The Law of Kings

The Book of Mosiah marks the spot where Mormon swaps the record and the reader is transferred from the priestly record to the kingly record. There are a few shifts in the Book of Mormon and the style and manner in which the story flows to the reader. For example, the Book of Ether, outside of Moroni's commentary, has a very different feel than the mainly first-person narratives of Nephi and Jacob from the priestly record. Nor does the Book of Ether sound much like the historical record edited by Mormon. Although there are most likely more wars and power struggles going on, the record is much more abbreviated and repetitive compared with Mormon's editing of the war chapters with battle strategies elaborately detailed, interspersed with doctrinal commentary.

I will get stuck on chapters in the Book of Mosiah writing about them. Every single chapter in Mosiah deals with addiction and recovery, and my name is Brad, and I'm still an alcoholic and addict. You may not find the word addiction in the Book of Mormon, but you certainly will see the word bondage many times, followed often by God's deliverance. We get to see a codependent, overzealous father, an addict, a codependent son, and two groups suffering severe bondage. We encounter powerful addiction language in a couple of chapters and get to see what AA groups call a "group conscience." The last chapter provides a powerful, guaranteed recovery promise. You may have noticed we left out King Benjamin. He gives a sermon on the Twelve Steps, as a guide to the rest of the book.

But before we get into his wonderful speech, it's time to anoint a new king. In ancient Israel the coronation for kings took place between the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) and Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). At the Feast of Tabernacles the kings in ancient Israel would read publicly the paragraph of the king from Deuteronomy chapter 17, and would report on their stewardship as king.

We connect the crown with the concept of royalty, but the last article of kingly attire to go on the new king before coronation would be what John describes in Revelation as a "golden girdle" which was worn over the chest. The Savior is described as, "One like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle" (Revelation 1: 13).The symbolism may have been similar to the ephod worn by the high priest. But perhaps more significantly it was to represent the purity and truthfulness of the king's speech, as the words coming forth from the king's mouth were an overflow from his heart. Jesus said, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matthew 12: 34). 

This concept is enhanced by the idea that kings in ancient Israel were deified. You will see this often in the Psalms. One example is, "For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth" (Psalms 74: 12). So the king would be like a mouthpiece for God, or at least that's what a king was supposed to be. King Benjamin said, "For on the morrow I shall proclaim unto this my people out of mine own mouth that thou art a king and a ruler over this people, whom the Lord our God hath given us" (Mosiah 1: 10).

These people are subject to the king, as emphasized in the above verse. The chapter begins with Mormon's commentary: "And now there was no more contention in all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who belonged to king Benjamin" (Mosiah 1: 1). The Lord similarly said, "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels" (Malachi 3: 17).

The requirement for kings is found in Deuteronomy where it says, "And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them" (Deuteronomy 17: 18-19).

Anciently, only kings and priests (or queens and priestesses) had access to the "book of the law," Israel's set of scriptures. I suppose you could argue that today only kings, queens, priests, and priestesses have full access to the word of the Lord. But kings were supposed to study the scriptures on a daily basis. King Benjamin calls his sons together, since only a son could inherit the kingdom. He speaks of the importance of his sons as potential kings being "men of understanding" (Mosiah 1: 2) and how it was important that the plates of brass were "always before our eyes" (Mosiah 1: 5).

It was written in the paragraph of the king:

"But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the Lord hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.

"Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold

"That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel" (Deuteronomy 17: 16,17,20).

I have to ask, who does this sound like? Doesn't this sound like King Benjamin? Egypt was Israel's house of bondage, and the king was supposed to protect his people from bondage. King Benjamin said, "Neither have I suffered that ye should be confined in dungeons, nor that ye should make slaves one of another" (Mosiah 2: 13).

Kings were not supposed to multiply to themselves "silver and gold." King Benjamin reports his stewardship and reverses the order of this phrase according to Seidel's Law when one prophet quotes an earlier prophet and reverses the order of the elements. King Benjamin said, "I say unto you that as I have been suffered to spend my days in your service, even up to this time, and have not sought gold nor silver nor any manner of riches of you" (Mosiah 2: 12). Notice this time instead of "silver and gold," it's "gold nor silver." This is just one more internal witness of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

Kings were not supposed to become prideful and have their hearts lifted up above their brothers and sisters. King Benjamin said, "But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind" (Mosiah 2: 11).

It becomes apparent that King Benjamin is a type of Christ, the King of kings (Revelation 19: 16), and it appears he is responding to the requirements of kingship in ancient Israel. Throughout Mosiah chapter 2, King Benjamin makes several comparisons between himself, the common people, and God. One of these is quite famous: "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (v. 17). He also makes this comparison: "And behold also, if I, whom ye call your king, who has spent his days in your service, and yet has been in the service of God, do merit any thanks from you, O how you ought to thank your heavenly King!" (v. 19).

