God's Order, the Priesthood, and the Sealing Bonds of Marriage
It’s no mystery that God is a
God of order. Every one of His acts has
a time and a purpose and there are never any accidents. I am blown away when I consider the series of
events (over thousands and thousands of years) which introduced the priesthood
to the earth (to Adam), took it away for a time (after Christ’s death and the
eventual destruction of His Church on earth), then restored it back for good
(through Joseph Smith’s revelation and the miraculous events that
followed). To understand the gifts of
the priesthood and the reality that through these gifts we can enjoy the
highest degree of glory when we are obedient to the covenants we make in the
temple, is very encouraging.
President Ezra Taft Benson,
in an address given at the Logan Temple Centennial in 1984, educates us on the
order of the priesthood, describing the sealing power, which binds families
together:
“Elijah brought the keys of sealing powers – that power which seals a man to a woman and seals their posterity to them endlessly, that which seals their forefathers to them all the way back to Adam. This is the power and order that Elijah revealed – that same order of priesthood which God gave to Adam and to all the ancient patriarchs which followed after him.
“Elijah brought the keys of sealing powers – that power which seals a man to a woman and seals their posterity to them endlessly, that which seals their forefathers to them all the way back to Adam. This is the power and order that Elijah revealed – that same order of priesthood which God gave to Adam and to all the ancient patriarchs which followed after him.
And this is why the Lord said to the Prophet
Joseph Smith, ‘For verily I say unto you, the keys of the dispensation, which
ye have received, have come down from the fathers, and last of all, being sent
down from heaven unto you.’ (D&C 112:32).”
Is it any wonder that Satan, for as long as the priesthood has been in existence, would take such an interest in destroying something that can make or break our exaltation? What this tells me is that we should never abandon this sacred gift, nor the gift of eternal marriage – each crucial aspects of God’s plan. In Elder Bruce C. Hafen’s words, “When troubles come, the parties to a contractual marriage seek happiness by walking away. They marry to obtain benefits and will stay only as long as they’re receiving what they bargained for. But when troubles come to a covenant marriage, the husband and wife work them through. They marry to give and to grow, bound by covenants to each other, to the community, and to God. Contract companions each give 50%; covenant companions each give 100%.”
Is it any wonder that Satan, for as long as the priesthood has been in existence, would take such an interest in destroying something that can make or break our exaltation? What this tells me is that we should never abandon this sacred gift, nor the gift of eternal marriage – each crucial aspects of God’s plan. In Elder Bruce C. Hafen’s words, “When troubles come, the parties to a contractual marriage seek happiness by walking away. They marry to obtain benefits and will stay only as long as they’re receiving what they bargained for. But when troubles come to a covenant marriage, the husband and wife work them through. They marry to give and to grow, bound by covenants to each other, to the community, and to God. Contract companions each give 50%; covenant companions each give 100%.”
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