1 Nephi 1:5
"Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people."
As a group we are extremely interested in this event.
I have mentioned a couple of times already that it is impossible to put across in this blog all of what we have shared with each other and what we have learned as we have discussed principles of the Book of Mormon together. Now the lack will be even greater. We spent several meetings delving into this principle and I will only be able to share a fraction of what we have found.
Please search on your own. Hopefully this will encourage you to do so.
What Lehi is doing here, the very real feelings in his heart, for his people who he knows are under the judgments of God is very important to understand.
We first discussed that Lehi believed the words of the many prophets sent to cry repentance to those in Jerusalem.
We do not know all the details of how Lehi arrived to where he felt to pray with all his heart in behalf of his people but here he is now doing just that. He is seeking to intercede for his people.
We decided to review together other possible examples of individuals seeking to intercede for others in the scriptures.
We immediately found Nephi interceding for his brothers and his people.
"But behold Laman and Lemuel would not hearken unto my words; and being grieved because of the hardness of their hearts I cried unto the Lord for them." (1 nephi 2:18)
"Behold, it came to pass that I, Nephi, did cry much unto the Lord my God, because of the anger of my brethren." (2 Nephi 5: 1)
"...I, Nephi, have written what I have written, and I esteem it as of great worth, and especially unto my people. For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry." (2 Nephi 33: 3)
We decided that Jacob was filled with the spirit of intercession because of what he exclaimed.
"...behold ye know that I have spoken unto you exceedingly many things. Nevertheless, I speak unto you again; for I am desirous for the welfare of your souls. Yea mine anxiety is great for you; and ye yourselves know that it ever has been. For I have exhorted you with all diligence..." (2 Nephi 6: 2-3)
"Behold, my beloved brethren, I will unfold this mystery unto you; if I do not, by any means, get shaken from my firmness in the Spirit, and stumble because of my over anxiety for you." (Jacob 4: 18)
Next came Enos.
"...I began to feel a desire for the welfare of my brethren, the Nephites; wherefore, I did pour out my whole soul unto god for them." (Enos verse 9)
"And after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings for my brethren, the Lamanites." (Enos verse 11)
"And now behold, this was the desire which I desired of him -- that if it should be, that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation." (Enos verse 13)
Mormon in the Words of Mormon:
"And my prayer to God is concerning my brethren, that they may once again come to the knowledge of God, yea, the redemption of Christ; that they may once again be a delightsome people." (Words of Mormon verse 8)
We considered that the sons of King Mosiah were also filled with this spirit of intercession.
"Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren the Lamanites -- That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God,...that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God,...Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble." (Mosiah 28: 1-3)
"And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth..." (Alma 17:9)
The record shows the intercession of Alma the younger.
"Now Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma. Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance." (Alma 7:9-10)
"And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance;" (Alma 13:27)
"O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto the in Christ. Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee." (Alma 31: 34 - 35)
Those who were the children of God gathered together oft to intercede for those who knew not Christ.
"Nevertheless the children of God were commanded that they should gather themselves together oft, and join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God." (Alma 6:6)
We found record of Nephi son of Helaman interceding for the Nephites.
"And it came to pass that in this year Nephi did cry unto the Lord saying: O Lord, do not suffer that this people shall be destroyed by the sword; but O Lord, rather let there be a famine in the land, to stir them up in remembrance of the Lord their God, and perhaps they will repent and turn unto thee." (Helaman 11: 3-4)
"...And it came to pass that when Nephi saw that the people had repented and did humble themselves in sackcloth, he cried again unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, behold this people repenteth;... Now because of this their humility with thou turn away thine anger, and let thine anger be appeased in the destruction of those wicked men whom thou hast already destroyed. O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, yea, thy fierce anger, and cause that this famine may cease in this land. O Lord, wilt thou hearken unto me, and cause that it may be done according to my words, and send forth rain upon the face of the earth, that she may bring forth her fruit, and her grain in the season of grain. O Lord, thou didst hearken unto my words when I said, Let there be a famine, that the pestilence of the sword might cease; and I know that thou wilt, even at this time, hearken unto my words, for thou said that: If this people repent I will spare them. Yea, O Lord, and thou seest that they have repented, because of the famine and the pestilence and destruction which has come unto them. An now, O Lord, wilt thou turn away thine anger, and try again if they will serve thee? And if so, O Lord, thou canst bless them according to thy words which thou hast said." (Helaman 11: 9-16)
Nephi son of Nephi did likewise.
"Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful. And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God on behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the traditions of their fathers. And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day;..." (3 Nephi 1:10-12)
The Lord taught intercession to the Nephites as part of His law.
"...behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you." (3 Nephi 12:44)
Again in the book of Mormon we see Mormon seeking to intercede.
"Behold, I had led them, notwithstanding their wickedness I had led them many times to battle, and had loved them, according to the love of God which was in me, with all my heart; and my soul had been poured out in prayer unto my god all the day long for them..."(Mormon 3: 12)
Moroni, speaking of those saints who had gone before him in the land:
"...behold I say unto you, that those saints who have gone before me, who have possessed this land, shall cry, yea, even from the dust will they cry unto the Lord; and as the Lord liveth he will remember the covenant which he hath made with them. And he knoweth their prayers, that they were in behalf of their brethren." (Mormon 8:23-24)
"And behold, these things which we have desired concerning our brethren, yea, even their restoration to the knowledge of Christ, are according to the prayers of all the saints who have dwelt in the land. And may the Lord Jesus Christ grant that their prayers may be answered according to their faith;..." (Mormon 9:36-37)
Most of the first chapter of Ether recounts the intercessions of the brother of Jared for his brother Jared and their families and friends.
Here is the brother of Jared seeking to intercede again for those with him when they had to cross the ocean in the arks.
"Behold, O Lord, thou hast smitten us because of our iniquity, and hast driven us forth , and for these many years we have been in the wilderness; nevertheless, thou hast been merciful unto us. o Lord, look upon me in pity, and turn away thine anger from this thy people, and suffer not that they shall go forth across this raging deep in darkness; ..." (Ether 3:3-4)
Moroni sought to intercede for us Gentiles.
"And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity" (Ether 12:36)
These are the more apparent examples of intercession we have found in the Book of Mormon. There are probably many more we have not found.
There are also examples in the other scriptures.
Remember that Abraham sought to intercede for those who were in the doomed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Moses interceded on the mount for Israel so the Lord would not destroy them.
One example from the New Testament that is quite touching is the example of Stephen.
"And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:59-60)
Stephen cried out to God, seeking to intercede for those who were in the very act of killing him.
The purpose of laying out these examples is to show that for ourselves we have established that the scriptures hold a great amount of evidence that living in such a way so as to find it natural to intercede for others is necessary in order to find God.
I will share more of what we continued to learn about intercession in the next part.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Thursday, October 25, 2018
There Came Many Prophets
1 Nephi 1:4
"For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,(my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed."