If we understand that kings in ancient Israel were considered almost like God and were deified, then King Benjamin's comparisons imply that we can also become kings (and queens) and can become like God.

"The Due Time of the Lord"

I love the scriptures--absolutely through and through--except for one little phrase, "In the due time of the Lord." When Nephi was shown glorious visions in a temple-like experience, he gets to see everything John saw as it's recorded in the Book of Revelation. Except he gets to see it in its purity. Nephi writes, "And also others who have been, to them hath he shown all things, and they have written them; and they are sealed up to come forth in their purity, according to the truth which is in the Lamb, in the own due time of the Lord, unto the house of Israel" (1 Nephi 14: 26).

But I'm a recovering alcoholic and addict, still working on my Fourth Step (Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.), and impatience ranks number 2 on my list of character defects, right behind selfishness, which manifests itself in impatience, since I demand everything to be on my timetable. My way or the highway, baby! And I want to read that book right now, not in the Lord's due time!

Fortunately for us, Nephi, Mormon, and others were willing to listen to the Lord and waited patiently on the Lord, unlike me. I would love to have been a fly on the wall as Mormon is sifting, selecting, editing, and abridging the records we have as the Book of Mormon. And dang, if Martin Harris wouldn't have lost those pages. I want to read the Book of Lehi and I don't want to wait. Of course I often forget that apparently the Lord was willing to forgive him, as he became one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon, and later was willing to mortgage his house and farm to secure the printing of the book. But dang, he lost those 116 pages!

Mormon chose to finish his record with the small plates and use those records which is the translation we have in our Book of Mormon. I probably would have asked, "Why, Lord?" He writes, "And I do this for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know all things; but the Lord knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore, he worketh in me to do according to his will" (Words of Mormon 1: 7).

I remember a time when I got one of those "whisperings." It was August 12, 1993. I was in the Provo Temple when a whispering came with the feeling, "Go to the LDS Young Special Interest dance tomorrow night." Immediately the argument with the Spirit began. I argued back, "Why, Lord? You know how much I hate those dances." I had been to these dances back in my drinking days 12 years earlier and went for the wrong reasons. Even with the numbing effect of alcohol, I had learned to detest those awful dances. I had sworn them off for good, but a friend invited me to a Valentine's dance in 1992, so I made my brief return, only to discover that they were actually worse than I remembered. And this time without the anesthesia of alcohol.

The argument continued into the next day. It was now Friday the Thirteenth--ample reason not to go to an already-scary dance. But the prompting kept coming back. I found a flyer on my desk from the recent Young Special Interest Singles Conference. I had absolutely no interest in the conference or in changing my single status. But the conference had a jazz concert that I was very interested in. After multiple promptings, I finally called the hotline and found the location of the dance, clear out in north Orem and I was working in Payson, and that was another good reason not to go to the dance.

I'll cut to the chase here. After much protesting, I arrived at the dance. After arriving, it may have taken an hour to get up enough courage to ask a young lady to dance. She replied, "I would dance with you, but I just had foot surgery, but you can sit here and talk." I was not brave enough (or stupid enough) to voice my inner thoughts of why do you come to a dance if you can't dance. So I sat down and in a few minutes they played a fast, disco-like song, and this guy came up to her and said, "Do you want to dance?" She quickly replied, "Sure" and literally ran out on the dance floor.

I said, "That's it! I'm out of here," and made a beeline to the door. I was probably about five feet from the door, when I heard a voice behind me, "Would you like to dance?" I will cut to the chase here too. After a couple of dances, I learned her bishop had given her an assignment to go to the dances. She told me she was looking for her "royal Priesthood holder," something her patriarchal blessing said would happen "in the due time of the Lord." She is my eternal sweetheart. In two months we will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary. Her "due time of the Lord" was waiting for me to get sober.

A couple of years ago I accidentally got on the wrong bus at the transit center and got off on 8th North in Orem, where I had to walk by that chapel where we had met about twenty years earlier. Some guys were playing basketball, so I walked in and stepped inside the cultural hall, where that dance was held. I stared at that door on the other side of the gym--the very door I had tried to walk out of twenty years ago. I stepped back into the foyer and offered a little prayer of immense gratitude. Oh how my life would have been so very different if she had approached even 10 seconds later. Oh what blessings I would have missed if I had exited a little quicker. Sometimes the things that affect all eternity hinge upon a few seconds!

Yesterday I decided to go to the temple. For the first time in several months, due to some scheduling conflicts, my wife and son could not go with me. I decided to go anyway, but had some errands that needed to be done. Early afternoon was approaching and it seemed the day was slipping away.

