(Genesis 34; 37-39)
THE IMPORTANCE OF JOSEPH
As near as we can guess, the Book of Genesis covers approximately 2,500 years. During this 2,500-year time period, a remarkable man lived whose name was Joseph. The very last verse of the very last chapter of Genesis tells us how long he lived: 110 years. 110 years is 4.4% of the time span of the Book of Genesis, yet the story of Joseph's life begins at Genesis 30:24 and ends at Genesis 50:26--40% of the book of Genesis is used to cover the 110-year history of Joseph! Obviously, the story of Joseph is very important (Russell M. Nelson, "Remnants, Gathered, Covenants Fulfilled, Voices of Old Testament Prophets, p. 4).
WATER VS. ROCK
How would you describe water to an alien from Mars? What does it look like? What color is it? What shape is it? The answer is that it depends upon the situation it is in: what is behind it, what is in it, what is underneath it, what is above it. The water of Bear Lake, Utah is a stunning turquoise blue in sunny weather. The water in the Black Sea of Russia is black in stormy weather. Yet the water in both has the same chemical composition: H2O. If you put water in a box, the water is square. If you put water in a vase, it's a cylinder. If you spill it on the floor, it's flat. If it evaporates into the air, it becomes invisible. If it gets too cold, it becomes solid.
A rock would be much easier to describe. Each individual rock is slightly different from another. You could say what shape it is, what size it is, what color it is. A rock does not change to match its environment. If you drop it on the ground, it's still the same shape, size and color. If you put it in a box, it's still the same shape, size and color. If it is larger than a vase, it will not change in order to fit, and you won't be able to put it in there. A rock is solid and stable.
This lesson is about water and rock.
THE FAMILY OF ISRAEL
To understand the story of the family of Jacob, renamed Israel, we need to know the characters. Here are Jacob's sons, listed in order of birth.
1) Reuben, son of Leah
2) Simeon, son of Leah
3) Levi, son of Leah
4) Judah, son of Leah
5) Dan, son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid
6) Naphtali, son of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid
7) Gad, son of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid
8) Asher, son of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid
9) Issacher, son of Leah
10) Zebulun, son of Leah
11) Joseph, son of Rachel
12) Benjamin, son of Rachel
THE MEANING OF THE BIRTHRIGHT
In Old Testament times, the father was the patriarch of the entire family. His rule was nearly absolute, as was his responsibility for the welfare of his family. He decided upon the marriage partners of his children. He provided training, employment, and land for all his sons. Any single women or orphaned children within the family had claim upon his care. When he died, the right and responsibility of the patriarchy of the clan fell to the son who was born first, hence the term birthright. Each of the sons would receive an equal inheritance at the father's death, except the birthright son. He would receive double in order to carry out his responsibilities.
It was clear to see who was the birthright son when there was only one wife. But with multiple wives, the question became confusing. In addition, if the birthright son did not prove himself worthy in terms of righteousness and ability, he could lose the privilege to another son, as in the case of Jacob and Esau.
BYU Professor Victor Ludlow considers Joseph to have been second in line for the birthright: "As the firstborn son of the first wife, Reuben was the birthright son. When Reuben proved to be unworthy by committing adultery...the birthright went to the firstborn son of Rachel (see 1 Chr. 5:1). Although Joseph was the eleventh-born son in order of birth, he was second in line for the birthright because he was the firstborn son of the second wife. Jacob had a special coat made for Joseph so that the other brothers would recognize Joseph’s right to preside over the family upon his father’s death" ("Question and Answer," Daniel H. Ludlow, Liahona, Sept. 1981, p. 33).
The writers of the Old Testament Student Manual for the Religion 310 Institute class, however, see most of the brothers as possible birthright candidates. The oldest child of Leah would be the obvious choice, she being the first wife. If he failed to earn it, it could fall to the oldest biological child of the second wife, which would be Joseph, but it also could likely fall to each of the remaining sons of the first wife, because they were all older than Joseph. The first sons of the concubines could also qualify, since their mothers were handmaids or property of the first and second wives. Each of them was older than Joseph (p. 93).
Israel, however, chose Joseph to be his birthright son. Many Bible experts agree that the special "coat of many colors" likely was an expression of this pending privilege. On his deathbed, Israel officially pronounced Joseph as the birthright son.
OPPOSITES
The Old Testament often teaches great principles by juxtaposing severely opposite stories. Genesis 34 tells a ghastly tale. Jacob's and Leah's daughter, Dinah, is raped by a local prince, Shechem, who then decides he wants to marry her (v. 2-3). He's important enough that the area was probably named for him (33:18). His father asks Jacob to let his son marry Dinah, offering any dowry they might ask (v. 6-12). Apparently, she is being held at their city. Jacob's response is not recorded, but her brothers, Simeon and Levi, tell these Canaanites that they will agree to the marriage if the Canaanites will all be circumcised. Shechem did not delay (v. 19). He and his men trusted the little fledgling clan of Israelites (v. 21). Every man that "went out of the gate of his city," in other words, every man who was fit to go out in battle in defense of the city, was circumcised (Harper-Collins Study Bible). When they were all in the worst pain, three days after the procedure, Simeon and Levi (probably with a band of their servants, their own fighting men), marched into the city and killed every one of the men (v. 25), including the king and his son (v. 26). They grabbed Dinah, all the women and children of the city, and every bit of property (v. 27-29). Jacob, who apparently was not privvy to these goings-on, chastised them and said, "Now we have to move. Everyone here is going to be repulsed by us, and we are just a little band. We'll be wiped out if we stay here" (v. 30). And the sons reply, "Well? He started it!" (v. 31). They justify a premeditated, horrific massacre because of a crime against a single person, committed in passion, which the perpetrator was trying to rectify.
The next two chapters detail their move and their genealogy.
Sandwiched in between these factual recitations, we find another appalling event: Reuben, who is Leah's oldest son, and would normally be the birthright son, goes in and lays with his father's wife, Bilhah! Bilhah is a concubine, or a servant-wife, and may not have had much say in the matter (35:22). (See "Abraham's Wives" in a previous post for more about concubines.) So now three of the possible top contenders for the birthright have committed heinous crimes, and their father knows they are all unworthy. Later in the story (Gen. 38), Judah, the fourth, commits adultery with his daughter-in-law Tamar, who was masquerading as a prostitute. The double standard of the day is clearly evident as he is prepared to burn her at the stake when he finds out she's pregnant, until she proves he's the father. The reason she committed this grossly immoral deception was that Judah and his sons had cheated her out of progeny, sent her back to her father's house, and consigned her to life as a childless widow, a state that would undoubtedly lead to devastating poverty in her old age.
And all of Joseph's brothers, as we know, were willing to either kill their younger brother or sell him into slavery because of jealousy, and then tell their father the heartbreaking lie that he had been killed. Their jealousy was over the birthright, doubly emphasized by Joseph's dreams in which his family bowed in obeisance to him. Ironically, the harm they did to Joseph was the exact opposite of the way a birthright son should treat a younger brother. Clearly, they were each totally unfit to be the family patriarch.
So, all of the older brothers of Joseph gave up blessings because they yielded to temptations, emotions, and circumstances. In the traditional deathbed blessing from his father Israel, the oldest son Reuben received the chastisement, "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel" (Gen. 49:4).
JOSEPH'S INTEGRITY
We are all very familiar with the story of Joseph's kidnapping, enslavement, labor, and imprisonment in Egypt (Gen. 37, 39-40). Its position in the Book of Genesis directly following the stories of his brothers' lack of integrity and of their heinous crimes clearly shows that Joseph was their polar opposite. It did not matter in which land he lived, which woman he was with, whether he was a best-loved birthright son, a prosperous servant in an Egyptian's household, or a prisoner in a dungeon: Joseph was always the same. He was kidnapped, beaten, nearly murdered, enslaved, lied about, tempted, framed, and forgotten, yet his integrity remained unchanged. Joseph was a rock. Because of his integrity and his unwavering faith in God, he excelled at home in his father's household, in Potipher's home as his chief servant, in prison as the guard's assistant, and in all of Egypt as Pharoah's right-hand man.