It might be good at this point for us to remember something very important about the Book of Mormon.
When Nephi was making a second set of plates which he refers to in 1 Nephi 19, which are the plates that comprise the Book of Mormon up to Words of Mormon, he said this concerning his record.
"...I Nephi received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them should be written upon these plates...I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred..." (1 Nephi 19:3, 5-6)
Because Nephi plainly stated that he did not record anything on plates unless he felt them sacred, should we consider that this reference to many prophets coming to Jerusalem is something that ought to be looked at?
What could we learn from this?
The Prophet Mormon asked a very important question.
"And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing? And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing. For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come. And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them. Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing;..." (Moroni 7:20-25)
According to the prophet Mormon, faith in Christ is the way to lay hold upon every good thing.
We know that faith in Christ is the only way to salvation. (Salvation is a very good thing! :))
Can we reasonably state that everyone in the entire world, being uniquely individual, is at different levels of exercising faith in Christ? (From the level of zero faith or unbelief through belief to faith and on to the level of faith where they have come to the perfect day and they are passing from faith to knowledge where they now know for themselves like the brother of Jared having come face to face with the Lord.)
Why would God have "divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good" unless He was and is seeking to reach every one of His children at every level in order to invite them all to come to Him and lay hold upon every good thing?
Mormon is very clear in his teaching that prophets are one of the divers means that God uses to try and get through to His children.
Why?
Could all of God's children at all levels of unbelief, belief or faith understand or bear or give heed to heavenly instructors?
What kind of condemnation would come upon those who, because of unbelief or mere belief or weak faith, if they received something from a heavenly visitor chose not to heed what they had received?
The prophets, who are mortal, are able to teach those who are on the lowest levels where God and angels cannot teach.
How did Adam and Eve progress from the fall to where they had knowledge?
"And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord." (Moses 5:4-5)
They first heard the voice of the Lord,one of His divers ways, and were obedient to His voice.
"And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me." (Moses 5:6)
The angel then proceeded to teach them. (Moses 5:8)
Then they had greater learning given to them as the Holy Ghost fell upon them and they were able to prophesy.(Moses 5:9-11)
They rose level by level in faith by giving diligent heed to what they had received from the diverse ways that God used to reach them.
This is the pattern described in Alma chapter 12.
"...It is given to many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full." (Alma 12: 9-10)
Adam and Eve gave heed and diligence to the words of God they had received. Consequently, they were given the greater portion of the word until they knew the mysteries of God in full.
Now they were prophets. So What? What now?
Adam and Eve had children who were at a lower level of faith in Christ and so now they were sent by God to teach them. They became preachers of righteousness.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters." (Moses 5:12)
The continuing story relates the sad tale that their children did not receive what Adam and Eve were teaching them.(Moses 5:13)
We could ask, "Why didn't God just speak to the children from the garden like He did with their parents? Wouldn't they surely have believed then?"
Because their children didn't listen, did that mean that the message Adam and Eve delivered didn't have the same authority as if God Himself had declared it to their children?
It is important to consider this because this deals with the idea of whether a message from prophets like Adam and Eve is binding or not and if it is as persuasive as if God Himself were giving the message.
Concerning the persuasiveness of God's message: If we look to the example of the New Testament we can see that those of the Priests and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the common folk who would not accept the words of the prophets found in the scriptures would also not accept the words of Christ even though He, their God who performed marvelous miracles among the people, was right there in front of them speaking the words.
If people will not accept a message sent by God through a true servant then they would not accept it if God Himself were to declare it personally.
Also,
"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)
When one is truly sent by God, with His message, his/her words hold just as much weight, if those words are faithfully delivered with exactness, as if God Himself were present speaking those words.
So this divers way God uses, the way of declaring unto prophets by His own mouth about the coming of Christ, for manifesting things which are good unto the children of men is critically important.
Mormon, speaking of the ministration of angels declared,
"And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof;..."(Moroni 7:31-32)
Those who have exercised sufficient faith in order to receive the word of Christ from the angels are sent to testify of Christ, what they have personally received, in order that the way may be prepared for the residue of men (ie. those who are not yet at this level of faith) to have faith in Christ so that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts as well as in the hearts of those who are sent.
Those who are sent are referred to as "chosen vessels". What does that mean?
Is it an exclusive club? Does it come with power over others and special perks or money?
"Behold there are many called but, but few are chosen" (D&C 121:34)
"Many called" would seem to suggest that God would like a lot of true prophets testifying of Him (men, women and children); that it is not meant to be an exclusive club. Why then are there only a few chosen vessels?
"...And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson-- That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men in any degree of unrighteousness, behold the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man." (D&C 121:34-37)
It would appear that we are the ones who, by our own choices, make this an exclusive group or not.
To understand this a little better let's look at the definition of the powers of heaven so we can understand what it means when the heavens withdraw themselves.
Mormon stated that chosen vessels receive the word of Christ from angels.
In Moses 7: 27 Enoch gives us another title for these angels.
"And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion."
Enoch uses the term powers of heaven as a proper noun, a title for angels. They are the "powers of heaven". They are the ones who caught up individuals to Zion.
Any right a person has to a connection with "priesthood" is determined by their association with the powers of heaven or the angels, and ultimately their personal association with God the Father.
It is beginning to look like priesthood has much more to do with an association with the divine than with a position of power and respect.(a topic for another time)
How many prophets in the Book of Mormon began or stated in a sermon that what they were teaching had been delivered to them by an angel?
When anyone chooses to cover their sins or to gratify their pride or vain ambition or if they seek to have authority over others in order to compel others to obey them (ie. appealing to authority, position or office to compel or coerce obedience to their words) then the Lord has declared that His Spirit is offended and the heavens, or angels, withdraw.
We, by our own choices, by our soft or hard hearts, determine if we are made chosen vessels and are given more of the word of Christ by the angels until we know His mysteries in full, like Adam and Eve, or if we desire the things of this world and aspire to the honors of men and receive less and less until we know nothing concerning God's mysteries.
Many are called. God calls to all.
Those who, with diligence and heed, respond and exercise faith in Christ are chosen.
Then they are sent like Adam and Eve to be prophets, to preach repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
"Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads." (D&C 88:81)
Here is an example of this with King Benjamin.
"I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave,..."
Who did King Benjamin get his message from? He was not on his own errand.
King Benjamin had been warned. It became him to warn his people so that they were left without excuse with their sins upon their own heads.
He was "sent" with a message delivered to him by an angel to do just that.
Those who are chosen are not jealous or envious of the situation they are in. They want everyone to be in the same situation.
"And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:24-29)
Jeremiah, one of the many prophets at Jerusalem, prophesied of a future time when Moses' desire will take place.
