3 Nephi 20-26

The Chosen People

On the second day of his visit to America, Christ talked about his covenants with the House of Israel, and told the Nephites that they were included in the family of Abraham.

”And behold, this people will I establish in this land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a New Jerusalem. And the powers of heaven shall be in the midst of this people; yea, even I will be in the midst of you… ”And behold, ye are the children  of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.” (3 Nephi 20:22, 25) 

So today we are going to discuss why this was important, and what relevance it has to us.

           

Ask your class: By show of hands, how many of you in this class are members of the House of Israel, descendants of Abraham? If your hand isn’t up, raise it.  Being a member of the Church means being of the House of Israel.  When any member of the Church receives a patriarchal blessing, he finds out which of the tribes of the house of Israel he belongs to. 

           

The Lord made a marvelous covenant with Abraham.  How did this Abrahamic Covenant come to pass? What is necessary to receive any blessing or revelation of the Lord?  Desire, of course!  And worthiness.  

“And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.” (Abraham 1:2)  

Abraham had been “a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge,” but he was not content with this level of spirituality (remember last week’s lesson?) and he desired to be a “greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God,” therefore, he received the Priesthood, the “right of the firstborn.”  ”I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed.”  (Abraham 1:4) 

After receiving the Priesthood, because of his faith and desire, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham.  Because of this covenant, the House of Israel, or the descendants of Abraham, have been called the Chosen People.

Blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant

1)      LAND: A promised land (Genesis 13:14-15; 3 Nephi 20:14)

2)      SEED:  A great posterity (Genesis 13:16; Abraham 2:9)

3)      PRIESTHOOD:  The Priesthood and its attached gospel (Abraham 2:9)

4)      MINISTRY TO THE WORLD:  The opportunity/ability to share all this with all the families of the earth (Abraham 2:10-11; 3 Nephi 20:25)

Foreordination to the House of Israel

Let’s discuss why these people were favored of the Lord.  If we imagine that it’s just by luck that any given person was born into the family of Abraham, then God is a respecter of persons.  But it isn’t just luck.  It’s a grand foreordination.  Elder Melvin J. Ballard said that Israel is “a group of souls tested, tried, and proven before they were born into the world…Through this lineage were to come the true and tried souls that had demonstrated their righteousness in the spirit world before they came.”  (quoted in Robert L. Millet, The Power of the Word, p. 212)  Therefore—and here I’m quoting Robert Millet—when the Patriarch declares your lineage in your patriarchal blessing, it is “as much a statement about who and what we were as it is about who we are now and what we may become.”  (The Power of the Word, p. 213)

The Responsibilities of the Chosen People

Elder Russell M. Nelson has said, “Once we know who we are and the royal lineage of which we are a part, our actions and directions in life will be more appropriate to our inheritance.”  (The Power of the Word, p. 214) I think this is why Christ spent so much time talking about the covenant with the Nephites.

A previous group of Nephites felt that they were a chosen people, only they had the idea twisted.  As you recall, the Zoramites had a podium in their chapel called the Rameumptom which had room for only one person on top of it. The person on the top would offer the prayer recorded in Alma 31:15-18, wherein they would say, “We believe that thou hast separated us from our brethren…we believe that thou has elected us to be they holy children…thou hast elected us that we shall be saved whilst all around us are elected to be cast by thy wrath down to hell…And again we thank thee, O God, that we are a chosen and a holy people. Amen.”

           

To the Zoramites, being a chosen people meant exclusivity.  It meant being elevated, like on a spiritual Rameumptom, with no room for anyone else to join them.  It meant a separation between them and everyone else.  I think that many of the Jews in Jerusalem at Christ’s time felt the same way.  But this is not how the Chosen People should feel.

           

Kent Jackson, associate professor of ancient scriptures at Brigham Young University, says, “Since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, when gospel blessings have been on the earth, they have been made available through the House of Israel.  Thus, Abraham’s and Sarah’s descendants are a chosen people. They are chosen not because they have an easier path to salvation, or because God loves them more than other people.  They are chosen to service, in the same sense that individual Latter-day Saints are chosen for callings in the Church.” (Ensign, February 1990, p. 53)

FINDING OTHERS ONCE YOU ARE FOUND

An excellent example of members of the House of Israel gathering a new member into the fold in the year 1946 is found in the story, “Soldiers Were My Missionaries,” told by Kenneth D. Newman (Ensign, February 1990, pp. 47-49)  (You may, however, have equally uplifting stories of "gathering" among your own ward members, if you ask.  You can use this one as a back-up, or in case you have extra time.)