On his deathbed, Father Israel said of Joseph: "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; from thence is the shepherd, the stone [or rock] of Israel" (Gen. 49:22-24). (See the comment from reader Steve below this post for an explanation of this scripture.)
Joseph was always faithful to his God, Jehovah, and Jehovah was therefore always with Him. As Chapter 39 details the rags to riches to rags to riches story of Joseph in Egypt, four times we read one significant phrase: "The Lord was with Joseph" (v. 2, 3, 21, and 23). Joseph always qualified for the companionship of the Holy Spirit, and always followed the direction he knew was right, regardless of what the consequences would be to himself. Why? Because he trusted in the Rock. "Wherefore, I am in your midst, and I am the good shepherd, and the stone of Israel. He that buildeth upon this rock shall never fall" (D&C 50:44).
"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall" (Helaman 5:12)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #10 Birthright Blessings; Marriage in the Covenant
(Genesis 24-29)
ISAAC'S QUEST FOR A COVENANT MARRIAGE
The overriding theme of the stories of these chapters is that it is not easy to come by a covenant marriage, but that when we put forth the tremendous effort required, the Lord will assist and blessings will ensue. Here are some incidents that teach these lessons:
Gen. 24--Abraham's servant was given the overwhelming responsibility of traveling back to the homeland to find a worthy wife for Abraham's birthright son, Isaac. He brought great riches with him as gifts, requiring ten camels for transport (vs. 10). The task was overwhelming, requiring divine guidance. The servant asked in prayer for a sign that the future wife of his master would be one who would offer him water, and additionally offer the ten camels water. This would certainly single out the woman, because, although offering water to a male traveler was fairly normal ettiquette, offering to water the camels was well beyond the call of duty. One camel could drink up to 30 gallons! It was an extraordinary young woman who would offer this service, perhaps it was even unheard of. But when the caravan arrived at the well, not only did Rebekah volunteer the service, but she "hasted" and she "ran" to complete it (v. 19-20). When the servant discovered that she was a cousin, and therefore met the requirement set forth by Abraham, he knew his prayer was answered (v. 23-27).
Rebekah's family wanted to have a little time with her before she left them to marry Isaac (v. 55), but the servant wanted to obey the Lord immediately, since the Lord had answered his prayer so immediately (v. 56). Rebekah concurred, and went with the servant, never to see her family again. Upon their arrival at Isaac's property, she saw a man cutting through the field to meet them (v. 64-65), and was told it was her future husband. The closing words of this episode of the story are beautiful: "and she became his wife; and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" (v. 67). Loving each other, and comforting each other are elements of a covenant marriage.
Gen. 25--While Isaac's brother Ishmael was blessed with a dozen sons, Rebekah was left childless. (It's interesting how many righteous women in the Old Testament struggle with fertility issues.) Finally, she was blessed with twin sons, Esau and Jacob. An interesting description is given of Jacob in the footnote to vs. 27: Jacob was "whole, complete, perfect, simple, plain." Jacob valued the birthright, and bought it from his brother (v. 31-33). Esau, like so many people, was overtaken by the physical desire of the moment, in his case hunger, and lost perspective of eternity. Unfortunately, many saints today do the same, selling their spiritual privileges for fleeting passions.
Gen. 26--Because Isaac continued in righteousness, the covenant promised to his father was restated in his behalf (vs. 2-5). The same can be true for each one of us, as covenant children, particularly as we receive our patriarchal blessing. Like his father, everywhere that Isaac went, he built an altar and called upon the Lord (v. 25).
Meanwhile Esau sold his birthright again, marrying outside the covenant and against his parents' wishes (v. 34-35) while Jacob remained unmarried until age 40, presumably because no covenant wife was available where they lived.
A little note of explanation: Both Abraham and Isaac, when they moved to a new land, ended up telling the local royalty that their wives were their sisters. Both wives were cousins, so this was true, "sister" and "brother" being general terms for relations. Why hide the fact that they were wives? Camille Fronk Olson explains that if a king desired the wife of another man, he would kill the husband [Women of the Old Testament, p. 32-33]. This deception, therefore, saved the lives of Abraham and Isaac. In both cases, the king, upon discovering that the object of his affection was already married, returned the wife to her husband, and promised protection for the husband from others who might desire the wife. So why did the deception have to occur in the first place? One idea: Perhaps the kings needed to personally get to know the people involved, and gain an appreciation for their integrity, before they would extend this highly unusual offer.
REBEKAH'S LEADERSHIP
"Rebekah is one of the greatest patterns in all the revelations of what a woman can do to influence a family in righteousness...Women are appointed, Rebekahlike, to be guides and lights in righteousness in the family unit and to engineer and arrange so that things are done in the way that will result in the salvation of more of our Father's children" (Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, Jan. 1979, p. 62, 63).
Gen. 27--Isaac planned to bless his son Esau with the birthright, despite Esau's unworthiness. This would have been a grave error, and Rebekah saw that. She conspired with Jacob to put him in the right place at the right time to receive the birthright blessing. This is an example of a wife who kept her covenant to obey her husband "in righteousness." In this case, she would have been wrong to obey her husband, because in a matter of eternal importance, he was following convention and personal preference, rather than the Spirit. Rebekah, however, had received a revelation before the twins were born that the younger was to be the leader of the family (Gen. 25:23), and besides, Esau had given up his birthright twice, definitely demonstrating that he did not have the integrity or foresight to be the patriarch of the family.
When Isaac realized which son had received the blessing, he knew it was right. What a prophet binds on earth is bound in heaven, but also what he looses on earth is loosed in heaven (Matt. 16:19). Isaac had the power to revoke the blessing, but he let it stand (v. 33), because he knew his wife was right. The Lord could easily have caused Jacob to be born before Esau, therefore preventing this problem from arising, but instead He chose to teach a lesson for many generations to come: Righteousness is more important than circumstance, and revelation is more important than tradition. When Isaac afterwards blessed Esau, he restated through revelation the same truth that had been revealed to Rebekah years before, that he would be subservient to his younger brother. Despite the outward confusion, the blessings were given correctly through the Spirit, as the Apostle Paul stated, "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come" (Heb. 11:20).
Esau was so angry at being tricked, he plotted to kill his brother after his father's death (v.41). This was told to Rebekah and she sent Isaac away to stay with relatives, saying that otherwise she would lose both her sons in one day: one to murder, and the other to execution (v. 45; see Gen. 9:6). To Isaac, she stated the reason for sending him away to be the need for Jacob to find a wife among the covenant people, which was definitely necessary. Of course, this was the Lord's plan as well.
It is worth noting that later Esau took a covenant wife (Gen. 28:6-9), and that when Jacob returned to Canaan many years later, "Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept" (Gen. 33:4).
JACOB'S QUEST FOR A COVENANT MARRIAGE
Gen. 28--As Jacob went on his journey, he was granted a remarkable dream in which he saw a ladder ascending into heaven, with angels traveling up and down it, and the Lord standing above it. The message of the dream was that the covenants Jacob made with the Lord were as rungs of a ladder to heaven. He himself would have to climb the rungs in order to obtain the promised blessings that would allow him to enter into heaven with the Lord (Pres. Marion G. Romney, "Temples--The Gates to Heaven," Ensign, Mar. 1971, p. 16) The Hebrew word translated as "ladder" could also be translated as "stairway" or "ramp." The choice the King James translators made to use the word "ladder" provides us with a great symbol of the effort and time required to make our way to heaven. We believe that it is through the merits of Christ that we are saved, but Christ requires us to move our hands and feet and climb the ladder of covenants in order to qualify for His grace. It is not an elevator.
