A Case for Authority

Many years ago, Moses decided he wanted to speak for God. So he went to school, got a degree in religion, rented a building in Cairo, put out an advertisement in the local paper to form a congregation, and the rest is history.

Or, maybe that is not how it happened. What does the Bible teach us?

Exodus 3:13  And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

Exodus 28:1 Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: 

We discover that Moses did not take the honor of speaking for God onto himself, but he was called by God to do the work.

Moses felt inadequate to speak, so God did something more to help in the calling of speaking for God. Speaking to Moses, the Lord said:

Exodus 28:1  AND take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons. 

Aaron and his sons were called of God through the prophet. We see that God called and chose these persons – none of them chose themselves. That is how God works. He calls individuals to do His work. We do not choose ourselves.

It is as the Lord told Joseph Smith:

D&C 132:8 Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. 

Consider the prophet Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Jeremiah was actually ordained to his calling before he was even born – while he was still a spirit in the pre-existence! 

There are some who say that in the New Testament, God changed His ways, and that everyone who believes in Christ is called. No need to be specially called by God any more. But what does the New Testament teach us?

Hebrews 5:1 FOR every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins: …

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec.

The New Testament is quite clear. God has not changed. Still the same God. And he says that all, and in this case, High Priests, must be called just as Aaron was. How was Aaron called? By another having authority to do so. Even Jesus submitted to this same method!

Whether a prophet or a high priest, or any other calling to officiate in God’s name, one must be called by God, or by someone like Moses with authority from God.

Thank our consistent and unchanging God, He is still the same today, and has blessed us with the predicted restitution* of all things in these latter days before the Second Coming, in the same manner and fashion as He did in the past. As He appeared to Moses, He now likewise in these last days appeared to Joseph Smith, and gave him authority to speak, teach and do all things whatsoever God wants prior to the Second Coming.

*Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.