I took a bus to Provo and the route ends at the train station. So I contemplated whether I should walk the rest of the way to the Provo City Center Temple, or catch another bus to the other Provo Temple. A bus had just pulled in, so I got on my phone to see where it was going and when it would leave. It would take me to north Provo, but I would have a twenty-five minute walk to the temple. It looked like this might be the better choice since the Provo Temple has sessions every 20 minutes and we had a session of stake conference I was trying to make.

So I got on the bus with no driver and waited and waited. I was getting impatient again and rather disgusted that it was time to depart and the driver was not even on the bus. Finally, five minutes late, the driver shows up and we departed. After I got off the bus, I began walking briskly.

As I was walking up the hill to the temple, I thought I saw the familiar face of a friend walking the other way, down the hill, on the other side of the street. Could this be the friend I haven't seen in over fifteen years? We had college classes together and both of us were music freaks and liked the same progressive rock bands. He had worked in a music store and had helped me find much of my music. Those tunes still bless my life as I go on walks and ponder how good the Lord has been to me in my sobriety.

I ran across the street and he was now ahead of me so I could not see his face very well. I had to take a chance. I ran across the street and called him by name. When he turned around, sure enough, it was my long lost friend. I had had a prompting to try and contact him a few months ago. He has some health issues and I had wondered if he was still alive. I had to tell him who I was and then his face lit up. After he said, "Brad, how have you been?" he asked about a CD he had brought over for a Christmas present 17 years earlier. It was almost surreal.

We tried to catch up with 17 years of music in about 15 minutes and then exchanged email addresses. He could remember all the stuff I liked. He said, "Did you just come from the temple?" I said, "No, I'm just on my way there." We expressed how glad we both were to see each other again, and I continued to walk up that hill, all the time pouring out my heart to God for His tender mercies, and for giving me a second chance with an old relationship. And also, thanking Him for making the bus just a little late, according to His "due time," so our paths would meet at the precise time and place.

When I got inside the temple, I thought of other close encounters of the best kind, like when my wife and I met our stake president and his wife coming out of the temple as we were going in, which led to a mission call for our son, which led to me getting a better job. The session was awesome and the tears flowed freely. The Spirit taught me more about Eve and her role in the Plan of Salvation as a type of Christ, as she carried the burden of transgression alone for a time (maybe for a future post). It helped me see the special role of women as preservers of life and helpmeets (Ezer) for God, and helped me see why my wife is spiritually ahead of me.

As I prepared to exit the holy temple, I hoped the bus would arrive on time, and thought I'll probably cuss at them again next time they're late.

At the door was a temple worker thanking me for being there. Really? I thought! I've been blessed today in so many ways, and they're thanking me?

I had to smile. I stepped outside to view the scene in the photo. Yes, God smiled back. Another session, and I would have missed that too. The sunset quickly vanished into the pages of my memory.

A Pleasant Offering

In the Book of Mormon, Amaleki invites us to come unto Christ with the invitation,

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved" (Omni 1: 26).

This verse gets at the essence of a righteous offering. There are many examples of offerings in the scriptures. Under the Law of Moses the particular number and types of animals are given for specific sacrifices, especially at the three required feasts of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, and Feast of Tabernacles (see Numbers 28-29).

The invitation in the Book of Mormon is a different kind of offering. Rather than an animal sacrifice, it is an offering of the soul--the gift of our best self unto God. It's really what He wanted from the beginning.

Burnt Offerings

The Bible Dictionary gives great information regarding the method and order of sacrifice. There were three main types of sacrifice--the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offering. The sin offering was for the atonement, or expiation of sin. The burnt offering represented sanctification, and the peace offering represented fellowship or communion with God. It states, "It is noteworthy that when the three offerings were offered together, the sin always preceded the burnt, and the burnt the peace offerings. Thus the order of the symbolizing sacrifices was the order of atonement, sanctification, and fellowship with the Lord" Bible Dictionary, "Sacrifices").

The Book of Mormon sometimes uses the term "burnt offering" generically to include all kinds of offerings, but the true burnt offering is probably most aligned with the concept of "offering the whole soul," as described in the verse above.

Up In Smoke

The Bible Dictionary also provides the general meaning and symbolism behind the various sacrifices. It describes the burnt offering as follows:

"The burnt offering got its Hebrew name from the idea of the smoke of the sacrifice ascending to heaven. The characteristic rite was the burning of the whole animal on the altar (Lev. 1:9; Deut. 33:10). As the obligation to surrender was constant on the part of Israel, a burnt offering, called the continual burnt offering, was offered twice daily, morning and evening."

The Hebrew word for burnt offering, olah means "to ascend." It is really the surrender of one's will in favor of God's will. In other verses it speaks of those who are not willing to surrender to the Lord, by saying, "Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would not; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent" (Mosiah 16: 12).