"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord:..." (Jeremiah 31: 33-34)
Jeremiah prophesied that one day there will be an entire people, small though they may be, who will have finally learned that handling the powers of heaven, or having communion with the angels, is connected with their individual righteousness and desire to do no more than persuade others and have long suffering for others and use gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness and pure knowledge with others. They will choose to live this way to the point that they will all be prophets and they will all know Christ. They will all be chosen vessels.
What can we assume their task will be?
If we are to understand that those who are made chosen vessels are to follow what the Lord declared in section 121 in order to maintain a connection to the powers of heaven, who declare to them the word of Christ, would we expect to find "chosen vessels" in any of the religious, economic, or political hierarchical power structures of the world? (All of which ultimately appeal to position, office or authority to compel obedience)
Remember that once a person in any way seeks to cover sins or to gratify pride or to fulfill their vain ambitions or to exercise compulsion on (coerce) another person in any way they are cut off from heaven.
That is a serious matter!!!
Christ declared:
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:5-6)
When someone is cut off they can do nothing. They have no message sent from heaven. They are withered.
If they claim to speak in the name of God they are taking His name in vain having no authority. He has not given them any message. They are on their own errand but they are falsely declaring that what they are doing is from God.
What they have to give will damn a person because it will not lead to faith in Christ.
Could we reasonably assume then that real prophets of God, those who qualify to receive the word of Christ from the powers of heaven and are then sent by God Himself to declare that word, will be found outside of any and all hierarchical or power structures?
Do the scriptures bear this out? Were prophets outsiders?
Let's consider just a few examples.
Was Abraham an outsider to all the religious, political, etc. structures of his day? They tried to sacrifice him on an altar.
How about Elijah? The powers of his day wanted him dead.
How about Jeremiah and the many prophets at Jerusalem when Lehi was there? Jeremiah was dropped into a deep pit up to his knees in mud and many of the others were cast out and/or killed.
What about Lehi? He's not a priest or a Levite he's just an ordinary guy from Manasseh. They wanted to kill him.
How about Abinadi? He comes out of nowhere. He was rejected and killed.
How about King Benjamin? He was called king but worked with his own hands for a living.
He didn't exercise any authority over anyone.
What about Alma the Elder? He was cast out of King Noah's court before becoming a prophet. They tried to kill him.
How about Alma the younger and Amulek? Alma the younger rejected political authority to preach the word of God. He and Amulek suffered in prison and under threat of death.
What about Samuel the Lamanite? There is already a true prophet among the Nephites but Samuel comes out of nowhere and they try to kill him.
Here is a huge one!
How about the Lord Himself?
Isaiah prophesied concerning the Lord,
"...when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53: 2-3)
The Lord came and held no position of power and authority that would be considered beautiful and that would cause any to desire to accept His message for that reason.
Almost all who held ecclesiastical and political power rejected the Lord's message. They ultimately crucified Him for it.
The scriptures make it clear that because of the way the chosen vessels, of necessity, must live their lives and the way they must deliver the messages given them by God, using nothing but persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness and pure knowledge, that makes them easy to be rejected persecuted and many ultimately killed.
It would seem that God does not want anyone to follow a message He sends because the person declaring it has some kind of earthly authority or bona-fides. He desires people to heed His messages because the messages contain truth and light on their own having only to be expressed.
In the end relatively few individuals accept the messages of true prophets. That has always been the case from the beginning.
The Prophet Joseph taught,
"The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves "in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth," and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.205)
We can learn from this account, written by Nephi, as we read further that Lehi was one of the always few individuals who found light and truth in the messages that God sent. He decided to heed the words of the many prophets sent to Jerusalem and repent.
(SPOILER ALERT)
We will see shortly what that repentance led to. It follows the pattern of the divers ways God imparts His word unto the children of men from the beginning.
Lehi received the benefit of accepting what the Lord was offering.
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
God, who is merciful, always offers a way out of destruction before it occurs. He infinitely loves all His children on all levels of the belief and faith spectrum.
God was about to allow Jerusalem to be destroyed and so He sent chosen vessels, His prophets of which Lehi eventually became one, to prophesy of the destruction, to cry repentance and to declare faith on Jesus Christ.
God followed this pattern all throughout the Book of Mormon; calling chosen vessels and giving them a message to deliver to prophesy to cry repentance and to declare faith on Jesus Christ before any destruction took place.
God, who is unchanging, follows the same pattern today.
The message God sent was always accepted by relatively few.
Should we expect it to be any different today?
If a message is received with wild acclaim, praise and adulation is that proof that it is of God?
Even with King Benjamin's words to his people, what was the initial response to what he declared?
All of these things are things that ought to be considered as we think of the many prophets who were at Jerusalem during the time of Lehi.
"For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah,(my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed."
It might be good at this point for us to remember something very important about the Book of Mormon.
When Nephi was making a second set of plates which he refers to in 1 Nephi 19, which are the plates that comprise the Book of Mormon up to Words of Mormon, he said this concerning his record.
"...I Nephi received a commandment that the ministry and the prophecies, the more plain and precious parts of them should be written upon these plates...I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. Nevertheless, I do not write anything upon plates save it be that I think it be sacred..." (1 Nephi 19:3, 5-6)
Because Nephi plainly stated that he did not record anything on plates unless he felt them sacred, should we consider that this reference to many prophets coming to Jerusalem is something that ought to be looked at?
What could we learn from this?
The Prophet Mormon asked a very important question.
"And now, my brethren, how is it possible that ye can lay hold upon every good thing? And now I come to that faith, of which I said I would speak; and I will tell you the way whereby ye may lay hold on every good thing. For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, he sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing. And God also declared unto prophets, by his own mouth, that Christ should come. And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were fallen, and there could no good thing come unto them. Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing;..." (Moroni 7:20-25)
According to the prophet Mormon, faith in Christ is the way to lay hold upon every good thing.
We know that faith in Christ is the only way to salvation. (Salvation is a very good thing! :))
Can we reasonably state that everyone in the entire world, being uniquely individual, is at different levels of exercising faith in Christ? (From the level of zero faith or unbelief through belief to faith and on to the level of faith where they have come to the perfect day and they are passing from faith to knowledge where they now know for themselves like the brother of Jared having come face to face with the Lord.)
Why would God have "divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good" unless He was and is seeking to reach every one of His children at every level in order to invite them all to come to Him and lay hold upon every good thing?
Mormon is very clear in his teaching that prophets are one of the divers means that God uses to try and get through to His children.
Why?
Could all of God's children at all levels of unbelief, belief or faith understand or bear or give heed to heavenly instructors?
What kind of condemnation would come upon those who, because of unbelief or mere belief or weak faith, if they received something from a heavenly visitor chose not to heed what they had received?
The prophets, who are mortal, are able to teach those who are on the lowest levels where God and angels cannot teach.
How did Adam and Eve progress from the fall to where they had knowledge?