 

I don't have any pictures from 1946, 
but here's one from 2010:

 Army Basic Training Graduation 
at Fort Benning, Georgia

“Serving in the United States Army was a great opportunity for me, in view of the rich friendships I made, the goals I began to perceive for myself, and most important—exposure to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ…

“Two enlisted men from Utah gave freely of their time and shared their testimonies of the gospel. They made available many books dealing with the restored church…My LDS friends in the service also conducted some study meetings in the barracks…"

 Army Barracks at Fort Benning, Georgia
(I took the previous photographs in this blog post and hold the copyright.  
You are free to use them for any teaching purpose.)

“One evening during an instruction period, one of the elders said to me, after discussing Joseph Smith’s vision and the Word of Wisdom, ‘Wouldn’t you like to know for yourself, as we know, that our message of the Restoration is true? Surely you don’t want to sit on the fence for the rest of your life, wondering whether it is true.’

“I guess I replied in a rather noncommittal way. They then bore strong personal witness and made a specific challenge to me concerning the Word of Wisdom. One said, “I promise you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that if you will make the attempt to stop smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, and if you will pray about our message, the sure knowledge will be given you by the Spirit.

“The witness and the promise were too much for me to ignore. I tried to dismiss the urgings, and tossed that night in my bunk. I had seen these young men kneel nightly at their bunks, even when all kinds of distractions surrounded them, to pray fervently. I had observed how they faithfully sent home to their bishops that small part of an enlisted man’s modest pay in tithing. I had measured their behavior against the rest of us, their clean living habits and their wholesome attitude about their assignments; and I felt the bonds of our friendship and love…

“As I served as battery clerk for our battalion, it seemed every visitor to our headquarters office that morning was giving instead of ‘bumming’ cigarettes. I had to say no many times. During lulls in the work, I would find myself reaching for the shirt pocket where the cigarettes were always kept. I paced and swore. By noon I figured a few ‘drags’ on one cigarette couldn’t hurt. I went to the recreation room to light up, only to find the elders there, having sought me out to lend encouragement to my attempts to stop smoking. I later learned they were fasting for my success…

“But prayer finally won out. I dropped to my knees and asked for help and enlightenment—to know whether Joseph Smith, Jr., was visited by the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. I waited; nothing happened. The fog was damp and chilling. The rocks hurt my knees. The thought passed through my mind, ‘It’s the same. My prayer isn’t going to have any different result than all the others through the years. I’m not going to get an answer.’ I arose.

” But at that moment I felt a surge of energy pass over me, through me, around me, until I dropped back upon my knees. The feeling intensified, subsided, repeated its motion, lifting me seemingly, gently receding, then pressing forward again. My entire being seemed filled with this sweetness. I let it happen. For a time I felt like I was a part of the ocean—the rhythm was the same. I seemed purged of all ugliness and doubt, and they were replaced with the witness of the Holy Ghost. It was not a momentary lapse into nothingness, but an extended period of enlightenment. I wanted the experience to stay with me, to sustain me, and for a long while I remained on my knees.

“When finally I arose, new waves of spiritual strength enveloped me, and I began walking, first hesitantly, then briskly, and finally I ran back to the barracks, up the stairs, two or three at a time, and burst into the large room where we bunked. I sought out the elders and told them I knew for myself about Joseph’s first vision and mission. It was a hallowed time.

“One of them said, ‘We’ve got to get you baptized.’…

“Nothing I have ever done, nothing I have ever learned in college and years of applied working skills can compare to the simple truth that I learned that night in prayer; and no decision I have ever made in life—in family, in church, in business—compares to that decision to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have never made so wise and so fulfilling a choice.”

Conclusion

“Those of Israel who follow the Light of Christ in this life will be led eventually to the higher light of the Holy Ghost and will come to know and come unto him.  In time they come to know of their noble heritage and of the royal blood that flows through their veins.  They come to earth with a predisposition to receive truth, with an inner attraction to the message of the gospel.  ‘My sheep hear my voice,’ the Master said, ‘and I know them, and they follow me’ (John 10:27)”  (Robert Millet, p. 214)  

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, that my people shall know my name; yea, in that day they shall know that I am he that doth speak.”  (3 Nephi 20:39)

It is our responsibility as found members of the House of Israel to find the others who are literal descendants of the family.  W. J. Cameron said, “God’s grading is always upward.  If He raises up a nation, it is that other nations may be raise up through its ministry…The divine selection is not a prize, a compliment paid to the man or the race—it is a burden imposed.” (ibid., p. 214)

But it is a glorious and joyful burden.  

“And then shall they say: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings unto them, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings unto them of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!” (3 Nephi 20:40)

(For a little more on the Abrahamic Covenant, see Old Testament Lesson #7.)