I remember over 27 years ago sitting in a room with a bunch of drunks like me in a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous and looking at those ominous Twelve Steps, the Third being the scariest: "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." I certainly didn't want to have to do that! I just wanted a way to "manage" my drinking. But making that decision, which I have to remake over and over, often many times a day, has brought the greatest blessings into my life. It's not easy, though. Everything I surrender has claw marks in it.

I can see myself, as the sacrificial animal is burned in its entirety, fanning the smoke back toward myself, clinging to my own will, and jumping at the smoke as if to catch it and bring it back. But in the best offerings, we "let go and let God."

Jesus and the Penny

The Pharisees plotted to trap Jesus in a debate. They gathered together their own disciples, who were very anti-Rome with the Herodians, who would be more partial to Herod and the Roman government. This is like getting the most liberal Democrats and the most conservative Republicans together for a debate, and then throwing out a hot politically-charged, controversial topic for debate. How will Jesus weigh in?

Jesus asks to see the tribute money and asks whose image is on the coin. Of course, it's Caesar's. But instead of getting trapped in a debate about government allegiance, Jesus uses this opportunity to teach about consecration by saying, "Render therefore unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s" (Matthew 22: 15-22).

It begs the question, where do we find God's image? Alma asks, "And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?" (Alma 5: 14). If we find Caesar's image on the penny and render to him the things that are his, and if we find God's image in our countenances, and render unto Him those things that belong to Him, doesn't it make sense that we consecrate our lives and best selves unto Him?

The "New and Living Way"

Obedience to the law of consecration is a prerequisite for entry into the Celestial realm, represented by the Holy of Holies or Celestial Room of the temple. The author of Hebrews draws an interesting likeness to the veil of the temple and the Savior's offering in our behalf. It says, 

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

"By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Hebrews 10: 19-20).

His sacrifice allows each of us to pass through the veil into "a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God" (Ether 12: 4).

What can we offer in return? He answers by saying, "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost" (3 Nephi 9: 20). It is basically asking us to give the real burnt offering by surrendering our will and hearts to Him, letting the natural man go up in smoke.

Joseph Smith's First Vision

As Joseph Smith went into the Sacred Grove to inquire of the Lord, his history states, "After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God" (Joseph Smith--History 1: 15). The phrase, "offer up the desires of my heart" can be read two ways. Did it mean Joseph was offering his petition to the Lord, or does it mean he was willing to sacrifice and "offer up" his desires and surrender them to God?

The answer, like many of these deeper verses, is yes and yes. 

Wrestling In The Dirt Or Ritual Enthronement?

We have an echo of an Old Testament story in the Book of Enos in the Book of Mormon. Even the names are preserved in this ritual encounter.

Enos and Jacob Both Left Alone

Enos has a "wrestle . . . before God," in which he is given strength to prevail and receives a "remission" of his sins, something that can only be accomplished through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It echoes the experience of Jacob in the Bible. "Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day." The idea that Jacob was left alone stands in opposition to being reconciled, as two beings are fused together and become, in essence, similar in nature. Remember Jacob was a twin, but for the moment his twin brother is not present, and he is left alone, emphasizing the idea that he is vulnerable and perhaps even weak on his own.

Jacob Receives A New Name

But then something incredible happens: "And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him." Now the phrase "hollow of the thigh" is the Hebrew word kaph, and it also means "palm, hand, sole, palm of the hand, hollow or flat of the hand," or "hollow, objects, bending objects, bent objects." It is a representation of power. The Messenger then asks Jacob, "What is thy name?" He is then given a new name of Israel, meaning "to prevail with God." "And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Genesis 32: 24-30).

A Wrestle or Embrace?

So if this is a face to face encounter with God, the term "wrestle" is indeed interesting. The Hebrew word for wrestle comes from a root meaning dust. You would get down in the dust and get dirty if you were wrestling in this Hebrew sense.

But Hugh Nibley takes a different approach. He says, "When one considers that the word conventionally translated as ‘wrestled (yēʾāvēq)’ can just as well mean ‘embrace’ and that it was in this ritual embrace that Jacob received a new name and the bestowal of priestly and kingly power at sunrise (Genesis 32:24-30), the parallel to the Egyptian coronation embrace becomes at once apparent" (The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment, 2nd ed. [CWHN 16; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 2005], 434).

The embrace is a ritual to mark the coronation of kingly (and priestly) powers, merging the two beings as one. It is a representation of "at-one-ment." The names are also a play on words. This is not Jacob's first wrestle. He "struggled," or wrestled with Esau in the womb. Esau was born first, but as Jacob came out of the womb "his hand took hold on Esau’s heel" (see Genesis 25: 22-26). The name Jacob means "heel holder" or "supplanter." This would be a great wrestling hold.