David E. Bokovoy, instructor at the Boston LDS Institute, currently a doctoral student in Hebrew Bible studies, recommends circling "the place" or "this place" anytime it is found in the Old Testament, because it almost always refers to a temple place (Know Your Religion Lecture, Feb. 15, 2002, Logan, Utah). Jacob said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of god, and this is the gate of heaven...And he called the name of that place Beth-el" (v. 16-19). "Beth-el is [short for] Beth-Elohim, which means literally 'The House of the Lord'" (Pres. Romney, as noted above.) Even more interesting is to note a couple of additions which Joseph Smith made to verse 22 in his translation. (These additions are not in the LDS Bible footnotes.) The added words are in italics: And the place of this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be the place of God's house. (How much Hebrew did Joseph Smith know?)
Gen. 29--Interestingly, Jacob met his wife, Rachel, at a well, just as his father's servant had met his mother at a well. In this case, however, it was Jacob who served Rachel, by rolling away the stone covering, and drawing the water for the flock. Typically it was the woman's job to water the sheep, however in this instance it seems that a tremendous effort was required to open the well, since the shepherds were waiting for all to be gathered together in order to do it (v. 8). It was "a prodigious feat for one person--a measure of Jacob's elation at seeing [Rachel]" (Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 44) Both of these covenant marriage relationships began with an act of great service: another lesson for us to follow throughout our marriages.
In an ironic twist, Jacob's father-in-law Laban and Rachel's older sister Leah tricked him into marrying Leah first, a similar act to the deception that Jacob and his mother worked in order to procure the birthright blessing. Of course, in keeping with social convention, the older daughter should be married first, and in all the seven years of labor, there was apparently no other suitor. Since parents always arranged their children's marriages, and the father had supreme rule over the family, it was not so strange for Laban to control the marriages of his daughters (Sidney B. Sperry, "Hebrew Manners and Customs," Ensign, May 1972). It certainly would have been nicer, though, if it could have been done honestly, as this method set up a conflict and competition in the family at the outset: Leah was "unloved" (another translation for the word used as "hated" in v. 31), while Rachel was cherished (v. 20).
BEING "LOVED" OR "UNLOVED"
The people of the Old Testament times lived in an imperfect society with flawed families. Plural marriage was particularly plagued with feelings of competitiveness and unfairness, so much so that the problems of "loved" versus "hated" wives were actually recognized and addressed in the Law (Deut. 21:15-17). We today still live in a fallen world with imperfect people and troubled relationships. We may encounter discrimination, negligence, or abuse from others when we expected love and kindness. But God Himself is perfect, and His love is extended towards all. In the lives of Leah and Rachel, as in the lives of Sarah and Hagar, we see the impartial kindliness of the Lord. In both cases, both women found solace in their relationships with God. In both cases, the Lord blessed the less-loved wife with the compensatory joy of motherhood immediately, and made the favored wife wait a while. This delay of infertility, though, was followed by the delight of a son who had the birthright, or earned it through his righteousness. In all cases, the Lord communicated his care and concern to the woman in her individual trial (Sarah in Gen. 21:1, 6; Hagar in Gen. 21:17; Leah in Gen. 29:31-32; Rachel in Gen. 30:22).
God is always inviting, comforting, and encouraging, and is no respecter of persons. The scriptures show repeatedly that His love is offered to all: "He layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him" (2 Ne. 26:24); "Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price" (2 Ne. 26:25); "All men are privileged [to partake of God's goodness] the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden" (2 Ne. 26:28); "Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men" (Alma 5:33); "Blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost" (3 Ne. 12:6).
In our times of affliction, or our situations of injustice, we can have confidence that the love of God will find us and compensate. "I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever" (Jacob 3:1-2).
COVENANT MARRIAGES BRING BLESSINGS
Despite the imperfections of the partners involved, covenant marriages put us on that ladder, bringing us ever closer to heaven. Both Leah and Rachel developed great faith through their marriage and child-bearing trials, which carried them through other trials. For example, when their prophet-husband received the command of the Lord to uproot the family and move back to his birthplace, where the threat of being murdered by Esau weighed heavily on his mind, he consulted both women, and both responded, "Whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do" (31:14). Jacob did, and was joyously surprised by the heartfelt welcome of his now repentant brother Esau (Gen. 33). Generations afterward, when Boaz married Ruth, the blessing of the members of the wedding party to Ruth was that God would make her as great as Leah and Rachel. Together, these two women, with their two handmaids and their husband, bore and built the House of Israel, and their names are honored forever. Today, regardless of our circumstances, we similarly play a part in building our own branch of the House of Israel, and we can also leave a great legacy of faith as we make and remain true to our covenants.
ISAAC'S QUEST FOR A COVENANT MARRIAGE
The overriding theme of the stories of these chapters is that it is not easy to come by a covenant marriage, but that when we put forth the tremendous effort required, the Lord will assist and blessings will ensue. Here are some incidents that teach these lessons:
Gen. 24--Abraham's servant was given the overwhelming responsibility of traveling back to the homeland to find a worthy wife for Abraham's birthright son, Isaac. He brought great riches with him as gifts, requiring ten camels for transport (vs. 10). The task was overwhelming, requiring divine guidance. The servant asked in prayer for a sign that the future wife of his master would be one who would offer him water, and additionally offer the ten camels water. This would certainly single out the woman, because, although offering water to a male traveler was fairly normal ettiquette, offering to water the camels was well beyond the call of duty. One camel could drink up to 30 gallons! It was an extraordinary young woman who would offer this service, perhaps it was even unheard of. But when the caravan arrived at the well, not only did Rebekah volunteer the service, but she "hasted" and she "ran" to complete it (v. 19-20). When the servant discovered that she was a cousin, and therefore met the requirement set forth by Abraham, he knew his prayer was answered (v. 23-27).
Rebekah's family wanted to have a little time with her before she left them to marry Isaac (v. 55), but the servant wanted to obey the Lord immediately, since the Lord had answered his prayer so immediately (v. 56). Rebekah concurred, and went with the servant, never to see her family again. Upon their arrival at Isaac's property, she saw a man cutting through the field to meet them (v. 64-65), and was told it was her future husband. The closing words of this episode of the story are beautiful: "and she became his wife; and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death" (v. 67). Loving each other, and comforting each other are elements of a covenant marriage.
Gen. 25--While Isaac's brother Ishmael was blessed with a dozen sons, Rebekah was left childless. (It's interesting how many righteous women in the Old Testament struggle with fertility issues.) Finally, she was blessed with twin sons, Esau and Jacob. An interesting description is given of Jacob in the footnote to vs. 27: Jacob was "whole, complete, perfect, simple, plain." Jacob valued the birthright, and bought it from his brother (v. 31-33). Esau, like so many people, was overtaken by the physical desire of the moment, in his case hunger, and lost perspective of eternity. Unfortunately, many saints today do the same, selling their spiritual privileges for fleeting passions.
Gen. 26--Because Isaac continued in righteousness, the covenant promised to his father was restated in his behalf (vs. 2-5). The same can be true for each one of us, as covenant children, particularly as we receive our patriarchal blessing. Like his father, everywhere that Isaac went, he built an altar and called upon the Lord (v. 25).
Meanwhile Esau sold his birthright again, marrying outside the covenant and against his parents' wishes (v. 34-35) while Jacob remained unmarried until age 40, presumably because no covenant wife was available where they lived.