"And Adam and Eve, his wife, called upon the name of the Lord, and they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the Garden of Eden, speaking unto them, and they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence. And he gave unto them commandments, that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord." (Moses 5:4-5)
They first heard the voice of the Lord,one of His divers ways, and were obedient to His voice.
"And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me." (Moses 5:6)
The angel then proceeded to teach them. (Moses 5:8)
Then they had greater learning given to them as the Holy Ghost fell upon them and they were able to prophesy.(Moses 5:9-11)
They rose level by level in faith by giving diligent heed to what they had received from the diverse ways that God used to reach them.
This is the pattern described in Alma chapter 12.
"...It is given to many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full." (Alma 12: 9-10)
Adam and Eve gave heed and diligence to the words of God they had received. Consequently, they were given the greater portion of the word until they knew the mysteries of God in full.
Now they were prophets. So What? What now?
Adam and Eve had children who were at a lower level of faith in Christ and so now they were sent by God to teach them. They became preachers of righteousness.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters." (Moses 5:12)
The continuing story relates the sad tale that their children did not receive what Adam and Eve were teaching them.(Moses 5:13)
We could ask, "Why didn't God just speak to the children from the garden like He did with their parents? Wouldn't they surely have believed then?"
Because their children didn't listen, did that mean that the message Adam and Eve delivered didn't have the same authority as if God Himself had declared it to their children?
It is important to consider this because this deals with the idea of whether a message from prophets like Adam and Eve is binding or not and if it is as persuasive as if God Himself were giving the message.
Concerning the persuasiveness of God's message: If we look to the example of the New Testament we can see that those of the Priests and the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the common folk who would not accept the words of the prophets found in the scriptures would also not accept the words of Christ even though He, their God who performed marvelous miracles among the people, was right there in front of them speaking the words.
If people will not accept a message sent by God through a true servant then they would not accept it if God Himself were to declare it personally.
Also,
"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same." (D&C 1:38)
When one is truly sent by God, with His message, his/her words hold just as much weight, if those words are faithfully delivered with exactness, as if God Himself were present speaking those words.
So this divers way God uses, the way of declaring unto prophets by His own mouth about the coming of Christ, for manifesting things which are good unto the children of men is critically important.
Mormon, speaking of the ministration of angels declared,
"And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which he hath made unto the children of men, to prepare the way among the children of men, by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof;..."(Moroni 7:31-32)
Those who have exercised sufficient faith in order to receive the word of Christ from the angels are sent to testify of Christ, what they have personally received, in order that the way may be prepared for the residue of men (ie. those who are not yet at this level of faith) to have faith in Christ so that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts as well as in the hearts of those who are sent.
Those who are sent are referred to as "chosen vessels". What does that mean?
Is it an exclusive club? Does it come with power over others and special perks or money?
"Behold there are many called but, but few are chosen" (D&C 121:34)
"Many called" would seem to suggest that God would like a lot of true prophets testifying of Him (men, women and children); that it is not meant to be an exclusive club. Why then are there only a few chosen vessels?
"...And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson-- That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness. That they may be conferred upon us it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men in any degree of unrighteousness, behold the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man." (D&C 121:34-37)
It would appear that we are the ones who, by our own choices, make this an exclusive group or not.
To understand this a little better let's look at the definition of the powers of heaven so we can understand what it means when the heavens withdraw themselves.
Mormon stated that chosen vessels receive the word of Christ from angels.
In Moses 7: 27 Enoch gives us another title for these angels.
"And Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion."
Enoch uses the term powers of heaven as a proper noun, a title for angels. They are the "powers of heaven". They are the ones who caught up individuals to Zion.
Any right a person has to a connection with "priesthood" is determined by their association with the powers of heaven or the angels, and ultimately their personal association with God the Father.
It is beginning to look like priesthood has much more to do with an association with the divine than with a position of power and respect.(a topic for another time)
How many prophets in the Book of Mormon began or stated in a sermon that what they were teaching had been delivered to them by an angel?
When anyone chooses to cover their sins or to gratify their pride or vain ambition or if they seek to have authority over others in order to compel others to obey them (ie. appealing to authority, position or office to compel or coerce obedience to their words) then the Lord has declared that His Spirit is offended and the heavens, or angels, withdraw.
We, by our own choices, by our soft or hard hearts, determine if we are made chosen vessels and are given more of the word of Christ by the angels until we know His mysteries in full, like Adam and Eve, or if we desire the things of this world and aspire to the honors of men and receive less and less until we know nothing concerning God's mysteries.
Many are called. God calls to all.
Those who, with diligence and heed, respond and exercise faith in Christ are chosen.
Then they are sent like Adam and Eve to be prophets, to preach repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
"Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor. Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads." (D&C 88:81)
Here is an example of this with King Benjamin.
"I say unto you that I have caused that ye should assemble yourselves together that I might rid my garments of your blood, at this period of time when I am about to go down to my grave,..."
Who did King Benjamin get his message from? He was not on his own errand.
King Benjamin had been warned. It became him to warn his people so that they were left without excuse with their sins upon their own heads.
He was "sent" with a message delivered to him by an angel to do just that.
Those who are chosen are not jealous or envious of the situation they are in. They want everyone to be in the same situation.
"And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp. And there ran a young man and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:24-29)
Jeremiah, one of the many prophets at Jerusalem, prophesied of a future time when Moses' desire will take place.
"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord:..." (Jeremiah 31: 33-34)
Jeremiah prophesied that one day there will be an entire people, small though they may be, who will have finally learned that handling the powers of heaven, or having communion with the angels, is connected with their individual righteousness and desire to do no more than persuade others and have long suffering for others and use gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness and pure knowledge with others. They will choose to live this way to the point that they will all be prophets and they will all know Christ. They will all be chosen vessels.
What can we assume their task will be?
If we are to understand that those who are made chosen vessels are to follow what the Lord declared in section 121 in order to maintain a connection to the powers of heaven, who declare to them the word of Christ, would we expect to find "chosen vessels" in any of the religious, economic, or political hierarchical power structures of the world? (All of which ultimately appeal to position, office or authority to compel obedience)
Remember that once a person in any way seeks to cover sins or to gratify pride or to fulfill their vain ambitions or to exercise compulsion on (coerce) another person in any way they are cut off from heaven.
That is a serious matter!!!
Christ declared:
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." (John 15:5-6)
When someone is cut off they can do nothing. They have no message sent from heaven. They are withered.
If they claim to speak in the name of God they are taking His name in vain having no authority. He has not given them any message. They are on their own errand but they are falsely declaring that what they are doing is from God.
What they have to give will damn a person because it will not lead to faith in Christ.
Could we reasonably assume then that real prophets of God, those who qualify to receive the word of Christ from the powers of heaven and are then sent by God Himself to declare that word, will be found outside of any and all hierarchical or power structures?