The connection of wrestling and embracing is manifest in the transformation of Jacob as a "supplanter" who later, after receiving a new name meaning to prevail with God, is embraced as one receiving a coronation and kingly authority and power. Nibley notes, "One retained his identity after the ritual embrace, yet that embrace was nothing less than a 'Wesensverschmelzung,' a fusing of identities, of mortal with immortal, of father with son, and as such marked "the highpoint of the whole mystery-drama" (Spiegel, An. Serv., 53:392)."

Fusing of Father and Son, Mortal With Immortal

Note the fusing of the mortal with the immortal and the father with the son. Later, after Jacob receives a new name, he is reconciled with Esau in the very next chapter. Note the reunion: "And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept" (Genesis 33: 4). The embrace is symbolically fusing the two twin brothers together, if for only a moment, as later the two nations will go to battle again. 

In ancient Israel, Egyptian, and other Middle Eastern cultures, kings are deified. The Psalmist declares, "For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth" (Psalms 74: 12). The close connection between kings and God is evident, and the ritual embrace represents the king (or queen) becoming one with God.

In the case of Enos, the role of becoming a king and priest is extended to the next generation. Enos begins his text with the observation, "Behold, it came to pass that I, Enos, knowing my father that he was a just man—for he taught me in his language, and also in the nurture and admonition of the Lord—and blessed be the name of my God for it" (Enos 1: 1). His father, Jacob, like his namesake in the Bible, is "justified" "through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant" (see D&C 76: 69). The "nurture" of the Lord is shown forth in His invitation as He says, "Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you" (Alma 5: 33). This is the essence of the ritual embrace. Giving praise to the "name of God," would imply a covenant relationship as His name is placed on the initiate. 

The Name of Enos

The name Enos means man or mankind, and particularly the "common man." It is related to a Hebrew root anash which means "to be weak, sick, frail." Like Jacob, who was "left alone" and "wrestled" with a being until the breaking of the day, Enos is very vulnerable, perhaps remembering earlier times when he hunted beasts in the forest with his father. I like to think of Enos sitting on a rock and remembering when he was there with his dad, as Jacob taught him about the "nurture and admonition of the Lord." Perhaps Enos is seeking some kind of reunion. The embrace of the father with the Prodigal Son was such a reunion (see Luke 15: 20). Jacob wrestled all night until daybreak. Enos kneels down before his Maker and, in a sense, wrestles with God all day long and into the night. Enos said "my soul hungered," a display of his weak and vulnerable state (Enos 1: 4).

Then Enos has an experience with the Atonement, perhaps similar to Jacob in the Bible, as he wrestles for a remission of his sins. 

Jacob declares, "I have seen God face to face" (Genesis 32: 30). It is interesting that Enos ends his text with the perfect description of an embrace with the Father, and seeing His face with gladness by the statement:

"And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father. Amen" (Enos 1: 27).

Bookends For An Invitation

A couple of years ago I read a fascinating paper written by John Hilton III presented at the 42nd Annual Sydney B Sperry Symposium held at BYU. In this paper the author compares various psalms with Book of Mormon texts.

He presents the idea that Jacob (in the Book of Mormon) quotes from Psalm 95, splits the verses, and uses this temple psalm as bookends for his book. The psalm reads,

"To day if ye will hear his voice,

"Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness" (Psalms 95: 7-8).

A Temple Psalm

Psalm 95 is a worship hymn likely used in temple worship, and particularly in the ancient round dance prayer circle. Participants would dance in a circle singing the psalm, or hymn, while making "a joyful noise" in the process (see verse 1). The psalm describes a Divine Council setting, where the Most High God would be in the sacred center, or midst, with the council roundabout. Thus, the phrases, "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving," and "For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods" (vv. 2-3). Similar verses would be "And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good" (Abraham 3: 23). Also, in the opening chapter of the Book of Mormon is the verse, "He (Lehi) saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God" (1 Nephi 1:8).

Note that the members of the council are all gods, but a great King presides over the council, suggesting that the members can attain kingship like the Most High God.

In the psalm the Creation story is recalled with the verse, "The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land" (Psalm 95: 5). The concepts of God being equated to a king and God being the Great Creator are both common temple themes as well as themes of the Psalms.

Seidel's Law

Jacob uses the verses above as bookends for the first and the last chapter of his teachings. I am omitting Jacob 7 as the final chapter since that appears to be a later story involving an anti-Christ, and is written almost as an afterthought. Jacob has already "bid farewell" to his audience until he will meet them again at "the pleasing bar of God" (Jacob 6: 13).

Interestingly, Jacob reverses the order of the verses above, according to Hebrew writing patterns discovered by M. Seidel, who termed this "Seidel's Law." This occurs when one writer is quoting an earlier writer, so the phrases are inverted to emphasize that this is a quote. Some examples are the following verses:

"Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit" (Leviticus 26: 4).