A little note of explanation: Both Abraham and Isaac, when they moved to a new land, ended up telling the local royalty that their wives were their sisters. Both wives were cousins, so this was true, "sister" and "brother" being general terms for relations. Why hide the fact that they were wives? Camille Fronk Olson explains that if a king desired the wife of another man, he would kill the husband [Women of the Old Testament, p. 32-33]. This deception, therefore, saved the lives of Abraham and Isaac. In both cases, the king, upon discovering that the object of his affection was already married, returned the wife to her husband, and promised protection for the husband from others who might desire the wife. So why did the deception have to occur in the first place? One idea: Perhaps the kings needed to personally get to know the people involved, and gain an appreciation for their integrity, before they would extend this highly unusual offer.
REBEKAH'S LEADERSHIP
"Rebekah is one of the greatest patterns in all the revelations of what a woman can do to influence a family in righteousness...Women are appointed, Rebekahlike, to be guides and lights in righteousness in the family unit and to engineer and arrange so that things are done in the way that will result in the salvation of more of our Father's children" (Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, Jan. 1979, p. 62, 63).
Gen. 27--Isaac planned to bless his son Esau with the birthright, despite Esau's unworthiness. This would have been a grave error, and Rebekah saw that. She conspired with Jacob to put him in the right place at the right time to receive the birthright blessing. This is an example of a wife who kept her covenant to obey her husband "in righteousness." In this case, she would have been wrong to obey her husband, because in a matter of eternal importance, he was following convention and personal preference, rather than the Spirit. Rebekah, however, had received a revelation before the twins were born that the younger was to be the leader of the family (Gen. 25:23), and besides, Esau had given up his birthright twice, definitely demonstrating that he did not have the integrity or foresight to be the patriarch of the family.
When Isaac realized which son had received the blessing, he knew it was right. What a prophet binds on earth is bound in heaven, but also what he looses on earth is loosed in heaven (Matt. 16:19). Isaac had the power to revoke the blessing, but he let it stand (v. 33), because he knew his wife was right. The Lord could easily have caused Jacob to be born before Esau, therefore preventing this problem from arising, but instead He chose to teach a lesson for many generations to come: Righteousness is more important than circumstance, and revelation is more important than tradition. When Isaac afterwards blessed Esau, he restated through revelation the same truth that had been revealed to Rebekah years before, that he would be subservient to his younger brother. Despite the outward confusion, the blessings were given correctly through the Spirit, as the Apostle Paul stated, "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come" (Heb. 11:20).
Esau was so angry at being tricked, he plotted to kill his brother after his father's death (v.41). This was told to Rebekah and she sent Isaac away to stay with relatives, saying that otherwise she would lose both her sons in one day: one to murder, and the other to execution (v. 45; see Gen. 9:6). To Isaac, she stated the reason for sending him away to be the need for Jacob to find a wife among the covenant people, which was definitely necessary. Of course, this was the Lord's plan as well.
It is worth noting that later Esau took a covenant wife (Gen. 28:6-9), and that when Jacob returned to Canaan many years later, "Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept" (Gen. 33:4).
JACOB'S QUEST FOR A COVENANT MARRIAGE
Gen. 28--As Jacob went on his journey, he was granted a remarkable dream in which he saw a ladder ascending into heaven, with angels traveling up and down it, and the Lord standing above it. The message of the dream was that the covenants Jacob made with the Lord were as rungs of a ladder to heaven. He himself would have to climb the rungs in order to obtain the promised blessings that would allow him to enter into heaven with the Lord (Pres. Marion G. Romney, "Temples--The Gates to Heaven," Ensign, Mar. 1971, p. 16) The Hebrew word translated as "ladder" could also be translated as "stairway" or "ramp." The choice the King James translators made to use the word "ladder" provides us with a great symbol of the effort and time required to make our way to heaven. We believe that it is through the merits of Christ that we are saved, but Christ requires us to move our hands and feet and climb the ladder of covenants in order to qualify for His grace. It is not an elevator.
David E. Bokovoy, instructor at the Boston LDS Institute, currently a doctoral student in Hebrew Bible studies, recommends circling "the place" or "this place" anytime it is found in the Old Testament, because it almost always refers to a temple place (Know Your Religion Lecture, Feb. 15, 2002, Logan, Utah). Jacob said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of god, and this is the gate of heaven...And he called the name of that place Beth-el" (v. 16-19). "Beth-el is [short for] Beth-Elohim, which means literally 'The House of the Lord'" (Pres. Romney, as noted above.) Even more interesting is to note a couple of additions which Joseph Smith made to verse 22 in his translation. (These additions are not in the LDS Bible footnotes.) The added words are in italics: And the place of this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be the place of God's house. (How much Hebrew did Joseph Smith know?)
Gen. 29--Interestingly, Jacob met his wife, Rachel, at a well, just as his father's servant had met his mother at a well. In this case, however, it was Jacob who served Rachel, by rolling away the stone covering, and drawing the water for the flock. Typically it was the woman's job to water the sheep, however in this instance it seems that a tremendous effort was required to open the well, since the shepherds were waiting for all to be gathered together in order to do it (v. 8). It was "a prodigious feat for one person--a measure of Jacob's elation at seeing [Rachel]" (Harper-Collins Study Bible, p. 44) Both of these covenant marriage relationships began with an act of great service: another lesson for us to follow throughout our marriages.
In an ironic twist, Jacob's father-in-law Laban and Rachel's older sister Leah tricked him into marrying Leah first, a similar act to the deception that Jacob and his mother worked in order to procure the birthright blessing. Of course, in keeping with social convention, the older daughter should be married first, and in all the seven years of labor, there was apparently no other suitor. Since parents always arranged their children's marriages, and the father had supreme rule over the family, it was not so strange for Laban to control the marriages of his daughters (Sidney B. Sperry, "Hebrew Manners and Customs," Ensign, May 1972). It certainly would have been nicer, though, if it could have been done honestly, as this method set up a conflict and competition in the family at the outset: Leah was "unloved" (another translation for the word used as "hated" in v. 31), while Rachel was cherished (v. 20).
BEING "LOVED" OR "UNLOVED"
The people of the Old Testament times lived in an imperfect society with flawed families. Plural marriage was particularly plagued with feelings of competitiveness and unfairness, so much so that the problems of "loved" versus "hated" wives were actually recognized and addressed in the Law (Deut. 21:15-17). We today still live in a fallen world with imperfect people and troubled relationships. We may encounter discrimination, negligence, or abuse from others when we expected love and kindness. But God Himself is perfect, and His love is extended towards all. In the lives of Leah and Rachel, as in the lives of Sarah and Hagar, we see the impartial kindliness of the Lord. In both cases, both women found solace in their relationships with God. In both cases, the Lord blessed the less-loved wife with the compensatory joy of motherhood immediately, and made the favored wife wait a while. This delay of infertility, though, was followed by the delight of a son who had the birthright, or earned it through his righteousness. In all cases, the Lord communicated his care and concern to the woman in her individual trial (Sarah in Gen. 21:1, 6; Hagar in Gen. 21:17; Leah in Gen. 29:31-32; Rachel in Gen. 30:22).
God is always inviting, comforting, and encouraging, and is no respecter of persons. The scriptures show repeatedly that His love is offered to all: "He layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him" (2 Ne. 26:24); "Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price" (2 Ne. 26:25); "All men are privileged [to partake of God's goodness] the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden" (2 Ne. 26:28); "Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men" (Alma 5:33); "Blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost" (3 Ne. 12:6).
In our times of affliction, or our situations of injustice, we can have confidence that the love of God will find us and compensate. "I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever" (Jacob 3:1-2).
COVENANT MARRIAGES BRING BLESSINGS
(This is my own photograph of the Salt Lake City Temple.
I hold the copyright, but you are welcome to use it
for teaching purposes.)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Supplement to OT Lesson #9: Ishmael, Our Brother
POP QUIZ: WHO IS THIS GREAT MAN?