Do the scriptures bear this out? Were prophets outsiders?
Let's consider just a few examples.
Was Abraham an outsider to all the religious, political, etc. structures of his day? They tried to sacrifice him on an altar.
How about Elijah? The powers of his day wanted him dead.
How about Jeremiah and the many prophets at Jerusalem when Lehi was there? Jeremiah was dropped into a deep pit up to his knees in mud and many of the others were cast out and/or killed.
What about Lehi? He's not a priest or a Levite he's just an ordinary guy from Manasseh. They wanted to kill him.
How about Abinadi? He comes out of nowhere. He was rejected and killed.
How about King Benjamin? He was called king but worked with his own hands for a living.
He didn't exercise any authority over anyone.
What about Alma the Elder? He was cast out of King Noah's court before becoming a prophet. They tried to kill him.
How about Alma the younger and Amulek? Alma the younger rejected political authority to preach the word of God. He and Amulek suffered in prison and under threat of death.
What about Samuel the Lamanite? There is already a true prophet among the Nephites but Samuel comes out of nowhere and they try to kill him.
Here is a huge one!
How about the Lord Himself?
Isaiah prophesied concerning the Lord,
"...when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53: 2-3)
The Lord came and held no position of power and authority that would be considered beautiful and that would cause any to desire to accept His message for that reason.
Almost all who held ecclesiastical and political power rejected the Lord's message. They ultimately crucified Him for it.
The scriptures make it clear that because of the way the chosen vessels, of necessity, must live their lives and the way they must deliver the messages given them by God, using nothing but persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, kindness and pure knowledge, that makes them easy to be rejected persecuted and many ultimately killed.
It would seem that God does not want anyone to follow a message He sends because the person declaring it has some kind of earthly authority or bona-fides. He desires people to heed His messages because the messages contain truth and light on their own having only to be expressed.
The Prophet Joseph taught,
"The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves "in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth," and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.205)
We can learn from this account, written by Nephi, as we read further that Lehi was one of the always few individuals who found light and truth in the messages that God sent. He decided to heed the words of the many prophets sent to Jerusalem and repent.
(SPOILER ALERT)
We will see shortly what that repentance led to. It follows the pattern of the divers ways God imparts His word unto the children of men from the beginning.
Lehi received the benefit of accepting what the Lord was offering.
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
God, who is merciful, always offers a way out of destruction before it occurs. He infinitely loves all His children on all levels of the belief and faith spectrum.
God was about to allow Jerusalem to be destroyed and so He sent chosen vessels, His prophets of which Lehi eventually became one, to prophesy of the destruction, to cry repentance and to declare faith on Jesus Christ.
God followed this pattern all throughout the Book of Mormon; calling chosen vessels and giving them a message to deliver to prophesy to cry repentance and to declare faith on Jesus Christ before any destruction took place.
God, who is unchanging, follows the same pattern today.
The message God sent was always accepted by relatively few.
Should we expect it to be any different today?
If a message is received with wild acclaim, praise and adulation is that proof that it is of God?
Even with King Benjamin's words to his people, what was the initial response to what he declared?
All of these things are things that ought to be considered as we think of the many prophets who were at Jerusalem during the time of Lehi.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
What's Up With Egypt?
1 Nephi 1: 2
"...Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians."
As a group we have been asking the question, "What about Egypt?"
It appears throughout the history of Israel that there is a tie to the land of Egypt again and again and again.
Abraham journeyed there and sojourned there for a time.
"And I, Abraham, journeyed going on still towards the south; and there was a continuation of a famine in the land; and I, Abraham, concluded to go down into Egypt, to sojourn there, for the famine became very grievous." (Abraham 2: 21)
We know from both the Book of Abraham (Abraham 2: 22-25) and the Book of Genesis (Genesis 12) that Abraham and Sara encountered Pharaoh when they went into Egypt.
Facsimile number 3 in the Book of Abraham also indicates that Abraham had association with Pharoah there in Egypt under additional circumstances different from the meeting they had as recorded in Genesis.
The scriptures state that Abraham came up out of Egypt a very rich man. (Genesis 13: 1- 2)
We know that Joseph, Jacob's son, was sold into Egypt and eventually rose to prominence there having a close association with Pharoah. (Genesis chapters 37, 39-41)
As we go further it almost appears that Abraham's time in Egypt was kind of a type of Israel's time in Egypt.
Genesis chapters 42 - 47 detail how Jacob (Israel) and his family came to sojourn in Egypt because of a famine in the land just as Abraham had done.
Just as the facsimile 3 in the Book of Abraham seems to indicate a close association with Abraham and Pharaoh, in the beginning the family of Israel, because of Joseph, had a close association with Pharaoh as well.
The nation of Israel, when they came out of Egypt came out with great wealth, just like Abraham.
"And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." (Exodus 12: 35 - 36)
As a group, we considered the above historical events. We also thought about how Nephi purposely inscribed in the plates that they were written in the Egyptian language. (We know that it is reformed Egyptian (Mormon 9:32) so a little variation but Egyptian nonetheless.)
We also considered that the Savior, as a child, was taken into Egypt.
"...the angel of the Lord appeareth unto Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son" (Matthew 2:13 - 15)
Is it possible that Abraham's and Israel's sojourns in Egypt were meant to be types of the Savior's sojourn there?
In each case Egypt became a place of refuge from something that would have been fatal to Abraham, Israel and his house, and the Savior.
We wondered if there was something to be had in Egypt besides physical refuge.
We considered the passage in the Book of Abraham as something to consider concerning Egypt possibly having something of importance.
"Now the king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land. The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden;...Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal. Pharoah, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, (that's interesting) but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood. (He could not have dominion)" (Abraham 1: 21-26)
Abraham went on to describe how by the time he was born Egypt had apostatised from the original order established by the first Pharaoh but nevertheless there was definitely something there at the beginnings of Egypt.
After our discussion as a group, the following week I was talking with my good friend and coworker about the preceding ideas and he put forth an idea that maybe because of the original order established in Egypt they became a great record keeping people.
We know that the Book of Abraham came from translated Egyptian scrolls that came into the possession of the Prophet Joseph.
It has been stated in the book "Eighteen Verses" by Denver Snuffer (a book about 18 verses in the Book of Mormon) that " Because Joseph translated a portion of one of these scrolls, and had three hieroglyphs associated with that translated text (resulting in the Book of Abraham and its facsimiles), Latter day Saints have been forever linked to Egyptian language and culture. We cannot escape at least some passing familiarity with things Egyptian. (Eighteen Verses, page 50)
Our group also talked about the video "Faith of an Observer", about Hugh Nibley. In part of the video Hugh Nibley is in Egypt and he is translating glyphs on walls in an ancient building and he shows how the glyphs speak of navigating the heavens. (Is this related to the scriptures that refer to walking in His ways? His ways are in the heavens.)