THE IMPORTANCE OF MALACHI

When Lehi left Jerusalem, he took with him the Brass Plates.  These plates contained many of the same books that we find in our Old Testament.  But there was a very important book that was not included, and that was the book of Malachi.  The name Malachi means "messenger," and that's about all we know about the authorship of the book.  The reason it wasn't in the Brass Plates was very simple:  It wasn't written yet.  It wasn't written until nearly 200 years after Lehi left.  but the Lord felt that this scripture was so important that he brought it to the Nephites personally.  On the second day of his visit to America after his resurrection, after reciting a passage from Isaiah, he recited chapters 3 and 4 of Malachi to them.  We find them recorded as 3 Nephi 24 and 25.  This passage is so important and so relevant to us of the latter days that Moroni recited it to Joseph Smith three times on the night he first visited him in his bedroom.  This is the passage we get to study today.

 This is what happened after Jesus recited the words of Malachi:

"And now it came to pass that when Jesus had told these things he expounded them unto the multitude; and he did expound all things unto them, both great and small."  (3 Nephi 26:1)

So what did Jesus tell them about this scripture as he "expounded" upon it?  We can read the whole chapter and not find out.  

"And now there cannot be written in this book even a hundredth part of the things which Jesus did truly teach unto the people; but behold the plates of Nephi do contain the more part of the things which he taught the people."  (3 Nephi 26:6-7)

If we had the big plates, the Plates of Nephi, we could read about it, but we don't have them yet.  Yet!  This scripture is a test for us.

"And when they shall have received this, which is expedient that they should have first, to try their faith, and if it shall so be that they shall believe these things then shall the greater things be made manifest unto them."   (3 Nephi 26:9)

This photo comes from lds.org and may be

copied and used for the classroom

If we totally exhaust the Book of Mormon with our study, then we will get the Plates of Nephi and that will be a great blessing.  But that's not the only consequence of the test.  There is a bad one as well, if we flunk.

"And if it so be that they will not believe these things, then shall the greater things be withheld from them unto their condemnation.  Behold, I was about to write them, all which were engraven upon the plates of Nephi, but the Lord forbade it, saying: I will try the faith of my people."  (3 Nephi 26:10)

If we don't "use up" the Book of Mormon and never get the Plates of Nephi, we're going to be in big trouble. President Spencer W. Kimball said, "I have had many people ask me through the years, 'When do you think we will get the balance of the Book of Mormon records?' and I have said, 'How many in the congregation would like to read the sealed portion of the plates?'  And almost always there is a 100-percent response.  And then I ask the same congregation, 'How many of you have read the part that has been opened to us?'  And there are many who have not read the Book of Mormon, the unsealed portion.  We are quite often looking for the spectacular, the unobtainable.  I have found many people who want to live the higher laws when they do not live the lower laws" (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 531-532).

So, we are left to try to figure out Malachi for ourselves, and our willingness to try is part of our test.  So let's see what we can do with it today.

MALACHI 3--THE ACCUSATIONS

"Thus said the Father unto Malachi--Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.

"But who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth?  For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap, and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness." (3 Nephi 24:1-3)

This passage tells us the Lord is going to come again, and asks the question, "Who may abide the day of his coming?"  The answer is those who have been purified by His Atonement.  

And in this chapter, the Lord makes two accusations of wrongdoing.  Since this chapter was given to Joseph Smith and is about the latter days, these accusations apply to us.  We've got to take care of these wrongs in order to qualify to be purified.  After each accusation, the children of the Lord (us) ask the Lord a question, the kind of question kids often ask their parents when they are in trouble, a "what do you mean? what did I do?" kind of a question.  The Lord answers and explains, and then tells what blessings will come if we change and correct the wrong.

(Divide the class in two and have half of the class study the first accusation [verses 7-12] and the other half study the second accusation [verses 13-17].)

The first accusation is found in verse 7:

"Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.  Return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of Hosts.  But ye say: Wherein shall we return?"  The word "return" might more clearly be translated as "turn" or "change."  So Team One needs to find out what actions we need to change, or in what ways we need to turn toward the Lord, and what blessings we will get if we change.  I found 4 distinct blessings; see what you find.

(Write on the board: "What did we do wrong?")

The second accusation is in verse 13:

"Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord.  Yet ye say: What have we spoken against thee?"
Team Two can find out what we have said that is wrong, and what 3 blessings we will receive if we change.

(Write on the other side of the board:  "What did we say wrong?")

What Did We Do Wrong?
We've been lax in paying our tithing.  Howard W. Hunter compared not paying tithing to embezzlement.  "The Lord's share came into his hands lawfully, but he misappropriated it to his own use."  (April 1964 General Conference)  Ezra Taft Benson said, "Tithing is not a donation.  It is not optional...It is a commandment."  (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 470)  Dean L. Larsen said, "For many who live in conditions of poverty, there may be no other way to escape their impoverishment than to give obedience to this law."  (October 1994 General Conference)

The blessings:  1) Opening of the windows of heaven, 2) the rebuking of the devourer, 3) the growth and preservation of crops [or possibly other types of profits], 4) being respected by all nations.