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 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
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!
- 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.
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
- Repeating and fully accepting the Muslim creed included in the call to prayer: "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is His prophet."
- Prayer five times daily, summoned by the prayer caller (muezzin), at home, at work, or in the street.
- Almsgiving, 1/40th of possessions annually.
- Daily fast, sunrise to sunset, during the month of Ramadan.
- A pilgrimage to Mecca.
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).
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
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).
Friday, February 12, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #8 Living Righteously in a Wicked World
(Genesis 13-14; 18-19)
Abraham and Lot left Ur and traveled to Haran, Canaan, Egypt, and then back to Canaan. No matter where he lived, Abraham remained on fire with testimony and faithfulness. Lot seemed to be influenced by the environment which cooled his faith to lukewarm. Here are some comparisons:
ABRAHAM AND LOT
In a war of many kingdoms, Lot was taken captive along with the city of Sodom and others on the plain. Abraham and his household of 318 servants went to battle to rescue them (Gen. 14:14)-15. Neither Lot nor the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah were turned to the Lord after having been saved. Lot moved right back into the city, and Sodom's wickedness ripened for destruction.
After the battle, Abraham had dealings with two kings almost simultaneously, the king of Salem (Melchizedek), and the king of Sodom (Bera). Once again, we see contrasting examples of righteousness and worldliness.
Three priesthood brethren visited Abraham and then Lot to warn them of the coming destruction. The way that the two men responded to these brethren is also indicative of their faithfulness:
Abraham asked the Lord if he would spare the City of Sodom if 50 righteous people could be found, or if 40 could be found, and so on down to 10. Not even 10 were found. Only Lot was found as marginally righteous, with his wife and two daughters who really weren't. But the Lord in his mercy was willing to go to extra effort to save just Lot, even though Lot was not obedient enough to leave the city quickly, or to travel directly to the mountain. Simply because he was willing to go partway in the right direction (although at first he had to be dragged there), he was saved from destruction--that's how merciful and kind the Lord is.
The intensely and constantly faithful Abraham, however, was given many more blessings than just the avoidance of destruction.
WHICH EXAMPLE DO WE FOLLOW?
Latter-day Saints live in a promised land (even if just in a pocket of Zion), under covenant with God, but surrounded by worldly influences. To remain safe, we must be vigilant in our faithfulness like Abraham, and not lukewarm, like Lot.
Abraham and Lot left Ur and traveled to Haran, Canaan, Egypt, and then back to Canaan. No matter where he lived, Abraham remained on fire with testimony and faithfulness. Lot seemed to be influenced by the environment which cooled his faith to lukewarm. Here are some comparisons:
ABRAHAM AND LOT
- Putting God first. The first thing Abraham did upon reentering Canaan was to visit his former altar, and call upon God (Gen. 13:3-4). Everywhere he went, this is what he did (Abr. 2:17-20). No worship of any kind is mentioned in regard to Lot at this time, but he used to be active in his religion (Abr. 2:6). After they became wealthy, it seems that he changed.
- Valuing people more than things. When a conflict arose between the servants of the two relatives, Abraham offered Lot the choice of land because peaceful relationships were more important than property to him. Lot took his preference, rather than defer to the elder Abraham. He "beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where...even as the garden of the Lord." Land was his priority (Gen. 13:6-11).
- Standing in holy places. Abraham took the land the Lord offered to him, in the plain of Mamre, in Hebron, and of course, he "built there an altar unto the Lord" (Gen. 14-18). He was promised a great posterity. Lot, however, "pitched his tent toward Sodom" even though "the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly" (Gen. 13:12-13). It wasn't long until Lot moved right into Sodom, and became one of its citizens (Gen. 14:12).
(This beautiful image of the Salt Lake City Temple
was taken by Bob Brown
and is used with his permission)
In a war of many kingdoms, Lot was taken captive along with the city of Sodom and others on the plain. Abraham and his household of 318 servants went to battle to rescue them (Gen. 14:14)-15. Neither Lot nor the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah were turned to the Lord after having been saved. Lot moved right back into the city, and Sodom's wickedness ripened for destruction.
After the battle, Abraham had dealings with two kings almost simultaneously, the king of Salem (Melchizedek), and the king of Sodom (Bera). Once again, we see contrasting examples of righteousness and worldliness.
- Forming an alliance with God, not men. Melchizedek was the High Priest. He administered the sacrament to Abraham, blessed him, and reminded him that the Most High God had won the battle for him, whereupon Abraham, recognizing his covenant with the Lord, voluntarily paid tithes of all he had taken (Gen. 14:18-19, including JST footnote). The king of Sodom was the king of the worldliest of cities. He offered all his goods recovered from the enemy to Abraham as payment for winning the war . Abraham refused because he had covenanted with God, the "possessor" of everything, that he would take nothing from the king of Sodom; this prevented him from being bonded in any way to the king of Sodom and his evil citizens (Gen. 14:21-23).
- Being sanctified or damned. Salem means "peace, righteousness, Heaven." Sodom means "their secret." Salem later was translated and taken into Heaven (JST Gen. 14:34, p. 798 of LDS Bible). Sodom later was buried in lava from an earthquake, and is thought to have eventually been covered by the salt of the Dead Sea, making it forever uninhabitable (O.T. Institute Manual, p. 77).
Three priesthood brethren visited Abraham and then Lot to warn them of the coming destruction. The way that the two men responded to these brethren is also indicative of their faithfulness:
- Respecting the Lord's messengers. Abraham's entire household took upon themselves the covenant of circumcision as directed (Gen. 17), then Abraham was visited by the Lord (Gen. 18:1-2). (Joseph Fielding Smith in Doctrines of Salvation, 1:17, states that there should be a new paragraph after "The Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre," because it was a separate visit than that of the three men. Notice the name "Lord" is in all capitals, the King James translators' way of writing the name "Jehovah." They made this substitution in reverence to the Jews' custom of never speaking the name of the Lord [Bible Dictionary, p. 711].) After the Lord's visit, three men who held priesthood authority over Abraham, visited him, then later visited Lot in Salem. Both men recognized them, and revered them by "bowing low toward the ground" (Gen. 18:2; 19:1). (In verse 3, "Lord" is in lowercase, indicating that Abraham is not refering to God, but just speaking respectfully to his priesthood leader. In the footnotes to 19:1, the JST says there were "three angels," and the Hebrew word for "angels" equates to "messengers.")
- Supporting the Brethren. Abraham offered to bring the men water for washing their feet, allowed them to rest under his tree, offered to feed them bread, and to comfort their hearts before they passed on their journey. Abraham "hastened" to get Sarah to "quickly" make cakes of "fine meal." He "ran" to the herd and fetched a calf "tender and good," and gave it to a servant who "hasted" to dress it. He took butter, milk, and the calf and "stood by them," as a servant would, under the tree while they ate (Gen. 18:3-8). Lot also offered them water for washing their feet, a feast, and bread, and "pressed upon them greatly" to stay in his home, rather than in the street, knowing the dangers of the city (Gen. 19:2-3).
- Staying out of "Babylon." The men blessed Abraham by their priesthood power and promised his wife a child (Gen. 18:10-15). When they visited Lot, however, they had a polar opposite experience. Lot insisted the brethren stay in his home for safety, but the men of the city, claiming that Lot had moved in with them and therefore shouldn't condemn their actions, attacked the house, insisting he allow them to rape the visitors and Lot's daughters. Lot had mistakenly assumed that he had the power to keep his home safe, despite being in Sodom. He tried to protect his guests, but was not successful. The holy men ended up protecting themselves and Lot by dragging him back inside the house and using their priesthood power to blind the assailants so that they couldn't find the entrance (JST Gen. 19:4-11, p. 798). (Note that the JST says that Lot did not offer his daughters to the men of Sodom, as the Bible reports.)