Further on in "Eighteen Verses" we read,
"Egypt was settled by a "righteous man" who tried "earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father."(Abr. 1:26) Egypt preserved an "order" which ran back to Adam and Noah. So, studying Egypt provides a link back to the very beginnings of humanity....Egypt's role as a preserver of religious traditions has been underestimated by the Judeo-Christian world at large. For Latter Day Saints, however, Egyptian religion and history cannot be ignored. Both the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham have made the Saints compulsory Egyptologists." (Eighteen Verses, page 51)
Since the time of our discussion about Egypt we have additionally learned some more about Egypt.
This is from the most recent Remnant General Conference held in Layton Utah
"At the time of Abraham, Egypt was the greatest civilization on earth. Egypt was great
because it imitated the original religion of the first fathers....Egypt began by imitating the pattern Adam, Seth, Enos and their direct descendants through Noah used to organize the family of the faithful. Abraham calls it a “government” but it was a family. The title “Pharaoh” originally meant “great house” or “great family” because Pharaoh was the “father” over Egypt who taught and led them. Over time, however, the title “Pharaoh” came to mean “king” or “tyrant” who controlled people. The first Pharaoh, or founding father of Egypt imitated the first fathers of mankind. He could only imitate, because he did not have the right to act as the patriarchal head of mankind. He nevertheless tried to be a shepherd who led by righteous example. Abraham knew more about the first fathers than did the Egyptians because Abraham had the original book of remembrance written by the fathers in the language of Adam....Abraham lived during the 9th or 10th Dynasty, at a time called the “1st Intermediate Period.” This was a period of significant change, or apostasy, for the Egyptian religion. But even before Abraham, the order established by the first fathers, despite efforts to keep the faith, had been poorly preserved. The Pyramid Texts are the oldest records, but they were carved during the 4th and 5th Dynasties. By the time these records had been carved, six or more centuries had passed between the original and this preservation. This would be like us composing the history from the time Robert the Bruce gained Scottish independence through the death of Joan of Arc for the first time today." (Keep the Covenant: Do the Work, Denver Snuffer, Sept. 2018)
Egypt was established seeking to imitate the order of the Fathers; the Family of God. When Abraham entered Egypt he had with him "...the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, (dominion as first given to Adam) the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers,..." (Abraham 1:31)
Is it possible that the third facsimile of Abraham with Pharaoh, teaching the principles of astronomy, is representative of Abraham teaching the Egyptians not just about the stars but about much more?
They had lost much of what the first Pharaoh, a righteous man, had established, seeking earnestly to imitate the first patriarchs. However, from their culture and traditions would they have recognized and found familiar many things that Abraham might have taught to them from the records of the fathers?
Was Abraham's time in Egypt possibly meant to be an invitation from God for the Egyptians to receive a restoration of what they had established among them at the first by the first Pharaoh?
God loves all of His children upon the earth equally. Would it be unreasonable to consider that a servant such as Abraham, who possesses the records of the fathers, might be sent by God to invite His children living in Egypt to return to what they had originally?
"...Yea, I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians."
As a group we have been asking the question, "What about Egypt?"
It appears throughout the history of Israel that there is a tie to the land of Egypt again and again and again.
Abraham journeyed there and sojourned there for a time.
"And I, Abraham, journeyed going on still towards the south; and there was a continuation of a famine in the land; and I, Abraham, concluded to go down into Egypt, to sojourn there, for the famine became very grievous." (Abraham 2: 21)
We know from both the Book of Abraham (Abraham 2: 22-25) and the Book of Genesis (Genesis 12) that Abraham and Sara encountered Pharaoh when they went into Egypt.
Facsimile number 3 in the Book of Abraham also indicates that Abraham had association with Pharoah there in Egypt under additional circumstances different from the meeting they had as recorded in Genesis.
The scriptures state that Abraham came up out of Egypt a very rich man. (Genesis 13: 1- 2)
We know that Joseph, Jacob's son, was sold into Egypt and eventually rose to prominence there having a close association with Pharoah. (Genesis chapters 37, 39-41)
As we go further it almost appears that Abraham's time in Egypt was kind of a type of Israel's time in Egypt.
Genesis chapters 42 - 47 detail how Jacob (Israel) and his family came to sojourn in Egypt because of a famine in the land just as Abraham had done.
Just as the facsimile 3 in the Book of Abraham seems to indicate a close association with Abraham and Pharaoh, in the beginning the family of Israel, because of Joseph, had a close association with Pharaoh as well.
The nation of Israel, when they came out of Egypt came out with great wealth, just like Abraham.
"And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." (Exodus 12: 35 - 36)
As a group, we considered the above historical events. We also thought about how Nephi purposely inscribed in the plates that they were written in the Egyptian language. (We know that it is reformed Egyptian (Mormon 9:32) so a little variation but Egyptian nonetheless.)
We also considered that the Savior, as a child, was taken into Egypt.
"...the angel of the Lord appeareth unto Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son" (Matthew 2:13 - 15)
Is it possible that Abraham's and Israel's sojourns in Egypt were meant to be types of the Savior's sojourn there?
In each case Egypt became a place of refuge from something that would have been fatal to Abraham, Israel and his house, and the Savior.
We wondered if there was something to be had in Egypt besides physical refuge.
We considered the passage in the Book of Abraham as something to consider concerning Egypt possibly having something of importance.
"Now the king of Egypt was a descendant from the loins of Ham, and was a partaker of the blood of the Canaanites by birth. From this descent sprang all the Egyptians, and thus the blood of the Canaanites was preserved in the land. The land of Egypt being first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus, which in the Chaldean signifies Egypt, which signifies that which is forbidden;...Now the first government of Egypt was established by Pharaoh, the eldest son of Egyptus, the daughter of Ham, and it was after the manner of the government of Ham, which was patriarchal. Pharoah, being a righteous man, established his kingdom and judged his people wisely and justly all his days, seeking earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father, who blessed him with the blessings of the earth, and with the blessings of wisdom, (that's interesting) but cursed him as pertaining to the Priesthood. (He could not have dominion)" (Abraham 1: 21-26)
Abraham went on to describe how by the time he was born Egypt had apostatised from the original order established by the first Pharaoh but nevertheless there was definitely something there at the beginnings of Egypt.
After our discussion as a group, the following week I was talking with my good friend and coworker about the preceding ideas and he put forth an idea that maybe because of the original order established in Egypt they became a great record keeping people.
We know that the Book of Abraham came from translated Egyptian scrolls that came into the possession of the Prophet Joseph.