Money from Philippines,

in honor of my reader who teaches there

Regarding the blessings that come to tithe-payers, Harold B. Lee said, "The opening of the windows of heaven, of course, means revelations from God to him who is willing thus to sacrifice."  (Harold B. Lee, October 1971 General Conference.)  One clear evidence of this blessing is found in temple-building.  Tithing builds temples, and it is my understanding that areas with a majority of full tithe payers are the areas considered for temples.  Of course, the temple is a really big "window to heaven."

What Did We Say Wrong?
We've been jealous of those with the "easy" life of entertaining themselves on the Sabbath, not keeping the commandments, living by their own rules, spending their money on luxuries precluded by our tithes and donations, wearing what they like, eating and drinking what they like, living unmarried if they like.  It looks like they are having fun all the time.  (Think:  beer commercials.)  Sometimes, when we get tired of doing our duties or when our trials get hard, we look with envy on the neighbors without them.  We say, "What good is it to live the gospel, when those people look so happy?"  But, "When all of the evidence is in, the world's graduate school of hard knocks will teach what you young men were taught in the kindergarten of your spiritual training.  'Wickedness never was happiness'" (Glenn Pace, October 1987 General Conference)

The blessings:  1) their names are recorded in the Lord's book of remembrance, 2) they will belong to the Lord's family and fall under his protection, 3) they will be spared (at the judgment, and also from the trials of sin in this life).

MALACHI 4--THE JUDGMENT

Now, Malachi tells what is going to happen if you are on the right side or the wrong side at the judgment day.  It may not be readily apparent in this life that things go better if you're righteous, but there will be no doubt that the Lord rewards the righteous there and makes all things fair.

"For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

"But unto you that fear my name, shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves in the stall."  (3 Nephi 25:1-2)  Calves in the stall are provided with shelter, with food, with a caring owner, with every need met.  Besides being "burned as [in] an oven" the wicked will be left "without root or branch:"  without their parents and ancestors, without their children and descendants.  We occasionally hear stories in the news of people whose homes burn to the ground, "but," they say, "we still have each other; all our family got out safely," and that makes it a happy ending.  The wicked will suffer the fire as well as losing their family, so they will truly lose everything.  Families are the real treasures, one of the few treasures we can take with us to the next life.

 The copyright of this photo of my brother 
Gary Wyatt's family is held by him, 

but you may use it for teaching purposes.

In the Old Testament, Malachi is the very last book, and these are the very last verses we read before we start reading about the Savior's birth in Matthew of the New Testament:

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." (3 Nephi 25:5-6 or Malachi 4:5-6)

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that the word "turn" here could better be translated as "bind" or "seal."  This is the blessing that will be of great worth to the righteous; the opportunity to belong to our families in the eternities.

ISAIAH 54--THE LATTER DAYS

This would be a good point to backtrack a little and overview what the Lord quoted to the Nephites from Isaiah, recorded in chapter 22 because there are a few real gems here.  I'll elaborate on four:

First, (verse 2-3) the church will spread over the earth, and that church organization can be a protection and a strength to us, as a tent is in a storm.

This photo of the Brigham City temple

was taken by my friend, Debbie Raymond,

who holds the copyright.

It may be used for church or home purposes.

Second, the Savior takes care of those who are without family or spouse in this life:

"For thy maker, thy husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel--the God of the whole earth shall he be called.  For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit...For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee...for the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee."  (3 Nephi 22:5-6, 10)

Although we in the church often refer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, as our Brother, He never refers to Himself as such in the scriptures.  He refers to Himself as our Father, the one whose name we take upon ourselves when we come into His kingdom/family.  His perfection and Atonement put Him on a peak so far above us that we hardly seem to be siblings. He calls us friends, He calls us His children if we qualify, but He never calls us siblings.  And it seems too casual, almost, for us to do so.  

BUT, here in 3 Nephi, to those who are bereft of a companion here on the earth, who are alone, who feel rejected, who have been widowed, abused, divorced, or never married, He refers to Himself in an even more intimate association: Husband!  And to emphasize the incredible power of this Husband, he flanks that title with several other mighty identities:

• "Thy Maker"--the God of the universe, the Creator 
• "The Lord of Hosts"--the all powerful leader of the heavenly army, the one in charge of the outcomes of earthly battles as well
• "Thy Redeemer"--a title in ancient Israel that refered to a kinsman who would cover the debts of a family member in trouble, saving them from slavery
• "The Holy One of Israel"--the one who is perfect and without sin, and is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose works are well-known throughout the Old Testament

(See Susan Ward Easton [now Black], "Names of Christ in the Book of Mormon," Ensign, July 1978)

This photo from lds.org and free to copy for class.