"And the tree of the field shall yield her fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase" (Ezekiel 34: 27).

"Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" (Genesis 27: 29).

"Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee" (Numbers 24: 9).

Notice how the phrases are reversed as quoted by the later writers. Jacob uses this Hebrew form, and examples of Seidel's Law occur in several places in the Book of Mormon. I will give you one other example, just for fun:

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart . . . " (Psalms 24: 4).

"I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands?" (Alma 5: 19).

Detractors accused Joseph Smith of copying from the Bible, but if that were the case why are the phrases reversed? And how would Joseph know to do this? Seidel discovered this in 1955.

Jacob's First Bookend

Jacob's first bookend is the later phrase given in Psalms 95: "Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness."

Jacob uses the example of the children of Israel provoking the Lord in the day of temptation as an invitation to "come unto Christ."

"Wherefore we labored diligently among our people, that we might persuade them to come unto Christ, and partake of the goodness of God, that they might enter into his rest, lest by any means he should swear in his wrath they should not enter in, as in the provocation in the days of temptation while the children of Israel were in the wilderness" (Jacob 1: 7).

In earlier posts we have examined this theme of "coming unto Christ," as a central theme of the book of Jacob. Jacob chapter 4 is loaded with doctrine concerning the coming of Christ and how the Law of Moses was supposed to "point our souls" to Him (v. 5). The Creation process is summarized as in Psalms 95, and the wisdom, justice, and mercy of God are expounded (vv. 9-10).

Then the priestly idea is developed in verse 11 of how we can be presented before God as the "firstfruits" to represent the best of God's harvest. This can happen only through the Atonement of Christ, as we are reconciled to the Father. This is the culmination of temple ordinances, to bring us back into the presence of God, overcoming the Fall.

Chapter 4 is a precursor to chapter 5 as the fruits of the vineyard are gathered into one and presented to the Father, just like in modern revelation "When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God" (D&C 76: 107). This is great priestly imagery!

Jacob's Ending Bookend

Jacob's ending bookend incorporates the same central theme of coming unto Christ and echoes Psalm 95:

"Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I beseech of you in words of soberness that ye would repent, and come with full purpose of heart, and cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you. And while his arm of mercy is extended towards you in the light of the day, harden not your hearts.

 "Yea, today, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for why will ye die?" (Jacob 6: 5-6).

Sandwiched between these bookends is great doctrine. Jacob warns against those things that harden the heart, like pride, lust for material wealth, and sexual immorality. At one point hearts were so hardened that "many hearts died" (Jacob 2: 35).

His tender plea to "cleave unto God as He cleaveth unto you" has special meaning for me. Last year in one of my readings of the Book of Mormon I chose this verse to "ponderize" during the week as Elder Durrant admonished in General Conference. As I read this verse, a beautiful sunrise came over the eastern mountains illuminating the clouds until they looked like red flames of fire. The Spirit whispered to me that He really does cleave to me and to each of us.

Last Thursday while I was at work I received an email from my daughter's mission. She had arrived safely in Canada. I stared at the photo of her, the mission president, his wife, and the familiar face of her first companion and missionary trainer--a dear sister from our own ward. Yes, the Lord is aware of each of us and this is another evidence of His many tender mercies.

As long as His arm of mercy is extended, and as long as you have breath, it's not too late to come unto Him.

Things You Can Learn Cleaning the Church

Yesterday I was privileged to help clean the church. I usually sign up for vacuuming duties and come equipped with headphones to make the otherwise menial task go by faster. We usually have a good turnout and so it was yesterday, so it goes by quickly and smoothly.

Unlike cleaning my own house, the church is usually quite clean when we start, and a sister in our ward commented on that. I replied that I couldn't tell if I was making a difference. Sometimes the gospel is like that. Some callings may not seem as important as others, and we think we are not having any effect in the great scheme of things. But others will notice the little things we may not, and certainly the Lord notices every kind act.

I usually make three laps down the hall to cover the left side, middle, and right side. I always hope the cord will be long enough to make it to the next outlet. As I unwound the cord and stretched it out, I noticed it barely reached the outlet down the hall. It almost seemed peculiar, but the words popped into my head, "My grace is sufficient" (see Ether 12: 27; 2 Corinthians 12: 9). Like the vacuum cord, His grace always seems sufficient to bridge the gap, however large and looming, between what I can do and what needs to be done.

Then, by not paying attention, I went down the hall a little too far and the plug came out of the wall. I could still go through the motions and push the vacuum down the hall, but now there was no power. I thought of my own personal recovery from addiction and alcoholism. I can go through the Twelve Steps, and I can go through the daily motion of gospel living, but without my Savior's grace and the power of His Atonement, spiritual progress simply doesn't happen. I simply backtracked, repented, got plugged in, and the floor started to get cleaner.

