey. Time, agency, and memory help us learn, grow, and increase in faith.

In the words of a favorite hymn:

We’ll sing all hail to Jesus’ name,

And praise and honor give. …

Ye Saints, partake and testify

Ye do remember him.

Each week, in partaking of the sacrament, we covenant to always remember Him. Drawing on the nearly 400 scripture references to the word remember, here are six ways we can always remember Him.

First, we can always remember Him by having confidence in His covenants, promises, and assurances.

The Lord remembers His everlasting covenants—from Adam’s time to the day Adam’s posterity “shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy.”

The Lord remembers His promises, including promises to gather scattered Israel through the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ and promises given to every member and missionary who remembers the worth of souls.

The Lord remembers and assures nations and peoples. In these days of motion and commotion, “some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God,” who guides “the future as he has the past.” In “perilous times,” we “remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men.”

Second, we can always remember Him by gratefully acknowledging His hand throughout our lives.

The Lord’s hand in our lives is often clearest in hindsight. As Christian philosopher Søren Kierkegaard put it: “Life must be understood backward. But … it must be lived forward.”

My dear mother recently celebrated her 90th birthday. She gratefully testified of God’s blessing at each major juncture in her life. Family histories, family traditions, and family ties help us savor remembrance of things past while providing future patterns and hope. Priesthood lines of authority and patriarchal blessings witness of God’s hand across generations.

Have you ever thought of yourself as your own living book of remembrance—reflecting what and how you choose to remember?

For example, when I was younger, I really wanted to play school basketball. I practiced and practiced. One day the coach pointed to our 6-foot-4-inch (1.93 m) all-state center and our 6-foot-2-inch (1.88 m) all-star forward and said to me, “I can put you on the team, but you’ll likely never play.” I remember how kindly he then encouraged, “Why not try out for soccer? You’d be good.” My family cheered when I scored my first goal.

We can remember those who give us a chance, and a second chance, with honesty, kindness, patience, and encouragement. And we can become someone others remember when they most needed help. Gratefully remembering the assistance of others and the Spirit’s guiding influence is a way we remember Him. It is a way we count our many blessings and see what God hath done.

Third, we can always remember Him by trusting when the Lord assures us, “He who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more.”

When we fully repent, including by confessing and forsaking our sins, we ask with Enos, as our guilt is swept away, “Lord, how is it done?” and hear the answer “Because of thy faith in Christ” and His invitation to “put me in remembrance.”

Once we repent and priesthood leaders declare us worthy, we need not continue to confess and confess these past sins. To be worthy does not mean to be perfect. Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness invites us to be humbly at peace on our life’s journey to someday become perfected in Christ, not constantly worried, frustrated, or unhappy in our imperfections today. Remember, He knows all the things we don’t want anyone else to know about us—and loves us still.

Sometimes life tests our trust in Christ’s mercy, justice, and judgment and in His liberating invitation to allow His Atonement to heal us as we forgive others and ourselves.

A young woman in another country applied to work as a journalist, but the official who assigned jobs was merciless. He said to her, “With my signature, I guarantee you will not become a journalist but will dig sewers.” She was the only woman digging sewers in a gang of men.

Years later this woman became an official. One day a man came in needing her signature for a job.

She asked, “Do you remember me?” He did not.

She said, “You do not remember me, but I remember you. With your signature, you guaranteed I never became a journalist. With your signature, you sent me to dig sewers, the only woman in a gang of men.”

She told me, “I feel I should treat that man better than he treated me—but I do not have that strength.” Sometimes that strength is not within us, but it can be found in remembering the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

When trust is betrayed, dreams shattered, hearts broken and broken again, when we want justice and need mercy, when our fists clench and our tears flow, when we need to know what to hold onto and what to let go of, we can always remember Him. Life is not as cruel as it can sometimes seem. His infinite compassion can help us find our way, truth, and life.

When we remember His words and example, we will not give or take offense.

My friend’s father worked as a mechanic. His honest labor showed even in his carefully washed hands. One day someone at a temple told my friend’s father he should clean his hands before serving there. Instead of being offended, this good man began to scrub the family dishes by hand with extra soapy water before attending the temple. He exemplifies those who “ascend into the hill of the Lord” and “stand in his holy place” with the cleanest of hands and the purest of hearts.