- The prophet as an advocate. The brethren told the prophet, Abraham, their mission: to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). Abraham went with the holy men to show them the way to Sodom, thereby helping them with their mission. Abraham went toward Sodom (remembering his nephew, Lot) and asked the Lord if he would spare it if there were 50 righteous, or 45, or even only 10, undoubtedly hoping his nephew's family would qualify (Gen. 18:16-33, also JST Gen. 18:23), but it was in vain. The men also warned Lot of the destruction of Sodom and allowed him to warn his married children, but this was also in vain; they didn't believe him (Gen. 19:12-14).
- Lingering in sin. After the messengers gave their warning to Lot, they "hastened" Lot out of Sodom, but Lot "lingered." They had to "take" him, his wife and unmarried daughters "by the hand" to "bring them forth" and "set them outside the city" (Gen. 19:15-16). Lot's family was not in a hurry to go. The messengers told Lot to flee to the mountain (which is often a symbol of a temple-type place), and not look back toward the city. But Lot was afraid of the mountain and asked for another asylum. Did he feel he was not worthy to be in a mountain-temple, was he just frightened of wild animals, or did he have doubts that the destruction would actually occur so he wanted to stay close for an easy move back? Who knows? At any rate, he begged to instead go to a town that was more humble and less worldly than Sodom (Gen. 19:17-20). The holy men accepted Lot's plan; it was an improvement upon living in Sodom.
- Looking back on sin. "Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven." Lot's wife turned back and was caught in the destruction, eventually becoming a figurative "pillar of salt" as the Dead Sea likely overtook the ruins (Gen. 19:24-26). After this, Lot was afraid to stay in the little town of Zoar, but moved to the mountain, as initially instructed. Could that be because he changed his ways and desired to be closer to God, or did he just want to distance himself from the destruction on the plain? (Gen. 19:-21-30).
- Visiting the temple in times of fear. Early the next morning, Abraham went to the mountain "temple" ("the place where he stood before the Lord") and from that elevated point saw that Sodom and Gomorrah had been consumed. God then spoke comfort to Abraham, letting him know that he had saved Lot from the destruction (Gen. 19:27-29).
- Teaching the family to trust in the Lord. Abraham carefully taught his family and servants to keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, and to honor the covenants they had made (Gen. 18:19). He waited upon the Lord for decades for the long-promised blessing of posterity. In contrast, Lot's daughters left Sodom with him, but having grown up in that environment, they retained those wicked ways in their hearts, and in their incredible short-sightedness, committed incest in order to create progeny (Gen. 19:31-36). From the children they bore in this wicked manner, came two of the most evil, idolatrous nations of Bible times: The Moabites and the Ammonites.
Abraham asked the Lord if he would spare the City of Sodom if 50 righteous people could be found, or if 40 could be found, and so on down to 10. Not even 10 were found. Only Lot was found as marginally righteous, with his wife and two daughters who really weren't. But the Lord in his mercy was willing to go to extra effort to save just Lot, even though Lot was not obedient enough to leave the city quickly, or to travel directly to the mountain. Simply because he was willing to go partway in the right direction (although at first he had to be dragged there), he was saved from destruction--that's how merciful and kind the Lord is.
The intensely and constantly faithful Abraham, however, was given many more blessings than just the avoidance of destruction.
Latter-day Saints live in a promised land (even if just in a pocket of Zion), under covenant with God, but surrounded by worldly influences. To remain safe, we must be vigilant in our faithfulness like Abraham, and not lukewarm, like Lot.
- Like Abraham, we need to worship at the altar of the Lord often and renew our covenants through the sacrament.
- Like Abraham, we need to acknowledge the hand of the Lord in all our successes.
- Like Abraham, we need to get out of "Babylon" by going to the "mountains of the Lord's house" (D&C 133:10-15). The only place in the scriptures in which this phrase is plural is in latter-day scripture. We have 130 temples now, and 22 more under construction. The best "fire insurance" is a temple recommend!
- Like Abraham, we need to earn our money honestly and pay our full tithe willingly.
- Like Abraham, we need to honor and support our priesthood leaders as "angels" or messengers of God.
- Like Abraham, we need to plead in prayer for those who succumb to the world's influence, and go with His power to rescue them, while never "moving into Sodom" ourselves.
- Like Abraham, we need to continue to love and care for them, even when they do not seem to learn from their mistakes.
- Like Abraham, we need to provide a home and work environment in which our families and employees are safely taught to "keep the way of the Lord" (Gen. 18:19).
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #7 The Abrahamic Covenant
(Abraham 1:1-4; 2:1-11; Genesis 12:1-8; 17:1-9)
THE IMPORTANCE OF ABRAHAM
"Genesis" is a plural word meaning "many beginnings" (Robert J. Matthews, Old Testament Symposium, Logan, Utah, Jan. 2002). The Bible Dictionary says, "Genesis is an introduction to the rest of the Bible." Also, "The Book of Genesis is the true and original birthplace of all theology." Theology is, of course, the study of God. Genesis is the first book in the Old Testament. "Testament" means "covenant." The ancient covenant begun in the Book of Genesis is the Abrahamic Covenant.
Chapters 1-10 of Genesis cover thousands of years and three dispensations of the gospel. Chapters 11-25 cover only 175 years: Abraham's life. Obviously, Abraham is extremely important in understanding the rest of the Bible, but is he important to us today? The answer is: Absolutely! A large body of text is given to Abraham in Genesis, but surprisingly, "Abraham is mentioned in more verses of modern revelation than in all the verses of the Old Testament. Abraham...is inextricably linked to all who join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Elder Russell M. Nelson, Sydney B. Sperry Symposium, BYU, 1997).
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
Once again, the latter-day revelations are the best commentary on the Old Testament, and make it easier to understand. Let's look at the Abrahamic Covenant as found in the Pearl of Great Price:
"My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations; And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father; And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal" (Abr. 2:7-11).
Why was Abraham privileged to receive this great covenant? As always, the reason for any revelation is a request; Abraham desired righteousness with all his heart, and asked the Lord to make him "a father of many nations, and a prince of peace" (Abr. 1:2). (See "Abraham's Dysfunctional Family" in previous post.) Abraham's response to the blessing of this covenant is inspiring: "Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee...I will do well to hearken unto thy voice" (Abr. 2:12-13).
The covenant was initially promised when Abraham was 75 years old (Gen. 12). When he was 99 years old (Gen. 17), the Lord restated the covenant, because the people had not been following it correctly. They were baptizing infants with sprinkling, rather than baptizing by immersion at the age of accountability, and they were giving Abel the credit for the Atonement. (See the footnote to Gen. 17:3, which refers to JST Gen. 17:3-7, p. 798 of the LDS Bible.)
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT TODAY
All of the covenants we make as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from baptism to temple sealing, are part of the Abrahamic Covenant; the Abrahamic Covenant is just the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the added emphasis of the responsibility to share the gospel with other potential heirs. When any person joins the church through baptism, he becomes an heir of Abraham; then it becomes his duty and joy to share that gospel with others.
Four Ways the Nations are Blessed by the Abrahamic Covenant:
1) Jesus Christ's Atonement
2) Priesthood
3) Leaven of Righteousness
4) Opportunity to join Abraham's family, or discover that they already belong, and receive the Holy Ghost
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:246)
The last three of these blessings are administered by us as we keep our part of the Abrahamic Covenant. "The responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations" (Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1987).
THE LEAVEN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus spoke of the children of Abraham in a parable when he said, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened" (Matt. 13:33).