As I tried to go around a corner, the cord got tangled in a table in the hallway. I thought about how dumb I was that I didn't pull the cord around the table, or move the table. But the Spirit quickly comforted me, reminding me that my personal hero, the Prophet Joseph Smith received of God's grace, and then became "entangled again in the vanities of the world. But after repenting, and humbling himself sincerely, through faith, God ministered unto him by an holy angel, whose countenance was as lightning, and whose garments were pure and white above all other whiteness" (D&C 20: 5-6). Now if I could just get the tile under the drinking fountain "pure and white."

I went over the surface of the tile with the vacuum, but some spots still looked dirty. I didn't have any other cleaning materials, so I scraped away some of the dirt with my thumbnail. That part wasn't pleasant, but neither was the infinite Atonement wrought out in Gethsemane by a loving Savior, who was willing to bear the bruises of a filthy life, to scrape away the natural man inside myself.

When I went down the hall in the other direction, I got tangled up again in the same table. How stupid! Then before I could fix it, a young man came out of the cultural hall where they were playing basketball and untangled the cord for me. He didn't have to do that. He hadn't signed up for cleaning. But he stopped to help me. I thought of how living the gospel was like that. We are all in this together. We get to "succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees," because all of us will probably have a time when the hands hang down, the knees get weak, and the cords get tangled (see D&C 81: 5).

Then, as if I needed a second witness, a song came on through my headphones. It was "Ohio" (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young). It's a fine 1970 protest song, and it brought back recent memories from two years ago. My daughter had to write a paper for her high school English class about a protest song, and she came to me knowing I have all kinds of vintage music, and I suggested the song to her. I helped her get an "A" on her paper, and now she is helping me by blessing our lives as she recently began her mission. She has been in the MTC for 18 days now, and I miss her lots, but I'm so glad she is serving the Lord as a full-time missionary. We know we are being blessed as a family. 

I listen to my music alphabetically, since I don't think Apple shuffles my music right, so the song "Ol' 55" (The Eagles) came up next, and I thought about my old 55 Buick I traded away for $10 to go on my mission eons ago. Oh, how I wish I had that car back (not that I could drive it or anything). Then "Old Days" (Chicago) with lyrics of "baseball cards and drive-in movies," something my kids will never get to experience. I thought about how grateful I was for youthful memories, and that I have wonderful parents who took us to drive-in movies. Then the song "On the Border" (Al Stewart) played, and I thought again on my daughter crossing the border in two days as she leaves for Canada to share the gospel.

A couple of basketball players came out into the hall to get a drink of water. I knew they would get thirsty again. I thought about living water provided by the Savior, which would cause one to never get thirsty again, but would be "a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4: 14).

As I approached the end of the hallway, I remembered cleaning that area the day after Sandy Hook, as pure, innocent children lost their lives. Although saddened by such a horrific
crime, this beautiful painting portrays the Savior holding a little child in His arms. I knew where those precious children were. They were "clasped in the arms of Jesus" (Mormon 5: 11). I was comforted by the Spirit at that tragic time, but I still get a little teary when I see that portrait.

Across the hall was our ward's missionary display--15 wonderful young elders and sisters (my dear daughter being the newest) who are scattered across the globe to share this supernal gospel message. These 15 ambassadors of Christ seemed to radiate through the sparkling glass just cleaned by another missionary parent, a missionary mom. Of course, now I'm crying just a tad harder, as I gaze upon the Canadian flag spread over the lap of my daughter. On each plaque is a photo and a favorite scripture chosen by the missionary. The scripture chosen by my daughter reads,

"And it came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things" (Jacob 5: 72).

How I knew it to be true! Whether one is serving as a full-time missionary or merely doing something as simple as cleaning a chapel, he or she is never alone.

Living Water Goes Down To The Roots

The allegory of the olive trees taught by Zenos and quoted by Jacob in the Book of Mormon is an interesting historical summary of the House of Israel. It can be read on a macro level and a micro level as well. Don't worry, this post is not intended to cover the longest chapter in the Book of Mormon. There is definitely much going on here. My intent here is to focus on a couple of the verses and how they apply to the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Jacob Chapter Five is divided into a series of historical time periods with time markers in verses such as, "And it came to pass that a long time passed away" (v. 15). The scattering of Israel has already begun as the Lord of the vineyard declared, "And these will I place in the nethermost part of my vineyard, whithersoever I will, it mattereth not unto thee," speaking of the natural branches of the tame olive tree (v. 13).

