Seminaries and Institutes
Genesis 5; Moses 6: Enoch Teaches the First Principles of the Gospel

“Genesis 5; Moses 6: Enoch Teaches the First Principles of the Gospel,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2002), 16–17

“Genesis 5; Moses 6,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, 16–17

Genesis 5; Moses 6

Enoch Teaches the First Principles of the Gospel

Adam and Eve fell because of disobedience to a law, and they were “shut out” from the presence of God (Moses 5:4). We read in Moses 5 how disobedience leads men even further away from God—as in the case of Cain, Lamech, and others. After Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, they were taught to understand and live doctrines and make and keep covenants. They also learned which saving ordinances were required for them to return and live in the presence of God. Many of these teachings are found in Moses 6. The prophet Enoch taught his people these truths in an attempt to inspire them to repent of their sins and wickedness so they could be redeemed and brought back into the presence of God.

Studying the Scriptures

Do at least three of the following activities (A–E) as you study Moses 6.

  1. Make a Table of Contents

    Write what you think the table of contents would look like for the book described in Moses 6:5–25.

  2. Write about or to Your Family

    1. According to Moses 6:45–46, why did Enoch and his people know their ancestors (fathers)?

    2. Write about one of your ancestors you “know” because of records that have been kept. Include something about them that inspires you to be a better person.

    or

    Write something you will want your posterity to know about you. Consider the following statement from President Spencer W. Kimball: “Get a notebook. … Begin today and write in it your goings and comings, your deepest thoughts, your achievements and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies” (“‘The Angels May Quote from It,’” New Era, Oct. 1975, 5).

  3. What Do They Describe?

    1. Find the following phrases in Moses 6:27–29 that describe the sins of the people in Enoch’s day: “hearts have waxed dull,” “ears are dull of hearing,” “eyes cannot see afar off,” “have denied me,” “sought their own counsel in the dark,” “devised murder,” “have not kept the commandments [given to] Adam,” and “foresworn themselves.” You might want to underline or highlight these phrases in your scriptures.

    2. Describe what you think is meant by “hearts waxed dull,” “ears dull of hearing,” “eyes that cannot see afar off,” and what it means to “seek counsel in the dark.”

    3. Give the opposite of each description above so that they describe righteous people. In other words, through the gospel hearts can be , eyes can become , and so on.

  4. A Calling from the Lord

    1. According to Moses 6:31, how did Enoch feel about his calling from the Lord?

    2. Explain how you think Enoch felt after the things the Lord said and did in Moses 6:32–36.

    3. Read Moses 7:13–19 and write about how the promises of the Lord to Enoch were fulfilled.

  5. How Do We Receive Our Inheritance from Heavenly Father?

    Because of the Fall

    How the Fall Is Overcome

    As children of God, we are entitled to inherit all that He has. When we sin, however, we become unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God. The Lord taught Adam how to become clean and thus qualify to inherit eternal life. Enoch taught these same principles to his people. Read Moses 6:48–68, and then make a chart like the one shown. List in the first column things that happened because of the Fall. List in the second column things that tell how to overcome the effects of the Fall.