And thirdly, to those who are have been challenged by, unsuccessful in, unsure of, or helpless in their roles as righteous parents, whose children may have wandered, He gives this wonderful promise:

"And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children."  (3 Nephi 22:13).  Many translations of the Bible clarify this verse by substituting "all thy children shall be taught by the Lord," which does work very well with Hebrew word usage.  In the last days, through the Holy Ghost, through our temple covenants, the Lord will teach all of the children of the righteous, not just those who are at church each week or who are agreeable at family home evening, but even those who have strayed.

 President Hinckley teaching children.

This photo from lds.org and free to copy for class.

And lastly, although there will be a lot of trouble of all sorts in our day, we can take comfort in the final verses of this passage, which President Ezra Taft Benson always carried in his wallet, and which he displayed on his desk:

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.  This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."  (from his funeral, reported in the July 1994 Ensign, p. 82)

THE IMPORTANCE OF RECORD-KEEPING

Jesus, in chapter 23, emphasized how important record-keeping is to him.  He asked Nephi to bring their records forth, and he went through them and said, "Why can't I find the story of Samuel the Lamanite here?  Didn't he come?  Didn't he prophesy a lot of important things?  Didn't these things all come to pass?  Didn't a lot of the righteous rise from the dead?"  And he commanded those things to be written.

Likewise, can we imagine Jesus saying to us, "Didn't I answer your prayer?  Didn't I heal you when you were sick?  Didn't you feel my Spirit in that fast and testimony meeting?  Didn't I tell you the Book of Mormon was true?  Why have these things not been written down?"  If we record the workings of God in our lives, our journals can become our personal scriptures, through which we can strengthen our own testimonies as we re-read them, and through which we can teach our children's children's children long after we are gone.

Supplement to OT Lesson #9: Ishmael, Our Brother

POP QUIZ:  WHO IS THIS GREAT MAN?

• He saw that the people of the world had rejected the values of the Bible, and through his teachings, he raised them to a higher plane of personal and social morality.
• He inspired the utmost love and devotion in his disciples, who were ready to give their lives for his cause.
• He and his first converts were shunned, persecuted, and tortured for their beliefs.
• He was considerate of slaves, freed them when he could, and forbade the separation of captive mothers and their children.
• He taught that at a great council in the heavens at the creation of the earth, God set forth His plan and Satan rejected it and was cast out of Heaven, falling to the earth, where he now undertakes to tempt the children of men during their time here below.
• Members of his community plotted to kill him.
• He eventually won the loyalty of men of superior intelligence and high social standing.
• He had a dream in which he was carried into heaven and there met Moses, Christ, Abraham, John the Baptist, Enoch, and Aaron, and he there saw Adam presiding as judge over the great assembly of all his children.
• Early LDS apostles gave lengthy sermons speaking highly of his leadership.
• He was especially fond of children, and was criticized for playing with them, rather than acting in the role of a prophet.
• He helped to bring forth a book, supplementary to the Bible and considered sacred to his followers.
• He was born into a nation of people debased and superstitious, but left them united in faith, destined to become world leaders in religion and all forms of culture.
• The religion he founded is one of the fastest growing in the world.

THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

As stated in the previous post, God was with both of Abraham's sons, Ishmael and Isaac.  Both were blessed by the covenant made to Abraham, although Isaac was the birthright son and therefore received both greater blessings and greater responsibilities.  Through Ishmael's twelve sons the Arab nation was born.  Through Isaac's twelve grandsons, the Israelites came.  Both nations have always kept the covenant of circumcision, even to this day.  Both nations live in the Holy Land and claim it as their Promised Land.  Both nations believe that Abraham was asked to offer their ancestor (Isaac or Ishmael) as a sacrifice to God.  The site of the sacrifice is sacred to both nations and is now the site of the Dome of the Rock, a beautiful Muslim mosque.

All the families of the earth have been blessed (Gen. 12:3) because of the descendants of Isaac, the House of Israel, who preserved the Bible, and who bear the gospel to the world through the Priesthood, as well as the one great Descendant, Christ, who offered the infinite Atonement for the sins of all mankind.  But the families of the earth have also been blessed by the great nation which eventually came forth from Ishmael: the Muslims.  The Muslim people have influenced the course of world history in many great ways.  There are more than one billion Muslims in the world, almost one-fifth of the world population.

To understand the Arab nations, the children of Ishmael, one must understand Islam, their predominant religion, because every activity in the life of a Muslim (one who practices the Islamic religion) is spiritually oriented.  The word Islam means "submission to Allah;" the word Muslim means "one who submits."  This is not a passive but an active state, actively seeking righteousness, something Father Abraham did (see Abr. 1).  They are not secularized or compartmentalized as most Westerners are, reserving religion for certain areas of life, separating church and state.

