Slow of Speech

To my son,

               Today I want to tell you about a person who was described as a “wild man” and whose life involved earthquakes, roaring lions, giants, mountains being displaced, rivers miraculously changing direction, lands rising up out of the sea, and a whole city rising up off the earth. That sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it? What’s more, this isn’t from a fairy tale or from some made up story; this is from the life of an incredible prophet named Enoch. He was the fifth-great-grandson of Adam and became a powerful preacher of righteousness. When the Lord first called him to preach, he felt inadequate and said this, “Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?” But the Lord commanded him to go forth and magnified him greatly as he boldly taught the people. He also received this incredible promise: “Behold my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me.” Enoch went forth and stood “upon the hills and the high places” teaching the people courageously to choose to serve the Lord. People were so astonished by him that they called him a “wild man” and said that “a strange thing” had come into the land; but they clearly were moved by his words because “no man laid hands on him; for fear came on all them that heard him; for he walked with God” (Moses 6:31,34,37-39). He described to the people how he encountered the Lord directly like the brother of Jared as he stood on a mount, “And I saw the Lord; and he stood before my face, and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another” (Moses 7:4). Enoch knew the Lord personally and became a fearless witness of Him to the people.    

He called on the people to repent but was in danger because of his enemies. Moses described what happened this way: “And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him. There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea. And the giants of the land, also, stood afar off” (Moses 7:13-15). Imagine that—he spoke and the earth shook, whole mountains were moved, and a land even came up out of the sea! I don’t know who these “giants” were, but Enoch’s words were so powerful that they were afraid of him. And this was from a man who originally complained to the Lord that he was “slow of speech.” The Lord made him into an incredibly powerful servant because he did what the Lord asked. Ultimately he built up a city of righteous people who were so good that God took them to Himself: “And Enoch and all his people walked with God, and he dwelt in the midst of Zion; and it came to pass that Zion was not, for God received it up into his own bosom; and from thence went forth the saying, ZION IS FLED” (Moses 7:69). What an amazing prophet he must have been! And his example shows that we too can do anything with the help of the Lord—He will make our weaknesses strong and help us do marvelous works in His name if we are faithful like Enoch. I know that you can do anything good that you put your mind to in the strength of the Savior.

Love, Dad