Has anybody ever asked you to do something that your parents have taught you not to do? Do you know what the Word of Wisdom is?
According to the Guide to the Scriptures, the Word of Wisdom is, “A law of health revealed by the Lord for the physical and spiritual benefit of the Saints (D&C 89). It has become commonly referred to as the Word of Wisdom. The Lord has always taught His followers principles of health. The Lord revealed to Joseph Smith which types of foods to eat and which to avoid, along with a promise of temporal and spiritual blessings for obeying the Word of Wisdom.”
The following are the things outlined in the word of wisdom:
All things which come of the earth are to be used with judgment, not to excess.
The Lord counseled the Saints to not use wine, strong drinks, tobacco, and hot drinks.
Herbs, fruits, flesh, and grain are ordained for the use of man and of animals.
Eat meat in thankfulness and should be eaten sparingly
The Lord promises in D&C 89:18-21
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.
Discuss how your children should respond when someone offers them something that is against the Word of Wisdom.
Did you know that there is a story in the Bible where Daniel and his friends, Shadrach; Meshach; and Abed-nego, were offered food and strong drink and they had to tell the prince of eunuchs, Melzar, that they could not drink the wine or eat the meat that the king offered them.
The prince was afraid that the kind would be very mad and kill him, because they would be sick and look too skinny. They asked the prince to give them grains to eat and water to drink, for 10 days.
After 10 days, Daniel, Shadrach; Meshach; and Abed-nego looked more healthy than those that had eaten the king’s meat and drank the king’s wine.
Daniel 1:17-20 says
17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah [Shadrach], Mishael [Meshach], and Azariah [Abed-nego]: therefore stood they before the king.
20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
As Daniel grew older, he became loved by all the kings, and he was known as the interpreter of dreams. King Darius loved Daniel and made him a prince over the kingdom. The other princes got jealous and tried to find a reason to get him in trouble, but Daniel was honest and good.
So, the princes told Darius to make a royal decree that said if anyone should ask any man or God for something for 30 days, then he should be cast into a den of lions.
Daniel was not ashamed to pray, and left the windows open in his house, when he knelt down to pray. The princes saw him and told the king that they saw Daniel pray 3 times a day. King Darius wanted to change the decree, but there was a law that once a decree was made, it could not be changed.
King Darius asked his guards to go arrest Daniel and cast him into the lion’s den. As he went into the den, the King told Daniel that he believed that the God that Daniel prayed to would save him.
The king fasted all night and ran to the lion’s den as soon as the sun came up. He went to the top of the den and said,
Daniel 6:20-23
20…O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
21Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God
Daniel was blessed because he prayed to God and didn’t let anybody stop him. What do we learn from Daniel’s example? What can we do to be more like him?
Click the picture below to see how we did this lesson