So, now, the answer to the pop quiz above:

MUHAMMAD, THE PROPHET

The founder of Islam, Muhammad, was born in Mecca about 570 A.D., in the midst of the Great Apostacy.  He was an influence for good, always trying to resolve difficulties between people.  Muhammad prayed to the same God his ancestor Ishmael cried unto in the desert, the God of Abraham, our Heavenly Father, in Arabic: Allah.  At about 40 years of age, after spending much time in meditation and prayer, he reported experiencing a vision in which the angel Gabriel appeared and told him he would be a prophet.  Although he was constantly unsure of his ability to be a prophet, his wife and uncle encouraged him (James A. Toronto, "A Latter-day Saint Perspective on Muhammad," Ensign, Aug. 2000; see also Hugh Nibley, "Islam and Mormonism--A Comparison," Ensign, Mar. 1972.)

Muhammad saw that his people had rejected Abraham's values and were steeped in idolatry, worshipping multiple gods, rather than the one true God.  The Ka'ba, an altar which they believed Abraham and Ishmael had made to God, was now the site of various pagan practices.  This worship involved alcoholic and sexual orgies, and possibly also human sacrifice.  The killing of unwanted infants was common, especially of females.  There were gambling and blood feuds as well.

Muhammad recognized that both Judaism and Christianity had become corrupt and apostate.  Although at first he met with great opposition, before his life was over, Muhammad's following was great, and the change he effected was tremendous.  "In the short span of 20 years between his calling as a prophet and his death, Muhammad uplifted an entire country, on every side.  He not only persuaded all Arabia to worship only one God, but to apply their religion to every aspect of morality, law, and social organization...In this world, waiting for the liberating voice of God, Muhammad had the eloquence, conviction, and intensity of an inspiring preacher; the courage, chivalry, and success of an admirable soldier" (James B. Mayfield, "Ishmael, Our Brother," Ensign, June 1979). 

So was Muhammad really a prophet?  Well, yes, in a way.  Not a prophet in the sense of holding the keys of a dispensation of the gospel; he had no priesthood authority, living as he did during the time of the Great Apostacy.  But as a messenger of God who brought a great deal of truth and light to the world, a resounding yes.  "For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, [people] of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wisdom, all that he seeth fit that they should have" (Alma 29:8).

"While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is established for the instruction of men; and it is one of God's instrumentalities for making known the truth, yet he is not limited to that institution for such purposes, neither in time nor place.  God raises up wise men and prophets here and there among all the children of men, of their own tongue and nationality, speaking to them through means that they can comprehend...All the great teachers are servants of God, among all nations and in all ages.  They are inspired men, appointed to instruct God's children according to the conditions in the midst of which he finds them" (B.H. Roberts, Defense of the Faith and Saints, 1:512-51).

THE ISLAMIC RELIGION

There are many, many Muslim sects with variations on beliefs, but the following are basic to all:

The Five Pillars of Islam

1. Repeating and fully accepting the Muslim creed included in the call to prayer:  "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His prophet."
2. Prayer five times daily, summoned by the prayer caller (muezzin), at home, at work, or in the street. 
3. Almsgiving, 1/40th of possessions annually.
4. Daily fast, sunrise to sunset, during the month of Ramadan.
5. A pilgrimage to Mecca. 

Their holy book, the Qur'an, or Koran, means "recitation."  Its origin comes from Muhammad's recitations while in his frequent translike states, words he said he received from the angel.  The Qur'an itself affirms that the Old and New Testaments are a part of their religion, as it says in the second chapter: "We believe in Allah and that which is revealed unto us and that which was revealed unto Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the Prophets received from their Lord" (Qur'an 2:136).  The Qur'an also contains stories about the prophets of the Old and New Testaments.

So do Muslims believe in Jesus?  Yes, but not as the Christ.  They believe he was the greatest prophet prior to Muhammad, but they do not believe he was the literal Son of God who atoned for our sins.  They think that he was taken into heaven, and another was substituted for him on the cross.

What is the message of the Qur'an?  That God is the Creator and Judge of man, that God spoke to prophets (although Muslims now believe that Muhammad was the last and God never spoke again), that we will be held accountable for what we do, and that everyone should obey God's laws.  Reading the Qur'an and becoming familiar with its contents would help LDS people to communicate the gospel message to Muslims.  It is full of beautiful and inspired messages, such as:  "Charity extinguishes sin as water extinguishes fire."

The Muslim fast has an almost identical purpose to the LDS fast:  To bring one in submission to God, and to foster care and compassion for the needy.  Almsgiving is inseparably connected to the Muslim fast, as fast offerings are connected to the LDS fast.

GOD OFFERS LIGHT TO ALL HIS CHILDREN

"The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammad, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God's light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals" (First Presidency Statement, Feb. 15, 1978)

Apostles George A. Smith and Parley P. Pratt lectured extensively on Muhammad's leadership qualities in 1855. Elder Smith testified that Muhammad was "descended from Abraham and was no doubt raised up by God on purpose" to preach against idolatry. Elder Pratt asserted that "[Muslims] have better morals and better institutions than many Christian nations" (Deseret News, Oct. 10, 1855).