When you add yeast to warm water, the yeast softens, bubbles up and grows much large than its original size. In the Old Testament, by the time of the Exodus, Abraham's posterity numbered 1 million plus. Their 40 years in the wilderness provided a time of trial and preparation in which they could grow spiritually. (See "The Journey" in a previous post, for the symbolic meaning of the 40 years.) In the latter days, the saints gathered to Kirtland, Jackson County, Nauvoo, and Salt Lake City in order to have the manpower, land, and finances to build temples, which provided them with access to the full Abrahamic covenant. The trials that drove them from one place to another refined them.
When you mix the yeast in with the other ingredients of the bread, it influences the dough and makes it rise. In the diaspora (the scattering of Israel) the covenant people were spread throughout the middle east, placing pockets of believers throughout the nations. In the latter-days, once the initial gathering to Salt Lake was accomplished and the U.S. mountain west was settled, the saints in other nations were counseled to stay where they lived and build up Zion in their own countries. For this reason, temples now "dot the earth."
If the leaven does not soften and develop at first, it does not have the power to raise the bread. The same is true of the covenant people. Their testimonies must be firm in order to bless those around them with the gospel.
HOW TO LIVE THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT TODAY
By definition, then, the children of the Abrahamic Covenant live in environments that are spiritually inferior. It is their calling, as leaven, to elevate those surroundings. The Book of Genesis set ups the overall theme of the Old Testament in these 15 chapters on Abraham and the following 14 chapters on Jacob, which is the question of whether the Lord's people will keep their covenants to influence others toward righteousness, or whether they will allow the environment to influence them.
"Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins...This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself. Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved" (D&C 132:30-32).
THE IMPORTANCE OF ABRAHAM
"Genesis" is a plural word meaning "many beginnings" (Robert J. Matthews, Old Testament Symposium, Logan, Utah, Jan. 2002). The Bible Dictionary says, "Genesis is an introduction to the rest of the Bible." Also, "The Book of Genesis is the true and original birthplace of all theology." Theology is, of course, the study of God. Genesis is the first book in the Old Testament. "Testament" means "covenant." The ancient covenant begun in the Book of Genesis is the Abrahamic Covenant.
Chapters 1-10 of Genesis cover thousands of years and three dispensations of the gospel. Chapters 11-25 cover only 175 years: Abraham's life. Obviously, Abraham is extremely important in understanding the rest of the Bible, but is he important to us today? The answer is: Absolutely! A large body of text is given to Abraham in Genesis, but surprisingly, "Abraham is mentioned in more verses of modern revelation than in all the verses of the Old Testament. Abraham...is inextricably linked to all who join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" (Elder Russell M. Nelson, Sydney B. Sperry Symposium, BYU, 1997).
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
Once again, the latter-day revelations are the best commentary on the Old Testament, and make it easier to understand. Let's look at the Abrahamic Covenant as found in the Pearl of Great Price:
"My name is Jehovah, and I know the end from the beginning; therefore my hand shall be over thee. And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations; And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father; And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal" (Abr. 2:7-11).
Why was Abraham privileged to receive this great covenant? As always, the reason for any revelation is a request; Abraham desired righteousness with all his heart, and asked the Lord to make him "a father of many nations, and a prince of peace" (Abr. 1:2). (See "Abraham's Dysfunctional Family" in previous post.) Abraham's response to the blessing of this covenant is inspiring: "Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee...I will do well to hearken unto thy voice" (Abr. 2:12-13).
The covenant was initially promised when Abraham was 75 years old (Gen. 12). When he was 99 years old (Gen. 17), the Lord restated the covenant, because the people had not been following it correctly. They were baptizing infants with sprinkling, rather than baptizing by immersion at the age of accountability, and they were giving Abel the credit for the Atonement. (See the footnote to Gen. 17:3, which refers to JST Gen. 17:3-7, p. 798 of the LDS Bible.)
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT TODAY
All of the covenants we make as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, from baptism to temple sealing, are part of the Abrahamic Covenant; the Abrahamic Covenant is just the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with the added emphasis of the responsibility to share the gospel with other potential heirs. When any person joins the church through baptism, he becomes an heir of Abraham; then it becomes his duty and joy to share that gospel with others.
Four Ways the Nations are Blessed by the Abrahamic Covenant:
1) Jesus Christ's Atonement
2) Priesthood
3) Leaven of Righteousness
4) Opportunity to join Abraham's family, or discover that they already belong, and receive the Holy Ghost
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:246)
The last three of these blessings are administered by us as we keep our part of the Abrahamic Covenant. "The responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations" (Pres. Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1987).
THE LEAVEN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus spoke of the children of Abraham in a parable when he said, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened" (Matt. 13:33).
When you add yeast to warm water, the yeast softens, bubbles up and grows much large than its original size. In the Old Testament, by the time of the Exodus, Abraham's posterity numbered 1 million plus. Their 40 years in the wilderness provided a time of trial and preparation in which they could grow spiritually. (See "The Journey" in a previous post, for the symbolic meaning of the 40 years.) In the latter days, the saints gathered to Kirtland, Jackson County, Nauvoo, and Salt Lake City in order to have the manpower, land, and finances to build temples, which provided them with access to the full Abrahamic covenant. The trials that drove them from one place to another refined them.
When you mix the yeast in with the other ingredients of the bread, it influences the dough and makes it rise. In the diaspora (the scattering of Israel) the covenant people were spread throughout the middle east, placing pockets of believers throughout the nations. In the latter-days, once the initial gathering to Salt Lake was accomplished and the U.S. mountain west was settled, the saints in other nations were counseled to stay where they lived and build up Zion in their own countries. For this reason, temples now "dot the earth."
If the leaven does not soften and develop at first, it does not have the power to raise the bread. The same is true of the covenant people. Their testimonies must be firm in order to bless those around them with the gospel.
HOW TO LIVE THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT TODAY
By definition, then, the children of the Abrahamic Covenant live in environments that are spiritually inferior. It is their calling, as leaven, to elevate those surroundings. The Book of Genesis set ups the overall theme of the Old Testament in these 15 chapters on Abraham and the following 14 chapters on Jacob, which is the question of whether the Lord's people will keep their covenants to influence others toward righteousness, or whether they will allow the environment to influence them.
"Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins...This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself. Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved" (D&C 132:30-32).
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Old Testament Lesson #6 "Noah...Prepared an Ark to the Saving of His House"
(Moses 8:19-30; Genesis 6-9; 11:1-9)
INCREASED UNDERSTANDING THROUGH JOSEPH SMITH'S "TRANSLATION"
In June of 1830, the Prophet Joseph Smith followed the command of the Lord to re-translate the King James Bible (see D&C 35:20). He did this by studying the Bible prayerfully, and making notes and additions through inspiration as he read, in order to restore what had been corrupted or removed through the ages as the Bible made its winding way through civilization. Most of the work was done by July of 1833, but he kept revising and editing it until his death (Garr, et.al, Encyclopedia of Latter-day History, p. 589). The entire Book of Moses was revelation received by Joseph Smith as he read the Book of Genesis, the first chapter being completely new material, and the rest being revisions on the Genesis narration. After the Book of Moses, the story resumes with Genesis 6:14, but there are still some very enlightening changes which have been put in the footnotes of the LDS Bible, or in the Appendix.
Here are some interesting insights about Noah and the ark, most of which come as a result of JST changes and additions:
NOAH
God blessed Noah and his sons and gave them counsel (Gen. 9:1-8), and made the promise symbolized by the rainbow (Gen. 9:9-16). The JST clarifies (again) that the covenant was originally made with great-grandfather Enoch (see the footnote to verse 9). In the JST in the Appendix, comes this beautiful passage linking Noah back to the city which left his grandfather Methuselah behind (changes/additions made by Joseph Smith are noted in italics):
"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself. And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness and the earth shall tremble with joy; And the general assembly of the church of the first-born shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will establish my covenant unto thee, which I have made between me and thee, for every living creature of all flesh that shall be upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and thee; for all flesh that shall be upon the earth" (JST Gen. 9:21-25, p. 798 of the LDS Bible).