It has been stated in the book "Eighteen Verses" by Denver Snuffer (a book about 18 verses in the Book of Mormon) that " Because Joseph translated a portion of one of these scrolls, and had three hieroglyphs associated with that translated text (resulting in the Book of Abraham and its facsimiles), Latter day Saints have been forever linked to Egyptian language and culture. We cannot escape at least some passing familiarity with things Egyptian. (Eighteen Verses, page 50)
Our group also talked about the video "Faith of an Observer", about Hugh Nibley. In part of the video Hugh Nibley is in Egypt and he is translating glyphs on walls in an ancient building and he shows how the glyphs speak of navigating the heavens. (Is this related to the scriptures that refer to walking in His ways? His ways are in the heavens.)
Further on in "Eighteen Verses" we read,
"Egypt was settled by a "righteous man" who tried "earnestly to imitate that order established by the fathers in the first generations, in the days of the first patriarchal reign, even in the reign of Adam, and also of Noah, his father."(Abr. 1:26) Egypt preserved an "order" which ran back to Adam and Noah. So, studying Egypt provides a link back to the very beginnings of humanity....Egypt's role as a preserver of religious traditions has been underestimated by the Judeo-Christian world at large. For Latter Day Saints, however, Egyptian religion and history cannot be ignored. Both the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham have made the Saints compulsory Egyptologists." (Eighteen Verses, page 51)
Since the time of our discussion about Egypt we have additionally learned some more about Egypt.
This is from the most recent Remnant General Conference held in Layton Utah
"At the time of Abraham, Egypt was the greatest civilization on earth. Egypt was great
because it imitated the original religion of the first fathers....Egypt began by imitating the pattern Adam, Seth, Enos and their direct descendants through Noah used to organize the family of the faithful. Abraham calls it a “government” but it was a family. The title “Pharaoh” originally meant “great house” or “great family” because Pharaoh was the “father” over Egypt who taught and led them. Over time, however, the title “Pharaoh” came to mean “king” or “tyrant” who controlled people. The first Pharaoh, or founding father of Egypt imitated the first fathers of mankind. He could only imitate, because he did not have the right to act as the patriarchal head of mankind. He nevertheless tried to be a shepherd who led by righteous example. Abraham knew more about the first fathers than did the Egyptians because Abraham had the original book of remembrance written by the fathers in the language of Adam....Abraham lived during the 9th or 10th Dynasty, at a time called the “1st Intermediate Period.” This was a period of significant change, or apostasy, for the Egyptian religion. But even before Abraham, the order established by the first fathers, despite efforts to keep the faith, had been poorly preserved. The Pyramid Texts are the oldest records, but they were carved during the 4th and 5th Dynasties. By the time these records had been carved, six or more centuries had passed between the original and this preservation. This would be like us composing the history from the time Robert the Bruce gained Scottish independence through the death of Joan of Arc for the first time today." (Keep the Covenant: Do the Work, Denver Snuffer, Sept. 2018)
Egypt was established seeking to imitate the order of the Fathers; the Family of God. When Abraham entered Egypt he had with him "...the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, (dominion as first given to Adam) the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers,..." (Abraham 1:31)
Is it possible that the third facsimile of Abraham with Pharaoh, teaching the principles of astronomy, is representative of Abraham teaching the Egyptians not just about the stars but about much more?
They had lost much of what the first Pharaoh, a righteous man, had established, seeking earnestly to imitate the first patriarchs. However, from their culture and traditions would they have recognized and found familiar many things that Abraham might have taught to them from the records of the fathers?
Was Abraham's time in Egypt possibly meant to be an invitation from God for the Egyptians to receive a restoration of what they had established among them at the first by the first Pharaoh?
God loves all of His children upon the earth equally. Would it be unreasonable to consider that a servant such as Abraham, who possesses the records of the fathers, might be sent by God to invite His children living in Egypt to return to what they had originally?
Friday, October 19, 2018
I Was Taught
1 Nephi 1: 1
"I Nephi having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father;..."
Why, in a book where every word was chosen carefully by the command of God and where scribing the account must have been difficult, wouldn't Nephi merely refer to goodly parentage and continue on?
Why did he include in the narrative, as relating to having been born of goodly parents, the assertion that he was taught somewhat in all the learning of his father?
From the very beginning we see that our first parents taught their children.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters." (Moses 5: 12)
"And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled." (Moses 6:5-6)
What would have been included in this book of remembrance used to teach children to read and write?
"And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. And it is given to them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time. Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying: That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory" (Moses 6:55 - 59)
"Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. And the Lord administered comfort to Adam, and said unto him: I have set they to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being filled with the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation. These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time."(D&C 107: 53-57)
"But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers,..." (Abraham 1:31)
Is it possible that the above items were included in that book? What a primmer eh?
When Moses was giving his final charge to the children of Israel before they crossed the Jordan river he declared to them,
"Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord god of your fathers giveth you...Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it...Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;..."(Deuteronomy 4: 1-9)
"Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 6: 4-7)
So we see again the emphasis the Lord put on parents teaching their children concerning the things of God; His statutes and His judgments.
Can we assume that Lehi was a devout man?
If he was then wouldn't part of his learning include the scriptures containing the statutes and judgments delivered to the children of Israel by Moses?
We see from the record that Lehi believed the words of the many prophets who came to Jerusalem crying repentance because he found himself praying, "unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people."(1 Nephi 1: 5)
So the words of the prophets who were sent by God to Jerusalem would also be part of his learning.
The Book of Mormon details the appearance of the Lord to Lehi and also Lehi's ascent to the throne of God the Father. Lehi was shown many things which made him exclaim,
"Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!" (1 Nephi 1: 14)
What Lehi received from this experience would also be part of his learning.
Following Lehi's ascent to the throne of God Nephi records this about his father.
"And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and dreams;..."(1 Nephi 1: 16)
The many things Lehi received in his visions and dreams would also be included in his learning.
Following the pattern that the Lord had established from the beginning Lehi and Sariah would have made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
Nephi says that this is the case.
"...and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children,..."(1 Nephi 1: 16)
Is it safe to consider that although the record mentions Nephi's father as having received the visions that because Nephi stated that he was born of goodly parents, not just a goodly father, that Sariah was also involved very closely in the teaching of the children? That has been the pattern established from the beginning for a righteous set of parents. They both together make all things known unto their children.
Nephi would have been taught as much as is lawful for mortal parents to teach to mortal children. Therefore he would receive somewhat of all of the learning, mentioned above, that Lehi received.
"But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpass all understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion; Which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and are not lawful for man to utter; Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him;"(D&C 76: 114-116)
As we will see later, what Lehi and Sariah taught their children equipped Nephi to go and obtain those things that his parents were unable to teach because it was not lawful for them to do so.
Why is this statement of Nephi about goodly parents teaching their children so absolutely critical that it would be mentioned as one of the first items in the Book of Mormon?
It has been pointed out that if the next generation is not able to learn and continue their parents' faith, every achievement can be lost.
Do we have an example of this? There are lots but we can look at one that is very apparent.