The Lord of the vineyard has a plan for the tree. It includes four elements--nourishment, digging, pruning, and dung. And, of course, what's good for the goose is good for the gander, so if it's good for the whole house, it's good for the individual. These all help the tree so that when the water comes to the root, the tree will grow, prosper, and bear good fruit. There are many applications of the symbolic care of the tree, but I will mention one example for each of the four elements.

Nourishment

The Lord speaks often of "preserving the roots" in this chapter. Nourishment is obviously crucial to life itself and keeping the roots alive. But it's apparent the Lord is speaking also of spiritual nourishment, such as that received by heartfelt prayer, meaningful scripture study, and the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Those who had been baptized into the church, according to Moroni, "were wrought upon and cleansed by the power of the Holy Ghost, they were numbered among the people of the church of Christ; and their names were taken, that they might be remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way, to keep them continually watchful unto prayer, relying alone upon the merits of Christ, who was the author and the finisher of their faith" (Moroni 6: 4). They were rooted in Christ, relying upon His merits.

Digging

It becomes apparent with one glance at my yard that I'm no gardening expert, so I can't tell you how digging around a tree would help it any. But last year as I was digging around in the Book of Mormon, I changed my opinion about the "slippery treasures" people went digging for, but to no avail. 

Samuel the Lamanite prophesied that the people would one day say, "O that we had remembered the Lord our God in the day that he gave us our riches, and then they would not have become slippery that we should lose them; for behold, our riches are gone from us" (Helaman 13: 33). I used to think these must have been only material treasures, until I dug a little deeper and pondered on one of the later verses, and realized that these people were "surrounded by demons" and "the angels of him who hath sought to destroy our souls"
(verse 37), and having more material goods would not have warded off a demon. But having the power of temple covenants, or the companionship of the Holy Ghost, or the blessings that come from righteous living most certainly would be heavenly treasures, and guaranteed to be potent against such an attack.

And how about digging a little deeper inside ourselves to find ways to deepen discipleship?

Pruning

The Lord said to His disciples, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15: 2). It's seldom fun to have to cut things out of our lives or be shaped by the Lord. But character, like the branches of a tree, are a composite of good and bad. 

Those of us in Twelve Step recovery work a Fourth Step: "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." My own inventory revealed many character defects and behaviors worthy of pruning. Near the end of this allegory there is some great advice on overcoming evil influences. The Lord of the vineyard gives sage advice.

"Ye shall not clear away the bad thereof all at once, lest the roots thereof should be too strong for the graft, and the graft thereof shall perish . . . Wherefore ye shall clear away the bad according as the good shall grow, that the root and the top may be equal in strength, until the good shall overcome the bad" (Jacob 5: 65-66).

Satan will try to discourage us by reminding us of many shortcomings and weaknesses. The Holy Ghost will encourage us to strive to be better disciples of Christ, and will prompt us to know how and when we can improve, and what we need to work on next. The bad things in life need to be replaced with something good, otherwise there remains a void.

Dung

I will simply call this adversity. It becomes fertilizer for plants and trees, and adversity can become a growth opportunity for true saints. Brigham Young once said, "The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth" (reported in James S. Brown, Life of a Pioneer [1900], 122–23).

And the Lord says, "Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48: 10).

Living Water

There is an interesting parallel between the events in this allegory and an event in the life of the Savior. When Jesus traveled to Samaria He met the woman at Jacob's well and promised her "living water." Jesus said, "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (John 4: 10). He explained that this "living water" could be "a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4: 14).

When the disciples returned, Jesus said to them "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest" (John 4: 35). This represented an expansion of the gospel message to the Samaritans, where Jesus was, and then later to the Gentiles. These Samaritans, who were considered half-Israelites by the Jews, and later the Gentiles, would become the harvest of those white fields.

The wild olive tree, whose branches were grafted into the tame tree, represented the Gentiles grasping hold of the gospel, which preserved the early Christian church. The same thing happened in the Restoration period in Kirtland, Ohio around 1838 when missionaries were sent out, and new converts were brought in to preserve the lifeblood of the Church.

Notice how this event is portrayed in Zenos' allegory:

"And he said unto the servant: Behold, the branches of the wild tree have taken hold of the moisture of the root thereof, that the root thereof hath brought forth much strength; and because of the much strength of the root thereof the wild branches have brought forth tame fruit. Now, if we had not grafted in these branches, the tree thereof would have perished. And now, behold, I shall lay up much fruit, which the tree thereof hath brought forth; and the fruit thereof I shall lay up against the season, unto mine own self" (Jacob 5: 18).

The Gentiles took hold of the living water of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the living water went down to the roots, preserving the early Christian church, and also the restored gospel in our dispensation. On a micro level, the wild, natural man is changed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, represented by that living water leading one to eternal life, and is brought from a "wild," corrupted life to a tame, peacable life centered in Jesus Christ.