LOOK FOR RAINBOWS
The Primary song "When I Am Baptized" begins, "I like to look for rainbows." Believers in the Bible recognize rainbows as symbols of the Lord's promise to never again flood the entire earth. The Latter-day Saints, however, should have a deeper love for and understanding of rainbows. The Joseph Smith Translation adds the beautiful truth that the rainbow also symbolizes the covenant that the day will come when the inhabitants of the earth will embrace the truth, and the City of Enoch will return and rejoin them. As we "look upward" at rainbows, we can envision the heavenly city "looking downward" upon us, and anticipate the time when "the heavens will shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy" as the Zion people on earth are joined by the city of Zion from heaven.
INCREASED UNDERSTANDING THROUGH JOSEPH SMITH'S "TRANSLATION"
In June of 1830, the Prophet Joseph Smith followed the command of the Lord to re-translate the King James Bible (see D&C 35:20). He did this by studying the Bible prayerfully, and making notes and additions through inspiration as he read, in order to restore what had been corrupted or removed through the ages as the Bible made its winding way through civilization. Most of the work was done by July of 1833, but he kept revising and editing it until his death (Garr, et.al, Encyclopedia of Latter-day History, p. 589). The entire Book of Moses was revelation received by Joseph Smith as he read the Book of Genesis, the first chapter being completely new material, and the rest being revisions on the Genesis narration. After the Book of Moses, the story resumes with Genesis 6:14, but there are still some very enlightening changes which have been put in the footnotes of the LDS Bible, or in the Appendix.
Here are some interesting insights about Noah and the ark, most of which come as a result of JST changes and additions:
NOAH
- He was the great-grandson of Enoch (Gen. 5:18-32), whom Enoch saw in vision (Moses 7:41-43); the grandson of Methuselah; and the son of Lamech.
- He was the prophet of the next major dispensation after his great-grandfather's.
- He had a very short priesthood line of authority: "Methuselah was one hundred years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam...Noah was ten years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah" (D&C 107:50-52).
- Noah was born as the child of promise who would save civilization. Methuselah, his grandfather, was left behind when the City of Enoch went up to Heaven, for the purpose of bringing Noah into the world. "And it came to pass that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins" (Moses 8:2).
- At his birth and naming, his father, Lamech, prophesied that he would "comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed" (Gen. 5:29).
- He was righteous (Moses 8:13).
- In an incident about which we have no details, he was saved from murderous giants by the hand of the Lord (Moses 8:18).
- Noah's sons were also righteous men: "And thus Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord; for Noah was a just man, and perfect in his generation; and he walked with God, as did also his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth" (Moses 8:27). They weren't saved from the flood just by being related to Noah.
- For 120 years (!) Noah warned the people about the flood (Moses 8:17).
- Noah was commanded to build an ark, which he obediently did, without hesitation or argument, despite what Bill Cosby says in his famous comedy routine :) "Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he" (Gen. 6:22).
- At the end of the warning period, Noah was 600 years old, his grandfather Methuselah finally died (sparing him the whole ark ordeal), and Noah's family entered the ark with the animals.
- The Hebrew root for "ark" is the same as that used for baby Moses' floating basket.
- Cubits varied by region, but the Egyptian cubit of 18 inches was most likely Noah's measure, making the ark 450 feet by 76 feet by 45 feet, equal to an icebreaker, double a man o' war, half an oceanliner. (See picture from Institute Old Testament Student Manual below.)
- It had 3 decks, enclosed of course, with 15-foot ceilings, if they were equal. There was over 100,000 square feet of floorspace all told: over 30 times the square footage of a 1970s ranch-style American home.
THE ANIMALS
The ark hosted two of a kind of unclean animals (to repopulate the earth) (Gen. 6:19-20), and seven of a kind of clean animals (two to repopulate the earth; five as food storage for the year-long journey on the water) (Gen. 7:2-3).
THE JOURNEY
The number 40 in the Bible is almost always symbolic. Saying that some ordeal lasted 40 days or 40 years was a way of stating that it was a long period of trial, of testing, of preparation, which would be followed by a reward or a restoration. The specific phrase "40 days and 40 nights" occurs three other times in the Bible: Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exo. 24:18), Elijah traveling to Horeb (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus fasting in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2). In fact, the journey of the ark lasted a lot longer than 40 days and 40 nights.
The flood began on the 17th day of the 2nd month of the 600th year of Noah's life (Gen. 7:11). That day, the family boarded the ark (Gen. 7:13).- The waters covered the earth for 150 days, and the ark rested on the mountains of Ararat on the 17th day of the 7th month (Gen. 8:3-4).
The waters decreased continually until the mountains became visible on the 1st day of the 10th month (Gen. 8:5).
After having sent out the raven and the dove, the waters were finally dried off the earth on the 1st day of the 1st month of the 601st year of Noah's life (Gen. 8:13).
The earth itself was dry on the 27th day of the 2nd month, and the family disembarked (Gen. 8:14-16).
150 days afloat + 73 days anchored with no land in sight + 90 days until the water receded + 57 days until the land dried out = 370 days total, but this was calculated figuring months of only 30 days, so add about 5 days for the longer months = 375 days!!!
THE RAINBOW COVENANT
(This beautiful photo showing the Rainbow Covenant
over the place of covenants was taken by my friend,
Laurie Hendricks Fifield)
Are not all revelations given in answer to questions or requests, as Joseph Smith said? The Joseph Smith Translation reveals that the rainbow was the sign of a covenant answering the heartfelt prayer of Noah's great-grandfather, Enoch, when he saw the devastating flood in a vision.
"And when Enoch heard the earth mourn, he wept, and cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, wilt thou not have compassion upon the earth? Wilt thou not bless the children of Noah? And it came to pass that Enoch continued his cry unto the Lord, saying: I ask thee, O Lord, in the name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt have mercy upon Noah and his seed, that the earth might never more be covered by the floods" (Moses 7:49-50).
Three generations later, after the flood had come and gone, and his family had safely disembarked, Noah built an altar, offered thanks with an animal sacrifice (there were animals born during the long journey on the ark, of course, and so there were "firstlings" to offer) and made the self-same request, undoubtedly passed down through the generations from his great-grandfather:
"And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar; and gave thanks unto the Lord, and rejoiced in his heart. And the Lord spake unto Noah, and he blessed him. And Noah smelled a sweet savor, and he said in his heart; I will call on the name of the Lord, that he will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; and that he will not again smite any more every thing living, as he hath done while the earth remaineth" (JST Gen. 9:4-6).
"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself. And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness and the earth shall tremble with joy; And the general assembly of the church of the first-born shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will establish my covenant unto thee, which I have made between me and thee, for every living creature of all flesh that shall be upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and thee; for all flesh that shall be upon the earth" (JST Gen. 9:21-25, p. 798 of the LDS Bible).
LOOK FOR RAINBOWS
The Primary song "When I Am Baptized" begins, "I like to look for rainbows." Believers in the Bible recognize rainbows as symbols of the Lord's promise to never again flood the entire earth. The Latter-day Saints, however, should have a deeper love for and understanding of rainbows. The Joseph Smith Translation adds the beautiful truth that the rainbow also symbolizes the covenant that the day will come when the inhabitants of the earth will embrace the truth, and the City of Enoch will return and rejoin them. As we "look upward" at rainbows, we can envision the heavenly city "looking downward" upon us, and anticipate the time when "the heavens will shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy" as the Zion people on earth are joined by the city of Zion from heaven.
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