When King Benjamin spoke to his people one of the things he declared was, "O, all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words..."(Mosiah 2: 40)
There were in the congregation of those who heard King Benjamin speak and who experienced a mighty change of heart, little children who could not understand King Benjamin's words. These little children, being the next generation, affected the whole nation when they grew up.
"Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of King Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ. And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened."(Mosiah 26: 1-3)
Consider what a devastating loss that was from one generation to the next for the children of those who had experienced that wonderful covenant through King Benjamin to fail to comprehend what had been given.
It has also been pointed out that all intelligence, talent and skill is perishable. Unless studied, knowledge can be forfeit.
When Nephi was retrieving the plates of brass one of the things Nephi remembered was, "...the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that; Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise. Yea and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law. And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass."(1 Nephi 4: 14-16)
Just as in the beginning, where the children of the righteous were taught to read and write from scriptures, Nephite children were also taught to read and write from scriptures following the same divine pattern.
When the Mulekites were discovered, their language had become totally corrupted and they denied the existence of their creator because they lacked the scriptures so necessary to use in teaching their children.
The Book of Mormon is full of examples of righteous parents teaching their children somewhat in all of their own learning.
These teachings inspired the children many times to seek out a fullness for themselves which perpetuated and preserved the faith and achievements of their fathers.
This explanation of thoughts concerning the importance of parents teaching their children is woefully incomplete. There are so many examples that could be shared that have not been. But I believe it is impossible in a blog to adequately cover any subject of discussion.
This does however show the direction of what we as a group believe is proper teaching and hopefully it will inspire others to continue on to search out all the other examples and principles that can be found that relate to the command the Lord has given for parents to teach their children.
Hopefully we can all become goodly parents. We ought to seek to become such.
"I Nephi having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father;..."
Why, in a book where every word was chosen carefully by the command of God and where scribing the account must have been difficult, wouldn't Nephi merely refer to goodly parentage and continue on?
Why did he include in the narrative, as relating to having been born of goodly parents, the assertion that he was taught somewhat in all the learning of his father?
From the very beginning we see that our first parents taught their children.
"And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters." (Moses 5: 12)
"And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled." (Moses 6:5-6)
What would have been included in this book of remembrance used to teach children to read and write?
"And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are conceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter, that they may know to prize the good. And it is given to them to know good from evil; wherefore they are agents unto themselves, and I have given you another law and commandment. Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in no wise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time. Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children, saying: That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory" (Moses 6:55 - 59)
"Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-Ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. And the Lord administered comfort to Adam, and said unto him: I have set they to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being filled with the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation. These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time."(D&C 107: 53-57)
"But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers,..." (Abraham 1:31)
Is it possible that the above items were included in that book? What a primmer eh?
When Moses was giving his final charge to the children of Israel before they crossed the Jordan river he declared to them,
"Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord god of your fathers giveth you...Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it...Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;..."(Deuteronomy 4: 1-9)
"Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord they God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they might. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." (Deuteronomy 6: 4-7)
So we see again the emphasis the Lord put on parents teaching their children concerning the things of God; His statutes and His judgments.
Can we assume that Lehi was a devout man?
If he was then wouldn't part of his learning include the scriptures containing the statutes and judgments delivered to the children of Israel by Moses?
We see from the record that Lehi believed the words of the many prophets who came to Jerusalem crying repentance because he found himself praying, "unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people."(1 Nephi 1: 5)
So the words of the prophets who were sent by God to Jerusalem would also be part of his learning.
The Book of Mormon details the appearance of the Lord to Lehi and also Lehi's ascent to the throne of God the Father. Lehi was shown many things which made him exclaim,
"Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and, because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!" (1 Nephi 1: 14)
What Lehi received from this experience would also be part of his learning.
Following Lehi's ascent to the throne of God Nephi records this about his father.
"And now I, Nephi, do not make a full account of the things which my father hath written, for he hath written many things which he saw in visions and dreams;..."(1 Nephi 1: 16)
The many things Lehi received in his visions and dreams would also be included in his learning.
Following the pattern that the Lord had established from the beginning Lehi and Sariah would have made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.
Nephi says that this is the case.
"...and he also hath written many things which he prophesied and spake unto his children,..."(1 Nephi 1: 16)
Is it safe to consider that although the record mentions Nephi's father as having received the visions that because Nephi stated that he was born of goodly parents, not just a goodly father, that Sariah was also involved very closely in the teaching of the children? That has been the pattern established from the beginning for a righteous set of parents. They both together make all things known unto their children.
Nephi would have been taught as much as is lawful for mortal parents to teach to mortal children. Therefore he would receive somewhat of all of the learning, mentioned above, that Lehi received.
"But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpass all understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion; Which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and are not lawful for man to utter; Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him;"(D&C 76: 114-116)
As we will see later, what Lehi and Sariah taught their children equipped Nephi to go and obtain those things that his parents were unable to teach because it was not lawful for them to do so.
Why is this statement of Nephi about goodly parents teaching their children so absolutely critical that it would be mentioned as one of the first items in the Book of Mormon?
It has been pointed out that if the next generation is not able to learn and continue their parents' faith, every achievement can be lost.
Do we have an example of this? There are lots but we can look at one that is very apparent.
When King Benjamin spoke to his people one of the things he declared was, "O, all ye old men, and also ye young men, and you little children who can understand my words..."(Mosiah 2: 40)
There were in the congregation of those who heard King Benjamin speak and who experienced a mighty change of heart, little children who could not understand King Benjamin's words. These little children, being the next generation, affected the whole nation when they grew up.
"Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of King Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers. They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ. And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened."(Mosiah 26: 1-3)
Consider what a devastating loss that was from one generation to the next for the children of those who had experienced that wonderful covenant through King Benjamin to fail to comprehend what had been given.
It has also been pointed out that all intelligence, talent and skill is perishable. Unless studied, knowledge can be forfeit.
When Nephi was retrieving the plates of brass one of the things Nephi remembered was, "...the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that; Inasmuch as thy seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise. Yea and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law. And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass."(1 Nephi 4: 14-16)
Just as in the beginning, where the children of the righteous were taught to read and write from scriptures, Nephite children were also taught to read and write from scriptures following the same divine pattern.
When the Mulekites were discovered, their language had become totally corrupted and they denied the existence of their creator because they lacked the scriptures so necessary to use in teaching their children.
The Book of Mormon is full of examples of righteous parents teaching their children somewhat in all of their own learning.
These teachings inspired the children many times to seek out a fullness for themselves which perpetuated and preserved the faith and achievements of their fathers.
This explanation of thoughts concerning the importance of parents teaching their children is woefully incomplete. There are so many examples that could be shared that have not been. But I believe it is impossible in a blog to adequately cover any subject of discussion.
This does however show the direction of what we as a group believe is proper teaching and hopefully it will inspire others to continue on to search out all the other examples and principles that can be found that relate to the command the Lord has given for parents to teach their children.
Hopefully we can all become goodly parents. We ought to seek to become such.
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