If we have unkind feelings, grudges, or resentments or if we have cause to ask forgiveness of others, now is the time to do so.

Fourth, He invites us to remember that He is always welcoming us home.

We learn by asking and searching. But please do not cease exploration until you arrive—in the words of T. S. Eliot—“where [you] started and know the place for the first time.” When you are ready, please open your heart to the Book of Mormon, again, for the first time. Please pray with real intent, again, for the first time.

Trust that early or faint memory. Let it enlarge your faith. With God, there is no point of no return.

Prophets ancient and modern implore us not to let human foibles, faults, or weaknesses—others’ or our own—cause us to miss the truths, covenants, and redeeming power in His restored gospel. This is especially important in a church where we each grow through our imperfect participation. The Prophet Joseph said, “I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught.”

Fifth, we can always remember Him on the Sabbath through the sacrament. At the end of His mortal ministry and the beginning of His resurrected ministry—both times—our Savior took bread and wine and asked that we remember His body and blood, “for as oft as ye do this ye will remember this hour that I was with you.”

In the ordinance of the sacrament, we witness unto God the Father that we are willing to take upon us the name of His Son and always remember Him and keep His commandments, which He has given us, that we may always have His Spirit to be with us.

As Amulek teaches, we remember Him when we pray over our fields, our flocks, and our households and when we remember the needy, the naked, the sick and afflicted.

Finally, sixth, our Savior invites us to always remember Him as He always remembers us.

In the New World, our resurrected Savior invited those present to come, one by one, to thrust their hands into His side and to feel the prints of the nails in His hands and in His feet.

The scriptures describe resurrection as “every limb and joint shall be restored to … their proper and perfect frame,” and “even a hair of the head shall not be lost.” That being so, please consider how it is that our Savior’s perfect, resurrected body still bears the wounds in His side and the nail prints in His hands and feet.

At times in history, mortal men have been executed by crucifixion. But only our Savior, Jesus Christ, embraces us still carrying the marks of His pure love. Only He fulfills the prophecy of being lifted up upon the cross that He might draw each of us, by name, to Him.

Our Savior declares:

“Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”

He testifies: “I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.”

I humbly testify and pray that we will always remember Him—in all times, all things, and all places we may be in. In the sacred and holy name of Jesus Christ, amen." (Always Remember Him By Elder Gerrit W. Gong Of the Presidency of the Seventy)

And here's the commentary entitled: "Tokens or symbols help me remember my covenants with the Lord." :

"According to Genesis 9:8–17, what can a rainbow bring to your mind? What does Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 9:21–25 (in the Bible appendix) add to your understanding? You might also consider making a list of other things (like symbols, objects, or anything else) that God has given you to remind you of your covenants. What do these things teach you? How do they help you remember?

See also Gerrit W. Gong, “Always Remember Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 108–11; “Reverently and Meekly Now,” Hymns, no. 185.

What a rainbow brings to my mind : 

• It is the token of the covenant, which the Lord has established between Him and all flesh that is upon the earth. 
• The waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 
• It shall be in the cloud; and the Lord will look upon it, that He may remember the everlasting covenant between Him and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

What the Joseph Smith Translation, Genesis 9:21–25 (in the Bible appendix) adds to my understanding: 

• When men should keep all His commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which He had caught up unto Himself.
• This is His everlasting covenant, that when Noah's posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy.
• The general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end comes. And this is the Lord's everlasting covenant, which He made with Noah's father Enoch.

Other things (like symbols, objects, or anything else) that God has given me to remind me of my covenants:

• My baptism, which my father did when I turned 8.
• The sacrament emblems I partake of every Sunday during the sacrament meeting. 
• The signs and tokens I did during the endowment that I received myself inside the temple, and the same signs and tokens during the endowment I would receive for my ancestors by proxy. 
• The new and everlasting covenant of marriage I entered into with my husband when we got married in the house of the Lord, or the temple, and the same sealing ordinance we would perform for our ancestors by proxy. 
• The way I keep the Sabbath day holy. 
• The Church hymns and primary children's songs.
• The scriptures.
• My prayers.
• My patriarchal blessing.
• The General Conference Talks.
• The Come, Follow Me Lessons I'm studying daily and striving to write about and share through this blog.