"In a...meeting with Muslim dignitaries, Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles focused on the common spiritual heritage of Mormons and Muslims. After quoting a verse from the Qur’an, he observed:  'God is the source of light in heaven and on earth. We share the belief with you. We resist the secular world. We believe with you that life has meaning and purpose. … We salute you for your concern for the institution of the family. … Mutual respect, friendship, and love are precious things in today’s world. We feel those emotions for our Islamic brothers and sisters. Love never needs a visa. It crosses over all borders and links generations and cultures'"  (James A. Toronto, "A Latter-day Saint Perspective on Muhammad," Ensign, Aug. 2000).

A cabinet minister in Egypt said to Elder Howard W. Hunter, then an apostle, "If a bridge is ever built between Christianity and Islam, it must be built by the Mormon Church" (Hugh Nibley, Ensign, Mar. 1972, p. 55).  Indeed we can do this, because we can confidently tell our Muslim friends that we belong to a church that affirms the truths taught by Muhammad. "Every truth found in every church in all the world, we believe. But we also say this to all men--come and take the added light and truth that God has restored in our day.  The more truth we have, the greater is our joy here and now; the more truth we receive, the greater is our reward in eternity. This is our invitation to men of good will everywhere" (Elder Bruce R. McConkie, quoted in Russell M. Nelson, "Teach Us Tolerance and Love," Ensign, May 1994, p. 70).  That is the message that we, as Isaac's children, are obligated, through the Abrahamic Covenant, to offer to our cousins, the Muslims, the children of Ishmael.

Update: Daniel Peterson has written another excellent article on this topic in the April 2018 Ensign: "Understanding Islam." I highly recommend it!

Old Testament Lesson #9 "God Will Provide Himself a Lamb"

(Abraham 1; Genesis 15-17; 21-22)

As Latter-day Saints and members of the House of Israel, we share a common ancestry with the Muslims, who also descend from Abraham, and who also were blessed of the Lord with a great promise.  I'm going to approach this lesson in two parts.  First, this blog entry, with the story of the fulfilling of the Abrahamic Covenant through Abraham's heir, Isaac.  Then, my next blog entry will touch on the fulfilling of the promises made by the Lord to Abraham's older son, Ishmael, and the founding of the great nation of Islam.

THE PROMISES TO ABRAHAM

Abram was promised a great posterity which would bless all nations of the earth.  (See The Abrahamic Covenant in a previous post.)  Years went by with no indication that this promise was going to be fulfilled.  The heir of Abram's house was a steward, a servant.  The Lord assured Abram that an heir would be born to Abram himself (Gen. 15:1-5).

ABRAHAM'S WIVES

As time went on, Sarai, still childless, apparently began to consider whether she should do something in order to fulfill this covenant made to her husband.  Laws of the period gave a solution to this dilemma, stating that should a woman not bear a child, she was required to provide her husband a concubine, a legal wife who was previously a servant.  The child born to the concubine would be under the authority of the first wife, and the concubine would remain a servant to the first wife.  However, being the means of providing the first child often confused the status of the concubine and she would sometimes elevate herself.  If this happened, creating confusion and contention in the household, there were three options available to the head wife:  "1) free the concubine and send her away, 2) brand her a slave and return her to servitude, or 3) punish her.  The first option is arguably the most generous course of action" (Camille Fronk Olson, Women of the Old Testament, p. 37, 42; also Encyclopedia of Mormonism, p. 1260).

Sarai followed the custom of the time and the command of the Lord (D&C 132:65), and gave her Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar, to her husband to wife.  Before the baby was even born, Hagar elevated her status and "despised" her mistress (Gen. 16:4).  Sarai consulted with her husband, he gave her authority in the situation, she punished Hagar, and Hagar ran away (Gen. 16:5-6).

But the Lord loved Hagar, too, and heard her despair.  An angel visited her, promised her to be the mother of a great nation who would dwell among their brethren, and commanded her to return and submit herself to her mistress, which she did (Gen. 16:7-16).  When her son was born, she named him Ishmael, "God heareth" (LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 707). Abram was 86.

When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord restated the covenant, and expanded upon it.  He changed Abram's name, which means "honored father," to Abraham, which means "father of many nations," and Sarai's name to Sarah, which means "princess," and promised a child through Sarah.  As Abraham rejoiced in this announcement, still his thoughts turned to his beloved eldest son, and he said to the Lord, "O that Ishmael might live before thee! (Gen. 17:18). The Lord promised that Ishmael also would be a great nation, through twelve princes, but that through Isaac would come the Priesthood leadership (Gen. 17:18-20).  And indeed, Abraham became the father of many nations: the Jewish and Christian nations through Isaac, the Islamic nation through Ishmael, and other nations through the six sons of his third wife, Keturah, most notably the Midianites.  The blessings of the priesthood applied to all the descendants of Abraham (for example, Moses was ordained by his father-in-law, Jethro, who was a Midianite), but the leadership, the House of Israel, would come through the birthright son, Isaac (Gen. 17:21).

