Saviours on Mount Zion
In the manual: Come, Follow Me lesson 48, “Seek the Lord, and Ye Shall Live,” on Gospel Library
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Obadiah is the shortest book in the Old Testament, one chapter of twenty-one verses.
Read Together
The people of Edom descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother. When enemies attacked Jerusalem, Edom stood by and cheered, then helped catch those who ran (Obadiah 1:10–14).
3The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground? 4Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down, saith the Lord.
21And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.
What It Teaches
Edom lived high in rocky cliffs and felt safe. “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee,” the Lord said. Even if Edom built its nest among the stars, “thence will I bring thee down” (Obadiah 1:3–4). Pride tells us we are safe without God.
Obadiah ends with a promise. “And saviours shall come up on mount Zion” (Obadiah 1:21). President Gordon B. Hinckley taught that we become saviors on Mount Zion when we do temple work for people who have died. In a small way, we do for them what Jesus Christ did for all of us, something they cannot do for themselves.
President Hinckley spoke about the people we serve there. “We have no assurance that they will accept that which we offer. But we go, and in that process we attain to a state that comes of no other effort. We literally become saviors on Mount Zion.”
President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Closing Remarks,” General conference, October 2004
Talk About It
Who in our family history would we like to know more about? What could we do to find their names or take them to the temple?
Take to Church
Obadiah promised saviours on Mount Zion. A family name taken to the temple this month is one way to answer that promise.