Sugar or Salt
Set two clear cups side by side, one holding sugar and one holding salt, with no labels. You cannot tell them apart by looking. Both are white, both are grainy, both pour the same way. The only way to know is to compare them closely, and the moment you taste them the difference is obvious.
Scripture works the same way. Put two people side by side, two choices, two answers to the same moment, and you start to see a truth that neither one shows you alone. Here are four questions that do the work:
- How are they alike?
- How are they different?
- What truth does that teach me?
- How does it help me follow the Lord today?
Two Answers in the Council
Before the world was made, Heavenly Father presented His plan, and the plan needed a Savior. Two answered.
"Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." (Moses 4:1–2)
Alike: the same moment, the same question from the Father, and both offer to come.
Different: count the I's and me's in verse 1, then in verse 2. One wants the honor. One wants the Father's will. And look where each answer led: one became our Savior, and the other was cast down (Moses 4:3).
The truth: Jesus Christ humbly seeks to do Heavenly Father's will; Satan selfishly seeks his own honor and glory. Notice that neither verse says "be humble." Nobody wrote that sentence. The difference said it. That is called an implied truth, and finding one is the whole skill.
Lips and Heart
Try one more, a single verse this time.
"This people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me." (Isaiah 29:13)
Alike: the same people, at the same worship. Different: their lips are close, their hearts are far. The truth: the Lord wants our hearts, not just our words. It is sugar and salt again, the same on the outside and different on the inside.
Five Pairs to Compare
Run the four questions on each. One hint: for question 2, look at where each side ended up. The ending makes the truth hard to miss.
- The twelve spies (Numbers 13:26–33; 14:6–9, 30, 37–38). Same land, same giants. Ten said, "we were in our own sight as grasshoppers." Joshua and Caleb said, "the LORD is with us: fear them not." Only the two would enter the land. The Lord can strengthen us as we choose to see our challenges with faith rather than doubt.
- Solomon, young and old (1 Kings 3:3, 7–13; 11:4–6, 9–11). Same man, two seasons of life. Young Solomon asked, "Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart," and received riches and honor he never asked for. Later, "his wives turned away his heart after other gods," and the Lord said, "I will surely rend the kingdom from thee." The Lord blesses us as we love Him more than the things of this world.
- The widow's two mites (Mark 12:41–44). Same offering box. The rich "did cast in of their abundance"; she "of her want did cast in all that she had." Jesus said she "hath cast more in, than all." The Lord measures the heart behind the gift, not its size.
- The good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37). Same road, same wounded man. Two passed by on the other side; one "had compassion on him." Jesus said, "Go, and do thou likewise." We become more like the Lord as we seek out and care for others.
- The ten virgins (Matthew 25:1–13). Same wedding, same wait. The foolish "took no oil with them"; the wise "took oil in their vessels with their lamps." Only those who were ready went in, and the door was shut. Preparation is made ahead of time and cannot be borrowed at the last minute.
Every one of these choices is still made today: in a new cafeteria doorway, beside a dropped lunch tray, at a bus that leaves at dawn whether you are ready or not.
Questions Worth Sitting With, and One Thing to Try
- Where does "give me the credit" show up in your week?
- Where can you look close to God on the outside and be far away on the inside: in a prayer, a class, a Sunday?
- Which of the five pairs looks most like a choice in front of you right now?
- How might these four questions change the way you read your scriptures this week?
You now own the four questions: alike, different, what truth, and how it helps you today. You don't need a teacher or a manual to find a truth the verse never says out loud. This week, when you read about someone making a poor choice, find someone in scripture who faced the same thing and made the righteous one, and ask the four questions. If you want one to start with, try Jeremiah 2:13: one verse, two sides.
From the Church’s manuals
- Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual (2026), “Making Comparisons”: the Church’s lesson this one was prepared from.
This lesson is one teacher’s preparation. The Church’s manual is the place to start, and it has more than any one class can cover.