When Isaac was born, 13 years after Ishmael, there was a culmination of strife between Sarah and Hagar, and Ishmael "mocked" or "persecuted" his little brother (Gen. 21:9-10; Gal. 4:29).  According to the well-respected ancient historian Josephus, Sarah loved Ishmael "with an affection not inferior to that of her own son," but she began to fear that Ishmael might take the life of Isaac after their father died, in order to supplant him (quoted in Olson, p. 42).  Perhaps she was, again, doing her best to make sure the covenant was fulfilled.  She chose the kindest recourse of the law, freeing Hagar and sending her away with her son.  In this first recorded divorce, as in any divorce, there was sorrow.  "And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.  And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.  And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed" (Gen. 21:11-13).  God was with Ishmael and Hagar, as well as with Sarah and Isaac, and saved and blessed them in the wilderness in answer to Ishmael's prayer (Gen. 21:20).

Ishmael remained in contact with his father and brother, or returned to it at some point in life, because when Abraham died, Ishmael and Isaac, as brothers, buried their father (Gen. 25:9).

THE BIRTHRIGHT SON

(Picture from LDS.org)


Although Isaac was the second son of Abraham, he was first son of the first wife, giving him the birthright.  This means he had greater blessings in order to carry out the responsibility of caring for the entire family.  He had been promised 1) land, 2) posterity, 3) and priesthood through which to 4) carry the gospel to the world.  He was also promised 5) the protection of the Lord.

With these promises in mind, we come across the story of the sacrifice (Gen. 22:1-2).  The Lord calls Abraham to go to the mountain, which is the temple, and offer Isaac as a sacrifice.  "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him" (Gen. 22:3).  We receive an insight into Abraham's emotions: rather than merely chopping wood, the word clave denotes extreme violence in the action.

"And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together" (Gen. 22:7-8). 

Having been in Isaac's position himself as a youth, this must have been extremely traumatic for Abraham to be the one holding the knife.  He may have hoped that an angel would intervene and save his son's life, as his had been saved on the altar of the idol.  (See "Abraham's Dysfunctional Family" in a previous post.)   Another possibility also seems likely:  The Lord had assured Abraham, in Gen. 15, that the promise of posterity would be fulfilled through a child born to Sarah, despite her advanced age.  When we read Abraham's response to the Lord (verse 6), "And he believed in the Lord; and the Lord counted it unto him for righteousness" we see in the footnotes a link to the JST. In this inspired insert, as Abram asks the Lord how this will be fulfilled, the Lord says, "Though thou wast dead, yet am I not able to give it thee? And if thou shalt die, yet thou shalt possess it, for the day cometh, that the Son of Man shall live; but how can he live if he be not dead [first]? he must first be quickened. And it came to pass, that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest..." (JST Gen. 15:9-12, p. 798 of LDS Bible).  I think it is likely that Abraham expected Jehovah to raise his son from the dead.  But when, and how?  Trusting in this resolution would have required an incredible amount of faith.
 
Fortunately, he did not have to lower the knife.  Abraham's statement to his son was literally prophetic:  The Lord did provide a ram.  Isaac's life was spared, and the covenant was fulfilled (Gen. 22:9-13).
 
THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB
 
Ever after, when the phrase "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" is used in the Bible, it refers to the Abrahamic Covenant, and specifically to God's ability to save his children in any circumstance.  Although God requires us to submit everything to him, even (and especially) the fondest desires of our heart, yet he will preserve us and reward us for so doing.  No matter what God asks us to do, if we obey, it will always turn out right.  Eventually.
 
Of course, the offering of Isaac was a type of Christ (Jacob 4:5).  Isaac and Christ were both the promised, covenant, birthright sons.  The site known traditionally as the place where Abraham offered Isaac is now the site of the Dome of the Rock.  A few hundred yards to the north on a higher point of that same ridge system is Golgotha, the place where God offered his Only Begotten Son as a sacrifice.  It is likely that Isaac was in his thirties as the time of the sacrifice (see Gen. 23:1), and old enough to be able to overpower his father and refuse to be placed on the altar, but "they went both of them together" (Gen. 22:6).  Likewise, the Savior of the World submitted himself to the will of his Father.  Elder Dallin Oaks tells us, "This story...shows the goodness of God in protecting Isaac and in providing a substitute so he would not have to die.  Because of our sins and our mortality, we, like Isaac, are condemned to death.  When all other hope is gone, our Father in Heaven provides the Lamb of God, and we are saved by his sacrifice" (Ensign, Nov. 1992, p. 37).